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THE TENTH (IRISH) DIVISION
[Illustration: MULES IN THE ANZAC SAP]
THE TENTH
(IRISH) DIVISION
IN GALLIPOLI
BY
BRYAN COOPER
MAJOR, GENERAL LIST NEW ARMIES
FORMERLY 5TH SERVICE BATTALION THE CONNAUGHT RANGERS
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY
MAJOR-GEN. SIR BRYAN MAHON, D.S.O.
WITH APPRECIATIONS BY
MR. ASQUITH
MR. BALFOUR
SIR EDWARD CARSON
MR. JOHN REDMOND
HERBERT JENKINS LIMITED
3 YORK STREET ST. JAMES’S
LONDON S.W.1 ∿ ∿ MCMXVIII
“So they gave their bodies to the common weal and received, each
for his own memory, praise that will never die, and with it the
grandest of all sepulchres, not that in which their mortal bones
are laid, but a home in the minds of men, where their glory
remains fresh to stir to speech or action as the occasion comes
by.”—_Thucydides._
“It seems as if this poor Celtic people were bent on making what
one of its own poets has said of its heroes hold good for ever:
‘They went forth to the war but they always fell.’”—_Matthew
Arnold._
PRINTED BY BURLEIGH LTD., AT THE BURLEIGH PRESS, BRISTOL, ENGLAND
TO
THE GLORIOUS MEMORY
OF THE
OFFICERS, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS
AND MEN
OF THE
TENTH IRISH DIVISION
WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES IN
GALLIPOLI
AND
TO THOSE WHO MOURN FOR THEM
APPRECIATIONS
Major Cooper’s narrative of the exploits of the 10th Division in
the Gallipoli Campaign is a moving and inspiring record, of which
Irishmen everywhere may well be proud.
I trust that it will be widely read in all parts of the Empire.
(Sd.) H. H. ASQUITH
This war has been fruitful in deeds of splendid bravery and heroic
endurance; but neither in bravery nor endurance have the 10th
Division in the Gallipoli Campaign been surpassed by any of their
brothers-in-arms who have been fighting in Europe and Asia for the
cause Of civilisation and freedom.
(Sd.) ARTHUR JAMES BALFOUR
Dear Bryan Cooper,
I am very glad that you have undertaken to record the splendid
services of the 10th Division in Gallipoli. Their magnificent bravery
in the face of almost insurmountable difficulties and discomforts
stands out amongst the countless acts of heroism in this war, and I
think it particularly apt that the history of the actions of these
brave Irishmen in the campaign should be recorded by a gallant Irish
officer.
Yours sincerely,
(Sd.) EDWARD CARSON
I have been asked to write a short Foreword to the following pages,
and I do so with the utmost pleasure. By the publication of this
little book, Major Bryan Cooper will be performing a most valuable
service, not only to his own country, Ireland, but to the Empire.
The history of the 10th (Irish) Division is, in many respects,
unique. It was the first Irish Division raised and sent to the Front
by Ireland since the commencement of the War. Not alone that, but
it was the first definitely Irish Division that ever existed in the
British Army.
Irish Divisions and Irish Brigades played a great part in history in
the past, but they were Divisions and Brigades, not in the service of
England, but in the service of France and other European countries
and America.
The creation of the 10th (Irish) Division, therefore, marks a turning
point in the history of the relations between Ireland and the Empire.
In many respects, the 10th (Irish) Division, notwithstanding the
extraordinary and outstanding gallantry that it showed in the field,
may be said to have been unfortunate. No Division in any theatre of
the War suffered more severely or showed greater self-sacrifices and
gallantry. And yet, largely, I fancy, by reason of the fact that its
operations were in a distant theatre, comparatively little has been
heard of its achievements; and, for some reason which a civilian
cannot understand, the number of honours and distinctions conferred
on the Division has been comparatively small. And yet we have the
testimony of everyone, from the Generals in Command down, that the
Division behaved magnificently, in spite of the most terrible and
unlooked-for difficulties and sufferings.
Before they went into action, their artillery was taken from them,
and they landed at Suvla and Anzac without a single gun.
They were a Division of the new Army entirely made up of men who
had no previous military experience, and who had never heard a
shot fired. Yet, the very day they landed, they found themselves
precipitated into the most tremendous and bloody conflict, exposed to
heavy shrapnel and machine-gun fire, on an open strand, where cover
was impossible.
To the most highly trained and seasoned troops in the world, this
would have been a trying ordeal; but, to new troops, it was a cruel
and terrible experience. And yet the testimony all goes to show
that no seasoned or trained troops in the world could have behaved
with more magnificent steadiness, endurance, and gallantry. Without
adequate water supply—indeed, for a long time, without water at
all, owing to mismanagement, which has yet to be traced home to its
source—their sufferings were appalling.
As Major Bryan Cooper points out, it is supposed to be a German
military maxim that no battalion could maintain its morale with
losses of twenty-five per cent. Many of the battalions of the 10th
Division lost seventy-five per cent., and yet their morale remained
unshaken. The depleted Division was hastily filled up with drafts,
and sent, under-officered, to an entirely new campaign at Salonika,
where it won fresh laurels.
Another cruel misfortune which overtook them was, that, instead
of being allowed to fight and operate together as a Unit, they
were immediately split up, one Brigade being attached to the 11th
Division, and entirely separated from their comrades.
There has been some misapprehension created, in certain quarters,
as to the constitution of this 10th Division and its right to call
itself an Irish Division. Major Bryan Cooper sets this question
at rest. What really occurred was, that, quite early in the
business, when recruiting for the 10th Division was going on fairly
well in Ireland, for some unexplained reason, a number of English
recruits were suddenly sent over to join its ranks. They were quite
unnecessary, and protests against their incursion into the Division
fell upon deaf ears. As it happened, however, it was found that a
considerable number of these English recruits were Irishmen living in
Great Britain, or the sons of Irishmen, and, when the Division went
to the Front, Major Bryan Cooper states that fully seventy per cent.
of the men, and ninety per cent. of the officers, were Irishmen.
That is to say, the Division was as much entitled to claim to be an
Irish Division in its constitution as any Division either in England,
Scotland, or Wales is entitled to claim that it is an English,
Scotch, or Welsh Division.
Men of all classes and creeds in Ireland joined its ranks. The list
of casualties which Major Bryan Cooper gives is heart-breaking
reading to any Irishman, especially to one like myself, who had so
many personal friends who fell gallantly in the conflict.
