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Garrett War Diary - EGYPT MAY 1915

5 May 1915 Wednesday

LOMAX and Marshall CHERRIE & BRANDT have joined Signal Troop.
HARRIS has gone into hospital to be operated on for appendicitis.

6 May 1915 Thursday

4th Reinforcements arrived and put up line of tents in front of us. 1st Light Horse Brigade are to go dismounted for present. Horses will probably follow within a few weeks time. JEPHCOTT , MacKENZIE , OTTOWAY , ROBERTSON & chaps from 9th VILLIERS & GRANT - dine in Cairo chicken and wine.
Jeff took us round to see Dollie Cam and Arnie. Discovered a dog farm. VILLIERS caused the group to hang up. Then Imae disappeared & I went up to look for him. Old Greek Madame great on hand kissing & a devote Greek Orthodox. Took a long while (Imae & I) to find our way into Camp.
I hear supernumeraries (3) joined up with headquarters.
New Zealand Artillery & Indian Division said to be greatly cut up, and 9th Battalion almost annihilated

7 May 1915 Friday

Issued 24 hour iron ration, Biscuits, Bully beef and groceries. Stacked saddlery in aerodrome pavilion. Paid fortnight in advance.
Went to Cairo in evening. A wounded infantryman wanted to job Saunder Robinson (Scottish Bobbie) joined up again and ---------------------------------------------.

8 May 1915 Saturday

Dardanelle's casualties said to amount to 7,000 Australians alone. Sultanas' palace is to be turned into hospital. Critical cases are being left Alexandria.
We are issued 150 rounds ammunition, 10 each pouch, bandolier 9 pouches, 15 each large belt pouch, 10 small belt pouch, and 10 rounds over.

8 May 1915 Saturday cont…

9.00 p.m. All gear and equipment now shifted outside of tents onto parade ground and we are now ready to march off. Each station has 2 bikes and I have ours loaded up. Haversacks and entrenching tools have been issued and we take a small supply of firewood with us. Sergeant Major stood us to a regal banquet this evening. Cab from camp into Heliopolis and to the restaurant at the baths down by Zietoun Camp.
Soup, fish, fowl, sweets, fruit, nuts, wine, beer (Bordeaux wine), finger bowls and niggers to fan the flies away. Lister SMITH, GRANT, SANDERS, MacKENZIE, Fred, JEPHCOTT and self were the guests.
Red-cross men are around the same as us and the Officers have discarded their swords for rifles and bayonets. They are also carrying the same haversacks and firewood. Signallers are catching it warm they say & visual signalling is impossible. In the 12th Battalion they say out of 24 signallers only 5 are still in action. The delivery of messages is performed almost wholly by dispatch riders or runners. Foot orderlies is another name I believe.

9 May 1915 Sunday

Marched out of camp and entrained at Palais de Kubbah, 40 carriages, III Class dog boxes left Cairo at about sunrise arrived Alexandria wharf about 11.00 am.

Figure 1: Scene at a Railway Station
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Straightaway we handed in our leggings and were issued with puttees and infantry trousers. So that we are practically infantry. Left about sundown amid cheers and festive remarks directed towards Captain MILLS of C Squadron (Hellfire Charlie) who was the Embarking Officer, and is left in charge of the camp at Heliopolis. Find puttees awkward to adjust at first. They seem a trifle warm too, but the infantry trousers give much more freedom around the knees.
Bull PRIESTLY was very amusing this evening. The YMCA have a tea and biscuit stall going on the wharf, and after 3 months in Egypt the little flapper behind the counter was a treat for sore eyes. Barring this bewitching damsel the rest are waifed old ladies. No leave granted.
New Zealanders are carrying 200 rounds. Steamer is N14 Grantully Castle of Union, Castle line and trades with South & East African Coast. Mail steamer. Said to be a couple of thousand men aboard. Whole Brigade of New Zealanders and one Regiment of Australians.

10 May 1915 Monday

Slept splendidly. Reveille 6.30 am.
Mess orderly today.

Canteen was charging 1d and 4d commission on Australian silver, on complaining they refused altogether to take it.
Breakfast porridge, butter jam and bread.

Fell in after breaker and Major Doulton addressed us. Snipers were given particular tesable, pull up all bushed so as to locate them. Do not pick up scraps of Turkish equipment as these contained explosives. Be on guard against treachery - stretcher bearers carrying machine guns on stretchers. And German officers in Australian uniforms were common tricks. An Australian officer suddenly jumped out of the Turkish lines and made towards ours. He was followed by a crowd of what seemed to be Turks.
"Don't shoot", he cried, "They are Indian."
And he was a German and the soldiers were as much Indian as I am.
They have learnt our bugle calls, but our boys merely cheer now when they hear what they know is a "false call".

We were allotted to our posts this morning & the Lieut. Gen. inspected us.

I have discarded all my badges as they are said to be dangerous. Non Comms are discarding their stripes. Strengthen stitching of knapsack with wire and sewed socks inside the jacket over shoulders to act as pads for carrying gear.
These New Zealanders are a fine healthy looking lot of fellows and seem to be subdivided according to their dispatch.
**********

11 May 1915 Tuesday

Passing through archipelago - mountainous isles on all sides.
Cleaned rifles, in afternoon church parade. Brigadier has stopped the sale of beer at canteen.
Bought another knife and pair of socks from ships store. Lost my 5/- Helopolis knife, which makes the 4th good knife I have lost since enlisting.

Towards sunset we came upon Destroyers which looked like ducks paddling in the water. Then coming upon a big mountainous island we saw two British warships anchored some miles from the coast. Some of the chaps said they were faked up. If so they are wonderful imitations, seen from about a mile away.

Rumoured that we are going to force another landing in another part of the peninsular.
The sailors admire the spirit of our men, they say that the last lot they took across, who were English, and were very quiet on it and they remark the contrast with our men who are more like a lot of school boys on a picnic.

The banker and other schools are going as usual and the mess room resounds with laughing, singing and whistling.

As for myself, I am feeling quite different from how I imagined a man would feel going into battle and am not dwelling on the future very much. Some chaps are making themselves so comfy as possible sewing pads on knees and shoulders, putting extra pockets in their trousers "to hold loot" as some of them jokingly remark.
We are not going very fast, not more than about 11 knots.

