TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
A superscript is denoted by ^x or ^{xx}. For example, L^{TD}.
Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been
corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within
the text and consultation of external sources.
More detail can be found at the end of the book.
GLORIOUS DEEDS
OF AUSTRALASIANS IN THE
GREAT WAR
Books of Topical Interest.
The Russian Campaign. The second series of Field Notes.
By STANLEY WASHBURN.
Demy 8vo, 70 Illustrations. Price 7 _s._ 6_d._ net.
[_Third Thousand._
Russia, the Balkans and the Dardanelles.
By GRANVILLE FORTESCUE.
Illustrated. Demy 8vo, cloth. Price 6_s._ net.
Ferdinand of Bulgaria.
By the Author of "The Real Kaiser." Cartoons by Will. Dyson.
Price 2_s._ net.
Sketches in Poland.
By FRANCES DELANEY LITTLE.
12 Illustrations in Colour. Demy 8vo. Price 9_s._ net.
[_Second Edition._
Field Notes from the Russian Front.
By STANLEY WASHBURN.
Demy 8vo, 60 Illustrations. 6_s._ net.
[_Fourth Thousand._
At the Front with Three Armies.
By GRANVILLE FORTESCUE.
Demy 8vo, 30 Illustrations. 6_s._ net.
[_Second Edition._
Germany's Swelled Head.
By EMIL REICH.
Crown 8vo, cloth. Jacket in Colours. Design by Kapp. Price 1_s._
net.
[_Ninth Edition._
LONDON: ANDREW MELROSE, LTD.
[Illustration: General Birdwood, in charge of the operations at Anzac.
_Frontispiece._]
GLORIOUS DEEDS OF AUSTRALASIANS
in the Great War
By
E. C. BULEY
Author of "Australian Life in Town and Country"
FIFTH (ENLARGED) EDITION
LONDON: ANDREW MELROSE, LTD.
3 YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C.
1916
First printed October, 1915.
Reprinted November, 1915.
" twice in December, 1915.
New edition (enlarged) January, 1916.
PREFACE
In the course of writing this book I have interviewed some hundreds
of wounded Australasian soldiers in London hospitals. From their
narratives, delivered with a modesty which I have not sought to
reproduce here, I gathered much material not obtainable in the short
official accounts given of their exploits.
The temptation to record individual deeds of remarkable bravery
has been strong, but in most cases it has been resisted. This
comparatively small force, which has suffered 25,000 casualties
in less than five months, consists of men who are all heroes.
After the first few days on Gallipoli, its officers recognized
the impossibility of officially recognizing deeds of bravery, and
practically no awards have been made since the end of April.
I have collected a large number of remarkable instances of gallantry,
but I have concluded that to mention these would be invidious, since
the bulk of such exploits has not come under my notice. Such an
exception as I have made in the case of Private Simpson, the dead
hero of the Ambulance section, will be pardoned. No Australasian ever
speaks of him without saying, "He earned the V.C. a dozen times."
I have heard Australasian officers recount deeds of wonderful bravery
which they have not cared to report, because "Any of my men would
have done the same"; and, in my attempt to record the main incidents
of this great adventure, I am constrained to accept this very high
standard of duty. Its effect has been to win for Australasian
soldiers a reputation for "daredevil bravery" in the mass, and to
ignore the supreme efforts of the individual.
I have to thank the _Daily Mail_ for the permission to reproduce
three of the wonderful exclusive photographs its enterprise obtained
from the Anzac zone; the _British Australasian_ for the use of all
the remaining photographs with which the book is illustrated; and
the _Weekly Dispatch_ for permission to reproduce matter which first
appeared in that paper.
Finally, I have spoken to no wounded Australasian in this country who
has not taken occasion to mention the great kindness shown by the
people of Great Britain. Many of them, hearing that I was writing
a book on Australasia's part in the war, have asked me to mention
this. Their thankfulness has been so spontaneous, and they have been
so profoundly touched, that I have ventured to refer to it. Their
gratitude cannot be too widely made known on this side of the world;
nor can the attentions which elicited it be too freely indicated to
those who sent them from Australasia.
PREFACE TO THE FIFTH EDITION
The rapid exhaustion of four editions of this book has been accepted
by myself as sufficient proof that I have succeeded in carrying out
the main idea suggested to me by Mr. Andrew Melrose, the publisher.
He divined that some continuous account of the deeds of Australasians
in the war would be received with interest, pending the appearance
of an authoritative work by the official historian of the Anzacs. I
have now extended the book to include all the main incidents of the
fighting in Gallipoli, and the evacuation of the Peninsula.