Irishmen of all political opinions were united in the Division. Its
spirit was intensely Irish. Let me quote Major Bryan Cooper’s words:—
“It was the first Irish Division to take the field in War.
Irish Brigades there had often been. They had fought under the
Fleur-de-Lys or the Tricolour of France, and under the Stars
and Stripes, as well as they had done under the Union Jack. But
never before in Ireland’s history had she seen anywhere a whole
Division of her sons in the battle-field. The old battalions of the
Regular Army had done magnificently, but they had been brigaded
with English, Scotch, and Welsh units. The 10th Division was the
first Division almost entirely composed of Irish Battalions who
faced an enemy. Officers and men alike knew this, and were proud of
their destiny. As the battalions marched through the quiet English
countryside, the drums and fifes shrieked out ‘St. Patrick’s Day’
or ‘Brian Boru’s March,’ and the dark streets of Basingstoke
echoed the voices that chanted ‘God Save Ireland,’ as the Units
marched down to entrain. Nor did we lack the green. One Unit sewed
shamrocks into its sleeves. Another wore them as helmet badges.
Almost every Company cherished somewhere an entirely unofficial
green flag, as dear to the men as if they were the regimental
colours themselves. They constituted an outward and visible sign
that the honour of Ireland was in the Division’s keeping, and the
men did not forget it.”
The men who had differed in religion and politics, and their whole
outlook on life, became brothers in the 10th Division. Unionist
and Nationalist, Catholic and Protestant, as Major Bryan Cooper
says—“lived and fought and died side by side, like brothers.” They
combined for a common purpose: to fight the good fight for liberty
and civilisation, and, in a special way, for the future liberty and
honour of their own country.
Major Bryan Cooper expresses the hope that this experience may be a
good augury for the future.
For my part, I am convinced that nothing that can happen can deprive
Ireland of the benefit of the united sacrifices of these men.
I congratulate Major Bryan Cooper on his book. The more widely it is
circulated, the better it will be for Ireland and for the Empire.
J. E. REDMOND
_St. Patrick’s Day, 1917_
INTRODUCTION
I have been asked to contribute a short introduction to this account
of the doings of the 10th (Irish) Division in Gallipoli.
I commanded the Division from the time of its formation until it
left Gallipoli Peninsula for Salonika, and I am extremely glad that
some record has been made of its exploits. I do not think that the
author of this book intends to claim for the Division any special
pre-eminence over other units; but that he puts forward a simple
account of what the first formed Irish Service Battalions suffered
and how creditably they maintained the honour of Ireland.
Memories in war-time are short, and it may be that the well-earned
glories of the 16th and Ulster Division have tended to obliterate
the recollections of Suvla and Sari Bair. (The Division has also the
distinction of being the only troops of the Allies that have fought
in Bulgaria up to date.)
In case these things are forgotten, it is well that this book has
been written, for never in history did Irishmen face death with
greater courage and endurance than they did in Gallipoli and Serbia
in the summer and winter of 1915.
During the period of its formation the Division suffered from many
handicaps. To the difficulties which are certain to befall any
newly created unit were added others due to the enormous strain
that the nation was undergoing; arms and equipment were slow in
arriving; inclement weather made training difficult, and for sake
of accommodation units had had to be widely separated in barracks
all over Ireland. All these difficulties were, however, surmounted,
partly by the genuine keenness of all ranks, but in the main by the
devoted work of the handful of regular officers and N.C.O.’s who
formed the nucleus of the Division.
No words can convey how much was done by these men, naturally
disappointed at not going out with the original Expeditionary Force.
They nevertheless threw themselves whole-heartedly into the work
before them, and laboured unceasingly and untiredly to make the new
units a success, they were ably seconded by retired officers who had
rejoined, and by newly-joined subalterns, who brought with them the
freshness and enthusiasm of youth.
Nor were the men behindhand. Though the monotony of routine training
sometimes grew irksome, yet their eagerness to face the enemy and
their obvious anxiety to do their duty carried them through, and
enabled them to become in nine months well-trained and disciplined
soldiers.
When they reached Gallipoli they had much to endure. The 29th Brigade
were not under my command, so I cannot speak from personal knowledge,
but I believe that every battalion did its duty and won the praise of
its generals.
Of the remainder of the Division I can speak with greater certainty.
They were plunged practically at a moment’s notice into battle,
and were placed in positions of responsibility and difficulty on a
desolate sun-baked and waterless soil, where they suffered tortures
from thirst. In spite of this, and in spite of the fact that they
were newly-formed units mainly composed of young soldiers, they
acquitted themselves admirably. No blame or discredit of any kind
can possibly be attached to the rank and file of the 10th Division.
Whatever the emergency, and however great the danger, they faced it
resolutely and steadfastly, rejoicing when an opportunity arose that
enabled them to meet their enemy with the bayonet.
Ireland has had many brave sons; Ireland has sent forth many splendid
regiments in past times; but the deeds of the men of the 10th (Irish)
Division are worthy to be reckoned with any of those of their
predecessors.
(Sd.) BRYAN MAHON
AUTHOR’S PREFACE
This book (which was written in haste during a period of sick leave)
does not profess to be a military history; it is merely a brief
attempt to describe the fortunes of the rank and file of the Tenth
(Irish) Division. The Division was so much split up that it is
impossible for any one person to have taken part in all its actions;
but I went to Gallipoli with my battalion, and though disabled for a
period by sickness, I returned to the Peninsula before the Division
left it, so that I may fairly claim to have seen both the beginning
and the end of the operations. I have received great assistance from
numerous officers of the Division, who have been kind enough to
summarise for me the doings of their battalions, and I tender them my
grateful thanks.
I must also thank Mr. H. Hanna, K.C., for allowing me to inspect
part of the proofs of his forthcoming book dealing with “D” Company
of the 7th Royal Dublin Fusiliers. I owe Mr. Hanna a further debt
of gratitude for his kindness in allowing the reproduction of the
sketches of “The Salt Lake,” “Anafarta Plain,” and “‘D’ Company in
the Trenches,” which were executed by Captain Drummond Fish, of the
Royal Irish Rifles, for his book. Captain Fish has also very kindly
allowed me to use three more of his sketches, which, though deprived
of the charm of colour possessed by the originals, give a far better
idea of the scenery of Gallipoli than can be obtained from any
photograph. Having shared the life led by Captain Fish’s battalion in
Gallipoli, I cannot help admiring the manner in which he managed to
include a paint-box and a sketchbook in the very scanty kit allowed
to officers. I must further express to my comrade, Francis Ledwidge,
who himself served in the ranks of the Division, my sincere gratitude
for the beautiful lines in which he has summed up the object of our
enterprise. In them he has fulfilled the poet’s mission of expressing
in words the deepest thoughts of those who feel them too sincerely to
be able to give them worthy utterance.