12 May 1915 Wednesday

New Zealanders have their machine guns mounted on the poop deck. 'A' Squadron has to supply men for piquet.
Slept on mess deck table. Woke up to find it cold and drizzling - "channel weather" someone said.
We appeared to be at the entrance of the Dardanelles and are surrounded by hospital ships, transports and war vessels. A big French man-o-war be on our starboard and to port are several British war vessels while right ahead is a flotilla of destroyers. The transports are mostly French.

At breakfast we could hear sounds of heavy firing. Horses are being landed from a Frenchie nearby. Another transport has French Colonial troops aboard. Dusky Sambos in blue with guilt or yellow facings, and a sort of lavender taboosh or fez. The Queen Liz is nearby with a fifteen pounder poking gauntly towards the distant hills. A big Austrian 3 funnels, lies close by as a prisoner. On the north the hills gradually increase in height towards a big peak some 12 or so miles away.

Tents and horses are closely packed on the top of the cliff overlooking the shore, and further along the waters edge appears the ruins of some building. Further behind this clustered around a small inlet is what appears to be a town. On the southern shore behind us the coast appears to be very mountainous, though on the same side in front is a headland, which recedes very gradually from the sea and on this, one can make out batteries silhouetted against the sky. On top of this headland are forts and a town just distinguishable amid the fog. On the distant hill one can see clouds forming. The weather is very moist and cloudy. One can hear the guns thumping away in the distance.
Hospital ships "Alicia", and "Guilford Castle" lay on our port side, big stripes green and white and red and the customary Red Cross. Khaki covered red-cross wagons and horses are being landed from one of the numerous French transports
1pm. Word came that we were to be off by 11.30 am, but we are still here though ahead to ..... The light heartedness of the lads has not deserted them, and though some are a bit excited, naturally everybody is joking and skylarking as is usual ----------------- led a service --- to home folks ------ I am in all to say I feel none of -------.

-ANZAC-

12 May 1915 Wednesday cont..

Thrown half my clothes away owing to the great quantity of sharalkalia we already have to lump. The "buzz" now is that we have to tramp 8 miles through the dark and take up a positions in the trenches by day break. Another Emergency ration has been issued so that we now carry enough for 48 hours. We also have a supply of firewood and they say we are going to have our bottles filled with tea before disembarking.
The latest ration biscuit is about the area of a card and is of wholemeal.
Noticed a war ship this morning with her grey coat bestreaked with black and white something the same as the artillery is decorated though that arm I believe uses yellow, brown and red.
One of the principle troubles the Australians had, I believe, was to keep together. As soon as they got ashore there was a mad charge and everyone became scattered. The Officers' horses are not to be landed & are going back to Egypt.
Some of the Naval reserve men with "NOOD" on elbow straps are aboard.

9.00 p.m. The mountains with clouds around are not part of the Asiatic mainland as I thought but an island. At about 2.00 p.m. a cannonade commenced and we watched the "Queen Liz" (Is it) shelling the peaks inland.
Leaving the entrance at about 4.00 p.m. we steamed up past this latter vessel and another big tramp which was being utilised as a home for a big yellow captive balloon, this object occupied the whole of the forepart of the ship. About ten miles I see the Dardanelles we came after another set of transports and warships.

Shrapnel could be seen bursting on the slopes, and the war vessels guarding the flanks occasional spurted out fire towards these positions. Destroyers were to take us off and the NZ Brigade ----- -- -----away with ----- war ------------ cannonade was terrific -------------- straits and over where we were to land we could hear the howitzers and rifles hard at work.
Pulling up within about ½ mile from the shore we transferred to troop brunches towing lighters.

It was an awful scramble getting into them from the destroyer deck. No conveniences such as gang ways in warfare. It appears every man for himself, finding ourselves on the floor of the lighter, 8 feet below we discovered we were standing in 8 or 10 inches of water & that the craft was rapidly filling. Half of us had to get out & the slim young naval officer calculated that we would get to shore before things became serious.

On the way in bullets were spattering and hissing around us and I heard one clang on the armour plate. On an earlier trip one of the New Zealanders was wounded. Getting ashore we found that all the hill above us was honeycombed with shelters having the entrances facing the sea. The side of the hill was aglow as with so many windows being a very amazing sight.
The Indians with us earlier were hard at it, getting ammunition over towards the trenches.
In indian file we went up the hill, upstairs, and along winding tracks until we came to a rivulet running up along a gully going inland. From the hills on all sides an incessant rattle of musketry was going on. On the side of this road in the bushes we were given the order to dig ourselves in. Getting to work with trenching tools we made some sort of shelter and stayed there in the cold earth till daylight. During the night on one or two occasions the firing became violent and I thought it was the case of the Turks reaching the trenches as did a couple of nights ago.
About reveille the order came along "3rd Light Horse to arms". Nothing happened however.
At about 8am we came out of our burrows and shifted Headquarters to a ravine running up the side of the hill.

Figure 2: Taken from a post card send back. The scene shows Anzac Beach with Troops unloading from small boats, and moving up the hill.
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13 May 1915 Thursday

We are making ourselves as comfortable as possible under the circumstances. About a dozen or more of our fellows have been sniped already. Bullets were hitting around us and I saw one chap just above me drop with a moan a bullet having gone through his chest. We saw him exposing himself unnecessarily but he took no notice.
Haziz is running about in a blue frock carrying a big bundle wrapped in a red blanket and a pick to dig himself in.
The rifles up on the crests are popping all the time behind us, and 18 pounders are firing the hill behind us. The shells make a rapping tearing sound as they fly over and the reports make a tremendous thump shaking everything.
This morning Turks were lumping shrapnel into the landing place, perhaps thinking more reinforcements were landing. Machine gun fire was laid onto the hill from where the sniping was being done this morning and the Turks are laying out in the open now. Which accounts for the cession of casualties among the Third.
A Turkish Major rode down to the water's edge with a sorry tale of distress in the Turkish lines.

14 May 1915 Friday

Snipers pretty deadly this day, HUTCHINS of B Squadron shot dead, several of our Regiment wounded. Saw Mick LYONS drop from a body wound.
No sleep last two nights. Digging in first night and last night on guard on road outside of headquarters.

Blue flares and at times very heavy firing during night. Shrapnel is being poured down on the water's edge and the gunboats can at present do nothing because of the secure position of the enemy. They say their guns are on rails in tunnels. Also say that the Goliath is sunk and some of the man-o-war have cleared off on account of enemy's submarines having escaped out from the Dardanelles.
Searchlights not playing tonight.

