Antill war diary, 1915-1916 / John Macquarie Antill - Page 19

[Page 19]

War Diary
1915 20th Sept.
One man killed, one wd. 26th Battn. while working in Saps – The Brigadier sick to-day and to Hospital – Lt. Col. J.M. Antill, C.B. placed in command during his absence – Lt. W.S.K. Hughes rejoins from sick. He states many men at Mudros well, who cannot get back to duty owing to no methods existing, and that he was officially informed, until asked for by Brigades they would remain – See the extraordinary state of Brigade by state in last page – Howitzer shelling trenches prepared by Turks on W. Slope of Battleship Hill as report in B.M. – much work was done by night by enemy as counter to the saps we are working out from our trenches in the Canterbury Slope:

Visited Anzac and beach to-day – first time for several weeks away from Section, and surprised to see the great changes – Terraces take the place of all our previous primitive dugouts – The tops of hills razed, tents erected, a tramline from Anzac to the old Mule Gully – thousands of tons of stores of all descriptions and altogether a transformation denoting a permanent camp. Water laid on, and crowds of mules and road parties – In this Section we have made a good road up Sazli (N) – put up water tanks and laid 14 day's supplies against the expected rain.

The Brigade has worked hard to make defences safe – The Section is divided into two – No. 1 and No. 2 Post, former 9th L.H. (Lt. Col. Grant) and latter 10th L.H. (Lt. Col. Abbott) while the 8th L.H. now very weak under Major J.B. Scott 10th L.H. (vice L. Col. Deeble to Hospital) finds the detached Post of 12 men Table Top and the two nightly Sazli (S) patrols from Antill's Lookout and Kidd Sap:- Health of Bde. fair but usual number of sick chiefly "stomachs" to Hospital also one Diptheria case to-day: Lieut. W.S.K. Hughes will take over Bde. Major, vice Lt. Col.