Sir Joseph John Talbot Hobbs personal diaries, Vol. I (25 April 1915 to 14 January 1916)
was almost completely severed. Our linesmen gallantly went out to restore it, but much work had to be done by orderly. This has been a very strenuous day constant appeals for help from all directions & in most instances it has been forthcoming. 10th August. Got a night's rest at last - the first for 4 nights - feel all the better for it. the enemy is shelling us severely from early this morning. 'X' Our Guns 4, 5, & 8th Batty got into the enemy this morning early. Caught 3 Bde in the open & inflicted severe losses on them. Afterwards by indirect fire on the reverse Slopes of BATTLESHIP HILL & CHUNIK BEIR we again got into them (with assistance of Observation from N.Z.) & laid them out in hundreds. 'X' The enemy have been very active in their bomb throwing & the wounds inflicted by them at times are terrible. Many of our men too get their hands blown off in bomb throwing through want of having a defective bomb. I heard this evening from Irwin Burgess of the terrible losses 10th L.H. Regt sustained by their attack on the enemy trenches at the NEK 3 nights ago - over 80 Officers (7) & men killed within 20 yds of the trenches. The survivors of the Regt are brokenhearted about it & there will be consternation in Perth. Some of the best known fellows like Reg Moore among the slain. 'X' The following message from Lieut Gen ? shows his appreciation of the Gunners this last 3 or 4 days (see next page). (I should mention that on the 7th I did a bit of gunning myself, personally directing & observing the fire of the 8th Battery on the Turks (?). as Col Johnston said of some of the targets we got that day it was like rabbit shooting) 86.