Suvla Bay, August 1. The initial Allied assault at Cape Helles in April to take the Dardanelles had failed. The objective of the new attack was to take the beach and surrounding hills at Suvla Bay which lay . The Dublins arrived in Gallipoli without any maps and any orders as to what to do when they got there. Prior to their departure for Gallipoli, the 1. Rupert Brooke (1887-1915) Although Rupert Brooke's 1914 sonnets received an enthusiastic reception at the time of their publication and the author's death (of blood. Irish) Division's artillery pieces went to France instead of Gallipoli. Water was in such a short supply that men nearly killed each other for a simple drink. When the fight against the Turks did begin, they even ran out of ammunition and resorted to throwing stones at the Turks.
The Unofficial Megyn Kelly News Blog brings awareness to any issue which challenges the security, sovereignty or domestic tranquility of our beloved nation, The. The 7th Battalion had two separate actions during their time at Gallipoli. They withdrew from Gallipoli on 3. Sept 1. 91. 5 and arrived for their next mission at Salonika on 1. Oct 1. 91. 5. In January 1. Allies finally pulled out of the Dardanelles. They suffered a loss of 2. Irish) Division, of which 5. Battalion Dublin Fusiliers alone. The Allies had not moved from the beaches on which they had landed back in April 1. Of the Irish at Gallipoli, the Unionist leader Edward Carson stated, ! What surprises me is that the papers have not been full of their praises. It is a shame and a scandal because I can tell you there is not a man in the service who is aware of their gallant action but who would willingly do anything for the Irish people - yes the Irish Catholics. I have no religion but it was most charming and edifying to see these chaps with their beads and the way they prayed to God. We are all brothers, but to my dying day, I bow to the Irish; they saved the situation. Nothing is too good to give the country of which they are - or, rather were, such worthy representatives. They have the most perfect right to demand, and what is more to get, the freedom of their country and the right to rule it. Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers. The Commander- in- Chief had planned that the transports conveying the nth Division from Imbros were to leave as soon as night fell on the 6th, and effect their landing under cover of darkness. The loth Division, having a longer voyage (Mudros being 6. Mitylene 1. 20 miles away) were intended to reinforce them on the following day. It was believed that the Turks would be taken by surprise, and that little or no resistance was to be anticipated. Beach B and Beach C, on the shore south of Nibrunesi Point. The three Brigades of the nth Division landed simultaneously, and met with slight resistance from a Turkish picket entrenched on Lala Baba. The hill was, however, taken with the bayonet, and the whole of the beaches made good, while the nth Manchester Regiment drove the enemy's out- tl < ^ < a ^1 THE TENTH (IRISH) DIVISION 1. Karakol Dagh back on to the Kiretch Tepe Sirt. By the time this much had been gained, day dawned and the first portion of the l. Oth Division began to appear on the scene. Early in the afternoon of the 6th, the battalions had left the transports, on which they had spent nearly a month, and transferred themselves to trawlers and channel steamers. The lights on the shore told them that they had passed Achi Baba, and as they steamed by Anzac, the noise of battle at Lone Fine and on Sari Bair reached them from afar. Just as the pale morning light began to make it possible to distinguish the difference between sea and land, the ships anchored off Nibrunesi Point. The landing at Beach A during the night had, however, been con- siderably delayed owing to the fact that many 1. THE TENTH (IRISH) DIVISION of the lighters had run aground in the shallow waters of the bay, and the Naval Authorities had, therefore, decided to land General Hill's force on Beach C below Nibrunesi Point. General Hill was directed to reinforce the nth Division, placing himself under the orders of Major- General Hammersley, who commanded that unit. The scrub which covered the slopes of all the surrounding hills, combined with the scattered olive groves to make it impossible to detect the numbers of the enemy, but it was obvious that they were well supplied with artillery. Their shrapnel was bursting fiercely over the men of the nth Division as they moved forward, and as soon as the lighters reached the beaches, an effective barrage was at once established there. The lighters were obvious and easy targets, and in one boat alone the 7th Dublins lost an officer and seventeen men. On the whole, however, the force was THE TENTH (IRISH) DIVISION 1. Little could be done to keep down the hostile artillery fire, since the enemy's guns were well concealed, and but few of our batteries had landed. Two mountain guns on Lala Baba kept up a constant fire, and the warships co- operated, though lack of facilities