In dealing with the general aspect of the Gallipoli Expedition, I
have tried to avoid controversial topics. As a general rule, I have
followed the version given by Sir Ian Hamilton in his despatch, which
is still the only official document that exists for our guidance. I
am conscious that the book, of necessity, has omitted many gallant
deeds, and has dealt with some units more fully than with others.
I can only plead in extenuation that I found great difficulty in
getting detailed information as to the doings of some battalions, and
that to this, rather than to prejudice on my part, is due any lack of
proportion that may exist. It is by no means easy for an Irishman to
be impartial, but I have done my best.
BRYAN COOPER
_March 1st, 1917_
P.S.—Since this was written Francis Ledwidge has laid down his life
for the honour of Ireland, and the world has lost a poet of rare
promise.
CONTENTS
PAGE
DEDICATION v
APPRECIATIONS BY MR. ASQUITH, MR. BALFOUR, SIR EDWARD CARSON,
MR. JOHN REDMOND vii
INTRODUCTION BY MAJOR-GEN. SIR BRYAN MAHON, D.S.O. xv
AUTHOR’S PREFACE xix
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xxv
POEM BY FRANCIS LEDWIDGE xxvi
CHAPTER
I THE FORMATION OF THE DIVISION 1
II MUDROS AND MITYLENE 32
III THE 29TH BRIGADE AT ANZAC 62
IV SARI BAIR 91
V SUVLA BAY AND CHOCOLATE HILL 121
VI KIRETCH TEPE SIRT 152
VII KABA KUYU AND HILL 60 181
VIII ROUTINE 206
IX LAST DAYS 229
X RETROSPECT 243
APPENDICES
A. ON AUTHORITIES 257
B. NAMES OF OFFICERS KILLED, WOUNDED AND MISSING 259
C. NAMES OF OFFICERS, N.C.O.’S AND MEN MENTIONED IN
DESPATCHES 263
D. NAMES OF OFFICERS, N.C.O.’S AND MEN AWARDED HONOURS 266
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
MULES IN THE ANZAC SAP _Frontispiece_
_Face page_
LIEUT.-GENERAL SIR BRYAN MAHON, K.C.V.O., C.B., D.S.O. 4
BASINGSTOKE. A HALT 24
MUSKETRY AT DOLLYMOUNT 24
SARI BAIR 44
MUDROS. THE AUTHOR’S BIVOUAC 44
SARI BAIR FROM SUVLA 56
BRIGADIER-GENERAL R. J, COOPER, C.V.O., C.B., COMMANDING
29TH BRIGADE 98
SUVLA, SHOWING LALA BABA AND THE SALT LAKE 124
BRIGADIER-GENERAL F. F. HILL, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., COMMANDING
31ST BRIGADE 132
BRIGADIER-GENERAL L. L. NICOL, C.B., COMMANDING 30TH BRIGADE 140
A FAUGH-A-BALLAGH TEASES A TURKISH SNIPER 154
THE 7TH DUBLINS IN THE TRENCHES AT CHOCOLATE HILL 158
THE ANAFARTA PLAIN (KIRETCH TEPE SIRT ON THE SKYLINE) 168
THE ANAFARTA PLAIN FROM THE SOUTH (HILL 60 ON THE LEFT IN THE
MIDDLE DISTANCE) 186
BRIGADIER-GENERAL J. G. KING-KING, D.S.O. 208
5TH ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS IN THE TRENCHES 214
IMBROS FROM ANZAC 230
MAP (_at the end of the Volume_)
THE IRISH IN GALLIPOLI
Where Aegean cliffs with bristling menace front
The treacherous splendour of that isley sea,
Lighted by Troy’s last shadow; where the first
Hero kept watch and the last Mystery
Shook with dark thunder. Hark! the battle brunt!
A nation speaks, old Silences are burst.
’Tis not for lust of glory, no new throne
This thunder and this lightning of our power
Wakens up frantic echoes, not for these
Our Cross with England’s mingle, to be blown
At Mammon’s threshold. We but war when war
Serves Liberty and Keeps a world at peace.
Who said that such an emprise could be vain?
Were they not one with Christ, who fought and died?
Let Ireland weep: but not for sorrow, weep
That by her sons a land is sanctified,
For Christ arisen, and angels once again
Come back, like exile birds, and watch their sleep.
FRANCIS LEDWIDGE
FRANCE
_24th February, 1917_
THE TENTH (IRISH) DIVISION
THE TENTH (IRISH) DIVISION IN GALLIPOLI
CHAPTER I
THE FORMATION OF THE DIVISION
“The Army, unlike any other profession, cannot be taught through
shilling books. First a man must suffer, then he must learn his
work and the self-respect which knowledge brings.”—_Kipling._
Within ten days of the outbreak of the War, before even the
Expeditionary Force had left England, Lord Kitchener appealed for
a hundred thousand recruits, and announced that six new divisions
would be formed from them. These six divisions, which were afterwards
known as the First New Army, or more colloquially as K.1, were,
with one exception, distributed on a territorial basis. The Ninth
was Scotch, the Eleventh North Country, the Twelfth was recruited
in London and the Home Counties, and the Thirteenth in the West of
England. The exception was the Fourteenth, which consisted of new
battalions of English light infantry and rifle regiments. The Tenth
Division in which I served, and whose history I am about to relate,
was composed of newly-formed or “Service” battalions of all the Irish
line regiments, together with the necessary complement of artillery,
engineers, Army Service Corps, and R.A.M.C. They were distributed as
follows:—
29TH BRIGADE.
5th Service Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment.
6th ditto Royal Irish Rifles.
5th ditto The Connaught Rangers.
6th ditto The Leinster Regiment.
The 5th Royal Irish Regiment afterwards became the Divisional Pioneer
Battalion, and its place in the 29th Brigade was taken by the 10th
Hampshire Regiment.
30TH BRIGADE.
6th Service Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers.
7th ditto ditto
6th Service Battalion, Royal Munster Fusiliers.
7th ditto ditto
31ST BRIGADE.
5th Service Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.
