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FIGHTING AT G ALLI PO LI
THE ENGAGEMENTS ON JUNE
A SUCCESSFUL DIVERSION
From Australian Press., feepresentative Bean,
i
(Copyright Reserve d by the Crown.)
GABA TEPE, July 3. I
Í He was an old soldier—at least he
! looked it; a hard-bitten little nut of a
; Queenslander. who had been all through j
j the Mena training, rrhich is good enough
to. jnake any. man an old soldier. He
came in with a file of others from the
attack; limping down the communication
trench growling to himself. "What sort
of blanky business is this?" he solilo
quised. "What do they -want to send
us out there for if they weren't going
to let us stay there?" A senior'officer
—a man for whom any of these men
would cheerfully go into any sort of |
tight corner—happened to be standing in j
the same trench. .."I'll tell you why you]
were sent out," he said. "You were sent
out in order to help your mates who
are...fighting at Cape. Helles." "Oh,J
that's the reason, was it?" growled the j
old soldier as hé limped along. The.
next in the line behind hiin was a non
commissioned officer. As he passed the
senior officer he stopped a moment and
pointed to the old fellow in front. "He's
got three bullets1 through him. He
wouldn't come in and have them dressed ;
he stayed out there till the lot oí us
were ordered in.*'
The Distant Battle.
The fight on Monday, June. 28, was
simply and solely for one purpose—to
help the troops "at Helles. On that
day, eight miles away to ihe south, they
were to make a' difficult attack on the
right of the enemy's line—the sidè along
»'Sieh the British are gradually coming
up the coast towards us. The Turks
have protected their trenches there wjth
exceedingly strong wire, and although the
Territorials, had . broken through some
exceedingly ugly wire in front of the
trenches, which we Australians had dug
on May 8, at Helles, the British left had
j not been able to get along. To-day the
Gurkhas and the 29th- Division—a divi
sion of which the Australians who have
! seen them speak with enthusiasm, an en
¡ thusiasm which is certainly reciprocated
by some of the 29th—were to attempt that
difficult position. We at Anzac could
not help them to take it, but we could
help them hold it. That is to say, when
once the trenches had been taken there
was notHing'surer than a counter-attack
by the Turks;. Indeed, theré llave been
counterattacks,: ever since. could
hear the bombardment, and see the
British shell bursting, over the skyline,
where must have been the Turkish in
fantry last night; and, for the first three
hours of this morning, the sound of very
distant rifle firing was distinctly heard by
those in the southern parts of-our posi
tion here. We know by wire this morn
ing that the .Turks again failed, but last
night's counter-attack was not the dan
gerous one, although the Turks prece
ded it by a heavy bombardment. "We
could see their shells bursting over the
cliffs near the coast, and a few of them
actually going into the sea and raising
geysers of foam there. ' showing that
they Were shooting' frofil far inland,' "as
we move gradually roiind their right
along the coast. But "they were shoot
ing at troops- wbo had had time to col
lect themselves and improve *their
trenches. The attack against which we
would help them was the "'milch more
formidable onè which would .be certainly
"brought against tlieiA the moment the
Turks had time toVcollect their reserves
and throw ■ them in against our tired
troops, when the trenches had just been
captured. ' Battles are, to an extraor
dinary extent based on psychology and
the theory of the counter-attack is that
after the enthusiasts of the attack is over
And the troops are relaxed,
and. tired and ¡unsettled—then
is the best chance that , you will
have of driving them out of-any posi
tions they may have gained. Now the
Turks have reserves between Anzac and
Helles, -which they- can throw against
'either place, and it only needs a few
hours* marching, to bring troops behind
Anzac itself. We at Anzac could at
any rale ensure that these troops were
not sent south for. that first counter
attack. We could attack and keep'them
here. - If- they did not "reinforce their
trènehes here, but sent troops • south in
spite of us, we might make some useful
gains for ourselves.
The Plan to Help It.
So it was decided on Monday morn
ing to make an advance from tne. more
southerly position of our line against
•the Turkish trenches opposite that part.
The advance ivas to be made by part of
ihe 2ixd I/ight Horse Brigade, which
had 60 far taken part only in a few
skirmishes between patrols, and the 3rd
Brigade, which was the one that "made
the first rush up the Anzac hüls. About
J1 o'clock, after a good part of the camp
had been standing oat On the hillsides
watching the txçmehdous bombardment
which had been. Taising' a Hringe of dust
from the whole length of the distant
skyline down south, th« destroyers at
the north, and south ends of our Anzac
lines began to throw shells in at the
Turkish trenches.. opposite thesn. Later
our own artillery joined in, and at 1
o'clock the infantry and light horse, in
their respective positions, clambered out
of their trenches «nd ¿nade towards the
enemy's lines. The companies of infantry*
which attended—two of them—had to move
forward down into the gully and then
up the opposite mdge to tie Turkish
trench on top of it, and without enter
ing imto unnecessary -particulars it may
be said that .the light horse had very
much the same task. .■ Both 3iatf nearly
half a mile to go to their farthest point.
