World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- Turkey -- Gallipoli Peninsula; World War, 1914-1918 -- New Zealand
We, as a nation, are prone to underrate our efforts and laud those of
our adversaries. Before and during the war it was loudly asserted that
the German Secret Service and German diplomacy always outwitted the
British. To-day the world knows the truth of the matter. Likewise, it
was contended that the Turkish Intelligence Department was superior to
ours. "Look how they always know what we are about to do," said the
critics. Truly, anything planned in Egypt was bound to leak out if it
had to be printed or circulated, as Egypt was always a cosmopolitan
place, where it was unsafe to trust a stranger. But if the Turks knew
so much, why did they not attack Walker's Ridge that anxious week
in May? Any attack must have succeeded, and the thin line of single
trenches once broken, Anzac must have crumpled.
The enemy did nothing serious, and on May 12 the joy at Anzac was
unbounded. The Mounteds had arrived! Every face on the beach was
wreathed in smiles. Here they all were--without their horses, but keen,
and spoiling for a fight--the Australian Light Horse; the New Zealand
Mounted Rifles Brigade, consisting of the Auckland, Wellington, and
Canterbury Regiments; the field troop to reinforce the overworked 1st
Field Company in its sapping and mining; the signal troop, to help with
the telephone and buzzers; and the mounted field ambulance, to assist
their overworked confreres with the wounded.
Whatever the trudging infantry men had thought in Egypt as the mounted
men swept by, to-day there was nothing but the good humoured banter of
"Where's your horses?" As the eager troopers climbed the goat tracks of
Walker's Ridge a great sigh of relief was heaved by the sorely tried
garrison of Anzac. Never were troops more welcome.
[Illustration: THE BEACH SWEEPING TOWARDS NIBRUNESI POINT.]
The same day, Colonel Chauvel, with the 1st Australian Light Horse
Brigade, took over No. 3 Defence Section from Brigadier-General
Trotman, who embarked with the Chatham and Portsmouth Battalions that
night for Cape Helles.
Brigadier-General Russell relieved Brigadier-General Mercer on Walker's
Ridge. The New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade took over the line from
the Nelson and Deal Battalions, who also left Anzac to rejoin the Royal
Naval Division at Cape Helles.
The highest part of Walker's Ridge became known as Russell's Top,
because, close at hand, practically in the firing line, the commander
of the N.Z. Mounted Rifles Brigade established his headquarters.
Hereabouts No Man's Land was very narrow. Away to the right ran the
deep gully, which, passing behind the back of Pope's Hill, became
Monash Gully. So far, Pope's and Russell's Top were unconnected,
the Turks holding the head of this gully, which made their sniping
of Monash Gully so effective. It was from here, on May 15, that a
Turkish sniper mortally wounded General Bridges, as he was proceeding
up Shrapnel Gully. At that time no place in the Anzac area could be
considered safe.
[Illustration: THE SPHINX.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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