World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- Turkey -- Gallipoli Peninsula
Go to Brigade H.Q. in the afternoon and find the rest camp at the white
pillars an absolute quagmire of mud, many of the dugouts being half
full of water. Two 60-pounder guns are now in position on the cliff
to the west of “W” Beach, and this afternoon I go up to have a look
at them firing. Their target is at a range of 9,600 yards, well up on
the left shoulder of Achi Baba, and an aeroplane is up observing for
them. The flame of the explosion shoots out some feet from the muzzle
and from the breach also, and makes a terrific roar, which echoes all
round the ships lying off, the sound playing ducks and drakes from one
ship to another. One can see with the naked eye the shell hitting its
target on Achi Baba. Our Fleet gets busy again, and later the batteries
on shore join in, and a bombardment starts. At 6.45 p.m. the Gurkhas
come into action on the left, and quite a big battle develops. We can
just see the men through glasses. Crowds from the beach flock up on
to the high ground to have a look, getting into direct line with the
60-pounders, much to the Gunner Officer’s annoyance, and police finally
are posted to keep them out of the way. A shell exploding with a black
burst over our heads, but very high, causes the watching crowd to
scatter in a somewhat amusing fashion. Gregory and I move forward to a
trench in front and look at the battle through glasses. All I can see
now is a host of bursting shells on the left and intermittent shelling
on the right and centre. Suddenly another of these black devils of
shells bursts over our heads and covers me with small hot cinders which
sting. We go back to dinner whilst the battle is still going on.
_May 13th._
At two o’clock this morning I was awakened by a most curious noise. It
sounded like thousands of men off “V” Beach crying and shouting loudly.
Shortly after I see searchlights, about eight of them, flashing from
the battleships at the entrance to the Straits. The noise goes on for
about half an hour and then suddenly ceases. I stand for a few minutes
puzzling what it is, and watching the searchlights still wielding their
beams of light around, and then turn in again.
At 6 a.m. I am told that the _Goliath_ has been torpedoed and sunk. A
Turkish destroyer came down the Straits and got her clean amidships,
and she sank in half an hour. I hear that half the crew is lost. The
destroyer, if seen at all, disappeared in the darkness. Poor old
_Goliath_! and it was only the other day that I was watching her in
action.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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