The 28th: A Record of War Service in the Australian Imperial Force Part 10

B. Rowan-Hamilton was appointed Brigade-Major. He had been adjutant of the 1st Black Watch and shared in the opening campaign in France and Belgium. A new Staff Captain was found in Lieut. S. S. Bond, 25th Battalion, who performed the duties until succeeded by Captain W. F. N.

Bridges--a son of the original commander of the 1st Australian Division.

About the middle of the month the Battalion received its first supply of canteen stores. A small party had been sent to Imbros to buy "luxuries"

and had returned with neither the quant.i.ty nor quality they sought.

Nevertheless, their arrival in the Battalion area was signalised by the formation of a queue as for an early door at a theatre. Sweets, cake, and notepaper were in greatest demand, and after these, in popularity, came soap and handkerchiefs.

Sir Ian Hamilton had been striving for months to inst.i.tute this system of canteens. He desired that the troops in the Eastern Mediterranean should be placed on the same footing as those in France. General Birdwood had written to him conveying the medical opinion that the sameness of the food was making the men sick. The rations were A1, but the men loathed the look of them after having had nothing else for months. "If we could only get this wretched canteen ship along, and if, when she comes she contains anything like condiments to let them buy freely from her, I believe it would make all the difference in the world. But the fact remains that at present we cannot count on anything like a big effort from the men who have been here all these months."[P]

The first canteen ship did eventually arrive about the end of August, and then brought only 10,000 worth--amongst over 100,000 troops! The Commander-in-Chief sent it to Anzac. Later arrivals brought very little more and, finally, early in December, the supplies petered out altogether. Parties sent to Imbros foraged over the island, but soon exhausted even that source, which produced only fruit, eggs, Turkish delight, candles, and canned goods.

To pay for these extras the Australians had ample resources.

Periodically the field cashier appeared on the Peninsula with English silver and notes. The adjutant drew from him, and company commanders paid their men in accordance with their requirements--within the credit which the Pay Book (always carried on the person) disclosed they possessed. The British Treasury note for 10s. became known as a "Bradbury"--a name derived from a signature thereon. Those issued to the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at the time were endorsed in Turkish so that they might have currency in Constantinople when the Straits were forced.

The 16th October witnessed the return to the Battalion of the Machine Gun Section from the Apex. It was arranged that at 4 a.m. this day an attempt should be made to compel the enemy to disclose his gun and machine gun positions. At that hour a rocket went up from Russell's Top.

Immediately our guns, and the machine guns to either flank of the 28th, opened fire. The Battalion had been ordered to man the trenches, show their fixed bayonets over the parapets, and cheer l.u.s.tily. All these things were done and the effect added to by throwing clods of earth down amongst the bushes in the Dere to give the impression of the noise of troops advancing. All came to nought. The Turk uttered not a sound, and after the firing ceased the West Australians, appreciating some humour in the situation, went about their day's work with broad smiles on their faces.

Aeroplanes occasionally made their appearance above the contending armies. To the man in the trench it seemed that some arrangement existed whereby our aviators should not use the same days in the week as the Turk. Never were the two seen in the air at the one time and the infantry, who were spoiling to witness an aerial combat, were greatly disappointed. An appearance was usually the signal for a little practice by the anti-aircraft guns, one of which was located in the 1st Division's sector. The enemy gunners had better luck than ours, for twice during the Battalion's stay they succeeded in winging our men--one of whom made a forced landing on Suvla Lake and the other in the sea, not far from the sh.o.r.e, about half a mile further south. Here they provided a target for the field guns and, in the former instance, the machine, viewed from the Apex, soon resembled a fly whose wings had been burned off. Whilst at Cheshire Ridge the 28th observed a hostile aviator traverse the line from right to left, flying at an alt.i.tude of a few hundred feet only. The pilot leaned over the side of the car as he pa.s.sed over the West Australians and waved his hand to them. The rifle fire directed at him apparently did no harm and in a few seconds he disappeared in the direction of Suvla.

Between the 17th and 20th of the month the Battalion suffered four casualties (wounds) from shrapnel. On the evening of the 25th the Turks landed in the Chailak Dere several heavy high explosive sh.e.l.ls. At 11 a.m. on the 27th they opened a brisk fire all along the brigade sector and up towards Suvla. The beach behind was also sh.e.l.led by the big guns.

The "stand to" was ordered but, as usual, firing died down without further development. The rest of the brigade had a number killed and wounded but the 28th escaped unscathed. For the remainder of the month the enemy was comparatively quiet.

Lieut. J. F. Quilty arrived from Egypt on the 24th and brought seven men as a reinforcement.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "A" COMPANY.