I wish to thank my many friends of the Australian and New Zealand
Imperial Forces who have written pointing out errors in the
original text, and amplifying my accounts of various engagements.
The appreciation they have expressed of my modest performance
has indeed been gratifying, and any fear I may have had of their
misunderstanding the purpose of the book has been entirely removed.
I have added an alphabetical list of those members of the Anzac
Army who have been decorated for services in the field, or mentioned
in dispatches. I hope it will be found useful, as well as the index
to the contents of the book. With these additions I am content to
let the fifth edition go, in the fullest confidence that it will be
accepted for what it is intended to be, a brief and simple outline of
the most adventurous enterprise and most heroic deeds that the whole
history of war can discover.
LONDON, _February 25_, 1916.
CONTENTS
CHAP. PAGE
I THE LONG BLACK SHIPS 13
II THE END OF THE RAIDER "EMDEN" 29
III IN THE LAND OF PHARAOH 47
IV THE BATTLE OF BRIGHTON BEACH 59
V OCCUPYING THE LAND 75
VI POPE'S HILL AND GABA TEPE 95
VII THE CHARGE AT KRITHIA 107
VIII THE BATTLE OF QUINN'S POST 121
IX A THORN IN THE FLESH 133
X THE SOUL OF ANZAC 149
XI THE STORY OF LONE PINE 159
XII THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT HORSE 169
XIII THE MIGHTY NEW ZEALANDERS 181
XIV THE VALLEY OF TORMENT 193
XV THE GREAT NIGHT MARCH 203
XVI THE STORY OF THE "SOUTHLAND" 215
XVII THE V.C.'S OF ANZAC 225
XVIII SAID AN AUSTRALIAN OFFICER 239
XIX THE BAND OF BROTHERS 253
XX A TRIBUTE TO THE TURK 267
XXI GURKHAS, WHITE AND BROWN 279
XXII THE MAN WHO WASN'T LET 291
XXIII THE AUSTRALASIAN SOLDIER 303
XXIV FILLING THE GAPS 315
XXV THE ARMIES OF AUSTRALASIA 331
XXVI CLEARING THE PACIFIC 343
XXVII THE YOUNGEST NAVY IN THE WORLD 353
XXVIII THE HEART OF EMPIRE STIRRED 369
XXIX THE SECOND DIVISION 385
XXX THE LAST OF ANZAC 397
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
FACING
PAGE
General Birdwood, "the Soul of Anzac" _Frontispiece_
Australian Infantry Training at Broadmeadows 14
Troops Leaving Brisbane 20
The Australians returning to Camp at Mena, in Egypt 48
Australian Soldiers at the Foot of the Pyramids 50
Sir George Reid, High Commissioner for the Commonwealth,
Reviewing the Australian Expeditionary
Force at Mena Camp, Egypt 52
Transports bearing the Australasians to Anzac Cove. 62
The Landing at Anzac Cove on Sunday, April 25, 1915 66
Shrapnel bursting over Anzac Cove 70
Roll-call on Brighton Beach. The Sad Scene after
an Engagement 80
Sir George Reid, High Commissioner for the Australian
Commonwealth, 1914-15 90
General James McCay, commanding 2nd Brigade,
Australian Infantry 100
The New Zealanders Reviewed at Heliopolis 110
General Bridges, who commanded the 1st Expeditionary
Force from Australia 116
General Monash, Commander of the 4th Brigade,
Australian Infantry 122
Australian Field Artillery in Action 124
Map showing the stretch of Gallipoli Peninsula from
Gaba Tepe to Suvla Bay 134
A Battery of Australian Field Artillery going into
Action 162
Sergt.-Major Wynn, a Typical Trooper of the
Australian Light Horse 174
A Battalion of New Zealand Mounted Rifles 182
General Legge, who commanded the Second Division 218
General Sir Newton Moore, in Charge of the Australasian
Depôt at Weymouth 240
The Valley of Death 248
Captain Richardson of the 1st Brigade 252
A New South Wales Battalion, ready for the Front 304
The Last March through Sydney Streets 310
General Sir A. J. Godley commanding the New Zealanders
and the 4th Brigade, Australian Infantry 316
Farewell to the Troops in Melbourne 324
The Canterbury Section of the New Zealand Expeditionary
Force 326
The Australian Submarines AE 1 and AE 2, both lost
in the First Year of War 346
Rear-Admiral Sir George Patey, commanding the
Australian Squadron 348
H.M.A.S. _Australia_ in Sydney Harbour 356
The Governor-General of Australia 364
Australian Guns in Action before Sari Bair 390
THE LONG BLACK SHIPS
CHAPTER I
THE LONG BLACK SHIPS
On November 1st, 1914, there steamed out of the harbour of Albany,
in Western Australia, three long lines of great ocean steamships. At
their head proudly steamed the Australian cruiser _Melbourne_; the
procession was brought up in the rear by another Australian cruiser,
the _Sydney_. So the long black ships, forty in all, set out from the
last port of Australia in the golden Southern spring, bearing the
army of Australasia to the Antipodes in the Old World.