6th ditto ditto
5th Service Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers.
6th ditto ditto
It will be seen that the 29th Brigade consisted of regiments from all
the four provinces of Ireland, while the 30th Brigade had its depôts
in the South of Ireland, and the 31st in Ulster.
The Divisional Troops were organised as follows:—
ARTILLERY.
54th Brigade R.F.A.
55th ” R.F.A.
56th ” R.F.A.
57th (Howitzer) Brigade R.F.A.
Heavy Battery R.G.A.
ENGINEERS.
65th Field Company R.E.
66th ditto R.E.
85th ditto R.E.
10th Divisional Signal Company.
10th Divisional Train.
10th Divisional Cyclist Company.
30th Field Ambulance, R.A.M.C.
31st ditto
32nd ditto
A squadron of South Irish Horse was allocated as Divisional Cavalry,
but this only joined the Division at Basingstoke in May, and was
detached again before we embarked for Gallipoli.
Fortunately, one of the most distinguished of Irish Generals was
available to take command of the Division. Lieut.-General Sir Bryan
Mahon was a Galway man who had entered the 8th (Royal Irish) Hussars
from a Militia Battalion of the Connaught Rangers in 1883. For ten
years he served with his regiment, acting as Adjutant from 1889 to
1893, but recognising that British Cavalry were unlikely to see
much active service, he transferred to the Egyptian Army in the
latter year. He served with the Cavalry of this force in the Dongola
Expedition in 1896, and was awarded the D.S.O. For his services in
the campaign, which ended in the capture of Khartoum, he received
the brevet rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. He next commanded the mounted
troops which achieved the defeat and death of the Khalifa, and for
this he was promoted to Brevet-Colonel. He was then transferred
to South Africa, where he commanded a mounted brigade and had the
distinction of leading the column which effected the relief of
Mafeking, being created a Companion of the Bath for his services on
this occasion. After the South African War he returned to the Soudan
as Military Governor of Kordofan. His next commands were in India,
and he had only vacated the command of the Lucknow Division early in
1914. While holding it in 1912 he had been created a K.C.V.O.
[Illustration: LIEUT.-GENERAL SIR BRYAN MAHON, K.C.V.O., C.B., D.S.O.]
At the time he took over the 10th Division he was fifty-two years of
age. His service in Egypt and India had bronzed his face and sown
grey in his hair, but his figure and his seat on a horse were
those of a subaltern. He scorned display, and only the ribbons on his
breast told of the service he had seen. A soft cap adorned with an
8th Hussar badge, with a plain peak and the red band almost concealed
by a khaki cover, tried to disguise his rank, but the manner in which
it was pulled over his eyes combined with the magnificent chestnut
he rode and the eternal cigarette in his mouth, soon made him easily
recognisable throughout the Division.
Experienced soldier as he was, he had qualities that made him even
better suited to his post than military knowledge, and in his years
in the East he had not forgotten the nature of his countrymen. The
Irish soldier is not difficult to lead: he will follow any man who is
just and fearless, but to get the best out of him, needs sympathy,
and this indefinable quality the General possessed. It was impossible
for him to pass a football match on the Curragh without saying a
pleasant word to the men who were watching it, and they repaid this
by adoring their leader. Everything about him appealed to them—his
great reputation, the horse he rode, his Irish name, and his Irish
nature, all went to their hearts. Above all, he was that unique
being, an Irishman with no politics, and this, in a Division that was
under the patronage of no political party, but consisted of those who
wanted to fight, was an enormous asset.
Fortunately, the Infantry Brigadiers had also some knowledge of Irish
troops. Brigadier-General R. J. Cooper, C.V.O., who led the 29th
Brigade, had commanded the Irish Guards. Another Irish Guardsman,
Brigadier-General C. Fitzclarence, V.C., commanded the 30th Brigade
at the time of its first formation, but he was soon afterwards called
to France to command the 1st Brigade in the Expeditionary Force, and
met his death at the first battle of Ypres. His place was taken by
Brigadier-General L. L. Nicol, who had done the bulk of his service
in the Rifle Brigade, but had begun his soldiering in the Connaught
Rangers. The 31st Brigade was commanded by Brigadier-General
F. F. Hill, C.B., D.S.O., who had served throughout a long and
distinguished career in the Royal Irish Fusiliers. The Divisional
Artillery was at first under the command of Brigadier-General A. J.
Abdy, but when this officer was found medically unfit for active
service, he was replaced by Brigadier-General G. S. Duffus.
I must now describe the actual formation of the Division, and in view
of the fact that it was the beginning of one of the most gigantic
military improvisations on record, it may be desirable to do so in
some detail.
Fortunately there were some regular cadres available. In the first
place, there was the Regimental Depôt, where usually three regular
officers were employed, the senior being a major. In almost every
case he was promoted to temporary Lieutenant-Colonel, and given
the command of the senior Service Battalion of his regiment. The
other two officers (usually a captain and a subaltern) were also
transferred to the new unit. Then, again, the Regular Battalion
serving at home before embarking for France was ordered to detach
three officers, and from ten to sixteen N.C.O.’s. In many cases
these officers did not belong to the Regular Battalion, but were
officers of the Regiment who had been detached for service with some
Colonial unit, such as the West African Frontier Force, or the King’s
African Rifles. Being on leave in England when war broke out, they
had rejoined the Home Battalion of their unit, and had been again
detached for service with the New Armies. Where more than one Service
Battalion of a regiment was being formed, the bulk of these officers
and N.C.O.’s went to the senior one.
There was yet another source from which Regular Officers were
obtained, and those who came from it proved among the best serving in
the Division.
At the outbreak of the War all Indian Army officers who were on
leave in England were ordered by the War Office to remain there and
were shortly afterwards posted to units of the First New Army. Two
of the Brigade-Majors of the Division were Indian Army officers,
who, when war was declared, were students at the Staff College, and
nearly every battalion obtained one Indian officer, if not more.
It is impossible to exaggerate the debt the Division owed to these
officers. Professional soldiers in the best sense of the word, they
identified themselves from the first with their new battalions,
living for them, and, in many cases, dying with them. Words cannot
express the influence they wielded and the example they gave, but
those who remember the lives and deaths of Major R. S. M. Harrison,
of the 7th Dublins, and Major N. C. K. Money, of the 5th Connaught
Rangers, will realise by the immensity of the loss we sustained when
they were killed, how priceless their work had been.