While I was down at headquarters yesterday a prisoner was brought in. Said to be a Greek but it is thought he is a German, I would have taken him for a Deutsche anyway. Pitiful looking object in an Australian cap.
Haziz and 3 of our other interpreters have been arrested as spies. I did not think much of our interpreter from the start.
We are having to pretty well cook our own tucker and have bacon, tinned meat & vegetable, shredded meal biscuits & cheese.

Digging in all day today and sand bagging our dugout. Snipers very bad and road practically blocked. Us fellows with dispatches have been running the gauntlet all day.
Constant stream of wounded pass our dugout going down to the beach and the ground is spotted with blood.

Often notice an Army Medical chap leading a little brown shaggy donkey, Shetland donkey I call it, with a wounded man astride its back. This man is recommended for a VC they say, all day long he roams around the hills with his donkey picking up those of the wounded who still have enough strength to sit on the animals back. The miracle is that he remains unscathed.
One of the machine gun men has distinguished himself. He came here a lance corporal and is now a Lieutenant.

Lots of fellows here deserve the V.C.
Our fellows marvel at the fact that these hills were taken at all and they can not talk too much of the wonderful gameness of the infantry in charging the Turks as they did.

15 May 1915 Saturday

Shrapnel bursting over camp last night. Queensland's C Squadron attempted to take snipers point last night. They gained the trenches all right but were driven back by enfilading fire from snipers, machine guns.
Veres PATTERSON wounded by shrapnel will probably loose sight of both eyes.
Sergeants MARTIN (Armourer) SCOTT , WILKIE (Clerk) all wounded.
B Squadron are doing 48 hours in trenches. When the 2nd made their sortie the other night some say they heard a German Officer from the opposite trenches call, "Ah, Your turn now is it, 2nd Light Horse."
And when they made for the enemy's trenches, "Go back 2nd Light Horse! It's of no use!"
Graham DOW hit in ankle going down to the beach, out of a party of 10 going that way 3 were sniped.

16 May 1915 Sunday

Brigade headquarters today - 5p.m. to 5a.m. tomorrow.
Ted Butler said to be killed.
Rumoured that Italy has declared war.

Two New Zealand artillerymen shot. They were found to be pro-German, one was a rangefinder and the other worked on the fuses. By cutting the fuses a little short the shells were falling on their own mates.
Headquarters with CONIGRAVE all night. Reported that "Liz" has to go home for repairs. The warspike release her.
Rum ration, 2 ounces each, dished out today by Colonel Rae, one of our Chaplains, who is doing great work.
A woman sniper with a heap of our identification discs was ferreted out the other day. One of these snipers, a man this time, was discovered with about 30 New Zealander and Australian identification discs and about *80 to *90 (*Pounds) in gold.

17 May 1915 Monday

6am. One of our Biplanes going over and the enemy is trying to hit it with shrapnel but forlorn hope. Distinguished by white bull with red outer one on each side underwing.
Italians said to be at Lemnos. Some say Greece and Romania are going to have a go as well.
Up under the Turkish trenches one can see the legs of a dead R.M.L.I. man dangling over the side.
In one position the dead lie in heaps and one of these heaps has been set afire by a bullet and the ammunition in the dead men's belts is exploding in all directions. Occasionally we get a whiff from this gully which is full of bodies, Turk and British, they are puffed up like balloons.

17 May 1915 Tuesday cont..

The Goe Ben is said to be landing shells into us now. I heard a shell whistling in the distance and presently there was a plonk on the other side of the hill, & later an eight inch shell was discovered.
B Squadron came out of the trenches 12 O'clock today. Talking with Jake CLARK tonight, cigarettes and tobacco dished out today. Copes cigarettes I got a packet and I spose I'll get an ounce of baccy, as for matches I've only manages to get about a dozen each, and the fellows are gambling for them as if they are shillings.

18 May 1915 Tuesday

The enemy commenced this morning by landing 7 or 8 big 8 inch shells in Monash Valley. I had a narrow escape while cooking breaker. A shell burst in the next line of dugouts about 12 feet away tossing shirts and equipment out at our feet. It filled my pan and billy with dirt and a piece of splinter about ¾ inch thick and 4 inches square at my feet. It blew the leg off a fellow next door - a chap named Bell from Renmark & the earth caved in a lot of others.
They say now is not the Goe Ben but a howitzer the Turks have been preparing for some time.
7am. At Breakfast dinner and Tea we have had the big 8 inches pouring into us and I suppose it is a preliminary to a night attack. As I write now my dugout is full of big clods of earth. Bell who copped it this morning was blown to bits.
The casualties are not as great as one would expect but unless we can effectively reply it is sure to have an effect on the nerves. Thank goodness one can hear it coming.
Went to the beach for a swim this afternoon and found that it was free from shrapnel. Had a dip off the landing stages. Met Clarrie MYERS who was telling me of the Second Brigade going to Hellas. They had very heavy casualties and as I can remember only 1,000 are left. He praised the French artillery and ano-re others did not run down the Derien. Also saw Scottie PHILLIPS who said his cobbers were still going. One chap saying maggots were crawling into the trenches from the dead bodies outside and they had to use lyddite.

Talking to a man from Helles who reckons the Jerries are of little use as fighters. The Senegalese could be thrown out of the trenches by the Turks and were not to be relied upon. The Indians were not being used much on account of religion and a lot were being sent back to Alexandria. The French .75 gun was a blitherer and landed shells just in front, about 20 yards, of the Australians while advancing upon the enemy. The Ghurkhas were bricks and in one instance cleared out and let about 1800 Turks get on through the breach but they never got out again to tell the tale. They think an enormous lot of the Australians and sorely complained when they were not allowed to accompany them when they charged the Turkish positions but had to support French troops.
Of course I don't place too much credit upon some of these stories depreciating other troops and praising the Australians. Without the slightest doubt the Australians do shine as fighters but they may be suffering from swollen head as a result of their prowess.
The Admiral of the fleet was said to have declared that the charge at Karfa Oepe would be remembered when the charge of the Light Brigade was forgotten.
Just saw one of the chaps from the trenches being taken down the dressing station. His head and hands are blackened out of recognition and his sleeves torn to shreds.
A story is going around that the Armenians have risen against Turkey.

