WAG MEMORIES

Evening Star, Issue 17953, 26 April 1922, Page 7

WAG MEMORIES

THE LAMM AM AFTERWARDS. WITH THE OLD FOURTH COMPANY. OTAGO DIGGER'S RECOLLECTIONS. [Written by W.G.B. for the ‘Star.’] Wo had been just three weeks cooped up on tho old German tramp steamer Annaberg. ,Our rations had boon bullybeef, biscuite, desiccated vegetables, and tea. I shudder when I think of the tea. Only expectation of actually participating in a real battle kept our spirits up. Tho food was so bad that the ship’s crew mutinied. However, the captain of the fihip threatened to put them in irons, and eaia there were plenty of tho soldiers willing to change place? with them, eo far aa the food was concerned. Tho crow were fed on stews, eto., and had vegetables. No wonder we envied them. We guessed and calculated to some tune as to our probable destination, and thought that, whatever the game, we were sure to ho successful, with such a formidable array or warships and transports. Tho climax was reached on the evening of April 24. 1915, when wo were called together in the for’ard hold and addressed' by our commanding officer, Colonel Moore, D.S.O. Ho told us were were going into battle on the morrow, and that our opponents would bo the Turks, who would be worthy focinen. He said that up to the present time he had given us no praisein fact, had rather belittled us. This, however, was in accordance with a. theory of his that such treatment would only make ns show the Muff wo were made of. Ho was quits satisfied that we were unequalled, and that to-morrow we would live up to Ids opinion. Colonel Moore was usually cold and Spartan, but on this occasion his voice betrayed a little emotion. Wo were not allowed to cheer, but I Anil say hero that our colonel was more admired by his men than any other infantry colonel in the Main Body, though ho was discipline personified. That night we spent cleaning gear, talking. and trying to sleep. Before daybreak the Annaberg heaved anchor, and her throbbing engines told us wo were off ior the front. Lemnos behind us, we wore beading for tho Dardanelles. Great excitement prevailed when wo could' hoar the booming of big guns. Wo chugchugged alone- in, the darkness. _ and later, when the day broke —a beautiful sunny day—we could sec a long strip of land nw'av r,o the starboard. As wo got nearer wo could make out a headland, three ißands and a great coastline of tho Asiatic eide. ".V could see, snow on pome mountains —.wav inland, it seemed. Bv this time the booming had grown more intense, and we could make out warshins around what appeared to bn tho month of the Dardanelles, and we could see Cape Holies dotted with little white clouds; shrapnel we were told. Somebody was having a go there, and having such a glorious day for it. mien would our turn come? But we sailed on, past, transports lying at anchor off the coast, past warships and torpedo boats. We would watch a battleship: see a great cloud of smoke and fire (laches; sw the ship rod as though to a mighty blow ; hoar the boom-br-oomb of the broadside, and watch eagerly the line of coast. A black cloud of smoko and dust would show whore the broadside landed on a target, and we would hear the distant cia-sWrash of the explosion ,as if, echoed across tho water. We were all in full marching order, eagerly wasting for our turn. X

may say hew that many of us boys were sick on* the Annaberc;; dysentery was tho worst enemv ; hut tho last' sick parade in sight of the famous Anzac was net patronised as it had- been the day before. Two refractory soldiers who were in irons asked to seo tho c/;lonc!. He hoard their complaint. Thcv hadn’t volnnlcercd to bo left on a troonship; they wanted to fight like the rest. * The colonel let thorn return to their unit;:. Wo dropped aneliov about three miles off Anzac Coro; could sec that sornenung fierce was ahead there. Those cottonwool puffs were like daisies in a meadow in summer. Torpedo boats and pinnaces were rushing about towing huge punts, and all around ns was commotion. The whole sea seemed to bo alive with craft. Wo awaited the next move. _ A r.oa turtle appeared in the sea. alongside, swimming lazily, and was instantly a target {or Major Mitchell’s revolver. However, tho turtle dived, and is still going probably. IIa! At last a destroyer is heading for us. Ho brought up alongside. Tho destroyer's commander bellowed through a megaphone to our ship’s captain : “ (tot any stores aboard!" ‘‘No; only men,” answered our officer. “Well, how many men have you got? Wc want men.”

“ Eight hundred l !” “Well, I'll have 400 now.” We were some of Iho 400 —tho old Fourth Company, mostly Dunedin boys —and this was to he our baptism'-of fire. I felt like “ Excelsior.” This wa;; what I had boon waiting on since school days and tho. reading of Intcliett’s story of Wellington’s men." It was a great hour for us all, and wo swapped confidences; but wc had been well trained in Egypt, and' all meant to give it a. great go. The sailors on the. destroyer were, pumped dry.. “ How’ro we getting on?” “Many killed,” etc. They staled facts as they knew them.