A certain number of the Reserve of Officers were also available for
service with the new units. It seemed hard for men of forty-five or
fifty years of age who had left the Army soon after the South African
War, to be compelled to rejoin as captains and serve under the orders
of men who had previously been much junior to them, but they took it
cheerfully, and went through the drudgery of the work on the barrack
square without complaining. Often their health was unequal to the
strain imposed upon it by the inclement winter, but where they were
able to stick it out, their ripe experience was most helpful to their
juniors. The battalions which did not secure a Regular Commanding
Officer got a Lieut.-Colonel from the Reserve of Officers, often one
who had recently given up command of one of the regular battalions
of the regiment. Besides officers from the Reserve of Officers,
there were also a considerable number of men who had done five or
six years’ service in the Regular Army or the Militia and had then
retired without joining the Reserve. These were for the most part
granted temporary commissions of the rank which they had previously
held. A few were also found who had soldiered in Colonial Corps, and
eight or ten captains were drawn from the District Inspectors of
the Royal Irish Constabulary. These united to a knowledge of drill
and musketry a valuable insight into the Irish character, and as by
joining they forfeited nearly £100 a year apiece, they abundantly
proved their patriotism.
It will thus be seen that each battalion had a Regular or
retired Regular Commanding Officer, a Regular Adjutant, and
the four company commanders had as a rule had some military
experience. The Quartermaster, Regimental Sergeant-Major, and
Quartermaster-Sergeant were usually pensioners who had rejoined,
while Company Sergeant-Majors and Quartermaster-Sergeants were
obtained by promoting N.C.O.’s who had been transferred from the
Regular battalion. The rest of the cadres had to be filled up, and
fortunately there was no lack of material.
For about a month after their formation the Service Battalions
were short of subalterns, not because suitable men were slow in
coming forward, but because the War Office was so overwhelmed with
applications for commissions that it found it impossible to deal
with them. About the middle of September, however, a rule was
introduced empowering the C.O. of a battalion to recommend candidates
for temporary second-lieutenancies, subject to the approval of the
Brigadier, and after this the vacancies were quickly filled. Some of
the subalterns had had experience in the O.T.C., and as a rule these
soon obtained promotion, but the majority when they joined were quite
ignorant of military matters, and had to pick up their knowledge
while they were teaching the men.
About the end of the year, classes for young officers were instituted
at Trinity College, and a certain number received instruction there,
but the bulk of them had no training other than that which they
received in their battalions. They were amazingly keen and anxious to
learn, and the progress they made both in military knowledge and in
the far more difficult art of handling men was amazing. Drawn from
almost every trade and profession, barristers, solicitors, civil
engineers, merchants, medical students, undergraduates, schoolboys,
they soon settled down together and the spirit of _esprit de corps_
was quickly created. Among themselves, no doubt, they criticised
their superiors, but none of them would have admitted to an outsider
that their battalion was in any respect short of perfection. I shall
never forget the horror with which one of my subalterns, who had been
talking to some officers of another Division at Mudros, returned
to me saying, “Why, they actually said that their Colonel was a
rotter!” Disloyalty of that kind never existed in the 10th Division.
The subalterns were a splendid set, and after nine months’ training
compared well with those of any regular battalion. They believed
in themselves, they believed in their men, they believed in the
Division, and, above all, in their own battalion.
I must now turn to the men whom they led. Fortunately, the
inexperience of the new recruits was, to a large extent, counteracted
by the rejoining of old soldiers. It was estimated that within a
month of the declaration of war, every old soldier in Ireland who
was under sixty years of age (and a good many who were over it) had
enlisted again. Some of these were not of much use, as while living
on pension they had acquired habits of intemperance, and many more,
whose military experience dated from before the South African War,
found the increased strain of Army life more than they could endure.
However, a valuable residue remained, and not only were they useful
as instructors, and in initiating the new recruits into military
routine, but the fact that they had usually served in one of the
Regular battalions of their regiment helped to secure a continuity of
tradition and sentiment, which was of incalculable value. In barracks
these old soldiers sometimes gave trouble, but in the field they
proved their value over and over again.
Of the Irish recruits, but little need be said. Mostly drawn from
the class of labourers, they took their tone from the old soldiers
(to whom they were often related), and though comparatively slow in
learning, they eventually became thoroughly efficient and reliable
soldiers.
There was, however, among the men of most of the battalions, another
element which calls for more detailed consideration. Except among
old soldiers and in Belfast, recruiting in Ireland in August, 1914,
was not as satisfactory as it was in England, and in consequence,
Lord Kitchener decided early in September to transfer a number of the
recruits for whom no room could be found in English regiments to fill
up the ranks of the 10th Division. The fact that this was done gave
rise, at a later date, to some controversy, and it was even stated
that the 10th Division was Irish only in name. This was a distinct
exaggeration, for when these “Englishmen” joined their battalions,
it was found that a large proportion of them were Roman Catholics,
rejoicing in such names as Dillon, Doyle, and Kelly, the sons or
grandsons of Irishmen who had settled in England. It is not easy to
make an accurate estimate, but I should be disposed to say that in
the Infantry of the Division 90 per cent. of the officers and 70 per
cent. of the men were either Irish or of Irish extraction. Of course,
the 10th Hampshire Regiment is not included in these calculations.
It may be remarked that there has never, in past history, been such
a thing as a purely and exclusively Irish (or Scotch) battalion.
This point is emphasised by Professor Oman, the historian of the
Peninsular War, who states: “In the Peninsular Army the system of
territorial names prevailed for nearly all the regiments, but in most
cases the territorial designation had no very close relation with
the actual _provenance_ of the men. There were a certain number of
regiments that were practically national, i.e., most of the Highland
battalions, and nearly all of the Irish ones were very predominantly
Highland and Irish as to their rank and file: but even in the 79th
or the 88th there was a certain sprinkling of English recruits.”
(“Wellington’s Army,” p. 208.)
Before leaving this subject it should be noted that the Englishmen
who were drafted to the Division in this manner became imbued with
the utmost loyalty to their battalions, and wore the shamrock on St.
Patrick’s Day with much greater enthusiasm than the born Irishmen.
They would have been the first to resent the statement that the
regiments they were so proud to belong to had no right to claim their
share in the glory which they achieved.
