GALLIPOLI (continued).
Lower Cheshire Ridge, the Battalion's new position, was in part a
razor-edged feature which faced the steep north-west slope of Sari Bair.
In between the two, and diagonally across the front, ran the Aghyl Dere
which passed through the trench line at the 28th's northern boundary.
Here a high breastwork had been constructed which carried a firestep and
at the same time allowed room for the passage of water underneath. This
breastwork, and the line for some distance beyond, was manned
alternately by the 5th Norfolks and 10th Londons, both of whom belonged
to the 162nd Brigade, 54th Division, and were Kitchener Army men. Both
battalions were much reduced in strength and contained many men whom
disease had rendered really unfit for work other than that of the
lightest nature. However, they hung on with the Tommy's well known
stoicism.
The 28th line was very varied. Commencing from the left of the 27th
Battalion, it ran through a hilltop to a place where an L-shaped cutting
had to be made to secure any footing at all. Thence about a dozen steps,
cut in a face, took one to a lower level which ran along towards the
Dere and terminated in a series of firing bays opening out from tunnels
which had been excavated by the 4th Brigade and further improved by the
25th Battalion. Portions of three companies were detailed to hold the
line, "B" Company being on the right and "A" Company functioning with
the British. Immediately behind the line was a deep hollow which
sheltered the supports and provided space for the kitchens and
headquarters of the Battalion. Little Table Top and Rose Hill formed the
western side of this hollow, and across their summits had been
constructed a reserve line with machine guns in position.
The nearest enemy trenches were some 600 yards distant. The intervening
space was mostly covered with scrub, but in the breaks and on the bare
patches could be seen the bodies of many of those who had taken part in
the ill-fated attempt of Baldwin's Brigade to storm Chunuk Bair on the
10th August. Boxes, tins of biscuits, coils of wire, and various
portions of equipment were scattered broadcast about the valley.
[Illustration: THE FRONT LINE ON CHESHIRE RIDGE.
_Map by Australian War Museum._]
Life at Lower Cheshire Ridge was peaceful as compared with that at the
Apex. A daily dose of shrapnel was sent along from the direction of
Abdel Rahman Bair, to the north-east, but this seldom did any harm. On
the evening of the 7th October a machine gun fire demonstration was made
by our divisions on either flank without any apparent effect. At 7 p.m.
on the following day the wind rose and was soon followed by drenching
rain which lasted most of the night. About an hour after it commenced
the Turks opened a heavy rifle and machine gun fire against the Light
Horse Brigade and Walker's Ridge. This continued for some time but there
was no further development. Owing to the weather the Battalion spent a
very miserable night.
About this period, a method of recording time that was novel to most of
the Australians was brought into vogue by the adoption of the French
system. This at first led to some little confusion, but was considered
essential in order to ensure proper co-ordination in the efforts of the
Allies. Later on, it came naturally to all. The difficulty of easily
recognising the figures "0015" as representing 12.15 a.m., "1430" as
2.30 p.m., and "2245" as 10.45 p.m., may be quite understood.
Apart from holding this part of the line, the officers and men were
principally engaged, during their stay here, in improving the
accommodation for the supports and providing for their protection in the
winter. A detachment of New Zealand Engineers was attached to the
Battalion to advise. However, little progress could be made owing to the
scarcity of timber and iron and the nature of the soil, which, in this
quarter, was composed of the scourings of the hills and had no
stability. Difficulty was also encountered with the plans of the
Commanding Royal Engineer of the Division, which were frequently
changed, in order to conform to the varying moods of the Divisional
Commander. In consequence, much labour was expended, but little real
progress made for some time. Defensive works included the deepening of
the front line trench, which was carried down to a depth of ten feet--in
some places--without any material increase in width. This was the policy
of the day and was based on securing immunity from shrapnel fire. Had
the enemy used heavy shells, with delayed action fuses, these same
trenches would have proved veritable death traps for their garrisons.
Near the junction of "C" and "A" Companies' sectors, two tunnels were
driven in the direction of the enemy's lines. From the heads of these,
it was intended to construct a lateral underground trench, which would
join up with the forward works of the neighbouring battalion on the
left. The trench was to be completed almost entirely underground, and
then finally the crust of earth would be broken through in one night and
the enemy at dawn would discover a finished work having a command of
the whole of that portion of the Dere as well as the ravine running down
from the north. The Battalion did not stay in this sector long enough to
witness the completion of its labours and the work was afterwards
carried on by the 4th Brigade.