In both cases the advanced party ! was
covered by a party -of about the same
size, whciii moved out o£ the trenches
-tuto positions from which it could «over
the advance. The advanced party in
each case -consisted of Queenslanders—
two companies of Queensland infantry
in the one case, a. squadron of. Queens
land and Jíórthern Biver light Horse
in the other. The covering infantry
consisted -of about 300 Western Australian
infantry, and the covering light horse
were from New ßouih Wales.
Thé Trench in a Wheat Paddock.
They got out to their positions very
quickly, and with very few casualties,
considering that this was the first ad
vance that we have made from oui
trenches in broad daylight since the
earliest days of the landing. When I
first sa/w the light horse it was not more
than half an Iiout after they left the
lines, and they were already far out in
■the ecrub just- under he ledge of a hill,
and digging in with picks and shovels, as
if they were so many -workers on some
deviation, which you see from the train
in éhe Blue Mountains. Just over the
top of the hill on the elope of it nearer
to the enemy vas a set- of Turkish
trenches running acrœs a yellow stubble
or grass field—tne trenches were at right
angles to the line of the ridgë, and
therefore to our men. And these nearer
trenches were completely overlooked by
other trenches on the more distant and
higher ridge. Our men from the top of
the first ridge could fire on to the
trenohes - in the wheatfiéld. which ap
peared just äike a broken line of wheat
bags laid out at intervals down the slope
of the paddock. You could see the dust
flicked up - in . half a. dozen places at
once in front of those sandbags. Our
artillery -was pounding some of the Turk
ish treiaches farther back, which may
have been firing into -tile flanks of our
men, and their artillery vae pounding
our guns, or, rather, positions in which
they thought our guns were.
Light Horse Dnder Shell Fire,
It was just then, when onr jnen weM
busily digging in that 1 saw for the flrflt
time onr light hoTse under shell fir*
Several shells feU near ihem, hut it wa(
about an hour after they had reached
their position that three shells in. quick
succession fell right among them. They;
were high explosive shells, and the brown
earth was scattered in a great solid eanli
tlower-sliaped cloud right ¿from the very
thick or them. Three times .this -hap
pened, and each time , a regular iàg ■of
dost had to clear away1 belore you could
see what had happened. Each time whfea
the log cleared the men on the hillcide
V ere exactly where they had been beton
—there was not the least.fiign of xetí»
ment. They were lying a little cheer
to. the earth instead of standing up as
some of them had'been doing before
those shells came: The moment thai fir
ing ceased they .were up and .about their
work again,-as if nothing had happened.
Not half. an hour liter I had the op
portunity of seeing Turkish troops com«
under a similar fixe. About.two hour*
after the figîrt had begun there came i
sign that the attadc opposite the "light
horse position had fulfilled its' object.
Above the further end of the wheat pad
dock, just where it. béni down into th«
gully out of sight, ran' a low line pf
scrub, anu, underneath .'this -scrub, and
just over ithe edge. of the wheat pàâ-.
dock, there presently, appeared a nwnr
ber of little "whitish yeUow objects - like
the top of a row of eggs. Ú -was thé
first sign of a line of Turkish' infan
try andving up ito lednSarce í tbeif
trenches. . The egg-shaped objects W»
their skull "caps—you could see ? ihem
quite clearly creeping, stealthily 4»T".
ward. Presently you could make oui
here and there a pair of shoulderebe
low the head, and the barrel of a Tíñfl
carried carefully along as they cranial.
Their officer must, hâve noticed, just :«A
this -momentj that they were within. eight.
or our trenches, which would teijuM
appearing over fie -edge"; Of .' the hill .to
him, for I taw an arm raised and
waving them to ieep: lower.., -A
later they began Creep un steadily
on their left, and tb drop quickly injta
the end of the trench in front of th^m.
The Curies .Ban. '
It was a splendid target ior guns.
Word ivas -sent to .a certain, battery,„-«ti :
«"ithin a -couple , of -minittes •n e heard A
shell pass overhead going in their diiefr
tion. There was. a small,. woolly ®off,
just ahead of ihem, aad they wa{4ed'4or
no more—Ihey xan.. As they. Vent £h<wt
same guns got in shell, after shell juat
over the edge-of *he ridg«~tbey.'wer*:
not heavy : shells, : !but the Turks ¿would ;
not face them. ■ Later on; after :dih*.
guns had Ibeen turned on to anofhar
target, the saine line of men* gradnalíy
appeared, açain "and very'*' 3x>iffly'Ai!aS» '■
on into their own 'trench, , 'and . ''seine
of .them worked- upiarther into soôë,
scrub, not more <tha.ii 50 yards, fromiç>ur !
men. libere' is a picture in the Sydney
Gallery of some Highlanders coming: np
a hill from a gtiUy whilesogie Afftfepf
witch ihem from the rocks ahôv*ï~~âi
is called "The Ambuscade." The hillside
not-, so steep -or «o, rocky, fcot,ihere/ipi«;'
something in the attitude of those ap
proaching Türke which reminded ~<m*
irresistibly of that picture. ^Hje iajÖÄ.