At first, however, they created a somewhat difficult problem for
their officers. They had enlisted purely from patriotic motives,
and were inclined to dislike the delay in getting to grips with the
Germans; and being, for the most part, strong Trades Unionists, with
acute suspicion of any non-elected authority, they were disposed
to resent the restraints of discipline, and found it hard to place
complete confidence in their officers. They also felt the alteration
in their incomes very keenly. Many of them, before enlistment, had
been miners earning from two to three pounds a week, and the drop
from this to seven shillings, or in the case of married men 3s.
6d., came very hard. The deduction for their wives was particularly
unwelcome, not because they grudged the money, but because when they
enlisted they had not been told that this stoppage was compulsory,
and so they considered that they had been taken advantage of.
However, they had plenty of sense, and soon began to realise the
necessity of discipline, and understood that their officers, instead
of being mercenary tyrants, spent hours in the Company Office at
the end of a long day’s work trying to rectify such grievances as
non-payment of separation allowance. Regimental games helped them to
feel at home. Some of them soon became lance-corporals, and before
Christmas they had all settled down into smart, intelligent and
willing soldiers. One English habit, however, never deserted them:
they were unable to break themselves of grumbling about their food.
The Division contained one other element to which allusion must
be made. In the middle of August, Mr. F. H. Browning, President
of the Irish Rugby Football Union, issued an appeal to the young
professional men of Dublin, which resulted in the formation of “D”
Company of the 7th Royal Dublin Fusiliers. This was what is known as
a “Pals” Company, consisting of young men of the upper and middle
classes, including among them barristers, solicitors, and engineers.
Many of them obtained commissions, but the tone of the company
remained, and I know of at least one barrister who had served with
the Imperial Yeomanry in South Africa, who for over eighteen months
refused to take a commission because it would involve leaving his
friends. The preservation of rigid military discipline among men who
were the equals of their officers in social position was not easy,
but the breeding and education of the “Pals” justified the high
hopes that had been formed of them when their Regiment was bitterly
tested at Suvla.
The Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, Army Service Corps, and the
Royal Army Medical Corps recruits who came to the Division were, for
the most part, English or Scotch, since no distinctively Irish units
of those branches of the service exist. Generally speaking, they were
men of a similar class to the English recruits who were drafted into
the infantry.
A detailed description of the training of the Division would be
monotonous and uninteresting even to those who took part in it, but
a brief summary may be given. The points of concentration first
selected were Dublin and the Curragh, the 30th Brigade being at the
latter place. At the beginning of September, the 29th Brigade were
transferred to Fermoy and Kilworth, but the barracks in the South of
Ireland being required for the 16th (Irish) Division, two battalions
returned to Dublin, the 6th Leinsters went to Birr, and the 5th Royal
Irish to Longford. The latter Battalion soon became Pioneers and were
replaced by the 10th Hampshires, who were stationed at Mullingar.
The 54th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, were at Dundalk, and the
remainder of the Artillery at Newbridge and Kildare. The Engineers,
Cyclists, and Army Service Corps trained at the Curragh, the Signal
Company at Carlow, and the Royal Army Medical Corps at Limerick.
Naturally, the War Office were not prepared for the improvisation of
units on such a large scale, and at first there was a considerable
deficiency in arms, uniform, and equipment. Irish depôts, however,
were not quite so overwhelmed as the English ones, and most recruits
arrived from them in khaki, although minor articles of kit, such as
combs and tooth-brushes were often missing. The English recruits on
the other hand, joined their battalions in civilian clothes, and
were not properly fitted out till the middle of October. The Royal
Army Medical Corps at Limerick also had to wait some time for their
uniform.
The Infantry soon obtained rifles (of different marks, it is true)
and bayonets, but the gunners were greatly handicapped by the fact
that the bulk of their preliminary training had to be done with very
few horses and hardly any guns. Deficiencies were supplied by models,
dummies, and good will; and considering the drawbacks, wonderful
progress was made. Another article of which there was a shortage
was great-coats, and in the inclement days of November and December
their absence would have been severely felt. Fortunately, the War
Office cast aside convention and bought and issued large quantities
of ready-made civilian overcoats of the type generally described as
“Gents’ Fancy Cheviots.” Remarkable though they were in appearance,
these garments were much better than nothing at all, and in January
the warmer and more durable regulation garments were issued. The
men also suffered a good deal of hardship at first from having only
one suit of khaki apiece, for when wet through they were unable
to change, but they recognised that this discomfort could not be
instantly remedied, and accepted it cheerfully.
Until the end of 1914, the bulk of the work done by the Infantry
consisted of elementary drill, platoon and company training and
lectures, with a route march once or twice a week. A recruits’
musketry course was also fired. Plenty of night operations were
carried out, two evenings a week as a rule being devoted to this form
of work. The six battalions in Dublin were somewhat handicapped by
lack of training ground, as the Phœnix Park became very congested.
This deficiency was later remedied to a certain extent by certain
landowners who allowed troops to manœuvre in their demesnes; but
considerations of distance and lack of transport made this concession
less valuable than it would have been had it been possible to
disregard the men’s dinner hour.
Side by side with this strenuous work the education of the officers
and N.C.O.’s was carried on. The juniors had everything to learn,
and little by little the news that filtered through from France
convinced the seniors that many long-cherished theories would have
to be reconsidered. It gradually became clear that the experience of
South Africa and Manchuria had not fully enlightened us as to the
power of modern heavy artillery and high explosives, and that many
established tactical methods would have to be varied. We learnt to
dig trenches behind the crest of a hill instead of on the top of it;
to seek for cover from observation rather than a good field of fire;
to dread damp trenches more than hostile bullets. We began, too, to
hear rumours of a return to mediæval methods of warfare and became
curious as to steel helmets and hand grenades.
Had these been the only rumours that we heard, we should have counted
ourselves fortunate. Unhappily, however, in modern war there is
nothing so persistent as the absolutely unfounded rumour, and in K.1
they raged like a pestilence. We were all eager to get the training
finished and settle to real work, and our hopes gave rise to the most
fantastic collection of legends. The most prevalent one, of course,
was that we were going to France in ten days’ time, usually assisted
by the corroborative detail that our billets had already been
prepared, but this was run close by the equally confident assertion
on the authority of a clerk in the Brigade Office, “that we were
destined for Egypt in a week.” It is to be hoped that after the War,
some folk-lore expert will investigate legends of the New Armies. If
he does so, he will be interested to find that France and Egypt were
almost the only two seats of War which the Division as a whole never
visited.
