World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- Turkey -- Gallipoli Peninsula
Horne and I go up with the A.T. carts to take more of the forward
reserve rations from the C.R.E. nullah over to the left of Hill 10, for
two forward dumps have to be made of equal numbers of rations, and the
one we have now is therefore being halved. Hill 10 is a position of
which several of our batteries have taken advantage, and in consequence
is a favourite target of the Turkish gunners. One veritably walks on a
surface of shrapnel bullets around this hill, lying like pebbles on the
shore. On arrival at the nullah we find that all the Supply boxes, with
their tarpaulin covers, have been built up to form a large improvised
dressing station. They are full of cases of frostbite and exhaustion.
From all around comes the sound of men groaning. And so the carting of
rations to Hill 10 is off to-night. As I walk back, I hear a groaning
voice calling “Mother, mother!” and peering through the darkness of the
night, I see the form of a man lying under a gorse-bush. Poor devil!
His mother, to whom he calls, is probably knitting him socks at home.
We carry him along to the 89th Field Ambulance Dressing Station, just
to the right of the nullah, having to negotiate a muddy brook on the
way. We walk back fast, to get up a circulation, and find on arrival
that a nice fire has been kept up. The roads are hardening with the
frost. This will aid the solution of the transport difficulties, which
have been almost insuperable during these awful last few days, for
the wind has been so strong as to almost prevent the use of the light
motor-ambulance, and horse transport is restricted, owing, I find, to
animals having already been evacuated just before the storm.
_November 30th._
We awake to find the gale has died away. It is a cool, beautiful day,
with not a cloud in the sky. In fact, the sun is beaming warm. It is
hard to believe that we have just passed through a terrible blizzard.
The beach is crowded with cases of frostbite waiting for evacuation,
which is rapidly going on now. Men lie about everywhere on the beaches,
with their limbs swathed in bundles of bandages. Many cases are
serious, and not a few will lose their limbs. The Main Supply depot is
now a large hospital of shelters built of boxes and sailcovers. All
over the beaches men are hunting about for lost property buried in the
mud. Dugouts and trenches are being drained of the remaining water.
The beaches are gradually becoming themselves again. The Division has
suffered heavily.
On the inspection of the Royal Fusiliers to-day, one company, on being
called to attention, proved to be a company consisting of Captain Gee,
a sergeant-major, and a private. Captain Gee shouted, “Sergeant-major,
call the company to attention.” The sergeant-major then shouted, “‘W’
Company, ’shun!” and the one man left, who was the company cook, sprang
to attention.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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