_The British Press Bureau on July 7 issued this report by General Ian
Hamilton:_
The night of July 3-4 was quiet in the northern section, but at 4 A.M.
the enemy started a heavy bombardment of the trenches. All the guns
previously used against us, and some new ones, were in action, but the
bombardment died away about 6 A.M. without doing much damage. During
the bombardment about twenty 11.2-inch shells were dropped from a
Turkish battleship in the strait.
In the southern section the Turks kept up a heavy musketry fire along
the whole line during the night and did not leave their trenches. At 4
A.M. their batteries started the most violent bombardment that has yet
been experienced. At least 5,000 rounds of artillery ammunition were
expended by them.
Meanwhile this shelling of our lines on the peninsula proved the
preliminary to a general attack on our front with special efforts at
certain points. The principal effort was made at the junction of the
Royal Naval Division section with that of the French.
Here, at 7.30 A.M., the Turks drove back our advanced troops and
assaulted a portion of the line held by the Royal Naval Division. Some
fifty Turks gained a footing in our trench, where, nevertheless, some
men of the Royal Naval Division held on to our supports, and the men
who had retired counter-attacked immediately and hurled the Turks out
of the trench again.
Another attack on the right of the Twenty-ninth Division section, was
practically wiped out by rifle and machine-gun fire. On our left the
Turks massed in a nullah, to the northeast of our newly-captured
trenches, and attempted several attacks. None of these was able to get
home owing to the steadiness of our troops and our effective artillery
support. The bombardment died down toward 11 A.M., though it was
resumed at intervals.
Not only was the result a complete failure, but while our losses were
negligible and no impression was made on our line, the enemy added a
large number to his recent very heavy casualties. It seems plain from
the disjointed nature of his attack that he is finding it difficult to
drive his infantry forward to face our fire.