In the New Year, battalion training began, carried out on the
occasional bright days that redeemed an abominable winter. At the
beginning of February it was proposed to start brigade training,
and in order to enable the 29th Brigade to concentrate for this
purpose, various changes of station were necessary. Accordingly, the
whole 29th Brigade moved to the Curragh, where one battalion was
accommodated in barracks and the other three in huts. In order to
allow this move to be carried out the 7th Royal Dublin Fusiliers, the
Reserve Park Army Service Corps and the Divisional Cyclist Company
were transferred to Dublin where they were quartered in the Royal
Barracks.
Brigade field-days, brigade route marches and brigade night
operations were the order of the day throughout February, and
a second course of musketry was also fired. Early in March the
Divisional Commander decided to employ the troops at the Curragh in a
series of combined operations. For this purpose he could dispose of
two infantry brigades (less one battalion), three brigades of Royal
Field Artillery, the heavy battery (which joined the Division from
Woolwich about this time), three field companies of Royal Engineers,
while on special occasions the divisional Signal Company were brought
over from Carlow and the Cyclists from Dublin. He could also obtain
the assistance of the two reserve regiments of cavalry which were
stationed at the Curragh.
Though we criticised them bitterly at the time, these Curragh
field-days were among the pleasantest of the Division’s experiences.
By this time the battalions had obtained a corporate existence and it
was exhilarating to march out in the morning, one of eight hundred
men, and feel that one’s own work had a definite part in the creation
of a disciplined whole. The different units had obtained (at their
own expense) drums and fifes, and some of them had pipes as well. As
we followed the music down the wet winding roads round Kilcullen or
the Chair of Kildare, we gained a recollection of the hedges on each
side bursting into leaf, and the grey clouds hanging overhead, that
was to linger with us during many hot and anxious days.
As a rule, these combined operations took place twice in the week.
For the rest of the time ordinary work was continued, while on the
16th of April, Sir B. Mahon held a ceremonial inspection of the
units of the Division which were stationed at the Curragh, Newbridge
and Kildare. The infantry marched past in “Battalion Mass,” and the
artillery in “Line Close interval.” At this time, too, Company
Commanders began to mourn the loss of many of their best men who
became specialists. As mules, Vickers guns, signalling equipment,
etc., were received, more and more men were withdrawn from the
Companies to serve with the regimental transport, the machine-gun
section, or the signallers. The drain due to this cause was so great
that the Company Commander seldom saw all the men who were nominally
under his command except on pay-day. While this process was going on
the weaklings were being weeded out. A stringent medical examination
removed all those who were considered too old or too infirm to stand
the strain of active service, and they were sent to the reserve
battalions of their unit. Men of bad character, who were leading
young soldiers astray, or who, by reason of their dishonesty, were a
nuisance in the barrack-room, were discharged as unlikely to become
efficient soldiers. But on the whole there was not much crime in the
Division. A certain amount of drunkenness was inevitable, but the
principal military offence committed was that of absence without
leave. This was not unnatural under the circumstances. Men who had
not fully realised the restraints of discipline, and had been unable
to cut themselves completely adrift from their civilian life were
naturally anxious to return home from time to time. If they could not
obtain leave, they went without it; when they got it, they often
overstayed it, but their conduct was not without excuse. One man who
had overstayed his pass by a week, said in extenuation, “When I got
home, my wife said she could get no one to plant the land for her,
and I just had to stay until I had the garden planted with potatoes.”
And there is no doubt that in most cases of absence the relations of
the absentee were responsible for it. It was not easy for men who
had been civilians four months before to realise the seriousness of
their offence while they saw the Division, as they thought, marking
time, and knew that their homes were within reach, and officers were
relieved when at the end of April units received orders to hold
themselves in readiness to move to a point of concentration near
Aldershot.
This point of concentration proved to be Basingstoke, and by the end
of the first week in May the whole Division was assembled there. As
we journeyed we read how the 29th Division had charged through the
waves and the wire, and effected its landing at Cape Helles, and how
against overwhelming odds the Australians and New Zealanders had won
a foothold at Gaba Tepe. At that time, however, our thoughts were
fixed on France.
At Basingstoke we were inspected and watched at work by the staff
of the Aldershot Training Centre, and were found wanting in some
respects. In particular, we were unduly ignorant of the art and
mystery of bombing, and many hot afternoons were spent in a labyrinth
of trenches which had been dug in Lord Curzon’s park at Hackwood,
propelling a jam tin weighted with stones across a couple of
intervening traverses. Bayonet-fighting, too, was much practised,
and the machine-gun detachments and snipers each went to Bordon
for a special course. In addition, each Brigade in turn marched to
Aldershot, and spent a couple of days on the Ash Ranges doing a
refresher course of musketry.
[Illustration: BASINGSTOKE. A HALT]
[Illustration: MUSKETRY AT DOLLYMOUNT]
The most salient feature, however, of the Basingstoke period of
training was the Divisional marches. Every week the whole Division,
transport, ambulances and all, would leave camp. The first day would
be occupied by a march, and at night the troops either billeted or
bivouacked. On the next day there were operations: sometimes another
New Army division acted as enemy, sometimes the foe was represented
by the Cyclists, and the Pioneer Battalion. As night fell, the men
bivouacked on the ground they were supposed to have won, occasionally
being disturbed by a night attack. On the third day we marched home
to a tent, which seemed spacious and luxurious after two nights in
the open. These operations were of great value to the staff, and
also to the transport, who learned from them how difficulties which
appeared insignificant on paper became of paramount importance in
practice. The individual officer or man, on the other hand, gained
but little military experience, since as a rule the whole time was
occupied by long hot dusty marches between the choking overhanging
hedges of a stony Hampshire lane. What was valuable, however, was
the lesson learnt when the march was over. A man’s comfort usually
depended on his own ingenuity, and unless he was able to make a
weatherproof shelter from his ground sheet and blanket he was by no
means unlikely to spend a wet night. The cooks, too, discovered that
a fire in the open required humouring, and all ranks began to realise
that unless a man was self-sufficient, he was of little use in modern
war. In barracks, the soldier leads a hard enough life, but he is
eternally being looked after, and if he loses anything he is obliged
to replace it at once from the grocery bar or the quartermaster’s
store. On service, if he loses things he has to do without them, and
in Gallipoli where nothing could be obtained nearer than Mudros and
everything but sheer necessities had to be fetched from Alexandria or
Malta, the ingrained carelessness of the soldier meant a considerable
amount of unnecessary hardships. It would be too much to say that
these marches and bivouacs eradicated this carelessness, but they
did, at any rate, impress on the more thoughtful some of the
difficulties to be encountered in the future.
