An extract taken from the first Gallipoli despatch

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An extract taken from the first Gallipoli despatch
IP: 5.81.151.100
Posted on April 7, 2022 at 22:19:40 by Dennis Laverick for Des Sinclair

An extract taken from the first Gallipoli despatch sent by General Sir Ian Hamilton, Commander in Chief
of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force to the Secretary of State for War. Dated 20th May 1915.

On either flank of the beach the ground rises precipitously but, in the centre, a number of sand dunes afford
a more gradual access to the ridge overlooking the sea.
Much time and ingenuity had been employed by the Turks in turning this landing place into a death trap.
Close to the water's edge a broad wire entanglement extended the whole length of the shore,
and a supplementary barbed network lay concealed under the
surface of the sea in the shallows. Land mines and sea mines had been laid. The high ground overlooking
the beach was strongly fortified with trenches to which the gully afforded a natural covered approach.
A number of machine guns also were cunningly tucked away into holes in the cliff so as to be immune
from a naval bombardment whilst they were converging their fire on the wire entanglements. the crest of
the hill overlooking the beach was in turn commanded by high ground to the north-west and south-east,
and especially by two strong infantry redoubts near point 138. Both these redoubts were protected by wire
entanglements about 20 feet broad, and could be approached only by a bare glacis-like slope leading up
from the high ground above W beach or the Cape Helles lighthouse. In addition, another separate
entanglement ran down from these two redoubts to the edge of the cliff near the lighthouse, making
intercommunication between V and W beaches impossible until these redoubts had been captured. So
strong, in fact, were the defences of W beach that the Turks may well have considered them impregnable,
and it is my firm conviction that no finer feat of arms has ever been achieved by the British soldier or any
other soldier than the storming of these trenches from open boats on the morning of the 25th April. the
landing at W beach had been entrusted to the 1st Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers (Major Bishop) and it was
to the complete lack of the senses of danger or of fear of this daring battalion that we owed our astonishing
success. As in the caseof the landing at X beach, the disembarkation had been delayed for half an hour, but
at 6am, the whole battalion approached the shore together, towed by eight picket boats in line abreast, each
picket boat pulling four ship's cutters. As soon as shallow water was reached, the tows were cast off and the
boats were at once rowed to the shore. Three companies headed for the beach and a company on the left of
the line made for a small ledge of rock immediately under the cliff at Tekke Burnu, doing so, it escaped the
cross fire brought to bear upon the beach. While the troops were approaching the shore no shots had been fired by the enemy's trenches, but as soon as the first boat touched the ground a hurricane of lead swept
over the battalion. Gallantly led by their officers, the Fusiliers literally hurled themselves ashore and, fired
at from right, left and centre, commenced hacking their way through the wire. A long line of men was at
once mown down as by a scythe, but the remainder were not to be denied. Covered by the fire of the
warships, which had now closed right in to the shore, and helped by the flanking fire of the company on
the extreme left, they broke through the entanglements and collected under the cliffs on either side of the
beach. Here the companies were rapidly reformed, and set forth to storm the enemy's entrenchments
wherever they could find them. In making these attacks the bulk of the battalion moved up towards Hill
114. Several land mines were exploded by the Turks during the advance, but the determination of the troops was in no way affected. by 10am three lines of hostile trenches were in our hands, and our hold on the beach was assured.

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Re(1): An extract taken from the first Gallipoli despatch - By Vince Moran April 8, 2022 at 21:36:43

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