LAST HOURS ON GALLIPOLI

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLIX, Issue XLIX, 5 January 1916, Page 3

LAST HOURS ON GALLIPOLI

FURTHER STRIKTXn DF.TAILS.

The following is from the despatch received by the Government concerning tii' withdrawal from. GalHpoii. It is dated Anzac Bay, 19th December :

The bell of some ship across the. water has just struck midnight—just the same clear sound that we used to hear over the watifr at nights, and which always brought with it some distant reminiscence of bells in a country church long remembered.

A bomb flashes at the Keck. The rifle fire seoms to me to increase ever so little opposite Lone Pine, hut it may have been imagination. Beachy has fired one shell. I cannot see the 'flash, so it probably ■went into the sea. The destroyer on the right is firing a few rounds.

A-bomb is fired at the Apex

A bomb at Chatham Post replies. Two bombs at the' Neck are followed by a certain amount cf Turkish firing, exactlv as on other nights. 12.39 a.m.—The moon has been clouded For some time, but it is still so bright that I can read what I am writing.

1 a.m.—A transport is moving in and another stealing, out. It is getting very near to the tune when the withdrawal of the last party from certain portions cf the line will begin. 1.28 a.m.—Bomb on the Apex. 1.29 a.m.—Bomb on the Apex. 1.30 a.m.—Bomb on the Apex. That is evidently the last demonstration of the party*at thei Apex. From this moment the A.pex. the highest point on the ridge in our line, which was won by the Wellington Battalion on Bth August, and held —thonsh. it cost Wellington 712 out'of its 763 men who went into that fight—from this moment the Apex is froe to the enemy. His fire trench there is 59 yards from ours. 1.45 a.m.—Beachv has fired again. The shell burst in the supply depot near Brighton Beach. So he is at his old •rame. That supply depot is the favourite target of .Beachy's shells at night. This is the first night they will find no one there. THE PARTING SHOT.

Two bombs at the Apex. Our men have cone from there a quarter an hour. " These bombs liave just been thrown by the Turks at our empty trenches. ' 1.55 a.m.—There has just steamed silently past us the small warship which I know contains tho commander of our army corps. General Bird wood was ashore at Anzac amongst our men today . They were in splendid heart. It has b?en a splendid time for the men of Anzac lately. All sorts of small luxuries to oat, because messes and stores wanted to get rid of their stocks: ■ •1:57' a.m.— Another ibomb at the Apex. -We had two tunnels out far beneath .the Turkish trenches there, in case of and into thcr-e the Engineers liave-'put what explosives remain with tfhem -The -biggest mine we ever fired before contained less than 5 cwt of expletives. T'his mine of three tons, n we to fire it. should rend the Neck to pieces. . , Jt is an extraordinary- ending to a fine 'piece 'of history. Quinn's —the that the Turks could never take, at ' whatever cost they tried —we have quielly loft in the night. It lies open to Ihem now. -._- 3:2-5 a.m.—The trenches opposite the Neck have at this moment been left. The old Anzac line is now open to the Turks along 'every part. Desultory fire continues exactly as on other nights from far mht to far left. 3.26 a.m.—A great finale. Just now a huge red cloud "rolled' low across the Neck. There was a low rumble. Presently a still larger cloud enrkd '.aw across the further elope of these same ridges, the angry revolving fumes glow ino- orange for an instant, then fading into the iiieht. They were the two mines at the Neck, where our Light Hor.-e once charged. A rattle of rifle_ fire has started from the centre, and it is stfrLedinT quickly to the flanks, growing steadilv "into, a roar. The Turks evidently" think they are being attacked, and have-' started firing all along the luwb. -"" , . , , ± .. 3.25 a.m.—Firing is heavy right to tlie extreme southern end of the line. A mtessage has been received to say that {Hg Anzac wireless station has been closed, and the last party on the left is iasfelvf in the boats. a.m.—Firing is still heavy, and in-ciud>s machine-guns. The Suyla wireloss station is closed also. The Navy msst have timed the embarkations perH a.;m.—The fire at Anzac has almost ceased except fo r the normal sniping by Turks along the whole line : but with the exception of Sniper's Nest I can see no flashus from their rifles, so they must be in their trenches. 4 lam —The tents and stores at Suvla have just begun to burst into flames. The flames are spreading swiftly along the line of the beach. I «"»?«* the torch of the man who is lighting them, going just ahead of the line ol flames. EMBARKATION COMPLETE.

