LEMNOS ISLAND.
The crowded "Osmanieh" left the anchorage opposite Anzac early in the
morning of the 13th December. Removed, for the time being, from the
everlasting noise and risk of battle, feeling also that the morrow would
bring real rest and a life of comparative ease, the troops slept well in
spite of their uncomfortable surroundings.
After daylight the transport entered Mudros Bay and before noon the
disembarkation had been carried out at a pier near the northern end of
Port Mudros.
The Battalion formed up and then moved off by a military road, made by
Turkish prisoners of war, which ran through the lines of the 2nd
Australian Stationary Hospital, the 3rd Australian General Hospital, and
a Canadian General Hospital, all of which were accommodated in marquees.
The staffs, and some of the patients, of these establishments stood by
the roadside as the new arrivals passed. Many friends and acquaintances
were recognised and the C.O. of the 2nd Stationary Hospital (Major G. W.
Barber) invited the officers of the Battalion staff to a dinner, to be
held the following evening, to mark the first anniversary of the medical
unit's departure from Australia.
Seen on the line of march for the first time for over three months, the
Battalion presented a sorry spectacle as compared with that witnessed
when it left Heliopolis on the 3rd September. Equipment fitted anyhow
and clothes were torn and stained. Few hats remained, their place being
taken by caps of various sorts and even woollen comforters. But the most
pitiful feature was the appearance of the men themselves. Emaciated
bodies, colourless faces, and lack-lustre eyes, revealed the effects of
the privations undergone, the continuous exposure to shell fire,
and--most of all--the inroads of disease.
The route the Battalion now followed led around a shallow inlet of the
sea to a camp near the little village of Sarpi. The distance was little
more than three miles in all, but so weak were the majority of the men
that they could not carry their packs and at the same time keep their
positions in the ranks. The camp site was eventually approached in a
kind of skirmishing formation of many lines. Numbers of men had fallen
out on the way--catching up again as best they could--whilst some, game
to the end on the Peninsula, had at last to give in and were handed over
to hospitals on passing through.
It was understood that the halt at Sarpi would be only temporary. The
area belonged to the 1st Division and was already occupied by the 3rd
Brigade. Communication was very soon established with the members of the
11th Battalion--notwithstanding the fact that they were in quarantine on
account of an outbreak of measles.
The accommodation in the camps was that furnished by tents only. In this
instance they were not very plentiful at the moment and a good
proportion of the men had to sleep out in the open. However, the air was
still warm and another mild hardship at this stage was neither here nor
there.
Having noticed a large canteen near the landing pier, the C.O. decided
that the Battalion's long divorce from good ale might reasonably, and
with great advantage, be brought to a close. Transport was the
difficulty. The canteen was over three miles away and the unit possessed
neither horse nor cart. Recourse was had to an officer of considerable
powers of initiative who, in civil life, held a master mariner's
certificate. He knew little about horses but a saddled one was borrowed
from the 3rd Brigade and given to him with instructions to purchase the
beer and bring it back to camp. He disappeared at a gallop over the
skyline and returned about two hours later with a wagon load of full
barrels. He had discovered a detachment of the Royal Army Service Corps
and, posing as an orderly officer or a.d.c., had told its officer a
distressing story of a brigadier who for several hours had been
separated from his personal baggage. The arrival of the wagon was
greeted with cheers and after its load was taken off, the men came up
and gazed reverently on the barrels until they were tapped and the
contents distributed.
Lieut.-Colonel G. H. Ferguson now being temporarily in command of the
Brigade, Major C. R. Davies was detached to succeed him in command of
the 26th Battalion.
On the 15th December the Battalion moved down the western side of the
bay to a locality termed "Z Valley"--near the entrance to the harbour.
The adjacent area was now known as "South Camp" and was destined for
occupation by the 2nd Division.
Tents were pitched and a neat little camp soon made its appearance. Some
difficulty was encountered in making the floors of the tents
comfortable. There existed a superabundance of stones of the size of emu
eggs which had first to be removed. These also littered the parade
ground spaces and large parties had to be set to work clearing them up
before exercises could be commenced. Water was scarce and the supply had
to be augmented by sinking wells which later yielded a fair return.
Other camps appeared as units continued to arrive from the Peninsula.
The 25th Battalion marched in on the 18th, and on the 20th Colonel
Paton rejoined the Brigade, bringing the surprising intelligence that
the evacuation had been completed with the loss of scarcely a single
man. That evening the survivors of the Machine Gun Section appeared and
were heartily welcomed, the more so as they had been given up for lost.