As wo drew inshore a shell-case hit a funnel on the destroyer, and stray bullets wore singing “wee-phut” as they struck tho water. No one was hurt, however,

j and we landed amid a jumble of stores and what appeared to be confusion. Wo were hastily called together, and marched along the beach to the loft. A few dead , Australians in the water, and about fifty | wounded sitting down made our first sight of (ho effects of the battle so far. Wo flatted, took off our valises, and stacked , them. A man from each platoon was de- | tailed to watch these kits. Tho man from i ours felt it very hard indeed, being loft out of the fun. A guide led us up to I some spur, where wo were to act as reinforcements to some New Zealanders holding the top—Aucklanders, I believe they were. The cackle af musketry was in--1 eessniitj and now and then a wounded man (would thread his way down through our 'company. They invariable bore a smile, too.

| An order was passed for the best shot in each section to come up to the head of tho j company. This order created a diversion ; every man was the best shot, so he said. I Then the order was cancelled. I teas a ! company observer, and presently saw .Australians” retiring from the left along the 1 beach. Some "wore running and carrying | wounded men, others would run so far and I lie down ami open fire again. The Turks were following thorn up, and had evidently been reinforced. We were in a lovely position to be enfiladed, and very soon : were given the. order to about turn. We ' were led back on to the beach, along it, . and up the hill directly overlooking Anzao | beach. We wore told to dig in hero, and ■made a gallant attempt with our trench:inn- tools. However, the digging in was ■ for shelter from the shrapnel, which swished overhead to sweep the beach. The shells for tho beach just shaved the ridge wc were on, and at times tore away shrubs and earth.

| Here it was that I gat my first view of 1 General Binhvood (though 1 didn’t know I him. at the time). He was in conversation with our colonel. Both were standI incr up talking us calmly as if they were i at a sham fight, while all around was a ) hurricane of lead. I shall retain that pic- , turo always. General Birdwood is famous, but Die late Colonel Moore was my ideal of a British officer.

We shifted our position again before nio-ht fell, and we were now in a position to see practically the whole of the fighting area from the left centre to the extreme right. The enemy directly in front of us was 900yds away, but the Australians and other Hew Zealand troops were making famous Pope’s, Quinn’s, and Courteney si , Posts, right up against them. I have not S words to describe that first night, with its (firing and shohting. “Cease firel" would I ring out above the clatter of rifles. “ Cease

fl ro bo d 1” someone would answer, and the firing would burst out with reDewed vigor. We heard th&t Gevni&n omcars were giving orders in English. Any of our boys who took such orders are not here to tell the results, but many boys wont West that first night. About midnight a man came into our lines smelling rank with blood 1 . Ho had his head bandaged, and ea:d he was weak from the loss of blood from five wounds. He asked for our 0.0., and pleaded with Colonel Moore for an officer to come up to a post which about fifty mixed Australians and New Zealand boys were holding. They wanted an officer, all their own being knocked out. Colonel Moore conferred 1 with a New Zealand staff officer, and Lieutenant Nisbett volunteered to jjo. Tho wounded man (he was of the Taranaki Company) took Lieutenant Nisbett back to tho post. Which post it was I never found out. Wo remained in our position Monday and Tuesday, the 26th and 27th. During that time I witnessed raany_ deaths amongst tho boys directly behind the firing line. Fatigue parties and men going for water, streticher-bearors, aarwi tlxo like .all fell victims to tho deadly snipers concealed in our lines. We evacuated this position and marched to Walker’s Rridge, by way of Shrapnel Gully, on Wednesday, 28th. Here we had ihe opportunity of seeing Parker, D.C.M., the groat Australian, and his faithful “ Murphy,” the Grecian donkey. Parker deserved more than the D.C.M. Ho earned the V.C. every day till ho was killed, 'Why ho wasn’t killed earlier is a miracle, as ho was shot at plenty of times, and the Turk snipers were uncanny. Parker and his donkey are an evergreen memory to me, and as far aa I know the late Mr Moore-Jones is the only man who tried and lias immortalised Parker in his famous picture. On our way to Walker’s Ridge we lost some men in an engagement with tho enemy. No. 4 Platoon was the first to try conclusions, and got stung. Then No. 2 Platoon was tried out, while tho othora made (heir way up a spur to Walker’s, It was night, and I sat halfway up tho spur waiting on my officer; down below in tho gully I could hear voices of our men and then 111© Turks. They charged to the accompaniment of a bugle band. That tickled me. The bugles were good, had a clear tone; but, the [Algiers—well, they played different coils. It proved too much for No. 2"P’atoon. which soon came up the spur, tho Turks having gained' the night iu that bout anyway. In the.morning wo had last a good few men, but we were dug in safely on Walker’s by morning. Still we were not in the firing line, and wondered when we should got onr chance. It came along Sunday, May 2, and we got in it good and heavy, May 2, 1915. That was the red letter clay in Otago’s history in connection with Anzac. We left Walker's Ridge in the afternoon and led down to the beach. Here we rested, and Genera! Godley met and shook hands with our Major Price. “Good luck, Price,” he said ns he shook hands. Major Price had to give the final word of command in this first attack by tho Otago Battalion. We moved off up Shrapnel Gully. The gully was blocked with tho naval division R.M.L.1., which was going ahead very .slowly. Wo made no progress to speak of, and men were sniped every time wo rounded an “ island ” or bluff. A check to tho Tommies was holding us hack. General Godley came down the gully and said to Major Price; “ You must move up ; you’re late ; push on,” We should have been at Pope’s Post at 7 p.rn, to attack in conjunction with tho Australians. We saw them attack' and take the trenches from the gully. We arrived at tho foot of Pope’s over an hour late. It was nearly dark. General Mcnnrii fumed and raced; hut our colonel had us to lights. Wc. climbed up the cliff with the aid of a rope lined along under the crest. Major Price had his last injunction from Colonel .Moore, and we filed out oven; the top. What happened, after this is iu the ‘ History of Anzac,' but the foregoing is just, about Anzac memories by one who lnt£d? them dear.