19 May 1915 Wednesday

The Turks they say had the cheek the day before yesterday to ask us to surrender. We have been standing to arms ever since midnight, and by the violence of the firing I should say that a night attack was taking place. At present as I sit in our so called "orderly room" An artillery duel is going on and shells are whizzing and banging in all directions. In my opinion the expectation of a night attack is as trying as big eight-inch shells on a man's nerves. The whole regiment going in the trenches today or tomorrow. I hear and we are to shift our camps' right lip near under the trenches close to the enemy's position.
I saw some of the victims of yesterdays shells coming down, tied up in waterproof sheets into unrecognisable bundles. The enemy fired between 40 and 50 of these shells into out camp yesterday.
-Later-
The attack last night was very violent and a big stack of dead men lie in the mortuary. The dressing stations are full of wounded including a few Turks. Outside of one I noticed two men lying their faces bloody and battered out of recognition. Still alive but almost too hopeless for the Doctor to waste his time on. The sun was beating down on them and one of them kept raising his hand to his head in a mechanised fashion feeling the bandages. They were probably full of morphia.
The curly headed Scotsman with the red-cross donkey is poor fellow, dead, shot through the heart. Since the first landing he has been up and down the hills with his donkey doing pioneer work, and seemed to bear a charmed life.
The Turks lay in hundreds outside our trenches, mowed down by the machine guns. At midday after waiting all morning in the sun we moved up to Popes Hill and relieved the First Regiment in the trenches. On our own left is the N.Z.M.R. and on our right is Quinns Post a very lucky position, which has had a lot of treatment from the Turks. Colonel Rowell is in permanent charge of this post. In the gully on either side of us are heaps of slain, and the odour in unpleasant.
The hill is honeycombed with dugouts and beside a sap there is a rope one can use to pull himself to the top. From here one gets a beautiful view of the valley and the blue sea and islands beyond. Man-o-war are anchored 3 or 4 miles away & can be seen in action. The "Triumph" with a big derrick to lift smaller fry, such as torpedo boats is there and a steamer which lets up a captive balloon.
The cannonade this morning was terrific and as I was going along the track near the bivouac an empty shrapnel shell from the enemy's guns knocked up dust within a yard of me. This is my second narrow escape. The big gun which was knocking up the soil in our bivouac was
located in the enemy's hospital tent and was given notice to quit, as it did not quit tent and all had to be dispatched.
When we got up to Popes Post and an attack was being made by the New Zealanders and we were giving our supporting rifle fire. The din was terrific. I took up my post with OTTOWAY and SAUNDERS in the dugout which serves for a telephone office and which is next door to the Colonel's Headquarters. Worked right through the night until 5 p.m. Next day. We expected last nights' attack to be renewed but it was not, though the firing was heavy.

20 May 1915 Thursday

CHALMERS and I have been lucky enough to secure a very decent crib, & I have been sleeping off the fatigue of the last two nights. Have had little sleep for the last two days. All the sleeping is done during the day, at night everyone must be very vigilant.
Capt. LEWIS O/C of C Squadron was shot almost immediately upon entering the trenches.
The principle event of the day was the armistice of half an hour commencing at about 6.30 pm. The Turks hoisted the white flag and asked for an armistice to bury the dead and bring in the wounded but we would not hear of it unless they went the right way about it and waved them back to their trenches, though for practically half an hour there was nothing doing.
The MR reckoned that 700 Turks stood up in their trenches without arms and wanted to surrender. Another report said they were picking up all the spare rifles they could find, while another report said they were gathering in their trenches in great numbers. Several came over to out trenches and palavered in French with us but we had to wave them back. I saw ,

20 May 1915 Thursday

three come in on our post and go down to headquarters. Two of them were questioned and photographed and given cigarettes just near our possie. One was a nuggetty dark complexioned and dark moustached man of about 40, & exactly as I should picture a Turk. The only oriental feature of his attire was skin shoes. His eyes were covered by the cloth comforter he wore on his head. The uniform is the same colour as the New Zealanders and this pair had no puttees, the trousers however were snakeproof at the bottoms & were buttoned at the boots. The coats have the same shape as the New Zealanders, but I could see no outside pockets. The other chap was in exact contrast to the first and was slim and fair and fragile looking. In my opinion he was German and only feigning not to understand that language. He wore the white band with the Red Crescent, denoting the ambulance man. The first chap was motionless and stood his two guards without a move. His well-moulded features remained stoney and expressionless all the time. The thick nose and well-shaped lips gave him the appearance of a tough customer.
The slim thin featured man however occasionally smiled in an unwilling sort of a way and kept swallowing the lump in his throat.
The General, it appears, would not listen to the idea of an armistice at such a time without the enemy going through the proper formula. The enemy's representative must come down to the beach tomorrow at noon. Presently orders came to commence firing and we did with a vengeance. The Turks being closely packed in their trenches must have had a pretty rough time and the warships and our artillery bellowed and belched away furiously. The din was kept up all night and the noise of grenades bursting almost every few seconds at times shook the hills and made the night frightful.
The Turks were without a doubt, were up to some of their artful dodges. At about 9.30 they charged Courtney's Post and when the moon went down made another effort.
At Helles they were granted an armistice and brought up machine guns on stretchers.
The noise made it almost impossible to read the phones in the usual way and though not on duty I had to go up into the telephone box and take messages by means of buzzer.
Our men were exposing themselves to the enemy's fire rather foolishly I thought, and orders were being shouted and passed up and down the Gully in an indiscriminate fashion. Presently the order came for every man to get under cover and to stand to his arms.

21 May 1915 Friday

Saw the enemy trying to wing, with shrapnel, one of our aeroplanes.
Have just drew rations for Alick and self and they are not at all too bad. Tin each of Libbies parboiled and steam roasted mutton ½ tin of jam, two big rashers of bacon and tea and sugar and biscuits of course. Pity we are not still getting shredded meal biscuits (Ausenbrook N.Z.) we got at first. The tucker will do me. Rum is being issued everyday now that we are in the firing line and I think it is a good thing too. A man needs a stimulant now and then at this nerve-racking game. We were getting boiled meat and vegetables the other day. Maconichies and it was fine tack containing onions, potatoes, carrots, beans etc. This hill is simply littered with bully beef unopened. Clothes are lying about in such profusion that we are using trousers overcoats singlets etc as sandbags. Mess tins, soap, towels, bayonets rifles and infantry man's web equipment lay in all directions. We are using bayonets Tommies and our own as clothes pegs in our dugouts. I see some of the dugout roofed in with rifles.
Today passed uneventfully. Slept and eat all day. Had first wash today since I have been at this here war. Water is procured in the gully below at about 4 or 5 feet and is only fit for washing with unless boiled. Drinking water is all brought from Alexandria and is stored in water carts. There would be great danger of disease unless the precautions of boiling the spring water was taken, with all the dead men there is lying in the gullies. We are getting a couple of trench mortars to work on the Turks shortly. They were procured from the Japanese and are said to throw a 400lb shell. I hardly credit this however. Major Fulton was wounded through the lung yesterday and Corporal Ernie JONES was caught through the thigh by a sniper. Last night passes less noisily than usual.