If another such army has ever been seen, it must have been a goodly
sight. Each man was a volunteer, who sailed away to fight, not so
much as a duty--but as a proud privilege. For that privilege many
thousands of fine young men had competed unsuccessfully; those
selected were truly the very pick of the flower of the youth and
strong manhood of Australasia. The ranks contained men from every
class of life. A young barrister, who had relinquished a practice
worth some thousands a year, had as his fellow ranker a kangaroo
shooter from the far remote bush fastness. Well-to-do young farmers
rubbed shoulders with architects and miners, shearers chummed up with
city clerks. Men of all grades were bound together by the common
cause that had impelled them to take up arms.
The Australasian army was a democratic army. The officers held their
rank for no other reason than their fitness to command. Social
station counted for nothing; soldier-like qualities alone decided the
allotment of commissions, and of appointments to the non-commissioned
grades. In one regiment the major was a stockbroker's clerk; the
stockbroker himself, formerly the chairman of his stock exchange,
was glad to serve in the same regiment as a private. Many of the
officers, and especially the non-commissioned officers, had seen
much active service in the Boer war. In the ranks there was a strong
leavening of the young soldiers who were the product of the system of
compulsory national service adopted throughout Australasia only a few
years before.
[Illustration: Australian Infantry Training at Broadmeadows.]
Physically, the men were as near perfection as could be attained in
so large a body. The average height of the 20,000 Australians was
5 feet 8 inches; the 8,000 New Zealanders averaged quite an inch
more. One battalion of Australians averaged 5 feet 10 inches; while
New Zealand again outdid this figure with a battalion averaging an
inch better. The 12,000 horses they took with them were the very
pick of two countries renowned for the stamina and quality of their
horseflesh. Their equipment was all of Australasian manufacture; the
khaki of their uniforms the best that could be made of the best wool
the world produces, their rifles, their ammunition, and every last
trifle of their outfit all home-made, and all designed to show how
well the Southern Nations could answer a sudden call on behalf of the
Empire. It was the first instalment of Australasia's vindication of
the promise made by the Prime Minister of Australia: "the last man
and the last shilling."
The offer by Australasia of this substantial aid in fighting the
battles of the Empire was made before the war-cloud had burst upon
Europe, but when the prospects looked very threatening.
The actual outbreak of war was anticipated by the Governments of the
Commonwealth and the Dominion of New Zealand by offers of every loyal
support. "All Australian resources are for the Empire's preservation
and security," declared Mr. Cook, then the Australian Prime Minister;
a sentiment crystallized by Mr. Andrew Fisher, then leader of the
Opposition and now Prime Minister, in the phrase, "Australia will
stand by to the last man and the last shilling"; which has become the
war motto of the Commonwealth. The Prime Minister of New Zealand,
Mr. Massey, said New Zealand would send an expeditionary force, and
would support the Empire to the utmost of its resources. A stirring
scene followed in the New Zealand Parliament, when the members rose
spontaneously and sang "God save the King."
The loyal messages of the Australasian Governments were acknowledged
by King George in the following cable:--
"I desire to express to my people of the Oversea Dominions with
what appreciation and pride I have received the messages from
their respective Governments during the last few days. These
spontaneous assurances of their fullest support recall to me the
generous self-sacrificing help given by them in the past to the
Mother Country. I shall be strengthened in the discharge of the
great responsibilities which rest upon me by the confident belief
that in this time of trial my Empire will stand united, calm,
resolute, trusting in God.
"GEORGE R.I.
"LONDON, _August_ 4."
This was acknowledged by New Zealand in the following terms:--
"I am desired by the New Zealand Government to acknowledge your
Majesty's gracious message, and to say that, come good or ill,
she, in company with the other Dominions and Dependencies of the
Crown, is prepared to make any sacrifice to maintain her heritage
and her birthright.
"LIVERPOOL, _Governor General_."
