Five Months at Anzac

Five Months at Anzac

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Title: Five Months at Anzac A Narrative of Personal Experiences of the Officer Commanding the 4th Field Ambulance, Australian Imperial Force
Author: Joseph Lievesley Beeston
Release Date: May 24, 2005 [EBook #15896]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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[Illustration: ANZAC COVE. _Photo by Lieut.-Col. Millard._]

FIVE MONTHS AT ANZAC
A NARRATIVE OF PERSONAL EXPERIENCES OF THE OFFICER COMMANDING THE 4th FIELD AMBULANCE, AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE

BY
JOSEPH LIEVESLEY BEESTON
C.M.G., V.D., L.R.C.S.I., Colonel A.A.M.C. Late O.C. 4th Field Ambulance, late A.D.M.S. New Zealand and Australian Division
WITH PHOTOGRAPHS
SYDNEY ANGUS & ROBERTSON LTD. 89 CASTLEREAGH STREET
1916
W.C. Penfold & Co. Ltd., Printers, 183 Pitt Street, Sydney.

DEDICATED TO
THE OFFICERS, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE 4th FIELD AMBULANCE, A.I.F., OF WHOSE LOYALTY AND DEVOTION TO DUTY THE WRITER HEREBY EXPRESSES HIS DEEP APPRECIATION.

CONTENTS
THE FOURTH FIELD AMBULANCE
THE VOYAGE
EGYPT
TO GALLIPOLI
THE ANZAC LANDING
AT WORK ON THE PENINSULA
INCIDENTS AND YARNS
AIR FIGHTING
THE OFFICERS' MESS
THE ARMISTICE
TORPEDOING OF THE TRIUMPH THE DESTROYERS
THE INDIAN REGIMENTS
THE SWIMMING
TURKISH PRISONERS
POST OFFICE
SANITARY ARRANGEMENTS
SIMPSON
CHURCH SERVICES
THE ENGINEERS
TURKS ATTACK
RED CROSS
PREPARING FOR THE ADVANCE
THE ATTEMPT ON SARI BAIR
AMBULANCE WORK
ARTILLERY
TURKS AS FIGHTERS

THE FOURTH FIELD AMBULANCE
Shortly after the outbreak of War--after the first contingent had been mobilised, and while they were undergoing training--it became evident that it would be necessary to raise another force to proceed on the heels of the first. Three Infantry Brigades with their Ambulances had already been formed; orders for a fourth were now issued, and naturally the Ambulance would be designated Fourth Field Ambulance.
The Fourth Brigade was composed of the 13th Battalion (N.S.W.), 14th (Victoria), 15th (Queensland) and 16th (Western Australia)--commanded respectively by Lieutenant-Colonel Burnage, Lieutenant-Colonel Courtnay, Lieutenant-Colonel Cannon and Lieutenant-Colonel Pope. The Brigade was in charge of Colonel Monash, V.D., with Lieutenant-Colonel McGlinn as his Brigade Major.
As it will be necessary from time to time to allude to the component parts of the Ambulance, it may be as well to describe how an ambulance is made up. It is composed of three sections, known as A, B, and C, the total of all ranks being 254 on a war strength. It is subdivided into Bearer, Tent and Transport Divisions. Each section has its own officers, and is capable of acting independently. Where there is an extended front, it is frequently desirable to detach sections and send them to positions where the work is heaviest.
As the name implies, the Bearers convey the wounded to the dressing station (or Field Hospital, as the case may be). Those in the Tent Division dress the cases and perform nursing duties, while the Transport Division undertakes their conveyance to Base Hospital.
It was decided to recruit the Fourth Field Ambulance from three States, A Section from Victoria, B from South Australia, C from Western Australia. Recruiting started in Broadmeadows, Victoria, on the 19th October, 1914, and thirty men enrolled from New South Wales were included in A Section. Towards the end of November B Section from South Australia joined us, and participated in the training. On the 22nd December we embarked on a transport forming one of a convoy of eighteen ships. The nineteenth ship ---- joined after we left Albany.
Details from the Ambulance were supplied to different ships and the officers distributed among the fleet. Our last port in Australia was Albany, which was cleared on the last day of 1914--a beautiful night and clear day, with the sea as smooth as the proverbial glass.

THE VOYAGE
The convoy was under the command of Captain Brewis--a most capable and courteous officer, but a strict disciplinarian. To a landsman, his control of the various ships and his forethought in obtaining supplies seemed little short of marvellous. I had the good fortune to be associated with Captain Brewis on the passage from Colombo to Alexandria on board the ---- and his friendship is a pleasant memory.
The fleet was arranged in three lines, each ship being about three lengths astern of the one ahead. The sight was most inspiriting, and made one feel proud of the privilege of participation. The ---- towed the submarine AE2, and kept clear of the convoy, sometimes ahead, then astern, so that we viewed the convoy from all points.
The day after leaving Albany a steamer, which proved to be the ----, joined us with C Section of our Ambulance. Signals were made for the ---- ---- to move ahead and the ---- to drop astern, the ---- moving into the vacant place. The manoeuvre was carried out in a most seamanlike manner, and Captain Young