Getting ready to move from the Reserve position at Cheshire Ridge.

_Photo. lent by Mr. T. Pritchard._]

Sickness increased during the month and seriously affected the officers.

The Adjutant (Captain Lamb), Captains Montgomery and Stroud, Lieutenants Davey, Hargraves, and Carter were taken to the hospital. Captain Menz also became alarmingly ill and had to be carried away on a stretcher. On the way down the Dere a sh.e.l.l came along and killed one of his bearers and wounded the other. He escaped with a bad fall and the loss of the heel of his boot. A few days later Major J. A. C. Wilson left the Battalion. He had been obviously suffering from jaundice for some time but had clung to his command until he had to be ordered to hospital. As "A" Company had lost both its O.C. and 2nd-in-Command, Lieut. N. F.

Macrae from "D" Company was appointed temporarily to command. Lieut. H.

E. C. Ruddock was selected to carry on as adjutant until the return of Captain Lamb. Reg. Sergt.-Major P. T. C. Bell was promoted to commissioned rank.

The weather changed on the 22nd October and turned as cold as the coldest days in Western Australia, involving bleak conditions in the trenches at night. On the 27th there was a very unpleasant wind and dust storm which lasted for hours.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE Q.M's. STORE OF "A" COMPANY at Cheshire Ridge.

_Photo. lent by Mr. T. Pritchard._]

The Battalion having been in the firing line for about seven weeks, the Brigadier ordered the 26th Battalion, which had not yet been in the trenches, to relieve it. On the 30th October "A" Company of the Queenslanders and Tasmanians took over from "B" Company of the 28th. On the following day, however, the return to the Peninsula of the 4th Brigade being imminent, the order was cancelled. Nevertheless, on the 1st November, "C" Company proceeded to join "B" Company at Taylor's Hollow (in Bauchop's Hill, just north of Waterfall Gully). "D" Company followed on the next day and, on the 3rd, Lieut.-Colonel J. M. A.

Durrant, with the 13th Battalion, took over the sector. The Machine Gun Section was again temporarily detached from the Battalion and joined the 8th Light Horse near Sazli Belt Dere. Whilst there they had a duel with a Turkish gun and came out victorious--finally calling upon our field artillery to blow up the enemy's emplacement. This was done very effectually.

During the month of October the Battalion had suffered a loss of five killed, four died of wounds, 27 wounded, and 137 sick.

Located at Taylor's Hollow the Battalion now became the divisional reserve. The 26th Battalion had proceeded to rejoin the 2nd Australian Division and was followed on the 10th November by the 25th and 27th Battalions. Nominally the Battalion was withdrawn for a rest, but actually the divisional reserve's main function was to supply parties for all manner of work behind the front line.

For the sake of convenience these parties were placed near h.e.l.l Spit, in Reserve Gully, and other features which afforded the necessary cover.

They worked under their own officers, who received their instructions from the Beach Commandant, from the Commanding Royal Engineer of one of the divisions, or from a member of the Corps Staff.

One party was engaged in building a series of terraces to receive the marquees of a Casualty Clearing Station. This necessitated the free use of explosives and the removal of many tons of earth. The work was carried out in such an efficient manner as to excite the surprise and admiration of the Royal Engineers. To finish it off an elaborate retaining wall was built with material from the sh.o.r.e. This wall contained a large corner stone upon which was placed the inscription "A Coy. 28 Bn. didit."

Some platoons were employed on the engineer, ordnance, and supply dumps.

Others a.s.sisted in unloading lighters at the piers and transferring loads from storeships into lighters. Generally the work was without incident except for occasional casualties from "Beachy Bill," which from the Olive Grove sprayed the beach with its shrapnel. The great storm of November 27th was, however, productive of some experiences of interest and not without danger. Several of the ships upon which the men were working had to make for shelter--refuge being taken at Suvla, Imbros, and even as far away as Lemnos. To this latter place went Lieut. T. O.

Nicholls and his team, who found themselves on a craft that dragged her anchors and was short of water and stores. Fourteen days elapsed before they were able to return to Anzac. Those who suffered from sea-sickness certainly did not enjoy these involuntary trips.

At 5 p.m. on the day of the storm, all hands and the cook were summoned to Anzac Cove for salvage work. On arrival it was found that the piers had been washed away. Big baulks of timber were being thrown about by the sea, in a most disconcerting manner, amongst all sorts of stores.

