The landing at W had been entrusted to the 1st Battalion Lancashire
Fusiliers (Major Bishop), and it was to the complete lack of the
sense of danger or of fear of this daring battalion that we owed
our astonishing success. As in the case of the landing at X, the
disembarkation had been delayed for half an hour, but at 6 a.m. the
whole battalion approached the shore together, towed by eight picket
boats in line abreast, each picket boat pulling four ship's cutters.
As soon as shallow water was reached, the tows were cast off and the
boats were at once rowed to the shore. Three companies headed for the
beach and a company on the left of the line made for a small ledge of
rock immediately under the cliff at Tekke Burnu. Brigadier-General
Hare, commanding the 88th Brigade, accompanied this latter party, which
escaped the cross fire brought to bear upon the beach, and was also
in a better position than the rest of the battalion to turn the wire
entanglements.
While the troops were approaching the shore no shot had been fired from
the enemy's trenches, but as soon as the first boat touched the ground
a hurricane of lead swept over the battalion. Gallantly led by their
officers, the Fusiliers literally hurled themselves ashore, and, fired
at from right, left, and centre, commenced hacking their way through
the wire. A long line of men was at once mown down as by a scythe,
but the remainder were not to be denied. Covered by the fire of the
warships, which had now closed right in to the shore, and helped by the
flanking fire of the company on the extreme left, they broke through
the entanglements and collected under the cliffs on either side of
the beach. Here the companies were rapidly re-formed, and set forth to
storm the enemy's entrenchments wherever they could find them.
In making these attacks the bulk of the battalion moved up towards Hill
114 whilst a small party worked down towards the trenches on the Cape
Helles side of the landing-place.
Several land mines were exploded by the Turks during the advance, but
the determination of the troops was in no way affected. By 10 a.m.
three lines of hostile trenches were in our hands, and our hold on the
beach was assured.
About 9.30 a.m. more infantry had begun to disembark, and two hours
later a junction was effected on Hill 114 with the troops which had
landed on X beach.
On the right, owing to the strength of the redoubt on Hill 138, little
progress could be made. The small party of Lancashire Fusiliers which
had advanced in this direction succeeded in reaching the edge of the
wire entanglements, but were not strong enough to do more, and it
was here that Major Frankland, Brigade-Major of the 86th Infantry
Brigade, who had gone forward to make a personal reconnaissance, was
unfortunately killed. Brigadier-General Hare had been wounded earlier
in the day, and Colonel Wolley-Dod, General Staff 29th Division, was
now sent ashore to take command at W beach and organize a further
advance.
At 2 p.m., after the ground near Hill 138 had been subjected to a heavy
bombardment, the Worcester Regiment advanced to the assault. Several
men of this battalion rushed forward with great spirit to cut passages
through the entanglement; some were killed, others persevered, and by 4
p.m. the hill and redoubt were captured.
An attempt was now made to join hands with the troops on V beach, who
could make no headway at all against the dominating defences of the
enemy. To help them out the 86th Brigade pushed forward in an easterly
direction along the cliff. There is a limit, however, to the storming
of barbed-wire entanglements. More of these barred the way. Again
the heroic wire-cutters came out. Through glasses they could be seen
quietly snipping away under a hellish fire as if they were pruning a
vineyard. Again some of them fell. The fire pouring out of No. 1 fort
grew hotter and hotter, until the troops, now thoroughly exhausted by a
sleepless night and by the long day's fighting under a hot sun, had to
rest on their laurels for a while.
When night fell, the British position in front of W beach extended from
just east of Cape Helles lighthouse, through Hill 138, to Hill 114.
Practically every man had to be thrown into the trenches to hold this
line, and the only available reserves on this part of our front were
the 2nd London Field Company R.E. and a platoon of the Anson Battalion,
which had been landed as a beach working party.
During the night several strong and determined counter-attacks were
made, all successfully repulsed without loss of ground. Meanwhile the
disembarkation of the remainder of the division was proceeding on W and
X beaches.