World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- Turkey -- Gallipoli Peninsula; World War, 1914-1918 -- New Zealand
Owing to the accuracy of the enemy big-gun fire, the transports with
our field guns aboard were temporarily forced to retire. The Turkish
gunners were punishing us severely, and we realized to the full the
bitterness of not being able to effectively retaliate. But the Indian
Mountain Batteries endeared themselves to all by their sacrificing
efforts. Gallantly led, these matchless gunners, with their patient
mules, wheedled their guns up to seemingly inaccessible vantage points;
unlimbering, they would get in a dozen effective shots and be down in
the gully and up to an alternate position before their opponents could
sense the situation.
All along the beach, under the scanty shelter of the cliff, the wounded
lay--some on stretchers, some on blankets, others on the shingle. The
surgeons worked as they never had before. Wounded poured down from the
hills incessantly. The picket boats towed their barges, crammed with
troops, to the beach, and seemed to take away almost as many wounded.
The sun went down and the ships stood over against Samothrace
silhouetted in the sunset. But with the night came no peace. The Turks
attacked with renewed vigour--reinforcements had arrived for them.
Blowing trumpets and shouting "Allah!" they surged forward. Our fellows
ran to meet them, cursing in good round English and very bad Arabic. Up
there in the tangled gullies many a strange duel was fought that night.
When not actually fighting, men dug for their lives. Then on would come
the Turks again, shovels would be dropped, and the attack repelled. One
desperate rush was stemmed by a gallant band headed by a corporal with
nothing more effective than a pick-handle.
A Desperate Night.
As the evening wore on, the beach became one long lane of suffering
soldiers. The doctors could only attend to the most severe cases. Many
a man, when asked if he was badly hurt, said, bravely enough, "Oh, no!"
and died quietly in the night.
[Illustration:
[_Photo by the Author_
AN EARLY VIEW OF ANZAC COVE.
The mule lines did not stay long unmolested. "Beachy Bill" ranged on
them one day and caused awful havoc. They were then shifted up the
deres for protection.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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