The first duty a.s.signed the party by the Beach Commandant was to restore some semblance of order amongst the members of a certain Labour Corps who had run wild. This was achieved in an expeditious though somewhat violent manner. The next duty was salvaging amongst the flotsam and jetsam which, with the timber charging about and the water at a very low temperature, was a decidedly unpleasant task. Night put a stop to the operations, and the Beach Commandant congratulated the party on the work done. This officer was no lover of the "Aussies," owing--so rumour had it--to some of them "pinching" his fattening fowls, but on this occasion he contributed, voluntarily, a double issue of rum--an act which was undoubtedly popular and timely.

Speech, accent, and manner counted for a good deal when working in conjunction with British troops. An incident which ill.u.s.trates this occurred in connection with a fatigue party which was required by the British Army Service Corps for night work on the beach. This party was commanded by an officer who possessed neither size in stature or feature in voice. His second-in-command was a corporal with very marked characteristics. With the N.C.O. in rear the two set out for the A.S.C.

dugout, at the entrance to which the officer announced his arrival. The A.S.C. officer emerged into the night and asked the question "Where have you got your men?" The corporal gave the answer in his deepest stentorian tones and with faultless accent, "They are anch.o.r.ed just abaft the stack of Fray Bentos." The "Tommy" officer immediately came over towards him and remarked, "Oh! I'm sorry, Old Chappie, I didn't know there was an officer here, I thought this little N.C.O. was in charge of the party." The corporal wasn't quite clear as to what followed, but had a distinct recollection of receiving an order in good Australian, "Corporal! Go back and bring the men along to the cheese stack, _at once_!"

From the Beach, where men of all units met, came the daily crop of "furphies" or rumours. Some of these, it was suspected, were set going by the Intelligence Section of the General Staff, but many of them were the deliberate creation of a few people with a rather perverted sense of humour. Others developed from the chance remark of some individual speculating on what might be, or what he hoped would be. The "Anzac Liar," as the unknown person was designated, dealt with many subjects, from an advance to a retirement, from the landing of a Greek or Italian Army Corps on the north to the forcing of the Straits by the Navy. This last, it was said, was to be achieved by the 2nd November, and the sailors were prepared to make handsome bets on it. With experience the ordinary soldier came to regard this news as a topic for conversation only, remaining incredulous and accepting actual facts with the best grace possible in view of his rapidly developing fatalistic spirit.

The Beach was also the hunting ground of those who sought to improve their lot. One night a well-known Signaller, a noted hunter with an eagle eye, observed a case of rum--for the moment unattended. The situation obviously required action and P----possessed the necessary initiative. Five seconds later he was being pursued down the Beach.

After successfully losing his pursuers he humped the case to Russell's Top and opened it before a crowd of thirsty and expectant Signallers--to find that it was lime juice. In the opinion of the Section this incident was the one black spot in P----'s long career of usefulness.

Authentic news from the outside world came from two or three different sources. General Headquarters at Imbros issued a weekly sheet, ent.i.tled the "Peninsula Press," which published notes on the doings on other fronts and gave alarming accounts of the winter conditions on Gallipoli.

The Navy had, apparently, their own sources of information, for signallers would often gather items of interest by watching the flashing of the helios by day or the blinking of the signal lamps by night. Then there were the mails. In this, as well as in many other respects, the army treated the soldiers well. Mails came at irregular intervals, but never more than three weeks elapsed without bringing the ever-welcome letter and newspaper from Australia. The 28th mail comprised a large portion of that for the whole brigade. Some of the members would receive as many as 13 or 14 letters each.

Parcels also came to hand. These contained a great diversity of articles, ranging from woollen goods to chewing gum and safety pins.

The Battalion Postal Orderly, Private J. H. Mann, was most conscientious and energetic in his work. He usually installed himself in some dugout away from the company lines and where he had room to cope with his thousands of packets. When the Battalion moved, new quarters were necessary, and Mann was sometimes seen, bared to the waist, working hard with pick and shovel in the excavation of a new post office. Sometimes ill fortune befell the mails. Twice during the November storms lighters containing hundreds of bags were swamped and sunk. One of these was carrying the outward Christmas mail and disappeared within sight of the beach.

As a rule letters for Australia were despatched once weekly and, in spite of the local distractions, many found ample opportunities for writing home. A few wrote with an eye to the publication of their letters in their town Press. When these newspapers were subsequently received by the Battalion, the scribes came in for a good deal of chaff.

Private E. St. I. Bilston of "C" Company made little essays into verse--some of the results appearing in the Perth and Kalgoorlie Sunday papers. At times writing paper was very scarce, and the New Zealand Divisional Sanitary Officer complained that he was unable to continue certain necessary issues because the supplies were disappearing into the mail bags. In November, a case of stationery was received by the Battalion. This was the result of the kind and thoughtful action of Mrs.