4 15 a.in.—A wireless message has been received that the whole of the embarkation has been completed. : '"*™ l officer next to me turns round and- hotels out his hand. "Thank God/' he says. 6 a.m.—Messages are still coming in. -\.s far as we know only one man. was wounded at-Anzac Ev<<ry man is : believed to be off; 'but in case.-any are left behind through losing their Avay *. couple of naval steamboats 'and. .some, cutters have prone right in -to the be?, eh' nrar the flanks to wait till daylight. If there had been any wounded it was intended to leave about fifty stretcherbearers ashore with two , medical men and the equipment of the two hospitals complete with stores, bbt we hear that all the medical units have now. been brought off. ... V.l- this time ordinary sniping by 'lurks has gone on along the whole line. Our fires are still (burning. A little lamp afc the Neck which shows our destrovers the point beyond which to fire is still glowing—a light on a little tabletop shi'ninsr brightly.. Beachy iis,,still firing occasionally c.n the deserted , depot. Astern of us the black shapes of sliips stand out against the red glare of the Suvla fires reflected- in the sky. Surely that fire must have given our departure away at last. } TURKS' ATTACK ON EMPTY TRENCHES. 7 a.m.-JJay is just breaking. A quarter of an hour ago the Turkish; batteries suddenly opened'a furious Ibombardrikoit on the ridges along which' the old Anzac line runs. The firing was extraordinarily hurried and wild, some shells bursting • low and others very high, six or eight at a time. I have very seldom seen Turks indulge in such fireworks. 7.5 a.m.—Shelling still continues as 'fast, as it can be put in along 1 the empty lines. 7.15 a.m.—Watching . the old Anzac trenches just now through glasses., I saw what T took to be a line of small pine

trees growing over the crest of them. I thought the scenery had somehow strangely changed, when I saw some oi the trees move. alon s the parapet of the trench southwards of Full Point. My pine trees were Turks. . Evidently the Turks had been making an attack." Thev first bomharded our empty line and then charged across ■igainst the silent parapets. They must have attacked from Johnson s Gully, just north of Lone Pine, or from the Jerman officers' trench, or perhaps even from Quinn's, and worked, south. 1 hey ire swarming over our parapets on the skyline, standinc *till for a moment, then swarming further south. 7 20 a.m.—This ship let go two salvos straight into the Turks ,on the skyline, and "thev have quickly disappeared into our trenches. We have now- turned vith the rest of the fleet to 'bombaTd the few remaining heaps of stores on the beach. The valleys are quickly filled with smoke and dust. LE vVINO THE DUST OF CONFLICT. 737 a.m.—Our bombardment ceases, the fleet slowly turns towards-the west, and Anzac, smoking in the dust our own runs have made, is receding behind us. A huge fire is smoking at Suvla. liven now a-Turkish battary is -bombarding a point on the beach where one of our batteries used to be. 745 a m.—A 'message has been received to say that all wounded were brought iff as well as , several more guns than had been intended. 'Only five guns were eft—three Australian and two old howitzers The picket boats which went n to the beach did pick up one or -two * One boat went straight in to Anzac Beach, and steamed about; the : rew calling out, "Is.-anyone .hare?- - Later'—Our casualties in the retneaieiit were two wounded at each place 20th' December.—A German flag has appeared this morning, flying over buvla. ....

WHEN THE BRITISH--LEFT. The"censor released- the [ following etion from the report of the evacuation if Anzac, published on Friday: The 54th British Division .was removed prior to the eventful Sunday, leaving General Godiey's mixed division and the jew Australian Division.-