Australia made a specific offer of 20,000 men as a first instalment
for an expeditionary force, which was promptly accepted, as was the
offer of the Australian navy. New Zealand offered 8,000 men as a
first instalment, and these were also accepted promptly. The work of
selecting the best men from the many thousands of eager applicants
was a difficult one. New Zealand had 30,000 men in camp at the time,
training under the system of compulsory national service. They
volunteered for service abroad practically to a man. No immature boys
were selected, the age limit being twenty; and in the end it was
necessary to ballot for places among the large number of suitable men
who applied for places in the Expedition.
In Australia equal enthusiasm was shown. The age limit here was
nineteen, which excluded a large number of the youths training under
the Australian system of compulsory service. The medical tests were
very severe, as were the tests for horsemanship in the cavalry
brigades. Australia had to deny thousands of highly suitable men the
privilege of serving in the first contingent, but 10,000 of these
were put into training at once in order to be ready for a second
instalment.
An example of the eagerness to enlist was afforded by the case
of a young Queensland grazier, who mounted his horse and, as a
preliminary, rode 460 miles from his place at Cooper's Creek to the
nearest railway station, whence he travelled by train to Adelaide.
He wished to join a Light Horse regiment, and finding there was
no vacancy in South Australia, he set off to Hobart, in Tasmania,
by boat. There he was also unsuccessful, solely because all the
vacancies were filled. Not to be denied, he took boat to Sydney,
where he found his place at last, after having travelled over 2,000
miles, on horseback, by train, and by steamer, to serve as a private
soldier in the Empire's cause.
The instance is not unique; it is rather typical. Men went willingly
under the surgeon's knife for the removal of physical excrescences or
defects which were held to incapacitate them for service. Those who
could not find a place in the Australasian armies took their passages
literally by hundreds to Great Britain, there to enlist in the new
armies that were being gathered by Lord Kitchener for training.
Others obtained promises of places in future contingents, and at once
went into camp for practical training in all the duties of a soldier
on active service. The men selected for the first contingent threw
themselves into the work of preparation with a splendid ardour, that
shortened the time of preparation and permitted a speedy dispatch of
the troops to the old world. The actual work of embarkation began on
October 17, and was concluded on October 22, so that 20,000 men and
9,000 horses were got on the transports in five days, a sharp bit of
work. Before the actual departure, General Bridges sent the following
message to the people of Australia:--
"I hope to report that the conduct of the Australians, both in camp
and on the field, is worthy of the trust imposed upon them by the
people of the Commonwealth. The men are a fine lot, soldierly and
patriotic. I am grateful to the soldiers and citizens for the help
they have given me in organizing and preparing the force now about
to do its part for the good of the Empire. I venture to express the
hope that no matter how great the demands on their patience, the
Australian people will see to it that there is no diminution of their
determination to face their responsibility. This spirit cannot fail
then to pervade the troops."
Mr. Pearce, the Minister for Defence, sent to the troops on their
departure the following message:--
"Upon the force devolves the honour and responsibility of
representing Australia and of performing Australia's share in the
great Imperial effort in the interests of justice, honour and
international integrity. The ultimate issue of that undertaking can
never be in doubt, but its attainment demands a steadfast display
of the British qualities of resolution and courage, which are yours
by right of heredity. The people of Australia look to you to prove
in battle that you are capable of upholding the traditions of the
British arms. I have no fear that you will worthily represent the
Commonwealth's military forces. Your presence among the Imperial
forces has, however, a wider significance, as representing the
solidarity of the Empire and the Imperial spirit of loyalty to the
King."
And now the men of Australasia are embarked on their mighty
adventure. Six months later they were to thrill the Empire with a
feat of arms as brave and brilliant as anything contained even in the
annals of this, the greatest war of all times. So much they hardly
dared to hope then, but they strove by every means in their power
to keep themselves fit for the ordeal to come, when they would be
matched against the trained soldiers of the greatest and proudest
military Power history has ever known.
[Illustration: Troops leaving Brisbane.]
A glance around those forty troopships would reveal an interesting
object lesson in the production of new types of the great Anglo-Saxon
race. These are all picked men, whose parentage consisted of the same
kind of Britons, drawn from the four root stocks of the islands of
Great Britain. But the wide range of climate permitted between the
tropical plains of North Queensland and the rugged fastnesses of the
mountains of the New Zealand Southland has already produced types so
divergent that it is hard to believe that they sprang from the same
stock.
Compare McKenzie of Townsville, Queensland, with McKenzie of Dunedin,
New Zealand, and the difference is apparent. They may be cousins:
such things occurred in that wonderful army of Australasia; but the
Northerner is dark, slight, lean and wiry. The lines are bitten in
his browned face by exposure to many a glaring day in the merciless
direct rays of a tropical sun. His broad shoulders and narrow hips
make him an ideal athlete, but he is loosely built. He walks with a
swing; his movements look slower than they really are; the sun has
given him something of a languor that is not all graceful. But the
fire of a high courage burns in his dark eyes, and the sea breezes
have already brought a touch of colour to the pallor of his cheek. He
is in superb physical health, for all that he is so sallow and hard
bitten.