22 May 1915 Saturday

Rain has set in today so as soon as we got to work we had to devise some means of keeping our cabin dry. Alex found an old waterproof sheet and with some more we tied it over the top which is about 5' x 5' with one of the bottom corners at a low angle so that the water drains down the hill from that corner. The floor is about 4' 6" at the lower end and 6' at the higher end so that as long as it does not get too wet we should be cosy enough.
At the higher end the earth is scooped out at the floor so that for about 2' 6" there is a hollow running into the bank where we rest our heads.
Had to go down to Brigade at 11.00a.m. and draw rations. The hill is in a frightful state and reminds me of muddy days at Broad Meadows. Brought up cheese, ham, tea, sugar and managed to score some deal for fires.
Everybody in the Valley is on the run today. Eighteen had been sniped up to then. I noticed two serious cases going down on the stretchers as I was on the way. The 1st LH left a lot of iron rations behind them and when I was at the Regimental QM's I went through a lot of the small bags the iron rations are served out in and collared about a weeks ration of tea and sugar.
Also found a splendid infantry knapsack.
The Peninsular Press - an official gazette - says that the Italians are on the verge of war, which is different to the previous camp rumour. It is a fact that some 20,000 Armenians are up in arms.
The facts regarding this trench mortar we have got, seem to be that there are only 8 in existence & we have 4. It is a Jap idea & our four are borrowed, or obtained possession of, from them. The other four are in Japan. They throw a 28lb shell or bomb, which explodes with the same force as a 6" lyddite shell. The Turks on Quinns post got particular beans last night and ran out of the trenches in a panic calling upon Allah.
3.00 p.m. There seems to be something doing in the Gulf. Four warships are circling around and around as many destroyers accompanying them. Sometimes spread out in fan fashion and sometimes seeming to be circulating in an aimless fashion. I should imagine there was a submarine about. Away over the horizon are another half dozen boats, some warships and one can hear the booming of big guns in that direction.
I hear that the 2nd and 3rd Light Horse Brigade have arrived. One of their Regiments QMs did not take long to pass in his check, a Jack Johnson hit him while in his cub and all that was found of him afterwards was a leg. A splinter from one of these big shells bursting ½ mile away landed near my possie today.
Met Sgt Bullen down at the spring today and he said that the 16th had only about 300 out of 1200 men left. They did all the charging having taken Popes and Quinns positions and were entitled to better treatment than they were getting.
I go on duty tomorrow morning and do a 24hour shift.

EXTRACTS FROM PENINSULAR PRESS, MAY 19th, 1915
"Last night and this morning two determined attacks were made on the Australian positions. The first attack began at midnight and was easily repulsed. The second started at about 3 in the morning and continued until 10am and was strongly pressed with heavy rifle fire and machine gun fire, supported by guns of every calibre from 9.2 downwards.
General Liman von Sanders, the German leader, personally directed the operation for which two fresh divisions, numbering from 15,00 to 20,000 men had been brought from Constantinople. These are dressed in light uniforms which seems to indicate that the supply of khaki is exhausted. Both attacks failed, though the Turks displayed great bravery and determination, advancing in masses to be mowed down by our fire. After the last assault had failed the enemy kept up an incessant musketry fire all day but did no damage. Day light showed the Turkish dead laying in heaps in front of our own trenches. In one spot eight acres were covered with them and the dead can safely be put down at no fewer that 2,000. Including wounded the enemy losses must exceed 7,000. Our men are very pleased with the night's work and only hope that the Turks will come on again and that Gen Liman van Sanders may again direct the attack"

23 May 1915 Sunday

Things are ** very great and the fighting has **** a lot at tune and ***** of volley *** the morning. Is **** spasmodic. There was no action last night, we scorched it into them ending the event, keeping them off, as for if they had the idea in their heads.
A big ship, somewhat old fashioned and French I should imagine lies out in the Gulf surrounded by about a dozen smaller fry who are circling ever around her for all the world reminds one of a mother duck and her ducklings.

Turkish big guns are having a try at the guns but their shells are landing far short.
The man-o-war has her upper portion painted white and the hull grey. The yardarms on the mast help to give her an ancient appearance. Presently she began to belch fire and smoke and we witnessed a display of gunmanship. The Turks trying hard to answer effectively, a big sea plane with big floats underneath manoeuvred over the Turkish positions on our right flank and the enemy were making her wake visible by a shower of shrapnel shell bursting in he wake. She made for the big island opposite which must be her base. The activity among the warships in the Gulf must be reasoned either by drifting mines or an enemy submarine.

Bit more information about our trench mortars. Cape Hellas has the other four. The powerful explosive is manufactured by the Japanese arsenals and its composition is known only by them. A German aeroplane, detected by the black crosses on her wings, surveyed us today and took refuge above a big bank of clouds to get away from our fire.
Mail today, makes a lot of difference. I have a couple of papers date April 10 and 14 and hope some letters will stray along shortly. They say the Turks ***tied so last night from our bomb throwers that all rifle fire from them ceased and it was possible for an officer to stand above the trenches and observe the bombs effect.

At 5pm tonight we are going to shell Dead Man's Ridge with Lyddite from a 6" howitzer.
Later. Saw the shells going overhead into the enemy's trenches. Hearing a tearing screaming noise like a tram coming. One expects to see something monstrous hurtling above him instead of the tiny black object he sees going overhead.
A Turkish sniper got three of our chaps today with one shot, and also picked another who went to their assistance.

On duty at phone box all night. The last two days and nights have been very quiet, almost ominously quiet.

I hear Trumpeter Sergeant Toby HANNAM was sniped through the ankle.

24 May 1915 Monday

Sergeant De LATOUR killed last night. Shot through the head. He had just had a shot and his last remark a second before he fell was, "I got the b____"

From 7.30 am to 4.30am today an armistice has been granted to enable both sides to bury their dead. The two sides are mixing together between the trenches and on the ridges one everywhere sees the Red-cross and Red Crescent flag. The Turks at the head of Monash Valley are all standing in full view taking in full stock of our position. I suppose below Quinns Post where the trenches are only about 25 yards apart.