Horse had .-been ordered: to retiré n«Mf,
and very " slowly they. Came uway. ,Öu«
could see ®wo Ajrmy Medijal Coira 'jnea
bending over a wounded man nw»im
his rounds, - as «carefully- as if .'ttrisy.
had been in hospital insteatL-óf ;ií®iS5¿¡
there.in a gully Sited *101 jgyeen «tnSv
■with, "two or three gentîemfen '■wj&.Vjçki
lowish skull caps ^atebimg throügHV ;i䣻
dead ¡branches ofj: a disused TSlriniSi
trench not a. hundred «and fifty yaida
away. These two gentleatoen seemed-í»
be tugg^ngv at the. branches- to <mai»
themselves .a- we^-covered openitijf'
through which theyveould shoot, "with-.
out being eeeh, and for ¿ long timä
nobody seemed tö -see üihfem. Thén'i
du6t spurt or iwo near, $b© Ibwf*
branches show«d that someone btd
picked them ©utr-and the ae*t tim«,I
lodked ■ "itheire vas * -a ; small duetstorm
around that place. Thé »^hitidi ^ ieap
was still theie, bat whether it 'belonged
to a live or jdead jnsn. w oould-ao*
say. " . W
.- Stretcher-Bearers Again. '
¡The Light Horee :aazot ' back .wa
slowly. Half'- a' .dozen'i.nien-. «nere '-Jril
in the farthest posiiionr—<»«! <*>uld-e4»
them talking and blaalng ^nite jut' the«,
ease apparently-—uñíil'it^''worinded''iníi»'
were -well away. -.At least two -éf-».
stretchef-îbeirers wèrè in'iih#^?«!
vanced 3>arty, ■ 4nd^ one -of them, ipted ;
hut -this may toe «aid^ôf altpost-.
attack in which fAn^raiianc 3iaie.italt«i.
part. Over the edge of the -whettbfida,
in À little (path that Tih d6a"n 4he #BHSS
of ithe ridge—a. treacherous-pie* ofxsbyer
—'Were two or irthree 'little: fcundleS vOi
khaki lying jquiie¿still. '.T lbelleire;.ÏMT':
went out again and -got thècn. ,. T3e»
twoen She retiring men and uer-Ton.-.iii«
ridge up which (they would have to..çâs®
—the enemy's ehèlls were tHiretöng- Äi*.:
they were all jn Siy 6 o'clock.
The 3rd~Bti£«äe. "
I did sot »ee the attaok,inade> i>y
the 3rd Brigade, 4at iKc foîlôwiâjg wer«
the details of fit:—rOne ,o<pïljÇMIny ^ cri
Queenslanders advanced and ^onhed.»n.
excellent line about jlfl yards .irpjn * the
enemy's^ «trerreih, " whieh' -ren dtfii .th«
ridge against which they, we« ,<)r4êB>d
to make their demonÄratioa-" ' Ther*
some of the men, who were not «etiîsfied
■with ithe shooting which ihey..; could
make lyiing down, were seen ¿o- stand
up and fire straight ijoio übe enéóiey:'s
loopholes: Presently the enamy found
the position of some of *Jhe testera
AustraJian-^'infantry, which - -was 'l$inc1
down, in the open outside its -trenche^
supporting, the QueeneLuiders, sod
turned his artillery on ■ to them. One jplà
toon, which was open to fire, . ïîm
heavily handled—almost every man.
being hst. - One eompaJly ,^>í
Queenelanders was also' linder heavy rifle
lire and shrapnel and wae_withdrawn. lt
was just before this that information liai
come along which ¿bowed that this pirf
of the attack aleo had succeeded.. There ii
a deep gully at the l£ck of the Turkifcii ■
position, where their infantry from th«
first day onwards has maased for morf
of its attacks. The Turks were seen
be collecting troops in this valley for í
c-ounter-attack. The artilleiy was tarne«
on to them—of course the guns could noi
see than—they very seldom can in a .mod
ern fight, but they can. drop a «hell o»
the other side of a hill as accurately «I
if they did «ee their target.
A Thorough Success.
This attack had succeeded'in bringinC
up the enemy's reserves, and so thé in
fantry was brought hack to'our lines ;hy
half-past Jour- In the laet 20 roinutes tha
enemy had found its "position from an»
ther part of the line, and the men haé
been falling fast. It •sras ¡after the ad
vanced infantry had returned that it vtM
mentioned that they ought to havj
brought in the equipment of their déaa
where possible, and two of them, calmly
walked back and picked - up rifle after
rifle as I mentioned in a cable-the next
day. One of them went out to make sure
that a certain wounded man had not been
left behind. He found that the mut va»
dead, and accordingly brought in his kit.
As a result of this attack the Ttark*
brought up to Anzac the troops they had
at the village of Eßki Keui—a position be- ■
tween here and the battle that was going
on in the south. The Turkish counter
attack down south was defeated, &nd the
Australasian force at Anzac played a dis
tinct part in the battle by whicE more
than half a mile of Turkish trenchei i»
front of the British were tafeen and held.
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