McKenzie of Otago weighs two stone more, though he has no whit of
advantage in height. He carries no spare flesh, but is a big-boned,
thick-set fellow, brought up on mutton and oatmeal. His cheeks are
rosy and tanned with the salt wind that never ceases to blow over
the wholesome island where he grows rich harvests of grain and
tends his plentiful flocks. He is a stiff, great fellow, as hard
as nails, and as healthy as a big bullock. His keen blue eyes look
out from under a smooth brow unfurrowed by any care. He comes from
a land where there is no want; his million or more of fellow New
Zealanders have not yet built a big city or created a huge fortune.
Easy prosperity, an abundance of physical well-being, and a continual
strife for high moral excellence are the characteristics of his
country, where the death-rate is the lowest in the world and the sale
of intoxicants is subject to closer restriction in peace time than
anywhere else in the Empire.
Between these two extremes are all sorts of modifications; the
Tasmanian, who grows apples on the sunny borders of the beautiful
Huon river and enjoys a country that resembles in many of its
features the rustic beauty of the best parts of Southern England.
He is a big, stocky fellow, this Tasmanian, with something of the
rustic simplicity of an English yeoman. But he is not by any means
as simple as he appears. Now look at Tommy Cornstalk from New South
Wales, tall and lanky, slow of speech and swift as a miracle in
action. Hear his queer slang as he talks of his "cobbers" or mates;
and shrewdly reckons his chances of seeing Australia again within
a reasonable number of years. The Victorian from the rich Western
plains is a stouter man, who has an intimate acquaintance with that
exasperating animal the cow. Butter has been to him a means of
realizing prosperity; from his early youth he has milked so many cows
every morn and evening. And when he wishes to express his opinion of
the Germans he calls them cows. It is his last term of abuse.
The West Australians, for some reason not yet apparent, are, as a
class, the heaviest and stoutest of Australians. They number many
a jack-of-all-trades in their ranks, for they have learned to turn
their hands to many things. They are bronzed by a climate where the
sun seldom fails to shine brilliantly; healthy, shrewd, sane and full
of reckless courage. The South Australians approximate more nearly to
the Cornstalk type, and from them are drawn some of the finest riders
in the ranks of Australia's celebrated Light Horse.
The speech of these Australasians varies remarkably. The
short-clipped speech of the men from the coastal cities contrasts
strangely with the monotonous drawl of the bushmen. In the New
Zealanders the old accents survive strangely; many of them talking
Scotch as broad as the men of a Highland regiment. Others speak
English of a remarkable purity of accent, though strangely tinged
with the slang of the shearing shed, the stable and the bush track.
Of the 631 officers and 17,305 men comprised in the Australian
contingent, twenty-two officers only and 6,098 men had seen no
previous service. The large remainder were veterans of the Boer war.
Only 190 officers and 1,451 men were married, the bulk of Australia's
soldiers being single men. Eighty-two per cent. of the officers
and 73 per cent. of the men were of Australian birth, the ranks
containing a fair percentage of "new chums" of comparatively recent
arrival from Great Britain.
Their conditions of service were as follows:--
_Rates of Pay._--Lieutenant, 21_s._ per day; sergeant, 10_s._
6_d._ per day; corporal, 10_s._ per day; private, 6_s._ per day.
_Separation Allowance._--Married members receiving less than
8_s._ per day--(_a_) for wife living at home, 1_s._ 5_d._ per
day; (_b_) for each child under 16 years of age, 4½_d._ per day.
A similar allowance as in (_a_) is paid to the mother of a member
who is solely dependent upon him for support.
_Pensions._--Payable to widow on death of member of the forces
or to a member on total incapacity:--Lieutenant, £91 per annum;
sergeant, £70 per annum; corporal, £68 per annum; private, £52
per annum. In addition, on the death or total incapacity of a
member, for each child under 16 years of age, £13 per annum. In
the case of total incapacity, the wife in addition receives half
the rate specified above for the respective ranks.
Under these conditions they were heading Northwards, daily
approaching nearer to that Old World where the war flame burned so
fiercely. For many days nothing occurred to break the regularity of
the discipline by which they kept themselves fit for the great task
they had undertaken; then the monotony of their journey was disturbed
by an event which startled them into a sudden realization of the grim
imminence of battle and death.
THE END OF THE RAIDER "EMDEN"