World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- Turkey -- Gallipoli Peninsula
I ride down from Artillery Road, and turning to the right, ride up
the foot of the beautiful gully, now more honeycombed than ever with
dugouts and terraces and flights of steps. Leaving my horse at a
small camp near Bruce’s Ravine—named after the gallant Colonel of
the Gurkhas, who sailed on the same hospital ship in which I went to
Alexandria in July, because of the gallant and victorious fight the
Gurkhas made for the capture of Gurkha Bluff, in the early days—I walk
up this ravine, used as a mule-track, to the trenches up on the high
ground on the left of the gully, forming the extreme left of our line.
And after a short walk through a series of trenches forming our support
line, I turn down a communication trench, which after a while brings
me out on to a long and wide terrace overlooking “Y” Beach. “Y” Beach
was the scene of a terrible fight between the K.O.S.B.’s and the enemy
on April 25th, in which the K.O.S.B.’s were successful in effecting a
landing, only to evacuate a day after. But how they landed there at
all is a feat to be marvelled at, for the beach can hardly be called
a beach. It is a narrow ravine, widening slightly at the water’s edge
to a width of not more than a hundred yards, and flanked by steep,
almost precipitous gorse-covered slopes to a height of 150 feet. Troops
attempting to land on such a beach from small open boats could not be
expected to even reach the shore; yet by the night these Scotsmen had
conquered the heights and penetrated inshore. But their position was
too precarious, and it was a wise move to order them to evacuate.
At the end of the terrace on the north side of the top of the ravine,
my Brigade H.Q. is comfortably dug in, and it is a pleasure sitting
there talking, with such a picturesque view to enjoy from the position.
It is far the prettiest site our Brigade has had up to now for their
Headquarters, and also convenient, for they are situated but a few
hundred yards behind the front line.
As I am about to take my leave, four shrapnel shells come over from a
Turkish battery on our extreme left, which burst low on the opposite
slopes of the ravine, with the trenches of two regiments in reserve
for a target. They are followed steadily by several salvos, one or two
of the shells bursting in the air near our H.Q., and one in particular
throwing a few bullets onto the ground at my feet, as I stand at the
door of the General’s mess. The General invites me to step inside,
saying, “Unless you want to get shot,” and gives me a topping breakfast
of scrambled eggs on toast.
After breakfast I go back with Mathias and Arnold to Gully Beach
and see 86th Brigade H.Q. and Sinclair Thomson, and then ride with
Arnold to “W” Beach. Mathias and Arnold came to lunch, as a parcel had
arrived, and we enjoyed the luxuries thereof.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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