World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- Turkey -- Gallipoli Peninsula
The officer then invites us to sit down and call for drinks. I gasp;
we never heard of such things on shore. An attentive A.B., smiling
benevolently, brings along about half a dozen bottles and glasses.
The officer apologizes for not having much choice. Is he pulling
our legs? What perfectly charming beings these Naval fellows are! I
choose sherry. Williams gets chatty about the Middlesex Yeomanry. The
Middlesex Yeomanry always comes into Williams’s conversation when he
gets chatty, but I can’t connect this regiment with submarines at the
moment. I have two glasses, and we rise to go. Our perfectly delightful
host expresses regret that we must go, and invites us again in the near
future. Up the perpendicular iron steps we climb. Phillips, leading,
puts his heavy boot in my face. It seems a long way up those steps. Up
in the cool air, with the breeze blowing in my face, the deck of the
submarine seems much narrower than when we first came on board. I look
at the little boat gently heaving in the water alongside, and take one
cautious step on to one of its seats, and with one foot in the boat and
one on the submarine I turn to thank my host again. The little boat
falls with the swell of the sea, and I promptly sit down very hard into
her. All aboard, we row back merrily. Hear that two shells have arrived
on the beach during our absence. Shells! Pugh! that’s nothing. We don’t
worry about shells, now!
I swear that I had only two sherries; but I am very empty inside, and
the cool air, after a stuffy atmosphere—— Yes! even a Padre might feel
like that.
_June 4th._
I awake and rise early. To-day is the battle, and to-night we shall be
probably feeding our troops in or beyond Krithia. To-day will probably
be a great day for our arms.
I get my issuing over early, and ride up to Brigade H.Q. and see Usher,
asking him if he has any further instructions. All the arrangements
are complete, and I hope that I shall have to take the rations up to
or beyond Krithia, for then we shall have tasted complete victory. I
see General Doran, who is hard at work. Two officers of the Egyptian
Army arrive and talk awhile with me. I learn that they have landed
only this morning. They are dressed very smartly; polished Sam Brown,
revolver, smart tunic and breeches and boots, but I think they are
making a mistake. They look like the pictures of a military tailor’s
advertisement. Most officers of the infantry dress like the men, to
lessen the chances of an enemy sniper getting them. I get back to “W”
Beach at 10.30 a.m. and see the _Implacable_ and _Albion_ coming slowly
in, with destroyers and submarines all around each ship, jealously
guarding them from submarines’ attacks. A French battleship, I think
the _Saint-Louis_, is off “V” Beach. Destroyers are on the patrol, as
usual, searching for the dreaded submarine enemy. Three hospital ships
are now in.
_11 a.m._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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