Only on the extreme left did we sustain a check. Here the Turkish
front trench was so sited as to have escaped damage from our artillery
bombardment, and the barbed wire obstacle was intact. The result was
that, though the 14th Sikhs on the right flank pushed on despite
losses amounting to three-fourths of their effectives, the centre of
the Brigade could make no headway. A company of the 6th Gurkhas on the
left, skilfully led along the cliffs by its commander, actually forced
its way into a Turkish work, but the failure of the rest of the Brigade
threatened isolation, and it was as skilfully withdrawn under fire.
Reinforcements were therefore sent to the left so that, if possible, a
fresh attack might be organized.
Meanwhile, on the right of the line, the gains of the morning were
being compromised. A very heavy counter-attack had developed against
the "Haricot." The Turks poured in masses of men through prepared
communication trenches, and, under cover of accurate shell fire, were
able to recapture that redoubt. The French, forced to fall back,
uncovered in doing so the right flank of the Royal Naval Division.
Shortly before 1 p.m. the right of the 2nd Naval Brigade had to retire
with very heavy loss from the redoubt they had captured, thus exposing
in their turn the "Howe" and "Hood" Battalions to enfilade, so that
they, too, had nothing for it but to retreat across the open under
exceedingly heavy machine-gun and musketry fire.
By 1.30 p.m. the whole of the captured trenches in this section had
been lost again, and the Brigade was back in its original position, the
"Collingwood" Battalion, which had gone forward in support, having been
practically destroyed.