The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps sailed out of Mudros Bay
on the afternoon of April 24, escorted by the 2nd Squadron of the
Fleet under Rear-Admiral Thursby. The rendezvous was reached just
after half-past one in the morning of the 25th, and there the 1,500
men who had been placed on board H.M. ships before leaving Mudros
were transferred to their boats. This operation was carried out with
remarkable expedition, and in absolute silence. Simultaneously the
remaining 2,500 men of the covering force were transferred from their
transports to six destroyers. At 2.30 a.m. H.M. ships, together with
the tows and the destroyers, proceeded to within some four miles of the
coast, H.M.S. _Queen_ (flying Rear-Admiral Thursby's flag) directing
on a point about a mile north of Kaba Tepe. At 3.30 a.m. orders to go
ahead and land were given to the tows, and at 4.10 a.m. the destroyers
were ordered to follow.
All these arrangements worked without a hitch, and were carried out in
complete orderliness and silence. No breath of wind ruffled the surface
of the sea, and every condition was favourable save for the moon,
which, sinking behind the ships, may have silhouetted them against its
orb, betraying them thus to watchers on the shore.
A rugged and difficult part of the coast had been selected for the
landing, so difficult and rugged that I considered the Turks were not
at all likely to anticipate such a descent. Indeed, owing to the tows
having failed to maintain their exact direction the actual point of
disembarkation was rather more than a mile north of that which I had
selected, and was more closely overhung by steeper cliffs. Although
this accident increased the initial difficulty of driving the enemy off
the heights inland, it has since proved itself to have been a blessing
in disguise, inasmuch as the actual base of the force of occupation has
been much better defiladed from shell fire.
"DEEP RAVINES AND SHARP SPURS"
The beach on which the landing was actually effected is a very narrow
strip of sand, about 1,000 yards in length, bounded on the north and
the south by two small promontories. At its southern extremity a deep
ravine, with exceedingly steep, scrub-clad sides, runs inland in a
north-easterly direction. Near the northern end of the beach a small
but steep gully runs up into the hills at right angles to the shore.
Between the ravine and the gully the whole of the beach is backed by
the seaward face of the spur which forms the north-western side of the
ravine. From the top of the spur the ground falls almost sheer except
near the southern limit of the beach, where gentler slopes give access
to the mouth of the ravine behind. Further inland lie in a tangled
knot the under-features of Sari Bair, separated by deep ravines, which
take a most confusing diversity of direction. Sharp spurs, covered
with dense scrub, and falling away in many places in precipitous sandy
cliffs, radiate from the principal mass of the mountain, from which
they run north-west, west, south-west, and south to the coast.
The boats approached the land in the silence and the darkness, and
they were close to the shore before the enemy stirred. Then about
one battalion of Turks was seen running along the beach to intercept
the lines of boats. At this so critical a moment the conduct of all
ranks was most praiseworthy. Not a word was spoken--every one remained
perfectly orderly and quiet awaiting the enemy's fire, which sure
enough opened, causing many casualties. The moment the boats touched
land the Australians' turn had come. Like lightning they leapt ashore,
and each man as he did so went straight as his bayonet at the enemy. So
vigorous was the onslaught that the Turks made no attempt to withstand
it and fled from ridge to ridge pursued by the Australian infantry.