The scarcity, which has been referred to, of timber and iron was
exemplified in another manner when a change in garrisons took place.
Units marching in and out of a position would take their precious bits
of wood and sheet iron with them and their transport was personally
supervised by an officer. This, in the case of a company or battalion
being relieved, sometimes led to the partial dismantlement of works. As
a result stringent orders on the subject were issued. These were not
always regarded as they should have been. Once, during the gales, a
barge laden with timber was wrecked, and her load distributed along the
beach, at the foot of Chailak Dere. Within a few hours--whilst the
Engineers were thinking of organising salvage parties--the whole of the
spoils had disappeared into the valleys and up the slopes of the Light
Horse and Infantry positions.
The prominence given to sniping has been referred to earlier. To counter
the Turks' efforts in this direction, the Brigadier organised a body of
men composed of expert rifle shots, chosen from each battalion. This was
placed under the command of Captain H. B. Menz, of the 28th Battalion,
who had Lieut. W. P. Devonshire, 27th Battalion, to assist him. These
snipers were equipped with powerful telescopes and were disposed in
carefully chosen positions in the line--or beyond or behind it. Their
usefulness, aided as they were by other men from the companies, was soon
demonstrated. In a few days not a Turk dare expose himself within 600 or
700 yards distance of our lines, and scarcely ever was a hostile rifle
loosed during daylight hours. After dark, Jacko would take courage and
pot in the direction of our trenches. The snipers were also of use to
the English, who were being harassed on the other side of the Dere. The
tactful offer of the loan of two or three Australians in a few days
removed the cause of their trouble. The Turks occasionally resorted to
ruses, but these were quickly negatived by the Australians, who showed
themselves no mean masters of craft. Nearly across to the opposite side
of the valley were revealed, by the telescope, the shoulders and black
face of a dummy sharpshooter located behind a bush. Some distance up the
valley, to the north, a piece of iron piping protruded from cover in
imitation of a gun. Dummy loopholes abounded. On the slope of Chunuk
Bair, a communication trench wound down. At a certain hour of the
afternoon a man coming down this trench would, at one turn under
observation, be preceded by his shadow. Our snipers watched for this
shadow and made deadly practice at the substance. After a few days, the
enemy ceased to move in that quarter whilst light lasted.
Captain Menz was also supplied with a Hotchkiss quick-firing gun which
discharged a 3 lb. solid shot. This was placed in a carefully chosen
nook in one of the hollows and camouflaged with green bushes. In the
charge of Corporal C. T. Ballingall, an ex-citizen force gunner, this
weapon was a powerful and effective means of knocking out sniper posts
whenever they were located.
[Illustration: THE CHAILAK DERE.
Looking towards the sea from Table Top. The razor-back leads to Old
No. 3 Post.
_Official photo. No. G. 1829. Copyright by Australian War Museum._]
A system of patrolling the bed of the ravine, and of the lower slopes
beyond, was carried out. Platoon commanders usually took charge of small
parties of men which debouched from "A" or "C" Companies' lines and
cautiously explored No-Man's Land. Competition in this work became keen
at times. One young officer--small of stature--claimed to have pinned a
white handkerchief on a tree close to the enemy's wire. Another
officer--the reverse in figure--averred that he got through the wire and
dropped his cigarette butt right on top of a sleeping enemy sentry.
Daylight revealed the white patch on the tree, but nobody seemed anxious
to investigate too closely the tale of the cigarette.
[Illustration: VIEW OF THE AGHYL DERE.
Looking North-West. Cheshire Ridge position on the left. In the
foreground are reminders of the August fighting.
_Official Photo. No. G. 2002. Copyright by Australian War Museum._]
About this time occurred one of the Mohammedan festivals. High authority
considered that this fact might engender an offensive spirit in the
opposing force. Patrols, therefore, were instructed to be especially
vigilant. Nothing important was discovered. One patrol did report that
it had heard some musical instrument being played in the enemy's area,
the sound of voices, and the barking of a dog. The officer who compiled
the daily intelligence report wrote: "sounds of jollification were heard
issuing from the enemy trenches." This phrase seemed to tickle the
official ear, and was repeated by all reporters, and appeared finally in
Sir Ian Hamilton's summary.
