World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- Turkey -- Gallipoli Peninsula
The slightest miscalculation may easily lead to chaos—to the blocking
of trains carrying wounded back and ammunition forward, or the
deprivation of a few thousand men of their food at a critical moment.
One should watch the arrival of the supply pack trains at the railheads
where the supply columns of motor lorries or the divisional trains
of horse transport unload the pack trains and load their vehicles,
regularly each day at scheduled times, under all conditions, even those
caused by a 14-inch enemy shell bursting at intervals of five minutes
in the railhead yard, causing all and sundry to get to cover, except
the A.S.C., who must never fail to clear the train at the scheduled
time. One should watch the divisional train H.Q. at work, following
its division and arranging for the daily correct distribution and the
delivery of the rations to units. Often horse transport, by careful
managing on the part of train H.Q., is released for other duties than
those of drawing and delivering supplies to units. Then one may watch
the A.S.C. driver delivering R.E. material, etc., to the line, along
roads swept by high-explosive shell and shrapnel and machine guns,
where all but the A.S.C. driver can get to ground, while he must stand
by his horses and get cover for them and himself as best he can. Then,
although one has only seen the skeleton framework of this vast service,
and has had no opportunity to go into the technicalities of the system
or to investigate the many safety valves of base supply depots, field
supply depots, reserve parks and emergency ration dumps in the line,
all of which are ready to come to the rescue should a pack train be
blown up or a convoy scuppered, nor to study the wonderfully efficient
organization of transport, covering mechanical transport, horse
transport, Foden lorries and tractors which ply from the base to the
line, carrying, as well as supplies, ammunition, R.E. material, and
every imaginable necessity of war, and moving heavy guns in and out of
position, at times under the very noses of the enemy, yet one cannot
fail to have gained a great respect for that vast and wonderfully
silent organization, the Army Service Corps.
J. G. G.
FRANCE,
_May 1918_.
CONTENTS
PAGE
PREFACE 5
INTRODUCTION 15
THE CLIMATE AT THE DARDANELLES 17
PROLOGUE—MARCH 1915 23
APRIL 25
MAY 62
JUNE 114
JULY 156
AUGUST 180
SEPTEMBER 218
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