The monotony of training was broken on the 28th of May when His
Majesty the King visited and inspected the Division. The 31st Brigade
was at Aldershot doing musketry, but the 29th and 30th Brigades and
the Divisional Troops paraded in full strength in Hackwood Park. His
Majesty, who was accompanied by the Queen, rode along the front of
each corps and then took up his position at the Saluting Point. The
troops marched past: first the Infantry in a formation (Column of
Platoons) which enabled each man to see his Sovereign distinctly,
followed by the Field Ambulances, the squadron of South Irish Horse,
and the Artillery, Engineers and Army Service Corps. On the following
day, His Majesty inspected the 31st Brigade as they were marching
back from Aldershot to Basingstoke.
This inspection was followed by another one, as Field-Marshal Lord
Kitchener, who had been unable to accompany His Majesty, paid the
Division a visit on June 1st.
It would be superfluous to describe both these inspections, since the
same ceremonial was adopted at each, and since the 31st Brigade was
absent on the 28th May, an account of the parade for Lord Kitchener
may stand for both occasions. The inspection took place in an open
space in Hackwood Park, the infantry being drawn up, one brigade
facing the other two on the crest of a ridge, while the mounted
troops in an adjoining field were assembled on a slope running down
to a small stream. The scene was typically English; here and there
a line of white chalk showed where a trench had broken the smooth
green turf, and all around, copses and clumps of ancient trees, in
the full beauty of their fresh foliage, spoke of a land untouched for
centuries by the stern hand of war. Soon very different sights were
to meet the eyes of the men of the 10th Division, and at Mudros, and
on the sun-baked Peninsula, many thought longingly of soft Hampshire
grass and the shade of mighty beeches.
Though the sun shone at intervals, yet there was a chill bite in the
wind, and the troops who had begun to take up their positions at
10 o’clock were relieved when at noon the Field-Marshal’s cortège
trotted on to the review ground, and began to ride along the lines.
The broad-shouldered, thick-set figure was familiar, but the face
lacked the stern frown so often seen in pictures, and wore a cheerful
smile. Yet he had good reason to smile. Around him were men—Hunter,
Mahon, and others—who had shared his victories in the past, and
before him stood the ranks of those who were destined to lend to his
name imperishable glory. He, more than any other man, had drawn from
their homes the officers and men who faced him in Hackwood Park, and
trained and equipped them, until at last, after ten months’ hard and
strenuous work, they were ready to take the field. He looked on the
stalwart lines, and all could see that he was pleased. After he had
passed along the ranks, he returned to the saluting point, and the
march-past began. The Division had no brass bands, but each unit, in
close column of platoons, was played past by the massed drums and
fifes of its own Brigade. First came the Royal Irish, swinging to
the lilt of “Garry Owen,” in a manner that showed that their C. O.
and Sergeant-Major were old Guardsmen. Then followed the Hampshires,
stepping out to the tune that has played the 37th past the saluting
point since the days of Dettingen and Minden. Then again the bands
took up the Irish strain, and the best of drum-and-fife marches, “St.
Patrick’s Day,” crashed out for the Connaught Rangers. Then came a
sadder note for the Leinsters’ march is “Come Back to Erin,” and one
knew that many of those marching to it would never see Ireland again.
But sorrowful thoughts were banished as the quickstep of the Rifles
succeeded to the yearning tune. After the Rifles had passed, the
music became monotonous, since all Fusilier Regiments have the same
march-past, and by the time the rear of the 31st Brigade had arrived,
one’s ears were somewhat weary of the refrain of the “British
Grenadiers.” At a rehearsal of the Inspection, the Dublin Fusiliers
had endeavoured to vary the monotony by playing “St. Patrick’s
Day,” but the fury of the Connaught Rangers, who share the right
of playing this tune with the Irish Guards alone, was so intense
that it was abandoned, and Munsters and Dublins, Inniskillings and
Faugh-a-Ballaghs, moved past to the strains of their own march.
“The British Grenadiers” is a good tune, and Fusilier regiments are
not often brigaded together, so that this lack of variety is seldom
noted, yet there are so many good Irish quick-steps unused that
perhaps the Fusilier regiments from Ireland might be permitted to use
one of them as an alternative.
After the Infantry came the Field Ambulances, and after them the
squadron of the South Irish Horse. These were followed by rank after
rank of guns with the Engineers and Army Service Corps bringing
up the rear. The long lines of gleaming bayonets, and the horses,
guns, and wagons, passing in quick succession, formed a magnificent
spectacle. Not by dragon’s teeth had this armed force been raised in
so short a time, but by unresting and untiring work.
As a result of these inspections the following orders were issued:—
“_10th Division Order No. 34._ _1st June, 1915._
“Lieutenant-General Sir B. Mahon received His Majesty’s command to
publish a divisional order to say how pleased His Majesty was to
have had an opportunity of seeing the 10th Irish Division, and how
impressed he was with the appearance and physical fitness of the
troops.
“His Majesty the King recognises that it is due to the keenness and
co-operation of all ranks that the 10th Division has reached such a
high standard of efficiency.”
“The General Officer Commanding 10th Irish Division has much
pleasure in informing the troops that Field-Marshal Earl Kitchener
of Khartoum, the Secretary of State for War, expressed himself
as highly satisfied with all he saw of the 10th Division at the
inspection to-day.”
After these two inspections the men began to hope that they would
soon be on the move, but the regular routine continued, and all
ranks began to get a little stale. The period of training had been
filled with hard and strenuous work, and as the days of laborious and
monotonous toil crept on, one felt that little was being gained by
it. It is not an exaggeration to say that so far as physical fitness
was concerned, the whole of the Division which went as an organised
whole to Gallipoli was in better condition at the end of April than
when they left England. Infantry, engineers, and the Royal Army
Medical Corps were all fully trained and qualified for the work they
were called on to do. The transport were not, but then the transport
were left behind in England. It is possible, too, that the artillery
gained by the delay, but they did not accompany the Division, and the
two brigades that eventually landed in the Peninsula were completely
detached from it. The staff certainly gained much experience from
their stay at Basingstoke, but on reaching Gallipoli the Division
was split up in such a manner that the experience they had acquired
became of little value.
Just as we were beginning to despair of ever moving, on the 27th of
June the long-expected order arrived, and the Division was warned to
hold itself in readiness for service at the Dardanelles.