24 May 1915 Monday cont…

Some gruesome sights were to be seen. Most of the bodies were half covered with earth thrown from the trenches above. The dead lay in heaps just here and one body I saw I will never forget. Until one got close one only saw a man's legs hanging out from beneath the sand. But getting closer a face could be seen staring out from beneath the legs, and staring towards us upside down. It was blackened as if mummified and tongue and eyes protruded giving the features an awful expression. Those bodies that were already a good deal under earth were not touched but earth thrown over the projecting portions until hidden from view. The hills were littered to profusion with rifles and equipment and each side gathered what was adjacent to their trench.

The Turks were dressed in all shades of khaki and saw a lot in blue uniforms with red facings. Their helmets seem a mongrel between a helmet and taboosh. What I took to be a group of German officers were wearing green and red facings and trouser stripes. Some wore jackboots and spurs. There were some fine types of men among the enemy. All over the area between the trenches the two sides roamed about collecting equipment and burying the putrid bodies. The Turks were burying them with a few hands full of earth.
Noticed Chaplain Rae roaming over Quinns Post and talking with the enemy doing pioneer work. On the whole they reckon there were ten dead Turks to every one of ours. I went up into the trenches on Popes Post and had a glance at the Turkish positions in front of us.
With the absence of any firing today it seen almost as if we are picnicking. I quite enjoyed frying potato chips for dinner. It is after 4.30pm now and a few desultory shots gradually increased in number tell us that business will soon be as usual.

Everyone at the cession of the armistice has to get under cover and stand to their arms. Both sides have been taking stock of the other's position on the sly and anything may happen within the next day or so. There are sure to be schemes hatched.

A few days ago a German officer tossed a note into our trenches addressed to the men. Telling them not to be afraid to surrender and that he (the writer) knew that though the Australians were only willing to hand in their arms they did not do so, because they imagined they would be ill treated and probably tortured and maimed. Nothing like this would happen and prisoners would be treated according to the clauses of the Hague Convention, those at present in their hands were quite satisfied with their treatment they were receiving.

25 May 1915 Tuesday

For the last two or three days we have had intermittent rain showers and sunshine. Hot sun pouring down now after a heavy thundery shower.

Witnessed an awful sight this morning. Two submarines put in an appearance and torpedoed the "Triumph" which was laying gout about 2 ½ miles from our shore.

I heard a bit of a commotion outside my dugout and looking out saw the battleship heeling over. The explosion had only occurred two or three seconds before at about 12.17a.m. destroyers, launches minesweepers and pinnacles were rushing from all directions towards the sinking warship. She heeled over gradually towards shore and took about 8 minutes to turn turtle. She remained bottom up for about twenty minutes with the air and steam bubbling out along the sides and amidst a swarm of small craft. I saw the destroyers open fire at about ¼ of a mile on two separate occasions, once in the direction of Imbros and again towards the Dardanelles. It seemed some time before the other boats commenced searching for the subs. It was magnificent to see the Destroyers rushing up ploughing through the water and belching out black smoke. From our point of vantage on Popes Post and with the aid of binoculars the whole lamentable episode could be seen.

After the men had been rescued the Turks tried to get some shrapnel home but the range was too far for them. The rolling chocks propellers, rudder could be seen above the water and before she went down the bluejackets could be seen to landing and check out their posts.

The water around the sinking boat was black with small craft for about an hour and I noticed one launch leave shore with half a dozen pontoons aboard. Before she got very far she saw she could never get there in time with them and cutting them adrift went for her life.

3.00 p.m. The destroyers are nosing about like a lot of terriers after a rat but I hear they have not been able to make a catch. A few aeroplanes have atop, been hovering over the scene. I hear that only about 400, one half, of the men were saved. The force of the explosion besides causing a lot of instantaneous deaths and wounding a lot, would jam doors and imprison a great number.

Enemy is mining under our trench. We got in before them and blew up and destroyed their sap.

Issued of two boxes Bryant and May matches and three boxes BDV cigarettes (12 in a packet). We are getting an issue (2 ounces) of rum every night.

Sniping still very bad and several of our fellows have been shot dead or wounded today.
According to the latest rumours about 150 men went down with the "Triumph". So far have heard nothing definite regarding the submarine.

The "Triumph" it is stated and her sister ship "Swiftsure", which I saw at Port Said, were built for the Chilean Government but were brought by our people during the Russo-Jap War. They are distinguished by the big derrick between the funnels, used to lift torpedo boats etc.
(58 men & 3 officers)

I noticed in the papers that the German's were transporting submarines to Pola, an Austrian port in the Adriatic.

26 May 1915 Wednesday

We anticipated an attack last night for since the "Triumph" was sunk we could not see any battle ships on in the Gulf from our position anyway.

The 2nd Light Horse relieved us this morning. They have lost 150 men already after only a fortnight of trench work.

Snipers were hot this morning potting at us from the top of the gully on our left flank, a new position for them. Every now and then one heard the call for stretcher-bearers coming from
the bottom of the ravine below. Six New Zealanders were shot before breakfast just a few yards below our dugout. Some of them as they slept. Our snipe hunters got busy on the opposite of the gully.

After the usual waiting about extended from 9.00 am to midday, we entered our new bivouac in a small gully just above Brigade Headquarters. We will not be so comfortable here as we were in our rabbit warrens on the top of Pope's Position, and though removed from the trenches not so safely protected from snipers and shrapnel. Alex and I have taken up a claim under the lee of a 5 foot bank and by fastening a couple of spare ground sheets together have contrived a sort of lean to, by means of sticks and string. We are not allowed to burrow in as the soil would probably cave in so we must take our chances from shrapnel.

The Quarter Master has begun to issue lime juice every second night now. We got some vegetable chips issued the other day but they were too much trouble. After soaking them for a day and boiling for ¾ of an hour they were still uncooked so we tossed them out. Potato dried is also another item. Though we could do with plenty of vegetables the chaps won't be bothered with them.

26 May 1915 Wednesday cont…

The various brands of jams we get cause a lot of amusement. Sir Tom Looten was a great joke in Egypt and he was cursed up hill and dale for his "mixed fruit" and "plum and apple". But he has deserted us, now we have got to the firing line, and another big pot in the shape of "Sir Joseph Paxton" is attending to the sweet tooths among us. We also get jam from "Tickler", "Pink", and "Deakin" which names supply the cue for further wit.