for observa- tion rendered their fire comparatively ineffective. Leaving orders for units as they landed to rendezvous on the seaward side of Lala Baba, he went in search of General Hammer- sley in order to ascertain his wishes. At this time the Turkish detachments, which had been watching the beaches, were retiring slowly across the wooded plain which stretches between the Salt Lake and Anafarta Saghir, pursued by the nth Division. This pursuit, however, was considerably impeded by the fact that two small eminences, each about a hundred- and- sixty feet high, about half- a- mile from the south- eastern corner of the Salt Lake, were still in the enemy's hands. These positions were after- wards known as Chocolate Hill and Green Hill respectively, the Turkish name for the range being Yilghin Burnu. As long as the Turks held these knolls, they were in a position to bring enfilade artillery fire to bear on the advance across the Anafarta plain ; and accordingly General Hill was directed to co- 1. THE TENTH (IRISH) DIVISION operate with two battalions of the nth Division in their capture. This order had unfortunately the result of making any future junction with the portion of the Division under Sir Bryan Mahon's command impossible, since that was directed to guard the left flank of the advance, while General Hill's force was to move to the extreme right. Owing to this detachment of a Brigade and a half, the work of the Staff tended to become more difficult. The latter unit had been put ashore some way down the beach, and had had to march a considerable distance in order to reach Lala Baba. In order to reach the northern shores of the Salt Lake, and get in touch with the nth Division, the units of General Hil. Fs force had to pass over a narrow neck of land between the Salt Lake and the sea, on which the hostile artillery had carefully registered. Every minute THE TENTH (IRISH) DIVISION 1. It was a trying ordeal for young troops engaged in their first action, but they faced it cheerfully. As an old soldier, he knew that there were times when an officer must be prepared to run what would otherwise appear unnecessary risks ; so while everyone else was dashing swiftly across the neck, or keeping close under cover, it is recorded that Colonel Downing — a man of unusual height and girth — stood in the centre of the bullet- swept zone, quietly twirling his stick. The sight of his fearlessness must have been an inspiration to his men. The crossing of the neck had occupied a good deal of time, and it was close on 3 p. Few of the men had slept during the night, since excite- ment and the discomfort caused by their closely - packed quarters on board the fleet 1. THE TENTH (IRISH) DIVISION sweepers had combined to keep them awake. Their one desire was to come to close quarters with the enemy on their immediate front, but he was invisible. The three leading battalions (6th Inniskilling Fusiliers, 5th Royal Irish Fusiliers and 7th Dublins) crossed the dry bed of the Azmak Dere, and began to turn southward towards Chocolate Hill. Up to this point the left flank of the movement had been protected by the troops of the nth Division, who were advancing in the direction of Anafarta, but every yard gained to the southward tended to throw this flank more and more into the air. Round white balls of shrapnel were continually forming overhead, and out of the dense bushes rifle bullets came whizzing past the men's heads. Now and then a Turkish sniper was caught, sometimes festooned in boughs to enable him to escape notice ; but the casualties caused by snipers were not so serious on the first day as they became later. The heaviest losses were caused by the artillery, for near the sea the scrub was thinner, and the long lines of men slowly advancing were plainly visible to the enemy's observers on the surround- ing hills. Occasionally too, a Taube buzzed overhead, making its observations with com- parative impunity, since except on the ships, there were no anti- aircraft guns. It was unpleasant work, particularly for officers, since little or nothing was known, either of the country or of the strength of dispositions of the enemy, and at any moment a platoon might have found itself confronted by a heavy counter- attack launched from the depths of the scrub, or enfiladed by hidden machine guns. Also, it proved a good deal harder to keep in touch with other units than it had in training days at the Curragh or in the Phoenix Park. The danger of pushing on too fast and finding oneself isolated was no imaginary one, 1. THE TENTH (IRISH) DIVISION but was alarmingly illustrated by the disaster which befell the ist/5th Norfolks four days later. Nor did the tropical heat, which wore out and exhausted the men, help to quicken the movement. All these considerations combined with the pressure exercised by the enemy on the left flank of the Royal Irish Fusiliers tended to make the advance slow. The 5th Royal Irish Fusiliers were on the left, having ^' A .
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2016
Categories |