LIFE IN OUR NEW CAMP
More and more troops kept on disembarking and within fourteen days we
found ourselves being crowded out of our little valley that ran up from
the sea, and it became a pressing necessity to look out for fresh
quarters further inland. Nor were we sorry to move, for a road had been
made close to our lines, which, owing to the great traffic upon it, was
now several inches deep in fine white dust, which blew over us in
choking clouds.
At this time, the whole of the Peninsula, from Cape Helles to Achi Baba,
was one expanse of green pastures and cultivation, and the country
looked exceedingly pretty. Quantities of beautiful flowers grew
everywhere, so much so that some fields were a regular blaze of colour,
the western slopes of Achi Baba itself being beautified by gorgeous
stretches of blood-red poppies. Groves of trees of various kinds were
dotted about, while the olive and the almond flourished everywhere. Here
and there were to be seen round, masonry-topped wells, just like those
pictured in illustrated Bibles, showing Rebecca drawing water for
Abraham's servant--but, alas, here there was no Rebecca!
Before we left it, this smiling land became the most desolate,
God-forsaken place that it is possible to imagine--nothing but row upon
row of unsightly trenches, and not a single blade of grass anywhere to
meet the eye.
For our new encampment I chose a level green field, some two miles
inland, and into this we moved on May 11th.
A beautiful olive tree grew and threw a grateful shade by the edge of
our encampment, and here, practically under its roots, we excavated a
shallow dug-out and erected over it a shelter of canvas. Gye, Rolo and I
settled ourselves in as comfortably as possible, and although we thought
it merely a temporary halting-place on the way to Constantinople, we
never moved camp again, and, indeed, for over seven months it was our
home.
I had occasion to ride back to W Beach within a couple of hours after
quitting our first encampment, and I heartily congratulated myself that
we had cleared out of it just in the nick of time, for the Turks had
concentrated their guns on the place immediately after we had left. I
counted no less than thirty holes through a piece of canvas that was
stretched over the place where we had slept the night before. Had we
still been there we must all inevitably have been blown to smithereens!
At our new encampment we found, burrowed into the ground about us, the
wagon lines of B, L and Y Batteries, R. H. A., together with the
ammunition column--in fact, our lines joined up with L Battery, which,
it will be remembered, earned such fame, and won so many V.C.'s during
the retreat from Mons. Lieutenant Davidson of this Battery was in charge
of the wagon lines, and, as it was Gallipoli, and he was all alone, the
haughty horse gunner did not disdain to join the lowly Muleteers' Mess!
We were very glad to have him, as he was good, cheery, sensible company,
and he also made a fourth at Bridge, which was our relaxation when
nothing else had to be done. It is odd, when one thinks of it now, that
we were far more interested at times, when the game got exciting, as to
who should make the odd trick than in the Turkish shells, which flew
screaming by a few feet over our heads, especially when one remembers
that the deflection of the guns by a hair's-breadth by those tiresome
fellows who were peppering us from Achi Baba and the plains of Ilium
would have meant that, in our peaceful little dug-out, spades would have
been trumps!
During the course of our stay here we gradually excavated and enlarged
our dwelling and burrowed down into the ground, making a cellar into
which we could retire in case the shelling became too hot, but, as a
matter of fact, though the bombardment at times was hot enough to
satisfy the most desperate fire-eater, we used our bomb proof entirely
as a pantry, for which we found it most useful.
No sooner had we settled down to life in our new bivouac than the Turks
began to annoy us by dropping shells into it and disturbing our peace of
mind and body. On the morning following our arrival, while we were
having breakfast under the spreading branches of our olive tree, a
shrapnel burst, sending its bullets unpleasantly near. I remarked
jocularly to the others that if the next shell came any closer we should
have to move. Scarcely had I spoken when one went bang just over us, and
a bullet whizzed between our heads and smashed through the arm of my
Orderly Room Sergeant, Abulafia, who at that moment was standing by my
side taking some orders. It is a marvel how it missed hitting a member
of our little mess, for we were all sitting very close together round an
upturned box which we were using as a breakfast table.
The same shell wounded two other men, besides killing and wounding half
a dozen mules. We decided that the place was too hot for us, so, after
helping our Medical Officer to dress the wounded, we finished our
breakfast on the other side of a bank which ran along by our olive tree.
I must mention here that Sergeant Abulafia refused to have his wound
dressed until the others who were more seriously injured had first
received attention.
Dr. Levontin was very good in attending to wounded men under fire, and
he gave first aid to these men and many others, often at great personal
risk; but at last the continual battering of high explosive shells so
close to his dug-out was too much for him, and his nerves went, as did
the nerves of many others, and there was nothing for it but to send him
back to Egypt. From the time of his departure our sick and wounded were
ministered to by Captain Blandy, R. A. M. C., who was the medical
officer in charge of the batteries camped round us, and the men, finding
Captain Blandy most sympathetic and painstaking, did not fail to avail
themselves to the full of his able services.
The troublesome Turks did not allow us to keep our animals in the
pleasant field where we had, after much trouble, laid down our ropes and
pegs and made our lines.
