Five Months at Anzac | Page 5

loaded at Newcastle, I was as innocent of their details as the
unborn babe. However, everyone went at it, and the transport was
loaded soon after dinner. We had the New Zealand Battery of Artillery,
Battery Ammunition Column, 14th Battalion Transport and Army
Service Corps with us, the whole numbering 560 men and 480 horses.
At 4 p.m. the ship cast off, and we went to the outer harbour and began

to shake down. The same hour the next day saw us under weigh for the
front. The voyage was quite uneventful, the sea beautifully calm, and
the various islands in the Egean Sea most picturesque. Three days later
we arrived at Lemnos, and found the harbour (which is of considerable
size) packed with warships and transports. I counted 20 warships of
various sizes and nationalities. The Agamemnon was just opposite us,
showing signs of the damage she had received in the bombardment of
the Turkish forts a couple of months before. We stayed here a week,
and every day practised going ashore in boats, each man in full
marching order leaving the ship by the pilot ladder.
It is extraordinary how one adapts oneself to circumstances. For years it
has been almost painful to me to look down from a height; as for going
down a ladder, in ordinary times I could not do it. However, here there
was no help for it; a commanding officer cannot order his men to do
what he will not do himself, so up and down we went in full marching
order. Bearer work was carried out among the stony hills which
surround the harbour.
Finally, on the 24th April, the whole armada got under weigh, headed
by the Queen Elizabeth, or as the men affectionately termed her,
"Lizzie." We had been under steam for only about four hours when a
case of smallpox was reported on board. As the captain informed me he
had time to spare, we returned to Lemnor and landed the man,
afterwards proceeding on our journey. At night the ship was darkened.
Our ship carried eight horse-boats, which were to be used by the 29th
Division in their landing at Cape Helles.
Just about dawn on Sunday the 25th I came on deck and could see the
forms of a number of warships in close proximity to us, with destroyers
here and there and numbers of transports. Suddenly one ship fired a gun,
and then they were all at it, the Turks replying in quick time from the
forts on Seddul Bahr, as well as from those on the Asiatic side. None of
our ships appeared to be hit, but great clouds of dust were thrown up in
the forts opposite us. Meanwhile destroyers were passing us loaded
with troops, and barges filled with grim and determined-looking men
were being towed towards the shore. One could not help wondering

how many of them would be alive in an hour's time. Slowly they neared
the cliffs; as the first barge appeared to ground, a burst of fire broke out
along the beach, alternately rifles and machine guns. The men leaped
out of the barges--almost at once the firing on the beach ceased, and
more came from halfway up the cliff. The troops had obviously landed,
and were driving the Turks back. After a couple of hours the top of the
cliff was gained; there the troops became exposed to a very heavy fire
from some batteries of artillery placed well in the rear, to which the
warships attended as soon as they could locate them. The Queen
Elizabeth was close by us, apparently watching a village just under the
fort. Evidently some guns were placed there. She loosed off her two
fifteen-inch guns, and after the dust had cleared away we could see that
new streets had been made for the inhabitants. Meanwhile the British
had gained the top and were making headway, but losing a lot of
men--one could see them falling everywhere.

THE ANZAC LANDING
The horse-boats having been got overboard, we continued our voyage
towards what is now know as Anzac. Troops--Australians and New
Zealanders--were being taken ashore in barges. Warships were firing
apparently as fast as they could load, the Turks replying with equal
cordiality. In fact, as Captain Dawson remarked to me, it was quite the
most "willing" Sunday he had ever seen.
Our troops were ascending the hills through a dwarf scrub, just low
enough to let us see the men's heads, though sometimes we could only
locate them by the glint of the bayonets in the sunshine. Everywhere
they were pushing on in extended order, but many falling. The Turks
appeared to have the range pretty accurately. About mid-day our men
seemed to be held up, the Turkish shrapnel appearing to be too