Loh.o.a.r of Fremantle, who had arranged a "Stationery Tea" amongst her friends.

The attention of the men in the firing line was by no means always centred on the imminence of danger. Except during actual bombardments, or when on sentry, they had some leisure, which was filled by diversions of various kinds. Sleep--when possible, letter writing, and card playing, pa.s.sed many hours pleasantly away. Those in the reserve areas found other amus.e.m.e.nts, in which figured largely the games of "Banker"

and "Two-up," upon which had been placed an official taboo. In the hollows and gullies groups of men were often noticed, and the observer would see the faces momentarily turned towards the sky and then towards the earth again--actions denoting interested eyes following the flight of the spinning coins. Some men brought considerable sums of money to their officers for safe custody. A good deal of this the owners subsequently remitted to their homes.

Again, others found an interest in watching the flocks of wild geese that pa.s.sed over during the autumn migrations. The appearance of these birds whetted the appet.i.tes of the "dog-fed" soldiers, but no rifle bullet seemed to be able to find them. During the first week in December starlings pa.s.sed over in flocks of thousands--flying low and following the line of hill and vale, whilst emitting a curious sound from the movement of so many wings. In the Deres would be seen an occasional blackbird and thrush, which were later on joined by the robin. On one occasion a visitor from the Balkans--an eagle with a very large spread of wings--hovered over Cheshire Ridge and, by a few, was thought to be an aeroplane flying at great alt.i.tude.

Nor was the sea unpleasant to the eye. The wonderful blue of the Mediterranean, the storms, and the sunsets and clouds behind and above the sharp peaks of the island of Samothrace--some 40 miles away--made believers of those who had seen copies or prints of Turner's pictures.

Farther south, and 12 or 15 miles distant, lay the less mountainous island of Imbros, where Sir Ian Hamilton had his headquarters. Kephalos Bay was on the east side, and there, on a clear day, could be discerned the anch.o.r.ed shipping.

[Ill.u.s.tration: LEMNOS, IMBROS, AND SAMOTHRACE.

_Lent by Mr. C. E. W. Bean._]

Nearer at hand trawlers were engaged in mine sweeping. Others were lying at anchor, just beyond the range of the Turkish guns, waiting for darkness in order to discharge or take in cargo. Occasionally these craft came in too close and afforded a target for enemy "whizz-bangs" or salvos of "4.2's." These latter made a whining progress through the air and landed in the sea, throwing up fountains of water as they burst.

Seldom did the Turk score a hit, and only once during the Battalion's stay was a sh.e.l.l noticed to reach its intended destination.

Other vessels could be seen. An occasional destroyer proceeded at full speed on some errand or in search of a hostile submarine whose presence had been rumoured. Once a huge battle cruiser approached Suvla with a watching destroyer keeping station on each bow and quarter. Low-lying monitors, standing a long way off sh.o.r.e, with their one or two guns trained at high angles, made practice at some inland target near Achi Baba or at the northern end of the Peninsula. One of these, the "Peninsula Press" reported, secured four direct hits on the flour mills at Galata at a range of 19,400 yards.

Close at hand was the ever-present "Grafton," which, when the evening sun lighted up the north-western slopes of Sari Bair, would loose her guns, the firing of which gave forth a peculiar long-drawn-out double echo.

With the fall of night sight failed except in regard to the flashes of the naval guns and the red and green lights of the waiting hospital ships.

Whilst in Taylor's Hollow the Battalion was not immediately concerned with the operations of the front line. It was, however, still under fire, for numerous sh.e.l.ls fell at the entrance to the Hollow and bullets came thickly at night all over the area. The sole casualty was a donkey killed. On the beach near-by a lighter had been blown ash.o.r.e. In its vicinity some of the men were in the habit of bathing. The Turks sh.e.l.led the locality one afternoon and the bathers took cover under the distant side of the boat. From this they emerged rather hurriedly when a sh.e.l.l lobbed right into the craft. But instead of forsaking the neighbourhood they lay about under the sand ridges, and when a sh.e.l.l landed were seen to rush out and "souvenir" the copper driving band, from which interesting mementos were manufactured by the artificers of the adjacent howitzer battery.

Advantage was taken of the relatively quiet period to pay a visit to the IX. Corps. A party of officers traversed the front line as far as the headquarters at Suvla. In doing so they not only had the opportunity of surveying the positions, but also of meeting a great number of the units who had been so sorely tried in the August fighting and who did so well later in Palestine and Mesopotamia. London and County Regiments, Ghurkas, Sikhs, Welsh miners, and Scottish and Irish units, were all represented and received the Australians with evident curiosity.

FOOTNOTES: