World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- Turkey -- Gallipoli Peninsula
Shelling by big guns from Achi has now started, and they are dropping
on the beach, and everybody is taking cover for dear life. Now howitzer
from Asia is joining in. Nothing much happened to-day, except heavy
artillery duels, and with the anniversary of the war we find ourselves
not much further forward than we were two months ago.
_August 5th._
Another hot, depressing, monotonous and nervy day. Was officer of
the day at the Supply depot, and, as usual, shells came over. A
fuse whizzed near our heads with a most weird singing noise. French
battleship at entrance bombarded Asia, and two British cruisers on West
Coast bombarded Achi.
Something big is going to happen soon. I may add that this sentence
has been passed from mouth to mouth for the last week, and if that
something does not happen soon we shall all be in a devil of a fix on
this tiny little tip of the Peninsula.
So dangerous has it now become to walk about in the open that a
communication trench has been dug from “X” Beach right to the
firing-line, and so troops landing on “W” Beach can walk round the road
at the foot of cliffs and straight up this trench to fire-trenches.
Most of the transport by day goes by this road, only venturing in the
open on high land by night.
Our depot, however, still remains in the same place, exposed to
and ranged on by enemy’s guns, with the result that we get shelled
regularly every day, and the sigh of relief that will go up to heaven
when we have orders to move will echo from Asia to the Ægean.
Ride up to Gully Beach with Cooke and Farquhar and see Brigade, and
after, ride up the gully and across to Pink Farm. Nothing doing on
front. We enjoy the ride and exercise. Devilish difficult getting a
decent ride nowadays. At Pink Farm, bullets as usual chanting their
pinging song.
On the way back a Monitor up the coast starts firing heavily, making
a huge flash, lighting up for a big distance the sky and land, a roar
like a crash of thunder immediately following.
_August 6th._
On duty at 6 a.m. at Supply depot. Several shells come over at the
shipping, but none into our depot, shrieking overhead like lost spirits.
Distant sounds of heavy bombardment going on up north, and one man said
that he saw through glasses shrapnel bursting up the coast ten miles
away. If so, a landing probably is being attempted at Suvla Bay.
Ammunition ship with an evidently damned fool of a captain comes in
at two o’clock in broad daylight, and of course gets shelled. Pretty
good shooting on part of Mr. Turk, and ship gets several narrow shaves.
The vessel then backs out towards two hospital ships, and these of
course get nearly hit, one shell going right over one of them. The ship
finally gets away after being clumsily handled; but it is bad form to
back near a hospital ship. The hospital ships lie off here night and
day, well within range of the Turkish batteries, which never fire on
them unless a supply or ammunition ship goes near.
_2 o’clock._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account