Patrols also performed a good deal of salvage work and brought in a
considerable quantity of material from between the opposing lines.
Several identity discs were likewise collected and forwarded on for the
information of the records section of the Army.
On the evening of the 11th October a welcome addition was made to the
strength of the Battalion by the arrival of portion of the 2nd and 3rd
Reinforcements under Captain E. A. Coleman and Lieut. A. M. Hope. These
were distributed the following day amongst the four companies, and
Captain Coleman took over command of "B" Company. As was the case with
the later drafts, these newcomers proved themselves to be excellent
fellows.
The death of Lieut. F. E. Jensen had created a vacancy in the
commissioned ranks which was filled by the promotion of Sergeant C. R.
Field--a trainee under the Australian Universal Military Service scheme.
Casualties amongst the non-commissioned officers were replaced by the
appointment and promotion of men who showed themselves possessed of the
necessary qualifications. In a few instances promotion was declined by
the individual. Various reasons were given for this step. Some
individuals lacked ambition, others were reluctant to accept
responsibility, and again others preferred to retain the close company
of the friends of their section--promotion resulting in a mild form of
aloofness and isolation, a condition which the exercise of authority
rendered almost inevitable.
About this time the first Battalion Bombing Squad was formed. This was a
result of some lessons from the campaign on the Western Front, where
experienced bomb-throwers, properly organised, had proved of great value
in offensive and defensive operations. This squad was placed under
Lieut. N. W. Sundercombe and was trained in some old Turkish trenches at
the lower end of the Chailak Dere. The members showed such proficiency
in their work that in the course of a few days only they were called
upon to give a demonstration in method before the other squads of the
Division. The members of the squad were Sergt. A. Brown, Corporals A.
Gibbons and I. E. Dunkley, Privates J. Connor, S. J. Price, G. B. Brown,
F. Congdon, W. G. Green, F. E. Dawkins, H. Thetford, F. Parker, H.
Denton, F. Ball, A. Kelly, H. G. Haynes, D. McDonald, and D. W.
Cunningham. Several of these bombers earned considerable distinction in
the later campaigns in Belgium and France.
The 15th October marked a change in the command of the 7th Brigade.
Colonel Burston's health had for some time past been far from robust,
nevertheless he had stuck to his post with determination until
ultimately compelled to give in. He was sent to a hospital on Lemnos
Island, and Lieut-Colonel (Hon. Colonel) J. Paton, V.D., the C.O. of the
25th Battalion, was directed to assume command. Colonel Paton had been
an infantry brigadier in New South Wales, and had also taken a
prominent part in the naval and military expedition to occupy German New
Guinea. Sickness brought other changes in the brigade staff. Captain G.
B. Rowan-Hamilton was appointed Brigade-Major. He had been adjutant of
the 1st Black Watch and shared in the opening campaign in France and
Belgium. A new Staff Captain was found in Lieut. S. S. Bond, 25th
Battalion, who performed the duties until succeeded by Captain W. F. N.
Bridges--a son of the original commander of the 1st Australian Division.
About the middle of the month the Battalion received its first supply of
canteen stores. A small party had been sent to Imbros to buy "luxuries"
and had returned with neither the quantity nor quality they sought.
Nevertheless, their arrival in the Battalion area was signalised by the
formation of a queue as for an early door at a theatre. Sweets, cake,
and notepaper were in greatest demand, and after these, in popularity,
came soap and handkerchiefs.
Sir Ian Hamilton had been striving for months to institute this system
of canteens. He desired that the troops in the Eastern Mediterranean
should be placed on the same footing as those in France. General
Birdwood had written to him conveying the medical opinion that the
sameness of the food was making the men sick. The rations were A1, but
the men loathed the look of them after having had nothing else for
months. "If we could only get this wretched canteen ship along, and if,
when she comes she contains anything like condiments to let them buy
freely from her, I believe it would make all the difference in the
world. But the fact remains that at present we cannot count on anything
like a big effort from the men who have been here all these months."[P]
The first canteen ship did eventually arrive about the end of August,
and then brought only L10,000 worth--amongst over 100,000 troops! The
Commander-in-Chief sent it to Anzac. Later arrivals brought very little
more and, finally, early in December, the supplies petered out
altogether. Parties sent to Imbros foraged over the island, but soon
exhausted even that source, which produced only fruit, eggs, Turkish
delight, candles, and canned goods.
To pay for these extras the Australians had ample resources.
Periodically the field cashier appeared on the Peninsula with English
silver and notes. The adjutant drew from him, and company commanders
paid their men in accordance with their requirements--within the credit
which the Pay Book (always carried on the person) disclosed they
possessed. The British Treasury note for 10s. became known as a
"Bradbury"--a name derived from a signature thereon. Those issued to
the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at the time were endorsed in
Turkish so that they might have currency in Constantinople when the
Straits were forced.
The 16th October witnessed the return to the Battalion of the Machine
Gun Section from the Apex. It was arranged that at 4 a.m. this day an
attempt should be made to compel the enemy to disclose his gun and
machine gun positions. At that hour a rocket went up from Russell's Top.
Immediately our guns, and the machine guns to either flank of the 28th,
opened fire. The Battalion had been ordered to man the trenches, show
their fixed bayonets over the parapets, and cheer lustily. All these
things were done and the effect added to by throwing clods of earth down
amongst the bushes in the Dere to give the impression of the noise of
troops advancing. All came to nought. The Turk uttered not a sound, and
after the firing ceased the West Australians, appreciating some humour
in the situation, went about their day's work with broad smiles on their
faces.
Aeroplanes occasionally made their appearance above the contending
armies. To the man in the trench it seemed that some arrangement existed
whereby our aviators should not use the same days in the week as the
Turk. Never were the two seen in the air at the one time and the
infantry, who were spoiling to witness an aerial combat, were greatly
disappointed. An appearance was usually the signal for a little practice
by the anti-aircraft guns, one of which was located in the 1st
Division's sector. The enemy gunners had better luck than ours, for
twice during the Battalion's stay they succeeded in winging our men--one
of whom made a forced landing on Suvla Lake and the other in the sea,
not far from the shore, about half a mile further south. Here they
provided a target for the field guns and, in the former instance, the
machine, viewed from the Apex, soon resembled a fly whose wings had been
burned off. Whilst at Cheshire Ridge the 28th observed a hostile aviator
traverse the line from right to left, flying at an altitude of a few
hundred feet only. The pilot leaned over the side of the car as he
passed over the West Australians and waved his hand to them. The rifle
fire directed at him apparently did no harm and in a few seconds he
disappeared in the direction of Suvla.
Between the 17th and 20th of the month the Battalion suffered four
casualties (wounds) from shrapnel. On the evening of the 25th the Turks
landed in the Chailak Dere several heavy high explosive shells. At 11
a.m. on the 27th they opened a brisk fire all along the brigade sector
and up towards Suvla. The beach behind was also shelled by the big guns.
The "stand to" was ordered but, as usual, firing died down without
further development. The rest of the brigade had a number killed and
wounded but the 28th escaped unscathed. For the remainder of the month
the enemy was comparatively quiet.
Lieut. J. F. Quilty arrived from Egypt on the 24th and brought seven men
as a reinforcement.
[Illustration: "A" COMPANY.
Getting ready to move from the Reserve position at Cheshire Ridge.
_Photo. lent by Mr. T. Pritchard._]
Sickness increased during the month and seriously affected the officers.
The Adjutant (Captain Lamb), Captains Montgomery and Stroud, Lieutenants
Davey, Hargraves, and Carter were taken to the hospital. Captain Menz
also became alarmingly ill and had to be carried away on a stretcher. On
the way down the Dere a shell came along and killed one of his bearers
and wounded the other. He escaped with a bad fall and the loss of the
heel of his boot. A few days later Major J. A. C. Wilson left the
Battalion. He had been obviously suffering from jaundice for some time
but had clung to his command until he had to be ordered to hospital. As
"A" Company had lost both its O.C. and 2nd-in-Command, Lieut. N. F.
Macrae from "D" Company was appointed temporarily to command. Lieut. H.
E. C. Ruddock was selected to carry on as adjutant until the return of
Captain Lamb. Reg. Sergt.-Major P. T. C. Bell was promoted to
commissioned rank.
The weather changed on the 22nd October and turned as cold as the
coldest days in Western Australia, involving bleak conditions in the
trenches at night. On the 27th there was a very unpleasant wind and dust
storm which lasted for hours.
[Illustration: THE Q.M's. STORE OF "A" COMPANY
at Cheshire Ridge.
_Photo. lent by Mr. T. Pritchard._]
The Battalion having been in the firing line for about seven weeks, the
Brigadier ordered the 26th Battalion, which had not yet been in the
trenches, to relieve it. On the 30th October "A" Company of the
Queenslanders and Tasmanians took over from "B" Company of the 28th. On
the following day, however, the return to the Peninsula of the 4th
Brigade being imminent, the order was cancelled. Nevertheless, on the
1st November, "C" Company proceeded to join "B" Company at Taylor's
Hollow (in Bauchop's Hill, just north of Waterfall Gully). "D" Company
followed on the next day and, on the 3rd, Lieut.-Colonel J. M. A.
Durrant, with the 13th Battalion, took over the sector. The Machine Gun
Section was again temporarily detached from the Battalion and joined the
8th Light Horse near Sazli Belt Dere. Whilst there they had a duel with
a Turkish gun and came out victorious--finally calling upon our field
artillery to blow up the enemy's emplacement. This was done very
effectually.
During the month of October the Battalion had suffered a loss of five
killed, four died of wounds, 27 wounded, and 137 sick.
Located at Taylor's Hollow the Battalion now became the divisional
reserve. The 26th Battalion had proceeded to rejoin the 2nd Australian
Division and was followed on the 10th November by the 25th and 27th
Battalions. Nominally the Battalion was withdrawn for a rest, but
actually the divisional reserve's main function was to supply parties
for all manner of work behind the front line.
For the sake of convenience these parties were placed near Hell Spit, in
Reserve Gully, and other features which afforded the necessary cover.
They worked under their own officers, who received their instructions
from the Beach Commandant, from the Commanding Royal Engineer of one of
the divisions, or from a member of the Corps Staff.
One party was engaged in building a series of terraces to receive the
marquees of a Casualty Clearing Station. This necessitated the free use
of explosives and the removal of many tons of earth. The work was
carried out in such an efficient manner as to excite the surprise and
admiration of the Royal Engineers. To finish it off an elaborate
retaining wall was built with material from the shore. This wall
contained a large corner stone upon which was placed the inscription "A
Coy. 28 Bn. didit."
Some platoons were employed on the engineer, ordnance, and supply dumps.
Others assisted in unloading lighters at the piers and transferring
loads from storeships into lighters. Generally the work was without
incident except for occasional casualties from "Beachy Bill," which from
the Olive Grove sprayed the beach with its shrapnel. The great storm of
November 27th was, however, productive of some experiences of interest
and not without danger. Several of the ships upon which the men were
working had to make for shelter--refuge being taken at Suvla, Imbros,
and even as far away as Lemnos. To this latter place went Lieut. T. O.
Nicholls and his team, who found themselves on a craft that dragged her
anchors and was short of water and stores. Fourteen days elapsed before
they were able to return to Anzac. Those who suffered from sea-sickness
certainly did not enjoy these involuntary trips.
At 5 p.m. on the day of the storm, all hands and the cook were summoned
to Anzac Cove for salvage work. On arrival it was found that the piers
had been washed away. Big baulks of timber were being thrown about by
the sea, in a most disconcerting manner, amongst all sorts of stores.
The first duty assigned the party by the Beach Commandant was to restore
some semblance of order amongst the members of a certain Labour Corps
who had run wild. This was achieved in an expeditious though somewhat
violent manner. The next duty was salvaging amongst the flotsam and
jetsam which, with the timber charging about and the water at a very low
temperature, was a decidedly unpleasant task. Night put a stop to the
operations, and the Beach Commandant congratulated the party on the work
done. This officer was no lover of the "Aussies," owing--so rumour had
it--to some of them "pinching" his fattening fowls, but on this occasion
he contributed, voluntarily, a double issue of rum--an act which was
undoubtedly popular and timely.
Speech, accent, and manner counted for a good deal when working in
conjunction with British troops. An incident which illustrates this
occurred in connection with a fatigue party which was required by the
British Army Service Corps for night work on the beach. This party was
commanded by an officer who possessed neither size in stature or feature
in voice. His second-in-command was a corporal with very marked
characteristics. With the N.C.O. in rear the two set out for the A.S.C.
dugout, at the entrance to which the officer announced his arrival. The
A.S.C. officer emerged into the night and asked the question "Where have
you got your men?" The corporal gave the answer in his deepest
stentorian tones and with faultless accent, "They are anchored just
abaft the stack of Fray Bentos." The "Tommy" officer immediately came
over towards him and remarked, "Oh! I'm sorry, Old Chappie, I didn't
know there was an officer here, I thought this little N.C.O. was in
charge of the party." The corporal wasn't quite clear as to what
followed, but had a distinct recollection of receiving an order in good
Australian, "Corporal! Go back and bring the men along to the cheese
stack, _at once_!"
From the Beach, where men of all units met, came the daily crop of
"furphies" or rumours. Some of these, it was suspected, were set going
by the Intelligence Section of the General Staff, but many of them were
the deliberate creation of a few people with a rather perverted sense of
humour. Others developed from the chance remark of some individual
speculating on what might be, or what he hoped would be. The "Anzac
Liar," as the unknown person was designated, dealt with many subjects,
from an advance to a retirement, from the landing of a Greek or Italian
Army Corps on the north to the forcing of the Straits by the Navy. This
last, it was said, was to be achieved by the 2nd November, and the
sailors were prepared to make handsome bets on it. With experience the
ordinary soldier came to regard this news as a topic for conversation
only, remaining incredulous and accepting actual facts with the best
grace possible in view of his rapidly developing fatalistic spirit.
The Beach was also the hunting ground of those who sought to improve
their lot. One night a well-known Signaller, a noted hunter with an
eagle eye, observed a case of rum--for the moment unattended. The
situation obviously required action and P----possessed the necessary
initiative. Five seconds later he was being pursued down the Beach.
After successfully losing his pursuers he humped the case to Russell's
Top and opened it before a crowd of thirsty and expectant Signallers--to
find that it was lime juice. In the opinion of the Section this incident
was the one black spot in P----'s long career of usefulness.
Authentic news from the outside world came from two or three different
sources. General Headquarters at Imbros issued a weekly sheet, entitled
the "Peninsula Press," which published notes on the doings on other
fronts and gave alarming accounts of the winter conditions on Gallipoli.
The Navy had, apparently, their own sources of information, for
signallers would often gather items of interest by watching the flashing
of the helios by day or the blinking of the signal lamps by night. Then
there were the mails. In this, as well as in many other respects, the
army treated the soldiers well. Mails came at irregular intervals, but
never more than three weeks elapsed without bringing the ever-welcome
letter and newspaper from Australia. The 28th mail comprised a large
portion of that for the whole brigade. Some of the members would receive
as many as 13 or 14 letters each.
Parcels also came to hand. These contained a great diversity of
articles, ranging from woollen goods to chewing gum and safety pins.
The Battalion Postal Orderly, Private J. H. Mann, was most conscientious
and energetic in his work. He usually installed himself in some dugout
away from the company lines and where he had room to cope with his
thousands of packets. When the Battalion moved, new quarters were
necessary, and Mann was sometimes seen, bared to the waist, working hard
with pick and shovel in the excavation of a new post office. Sometimes
ill fortune befell the mails. Twice during the November storms lighters
containing hundreds of bags were swamped and sunk. One of these was
carrying the outward Christmas mail and disappeared within sight of the
beach.
As a rule letters for Australia were despatched once weekly and, in
spite of the local distractions, many found ample opportunities for
writing home. A few wrote with an eye to the publication of their
letters in their town Press. When these newspapers were subsequently
received by the Battalion, the scribes came in for a good deal of chaff.
Private E. St. I. Bilston of "C" Company made little essays into
verse--some of the results appearing in the Perth and Kalgoorlie Sunday
papers. At times writing paper was very scarce, and the New Zealand
Divisional Sanitary Officer complained that he was unable to continue
certain necessary issues because the supplies were disappearing into the
mail bags. In November, a case of stationery was received by the
Battalion. This was the result of the kind and thoughtful action of Mrs.
Lohoar of Fremantle, who had arranged a "Stationery Tea" amongst her
friends.
The attention of the men in the firing line was by no means always
centred on the imminence of danger. Except during actual bombardments,
or when on sentry, they had some leisure, which was filled by diversions
of various kinds. Sleep--when possible, letter writing, and card
playing, passed many hours pleasantly away. Those in the reserve areas
found other amusements, in which figured largely the games of "Banker"
and "Two-up," upon which had been placed an official taboo. In the
hollows and gullies groups of men were often noticed, and the observer
would see the faces momentarily turned towards the sky and then towards
the earth again--actions denoting interested eyes following the flight
of the spinning coins. Some men brought considerable sums of money to
their officers for safe custody. A good deal of this the owners
subsequently remitted to their homes.
Again, others found an interest in watching the flocks of wild geese
that passed over during the autumn migrations. The appearance of these
birds whetted the appetites of the "dog-fed" soldiers, but no rifle
bullet seemed to be able to find them. During the first week in December
starlings passed over in flocks of thousands--flying low and following
the line of hill and vale, whilst emitting a curious sound from the
movement of so many wings. In the Deres would be seen an occasional
blackbird and thrush, which were later on joined by the robin. On one
occasion a visitor from the Balkans--an eagle with a very large spread
of wings--hovered over Cheshire Ridge and, by a few, was thought to be
an aeroplane flying at great altitude.
Nor was the sea unpleasant to the eye. The wonderful blue of the
Mediterranean, the storms, and the sunsets and clouds behind and above
the sharp peaks of the island of Samothrace--some 40 miles away--made
believers of those who had seen copies or prints of Turner's pictures.
Farther south, and 12 or 15 miles distant, lay the less mountainous
island of Imbros, where Sir Ian Hamilton had his headquarters. Kephalos
Bay was on the east side, and there, on a clear day, could be discerned
the anchored shipping.
[Illustration: LEMNOS, IMBROS, AND SAMOTHRACE.
_Lent by Mr. C. E. W. Bean._]
Nearer at hand trawlers were engaged in mine sweeping. Others were lying
at anchor, just beyond the range of the Turkish guns, waiting for
darkness in order to discharge or take in cargo. Occasionally these
craft came in too close and afforded a target for enemy "whizz-bangs" or
salvos of "4.2's." These latter made a whining progress through the air
and landed in the sea, throwing up fountains of water as they burst.
Seldom did the Turk score a hit, and only once during the Battalion's
stay was a shell noticed to reach its intended destination.
Other vessels could be seen. An occasional destroyer proceeded at full
speed on some errand or in search of a hostile submarine whose presence
had been rumoured. Once a huge battle cruiser approached Suvla with a
watching destroyer keeping station on each bow and quarter. Low-lying
monitors, standing a long way off shore, with their one or two guns
trained at high angles, made practice at some inland target near Achi
Baba or at the northern end of the Peninsula. One of these, the
"Peninsula Press" reported, secured four direct hits on the flour mills
at Galata at a range of 19,400 yards.
Close at hand was the ever-present "Grafton," which, when the evening
sun lighted up the north-western slopes of Sari Bair, would loose her
guns, the firing of which gave forth a peculiar long-drawn-out double
echo.
With the fall of night sight failed except in regard to the flashes of
the naval guns and the red and green lights of the waiting hospital
ships.
Whilst in Taylor's Hollow the Battalion was not immediately concerned
with the operations of the front line. It was, however, still under
fire, for numerous shells fell at the entrance to the Hollow and bullets
came thickly at night all over the area. The sole casualty was a donkey
killed. On the beach near-by a lighter had been blown ashore. In its
vicinity some of the men were in the habit of bathing. The Turks shelled
the locality one afternoon and the bathers took cover under the distant
side of the boat. From this they emerged rather hurriedly when a shell
lobbed right into the craft. But instead of forsaking the neighbourhood
they lay about under the sand ridges, and when a shell landed were seen
to rush out and "souvenir" the copper driving band, from which
interesting mementos were manufactured by the artificers of the adjacent
howitzer battery.
Advantage was taken of the relatively quiet period to pay a visit to the
IX. Corps. A party of officers traversed the front line as far as the
headquarters at Suvla. In doing so they not only had the opportunity of
surveying the positions, but also of meeting a great number of the units
who had been so sorely tried in the August fighting and who did so well
later in Palestine and Mesopotamia. London and County Regiments,
Ghurkas, Sikhs, Welsh miners, and Scottish and Irish units, were all
represented and received the Australians with evident curiosity.
FOOTNOTES:
[P] Gallipoli Diary.