During the first two or three days after arrival at Z Valley little but
absolutely necessary work was performed. The men were allowed to rest.
Many of them went down to the adjacent beach and bathed, or sat down on
the rocks and ate large quantities of oranges and chocolates purchased
from Greek boatmen.
As soon as the Ordnance branch of the army had established itself
near-by, the process of refitting was commenced. However, supplies were
short and not even the demands for bare necessaries could be fully met.
Nevertheless, the Battalion was able to change and wash its clothes, cut
its hair, and indulge in a daily shave.
At this period the 28th had been long enough on service to begin to
appreciate the axiom "We are here to-day and gone tomorrow." No sooner
had the members settled down in their new camp then they began to ask
themselves "How long shall we be here?" and "Where are we going to?"
They knew that the evacuation of Anzac was merely the end of a phase of
the war. They were anxious as to how the news would be received at home
and hoped that it would not cause the people of Australia to be
despondent. They speculated on a possible return to Gallipoli--now that
it was discovered that Helles was being held. They considered Salonika
once more; dealt with the rumours of unrest in Egypt and the threat of
another Turkish attempt on the Canal; and, finally, discussed the
campaign on the Western Front where troops lived in billets, got good
food in quantity, and now and then received leave to go home.
The 28th left Gallipoli with a strength of 25 officers and 660 other
ranks. It had been thirteen weeks under fire and, although not taking
part in any "stunt," had held the line in such a manner as to add
considerably to its prestige and earn the reputation of being a solid
battalion. This duty had been carried out at a cost of 50 dead, 84
wounded, and 355 evacuated through disease.
The discipline had been excellent and, where all had behaved and done
their work so well, it was difficult to discriminate between one
individual and another. Nevertheless, in response to the inquiries of
the Divisional Commander, the following were selected for special
mention: Major A. W. Leane, Captain J. Kenny, A.A.M.C., Sergt. W. T.
Dawson, Lance-Sergt. G. M. Hammond, Corporal A. Jerry, Lance-Corporal A.
W. Curran, and Privates H. A. Franco and D. McAuliffe. Four of those so
named were subsequently awarded the Military Medal "for bravery in the
field."
The condition of the Battalion on arrival at Lemnos Island was such that
it was almost totally unfit to take the field again without being
reinforced, refitted, and the _personnel_ given an opportunity of
regaining its normal health and strength. Inquiries as to reinforcements
resulted in 72 men arriving, on the 29th December, from details camped
on the island. Fifteen of these were individuals rejoining after
sickness, etc. Larger numbers, it was understood, were being trained in
Egypt.
The health began to improve with the rest the members now received, the
better quality and variety of food supplied, and the institution of a
graduated system of physical exercises, drill, and marches, intended to
re-invigorate their mental and physical faculties. Within a fortnight
the effect was most noticeable. Colour came to the faces, the bodies
filled out, and individuals moved with an alertness strikingly different
from that when landing on the shores of the bay.
The second morning after arriving at Z Valley, the Assistant Director of
Medical Services of the Division attended at the "sick parade." Being a
very humane man, he was concerned at the appearance of the soldiers
present and told them that they ought all to be in hospital. This
thought was attractive. The vision, obtained a few days before, of real
beds and clean white sheets, combined with the prospect of being waited
on by the comely nurses of the Australian and Canadian services, could
only have one result. On the following sick parade the attendance was
trebled. But disappointment followed. The A.D.M.S. was not about, and a
far-seeing regimental medical officer pronounced his verdict--"Medicine
and duty"--on all but a few.
The drill exercises commenced with the squad formations, and here arose
the rather ludicrous situation of N.C.Os. not being able to describe the
movements required. This was brought about by the promotion on the
Peninsula of men who fulfilled the requirements there and got things
done by giving orders in a few terse phrases of their own coining, but
had never handled a section on parade or seen inside the cover of a
text-book. The position was aggravated by many of the officers being
"rusty" themselves and not having books of reference handy. However, the
difficulty was got over by forming a class of instruction in each
company, and the desired result was obtained in a few days. Five hours
daily were given to parades and a half-holiday observed on Wednesdays
and Saturdays.
[Illustration: THE CAMP AT SARPI,
Lemnos Island.
_Photo. lent by Lieut. H. V. Woods._]
[Illustration: THE SHIPPING IN MUDROS BAY, 1915.
_Photo. lent by M. Rene de Marigny, Paris._]
Although cold winds blew occasionally, and rain fell intermittently, the
climate of the island was not unpleasant at this time of the year.
Members of the Battalion, in their leisure hours, visited the
neighbouring villages of Portianos, Mudros, and Kondia, although this
latter place was subsequently placed out of bounds owing to an outbreak
of typhoid fever amongst the inhabitants. At Portianos occurred one of
those incidents the like of which is not altogether foreign to army
life--even in peace time. A solitary Australian encountered a "Tommy"
town picquet commanded by a tyrannical corporal. For a breach of certain
orders, of the existence of which he was unaware, the Australian was
rather roughly abused and handled by the picquet. Retiring discomfited
from the scene he met several of his countrymen. A brief conference was
followed by a return to the village and resulted in a very successful
"clean-up" of the original aggressors.
Some men walked considerable distances and penetrated to the western
side where is situated the principal town, Kastro--a place of some 3,000
inhabitants. Here they were able to inspect the Genoese fortress which
stands on a rocky peninsula and has an eminence of some 400 feet above
the sea. Souvenirs were obtained in the form of small roundshot from the
ancient cannon which formerly surmounted the walls.
Lemnos has an area of some 175 square miles and, before the war, boasted
of a population of some 27,000, of which number 3,000 or 4,000 were
Turks, and the remainder Greeks. In ancient times, it was part of the
Athenian Empire. The 15th Century saw it occupied by the Turks, in whose
possession it remained practically up to the close of the Balkan War of
1913. On the outbreak of hostilities in 1914, the question of ownership
was still under consideration by the Great Powers, but early in 1915 the
Greek Premier, Venizelos, offered the island to the Allies as an
intermediate base for their operations in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The island has many rugged barren hills--the highest near to where the
Australians were camped being Mt. Therma, which attained to 1,130 feet.
In wandering about the valleys and villages, the West Australians noted
the quiet demeanour of the inhabitants. The males had a somewhat
brigandish appearance in their dress of top boots, divided skirts,
sheepskin coats, and astrakan caps. With so many strangers about, it
would seem that great care was taken of the younger women. Very few of
those between the ages of 16 and 30 were seen. The few that were visible
had rather fine eyes, but otherwise were quite unattractive. Their usual
dress was European, but made up of cheap prints with a shawl or coloured
material tied round their heads as a covering.
The houses are square-built of stone, with no verandahs and little
window balconies in some of those of two stories. In a few cases, the
exterior walls were plastered and whitewashed or else painted with
colour of a violent blue. The windows and doors are small and the rooms
scarcely high enough to permit of one standing upright. The building
stone is granitic and of several colours, which, combined with the tint
of the moss on the roof tiles, gives an unusual effect to the general
appearance of the dwellings. In Kastro, the streets are of the width of
a Perth right-of-way and have shops on either side. These business
houses vary in size from half that of a street coffee stall to the
dimensions of the little grocery shops on the corners in our suburbs.
Here, besides fruit, might be bought a lot of cheaply made English and
German goods at prohibitive prices. Local wine and brandy were
procurable, also "Black and White" whiskey, which had been made in
Greece and bore a spurious label. This last was brought under the notice
of the military police, who compelled its withdrawal.
The products of the island seemed to be grapes and a few other fruits,
walnuts, wheat, barley, and a little cotton. Poultry were reared in some
numbers, and the eggs mainly went to the monasteries on the mainland, at
Mt. Athos, where the rules of the Order resident there forbade the
admission of females of any species. At one time the authorities on the
island derived a considerable revenue from the sale and export of a
certain red earth which, with much religious ceremony, was dug out at
stated times of the year and sealed in small packets. This, applied
internally and externally, was regarded as an antidote to poison and a
cure for snake bite.
A few flocks of long-wooled sheep roamed the hillsides. Many of these
were black. For tilling, primitive wooden ploughs, fitted with an iron
share, were used. These were drawn by oxen or, sometimes, by an ox and a
donkey, both animals usually in a very decrepit condition. The ordinary
means of conveyance was a curious old covered cart--also drawn by
donkeys.
Dotted about on the lower hills were windmills, with long wooden arms,
carrying the sails. The internal fittings and cog wheels were also wood.
These mills were used for grinding the corn that was not exported to the
mainland.
The island seemed to be well watered. One or two streams ran into the
Bay, and springs were plentiful. Some of these latter were built over
and provided with appliances for filling the carrying vessels. The
villages also had their wells, but the water in these was reported to be
polluted and to be the cause of outbreaks of fever.
There was almost a complete absence of trees, the natives having to
secure their fuel from the neighbouring islands. Animal life seemed to
consist of black and grey crows, jackdaws, a few hares, and moles, whose
mounds were numerous.
Like unto Egypt, each little village on the island had its cafes, where
the menfolk gathered and drank the thick sweet coffee. The 28th men
frequented these when desiring a rest in their walks. Sometimes they
visited the Greek churches--mostly old places, whitewashed, poorly
furnished, and with a good deal of tawdry decoration in the way of
pictures and tinsel. To the building at Portianos was an annexe half
filled with human skulls and leg and arm bones. Some of these were
ranged on shelves, whilst others were tied up in cloths, like bundles
for the laundry. The general impression was that these were the remains
of victims of Turkish massacres, but close inquiry revealed the fact
that they were the relics of the priests of the church--the custom being
to disinter the bones from the cemetery three years after the burial of
the body.
But the excursion most in favour with the Australian was to the hot
springs, on the slope of Mt. Therma. Round these had been built a rest
house. The springs fed into two marble baths about three feet deep and
six feet long. The water left the rocks at a temperature of 100 degrees
Fahrenheit, and to the man who had not had a decent wash for nearly four
months, the opportunity was revelled in. They used the baths in twos and
threes, covered themselves in soap and washed it off, and repeated the
process until the proprietor of the establishment knocked loudly at the
door to announce that other customers were waiting.
The harbour and bay at this time presented a spectacle not likely to be
again seen by many Australians. In addition to portions of the Allied
navies, and smaller vessels such as trawlers, there were assembled some
13 hospital ships and at least 70 transports of 4,000 tons and over.
Besides these, during the stay of the Battalion on the island, there
arrived the "Aquitania" (45,600 tons), "Mauretania" (31,900 tons), and
"Britannic" (50,000 tons), the latter vessel seeming to almost fill the
entrance to the harbour as she steamed slowly in.
Christmas Day was now approaching, and preparations for making the
season as enjoyable as possible were taken in hand. Tents were decorated
and the ground around laid out in designs formed with the aid of the
stones from the sea beach. A competition had been arranged and prizes
were given for the parties securing the best results. One man
constructed from the soil some models of kangaroos and swans. A supply
of beer was ordered from the Canteen, and a consignment of Swallow &
Ariell's tinned plum puddings having been received were issued in the
proportion of one tin to every two men.
On the afternoon of the 24th December arrived the "Christmas Billies."
These were two-quart cans which had been filled with comforts by the
people of Australia and despatched for the use of the troops. Each can
contained a card whereon the sender had written a seasonable greeting.
By a touch of irony, painted on the outside of the receptacle was a
representation of an Australian kicking a Turk off the Peninsula.
Beneath was inscribed a line from "Dryblower's" well known song, "This
bit of the world belongs to us." The contents of the "billies" covered a
fairly wide range of articles, and an inventory made of one gave the
following result:--
1 tin shortbread.
1 tin cheese.
1 tin tobacco.
1 pack playing cards.
1 corkscrew.
1 mouth organ.
Safety pins.
1 piece soap.
1 tube toothpaste.
1 toothbrush.
1 packet prunes.
1 packet boracic acid.
1 writing pad with envelopes.
1 pipe.
6 cigars.
Although each State of the Commonwealth sent its proportion of gifts,
the whole lot were pooled and distributed _pro rata_. The 28th thus
received mostly Victorian gifts, but they were none the less welcome,
and many men answered by letter the greetings of the senders.
The receipt of these gifts excited considerable interest and gave
infinite pleasure. The scene when the cans were being opened was
absorbing. Men were behaving like children, exhibiting the articles to
one another, exchanging when not quite to taste, rendering impromptus on
the mouth organs, and laughing over their own interpretations of the
messages. In these last, as might be expected, little incongruities were
discovered, and the commanding officer of a neighbouring battalion, who
admitted an age of 40 and a weight of some 200 lbs., felt flattered when
he read the enclosed inscription, "To my dear little soldier boy."
That night went pleasantly enough--the men singing and talking until a
late hour. Next morning, in beautiful weather, the Battalion paraded for
divine service, which was conducted by the Rev. S. McBain, a chaplain of
the 6th Brigade, in a manner that interested and pleased all. The dinner
was a feast as compared with the meals of the previous months, and
afterwards the Western Australians played their first, and a victorious,
game of football in the A.I.F.--on this occasion against the 24th
Battalion. A visit was also received from Colonel Burston, who was now
located on the island in command of a large reinforcement camp. That
evening in his own Mess he very pleasantly entertained some of the
officers. Boxing Day was also observed as a holiday and passed without
incident except for a visit from a hostile aeroplane which passed over
the camp travelling eastwards at a considerable height.
Probably owing to the dislocation of the services brought about by the
evacuation, the Battalion received no Australian mails for some time,
and its latest news from home was quite two months old. About the 20th
December, however, information was received that several thousand bags
were in the vicinity. Later, curious members located these on the east
side of the Bay. Representations made to higher authority failed to
secure delivery, the statement being made that no transport was
available but that battalions would receive their portions on reaching
the next theatre of operations. This answer not proving satisfactory, a
mild conspiracy was indulged in which covered the chartering of a local
fishing boat and a trip across the Bay. Lieut. Nicholls was master, the
owner pilot, and 28th men formed the crew. This and other measures were
successful, and the Battalion got its letters just before the end of the
month.
As time went on the Battalion so far improved in health and training
that unit and Brigade route marches were undertaken. Here the Western
Australians came under the eye of the Divisional Commander
(Brig.-General W. Holmes, D.S.O.), who complimented them on their march
discipline. On the 31st December he inspected them in close order drill
and the practice of formations when under artillery fire. So pleased was
he with their performance that he characterised the unit as "a damned
fine battalion. I have never before seen such good work done in the
Division."
On the 27th December was received, and read on parade, a message from
the King congratulating the troops on the successful evacuation of the
Peninsula. About this time arrived news of the deaths at Alexandria of
Captain H. B. Menz and Lieut. H. E. C. Ruddock, both of whom had
succumbed to disease.
A series of evening open-air concerts, arranged in the Brigade,
concluded on New Year's Eve with that given by the 28th. Visitors from
other units attended in considerable numbers and all enjoyed the
following programme:--
28TH BATTALION.
_Camp Concert--Programme._
Song "The Deathless Army" Private Allanson.
Song Private "Sport" Edwards.
Song Private Bolt.
Recitation "Voice of Gallipoli" Private Carr.
Song "Queen of Angels" Private Rolfe.
Song Private Allanson.
Song Private Piggott.
Sketch "Chrysanthemums" Corpl. Haydock.
Song Private Carr.
Recitation Lieut. Field.
Song Private Vicaridge.
Song Private "Sport" Edwards.
Song Private Thomas
Chorus "28th Anthem"
Chorus "Auld Lang Syne"
Lemnos Island, 31st December, 1915.
Many sat awake in their tents that night awaiting the arrival of the New
Year and wondering what their future lot would be. At midnight whistle
and siren sounds, so familiar, came from the vessels in the Bay.
About the 28th December instructions were received that the troops would
re-embark within a few days and that a small party would precede each
battalion in order to make the preliminary arrangements at the next
assembly point. Captain E. A. Coleman was placed in command of the 28th
details, and marched out on the 31st of the month.
January 1st was observed as a holiday, but training was continued on the
following days, when the weather, which was now becoming broken with
rains and cold winds, permitted. Definite instructions were issued to
embark on the 5th, but these were cancelled later on account of heavy
seas. However, at 7.30 a.m. on the 6th the camp ground was vacated, and
two hours later 24 officers and 667 other ranks of the 28th began to
file along North Pier and embark on the "Ansonia" (7,900 tons)--another
Cunard boat.
The transport also took on board 3 officers and 53 others of the 2nd
Divisional Train, under Captain S. Walker, and 6 officers and 717 other
ranks, details of various units, under Lieut.-Colonel R. A. Crouch.
No difficulty was encountered in regard to quarters, and when the
transport left the harbour next morning at 7.30 everybody had settled
down.
The danger from submarines had become more acute recently, consequently
special precautions were taken. No lights were exposed, and all life
belts were kept handy. However, the voyage was without incident and,
travelling rather slowly down through the Grecian Archipelago,
Alexandria harbour was entered during the afternoon of the 9th January.