I mentioned somewhere before that our water for drinking was brought from the Nile. I hear however, that it is spring water, medicated and sterilised. Water is easily procured as will be imagined when I say that one of the enemy's big shells dug a hole sufficient to strike water.

27 May 1915 Thursday

Latest "buzz"
Majestic torpedoed by submarine.

At 10.20 a.m. this morning every Tom Dick and Harry had to stand to arms. The Third Regiment manned the inner defences. The Turks and our fellows were having a race to blow up each other's trenches on Quinns Post. Where the defenses are only about 25 yards apart, and we did not know whose mining would be the first to explode and if the Turks got in first it was thought they would attack the position, so we had to be prepared. I have not heard an outcome of it but after being under arms for about an hour we got the orders to "fall out and carry on".

Two of our chaps sniped in this bivouac this morning. One Trumpeter Renchit wounded badly through the lungs. The call for stretcher-bearers is becoming more familiar every day.
Archie Davies, one of our first to be wounded is back with us again. He has been to Lemnos where the less serious cases go. Protracted cases are going to Malta, I hear where the wounded are being treated like kings by the Maltese.
Cases which require exceptional treatment are rumoured to be going to England and of course a big balance is going back to Egypt.
There are probably 30.000 more troops waiting to reinforce us in Cairo. 100 NZ and 19.000 Australians constituting the 3rd Contingent.

Went swimming down at the beach this afternoon. No battleships in sight only 3 or 4 destroyers and one or two transports of tramplike appearance.

The Peninsular Press was posted up down there and it is a fact Italy is into the fray. An account is given of the mock armistice of a few days ago and it appears to confirm my previous impression of it. A big body of Turks advanced out of the trenches holding no rifles and with hands above heads. It was seen that a big armed body was following behind and they were promptly fired upon by our men. It appears that when our Divisional Officer went out and saw the enemy trenches bursting with men he gave then to understand that we would recommence hostilities within 10 minutes. A noteworthy fact about the episode was that the Turkish soldiers were under the impression that it was us and not their officers who raised the white flag and they imagined we wanted to surrender.

Particulars regarding the armistice of Monday refer to the vast number of Turkish dead. It is calculated that 3000 of the bodies were those of the enemy who had been slaughtered on the night of the 18th and afterwards. I heard that there were not a hundred of our fellows outside the trenches. There were 400 dead Turks lying over a space of 100 yards by 60 yards. The only friction report was the stealing of a hand grenade by a Turkish soldier. The miscreant in spite of shouts of protest grabbed the missile and made for the Turkish trenches. However an officer gave him a belabouring and returned the missile with apologies and bowing.

A German officer attempted to pump a couple of our chaps by asking what part of Australia they came from and how many Australians were here. They answered him in typical Australian by telling him, "to go and get _____."

26 May 1915 Wednesday cont…

We witnessed a German officer getting into some of the soldiery with a thick piece of timber and not seeming to care much whether the stick landed on a cranium or not.
Our Jap mortar threw a bomb into the Turks bivouac today setting fire to something or other, and exploding a lot of their ammunition.

I hear that all the crew were rescued from the "majestic" and the latest report says that there was only 50 went down to Davy Jones via the "Triumph". But what we don't actually see or get first hand is usually distorted as a reading of these pages in time will show I suppose we will get somewhere nearer to exact facts and figures when we get our papers I suppose.

28 May 1915 Friday

Poor Teddie LOWNDES shot through the head this morning while dispatch carrying. Teddie was one of us at headquarters signaller and was very popular, and his death is the greatest shock we have had so far.

Lots of our regiment have been killed but Teddie is the first HQ Signaller to go. He lingered until late this afternoon. Ted was a bit of a wag, well read, sceptical and a chap who thought a lot for himself. He was a world roamer and had the Kings ribbon for the South African War, and had served in the regular army in India. He had previously been a corporal in A Squadron, but owning to a difference with the Squadron leader he had taken on signalling and threw up his stripe so as to be away from a person he had no time for.
Another of our fellows besides Lowndes was shot today so that our men are through gradually being reduced in numbers. To watch the fellows ducking down the track and sprinting around the exposed corners of the barricades makes us all laugh. There is a humorous side of seeing a man puffing and blowing laughing yet with wide open eyes sprinting from barricade with a box of biscuits in tow, and when someone stumbles a roar goes up and he is cheered on. The same spirit pervaded the camp when the Goe Ben or whatever it was, was thumping 9 inch shells into our bivouacs and filling our frying pans with gravel we simply could not help in laughing though everybody was nervous as to where the next missile would land. Yet it was a serious enough matter.

Poor Eric BELL who was only about 10 yards from us, and who I knew from Gawler, was blown to pieces.

Went down for another bathe this afternoon but hadn't been in 5 minutes when the Turks began to pump in shrapnel and there was a general movement towards out togs.
Saw some gruesome sights down there this afternoon. Saw a man having his leg amputated. Had a good view of it and will never forget that sight. Yet we are getting hardened to it and though, one minute we see a man bending over a dying mate and listen to his last words or hear another poor fellows agonising groans, it is forgotten the next, and we might be splashing and tumbling in the briney like a crowd of school boys.

Mail day is the day.

I got seven letters from home on arriving back to bivouac and found everyone in fine spirits as a result of their letters from home. You can see mail day written all over the boys faces in big letters. It is great to read how poor mum rushes around for her specs with a handful of mail from her far away Freddie. I keep wondering what the home folks are thinking and saying as each morning papers arrive bearing the latest casualty list which by this time will be showing the names from the 3rd Light Horse.

We stood at arms from about midnight last night, and the Regiment manned the inner defenses. Nothing happened though and we got between the blankets again about 3.30 am.

29 May 1915 Saturday

Great bust up last night, or rather this morning. It commenced at about 3.00 am. Mining operation has been much in the air in the region of Quinn's Post lately on both sides and a general attack was heralded by the Turks blowing up and dislodging our fellows from the trenches on Quinns. It simply rained bombs and the rattle of rifles and machine guns and the banging swishing and whining of shrapnel made an appalling din. We took no active part in the action although we manned the inner defenses and had several casualties from shrapnel.

The gallant 16th were ordered to retake the trench, which they did, cornering a lot of the Turks in a position where our artillery almost wiped them out. About a couple of dozen prisoners, a joyous looking throng as they marched down the track, were taken and I hear we had 25 killed.
The Turks must have lost very heavily because there was more of them than that taken from our recaptured trench. I saw a big heap of their dead lying at the foot of the position. Major Quinn was killed, he was rashly sitting on the edge of our trenches throwing bombs they say.