From Achi Baba and the slopes above Krithia they could see us perfectly
well, and they rained such a tornado of shells round about us, ploughing
up the ground in all directions, that I ordered a hasty evacuation of
the field and chose another site close by, somewhat better concealed
from view by a plantation of olive trees. It was extremely difficult to
hide from the Turks as Achi Baba dominated the whole Peninsula. Even in
our new position we were not allowed to remain undisturbed, for almost
daily the Turks peppered us with shrapnel and high explosives, both from
Achi Baba and the Asiatic coast.
I set the men to work to dig themselves and the mules well into the
bowels of the earth, and in a very short time they had done this so
effectually that a stranger visiting the place would be astonished if he
were told that some hundreds of men and mules were concealed right under
his very nose.
Soon after we had evacuated the field in which the Turks had shelled us
so vigorously it was taken possession of by the Collingwood Battalion of
the Royal Naval Division. They arrived in the dusk of the evening, and
as they were apparently unaware of their dangerous position, I felt it
to be my duty to go and warn the Commanding Officer, Captain Spearman,
R. N., how exposed the place was, and how they would probably be
plastered by high explosives as soon as the Turks discovered them on the
following morning. Captain Spearman was very glad to be given this
friendly warning and, in consequence, he made his Battalion dig itself
well in, and for several hours into the night I could hear pick and
spade digging and delving. It was well they did so, for on the following
morning a brisk bombardment opened on them, but, thanks to the
precautions which they had taken, they, on that day at all events,
suffered no casualties.
It was very funny to see the men sitting in rows along the banks of
earth thrown up out of their "dug-outs" and watch them dive, like
rabbits into their burrows, at the sound of an approaching shell; then,
after the explosion, every one popped up again to see what damage had
been done.
During the time they were camped there a shell would now and again plump
right into a dug-out and then, of course, the unfortunate occupants
would be blown about in little pieces all over the place. A hand was
once blown down to my horse lines, some hundred and fifty yards away
from where the shell had burst, and shattered a man to atoms.
A German Taube for a time flew over our lines every morning long before
sunrise, of course catching all our airmen napping. These visits were
generally for observation purposes, but sometimes the Taubes would liven
us up by dropping a few bombs. They made several shots at the French
guns, but always missed. I saw a bomb land among a dozen French horses
one day, and all of the unfortunate animals were terribly wounded. I
never saw such shambles, for the horses were in a dug-out close together
for safety. The Zion lines had several close escapes, as did the Royal
Naval Division Hospital which was close to us, and where Staff-Surgeon
Fleming cheerfully and skilfully attended to our sick and wounded at all
times of the day and night.
The Taube is a much more vicious looking machine than ours. It has a
certain air of arrogance about it, entirely lacking in our type of
aeroplane. It is not in the least like a dove, as the German name
signifies, but appears to me very like a hawk, always ready to pounce
on its prey.
Day by day one kept missing friendly faces. I remember such a nice boy,
belonging to one of the Naval Battalions, who used to pass my camp
regularly with his platoon on his way to the beach to bathe. I never
knew the boy's name, but he interested me as he was a bright, cheery,
handsome youngster, who seemed to be on the best of terms with his men.
One day there was a vigorous bombardment of his lines, and when next the
platoon went by the young officer was missing. He had been blown to
pieces by a shell.
The Royal Naval Division were a mixed crowd, and their ways in Gallipoli
were somewhat peculiar. Their habits and customs were decidedly
"herumphroditish." They performed military duties as ordinary Infantry;
then they jumped back and were sailors again. They kept time by the
chiming of ships' bells; when they were wanted out of their dug-outs the
boatswain would pipe "All hands on deck"; when a company was mustered on
parade, the Commander (when the Commodore came along!) reported "All
present on the main deck, sir"--the main deck being along a line of
dug-outs; and if one herumphrodite wished to visit another
herumphrodite in a different Battalion, he had to apply for "shore
leave"!
The Collingwood Battalion met with a very sad end soon after their
arrival in my neighbourhood. They were sent up to take part for the
first time in an attack on the Turkish trenches, and they were placed on
our extreme right, linking up with the French. When the order came to
charge, they went forward most gallantly, capturing, with little loss,
two of the Turkish lines of trenches, Captain Spearman, well to the
fore, leading his men. He got shot in the foot, but, ignoring it, dashed
along, waving his hat in the air as he cheered his men to the assault.
Unfortunately, owing to the conspicuous part he and his officers played
in the attack (and it was necessary that they should do so, owing to the
rawness of the men), he and practically all the other officers of the
battalion were killed. Then some one, possibly a German, for there were
several of them in the Turkish trenches round about, shouted out the
fatal word "Retire." This was carried along the line and the men turned
about and made back, helter-skelter, for their own trenches, but in
trying to gain them they were practically annihilated by machine-gun and
rifle fire. I was particularly sorry for Captain Spearman, who had come
to our dug-out on many occasions, and had drunk an early cup of coffee
with us only a few hours before he was killed.
In this disastrous retreat the Collingwood Battalion was practically
wiped out. The survivors were transferred to another unit of the Royal
Naval Division and the very name of this Battalion went out of
existence.