The 28th: A Record of War Service in the Australian Imperial Force, 1915-19, Vol. I: Egypt, Gallipoli, Lemnos Island, Sinai PeninsulaCollett, Herbert Brayley
History
The 28th: A Record of War Service in the Australian Imperial Force, 1915-19, Vol. I: Egypt, Gallipoli, Lemnos Island, Sinai Peninsula
Collett, Herbert Brayley
Australia. Australian Army. Battalion, 28th; World War, 1914-1918 -- Regimental histories -- Australia
After "C" and "D" Companies were relieved an attempt was made to gain
further knowledge of No-Man's Land and the enemy's works and movements
at night. Patrolling was the only means available and as the distance
between the opposing trenches was, at this point, so small the
undertaking was extremely hazardous and needed the exercise of great
caution. Lieut. A. H. Davey took out the first patrol which, going out
from No. 4 Post, crawled amongst the dead and _debris_ towards the
Pinnacle. It returned 30 or 40 minutes later without having been
observed and without information of any special value. On its return
journey it collected the identity discs from some of the unburied
bodies. Subsequent patrols had little better luck. The enemy seemed, on
his part, to be quite content to stick to his cover and to run no risk
by appearing on the open ground. Our patrols, however, also did other
work. They salvaged a considerable quantity of rifles, tools, and
equipment. These articles were collected and sent down to the base on
the beach. Turkish rifles were almost as valuable as our own, as the
same pattern was in use by the Belgians, and any captured or recovered
were intended for their use. A later Corps Order commented favourably on
the work done by the 28th in this respect. As patrols could not move in
any force without attracting unwelcome attention, three or four men,
including an officer, were sufficient for the purpose in view. Rifles
being inconvenient to carry when crawling, the party was usually armed
only with revolvers and a couple of Mills grenades. Further patrolling
was done each night down a long sap connecting the left of No. 4 Post
with the 27th Battalion on Cheshire Ridge. Also from the right of No. 1
Post in order to keep in touch with the Light Horse on Rhododendron Spur
pending the completion of the communication trench.
In such broken ground it was not impossible for a man to lose contact
with the other members of a patrol. It is on record that one individual,
having lost his way, was observed approaching our trench. Seeing a head
and shoulders suddenly appear through the bushes in front of him, the
sentry was about to fire, but, being restrained by an officer,
challenged instead and exclaimed in a voice full of intent, "Speak! Who
are you?" The stray, whose position between the two lines was not an
enviable one, replied hurriedly, "Private William M----, of Subiaco,
Western Australia." "Come in, you ruddy fool," rejoined the
disappointed sentry. But M----'s luck was still out, for, in
endeavouring to respond to the invitation, he got foul of the wire
entanglements and crashed heavily to the ground. There he lay for some
time until eventually he was dragged in by his comrades.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account