Many buzzes are going around today and first class "latrines" at that:-
First. Austria has caved in.
Second: The Tommies have captured Aitchi Bahr or what ever they call that Turkish Gibraltar, which has been the stumbling block down at Cape Helles.

The New Zealanders are said to have done good work last night and captured one of the Turks trenches. The right flank seems to be easily holding their own. One of the chaps was telling me that when they retook Quinn's Post they collared the tobacco and cigarettes from the dead Turks prior to tossing them out. It was a memorable night and I will never forget it any way.

I hear that the bullet, which caught Major Fulton, touched something called the pleura and that therefore it will take more time before he is fit again. It was unfortunate losing two of our leading officers on the first day we entered the trenches. Major Fulton 2nd in command and Captain Lewis O/C of C Squadron, neither dangerously wounded I hear though.
General Bridges is dead. The bullet which struck his leg severed an artery.

"Peninsular Press" published down at Cape Helles gives us some extracts from Turkish General Orders and I can remember this much.

"Battalion Chaplains 'Inmans' are to keep up the courage or morale of the men
and to encourage them before they are going into action. If any man does not
advance when he is told to or hangs back, or halts before his goal is reached will
be straight away shot down. Machine Guns will be placed in the rear of advancing
troops and will be turned on to any men who turn back"

So much for Turkish morale. One thing the fighting of last night settled any Turkish snipers who were in the vicinity of Quinns and the roadway today had been much safer.
A fine big sap has been constructed down to the beach with a connecting sap to the wear tanks so that there is really no necessity to use the road except for going short distances.
All our regiment are in the trenches today and I suppose it will be a cow keeping in communication with the different Squadron leaders. The trenches are too narrow for orderlies to move about in them. Am on duty until 5.00am tomorrow.

29 May 1915 Saturday continued….

We are still living well though our rum ration has been cut out. I get much more tobacco than I really want and we have plenty of wholemeal biscuits, bacon, desiccated potatoes and dried vegetables. A few onions, half tin of bully and some desiccated potato make a very decent stew. Alick CHALMERS and I go partners and all the other dugouts the cooking operations and water getting is thus worked out on a joint basis. Some of us are fast qualifying for a position as chef at first class hotels.

It was Eric BELL of Gawler who was smashed up by that "Jack Johnson" and not his namesake from Renmark as I thought.
Bert PEARCE is said to be still alive.

Our aeroplanes are very busy today. The Turks try to hit them with shrapnel and an aeroplane wake is usually marked by a trail of little white snowy smoke balls. If ever they wing one it will be a fluke and will surprise the Turks enormously. The puffs of smoke remains in the air for quite long periods sometimes three of four minutes at a time.
An armoured bi-plane or seaplane circled over the Turkish position tonight and dropped a lot of white objects which took a long while to descend, and were presumably papers of some sort. Probably the news of Austria's surrender. Behind the biplane, stringing out like a white thread could be plainly distinguished the white smoke of her exhausts.

These winged visitors whose nest is over on the opposite island are becoming quite common now and the men are getting that way that they don't think it worth coming out of the dugouts to squiz at them.

30 May 1915 Sunday

Now for today's buzzes and rumours.
The "Triumph" was torpedoed in three places the first torpedo entering her coal bunkers. The nets were ineffective as the torpedoes are fitted with some cutting appliances. She carried 4 ten inch guns, speed 18 knots and tonnage 11500 tons.

A beautiful buzz going around is that we leave here, get our horses and leave for some unknown destination, which may be India, Austria, Timbuktu or the North Pole.

On duty last night and got little sleep and I have had only 5 hours sleep for two nights, am hoping the terrible, unspeakable Turk keeps in his kennel tonight and does not come out to bark at the moon. A strange thing about this campaign of ours is the remarkable absence of tales of Turkish atrocities going among us.

At about 9.00pm tonight we heard a peculiar noise that roused us from our dugouts to see what was going on. We expected to see a crowd of Turks coming over the cliff being driven by Australian bayonets, I though it was a flock of curlews or something on the wing. It was, however, a Turkish machine gun pumping bad messages into the hill just above our bivouac. They made a most percular twanging singing whine.

30 May 1915 Sunday cont…

It rained shrapnel for tea last night but luckily the shell burst too high above us and the force of the pellets was becoming spent. Several got nasty whacks however. And our medic demanded, indignantly, as to who was throwing stones at him. Alex who was sitting next to me had one struck him on the ankle, doubling him up in pain. It left a rough nasty bruise on
his foot but otherwise no damage done. Hard to say where it came from, some reckon that it was one of ours bursting prematurely or the cap had come off and the pellets were leaking.

Great doings on Quinn's Post today
The 10th L.H. and 13th INF. Amongst others were in it. Two successive trenches were taken and 3 machine guns taken. The lot had to evacuate their new position. but as to how our boys fared in the rest of the trenches it is hard to say. There are so many contradictory reports. We have been standing to arms most of the day prepared to make a gallant charge or something like that, but nothing happened, as far as we were concerned.

I was watching some of the lads tossing bombs at the Turks, they split the labor among them, passing their all each contributing to the final result and the last man doing the throw. The Jap mortar continued to do good work "imshing" snipers and making the Turks squeal and "Alah". They reckon that after firing six shots into a Turkish sap, 60 dead Turks were tossed out the next day.

A fine 'buzz" going around, our "wazur" is that Atchi Babra is taken. The French on the right wing lost heavily however.

31 May 1915 Monday

Anyone would think we were holiday making at Manley going by the number of times I have to report going to the beach for a swim. But this morning the Trawlers out in the bay began to toot warningly and then shrapnel began to burst over the beach. One burst about 50 yards away and splashed showers of pellets all round us. I thought then that I had been in the water longer than the hygiene books prescribe, and took shelter under the lee of a barge grounded nearby.

Nothing much to report today. Jack BOOTH , another flag wagger shot through the lung this morning. This is the 3rd signaller out of out Regiment to go.

Particulars appear in the Peninsular Press of attack Saturday morning. The Turks, after blowing up our trenches on Quinns Post rush in and occupied the crater. Our fellows charged dislodging them and capturing about 20 Turks who were in our support trenches. The enemy then attempted to make good their local gain and brought up heavy bodies of men. The artillery however located them in the dim moonlight and brought about a crossfire upon them. Panic set in and the Turks fired upon one another. Their losses were estimated to be between 1,500 and 2,000.