THE THIRD BRIGADE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3201, 21 July 1915, Page 9

THE THIRD BRIGADE.

AUSTRALIA’S SOLDIERS AT GALLIPOLI. BRIGADIER’S FINAL ORDERS. “ AT ALL COSTS.” (By Captain C. E. W. Bean, official press correspondent with tho Australian Expeditionary Force.) Copyright.—New Zealand right secured by the Otago Daily Times and Otago Witness. GALLIPOLI, May 9. Before tho 3rd Brigade sailed from Lemnos on the short voyage from which it emerged famous, tho brigadier—Colonel Sinclair Maclagan—gave the soldiers his final instructions and advice. Those last instructions are of the utmost interest today, and are likely to become historical. The address was as follows: “All ranks of the Bth, 10th, 11th, and 12th Battalionsl had hoped to have been able to see the battalions of my brigade personally, and to put these few matters before you. Circumstances have prevented this since, ■ I am asking your commanding officer to read to you this letter. It is necessary that you should understand that we are about to carry on a most difficult operation—namely, landing on an enemy’s coast in the face of opposition. Such an operation requires complete harmony of working between the navy and army, unhesitating and immediate compliance with all orders and instructions. You have been selected by the divisional commander as the covering force—a high honour which we all must do our best to justify. Whatever footing we get on land must be hold on to and improved by pushing on to our objective, the covering position, which we must got to as rapidly as possible, and which once obtained must be held at all costs, and even to the last man. In an operation of this kind there is no going back. We shall be reinforced as rapidly as the navy can land troops; and meantime * forward ’ is the word until on our position, when ‘hang on’ is what we have to do until sufficient troops and guns are landed to enable us to push on. USE THE BAYONET. “We must bo careful not to give the enemy a chance of any kind—no smoking or lights or noise from midnight onwards till after daylight. Take every chance ot reorganising; under cover jf possible. You will probably have to drop your packs, but carry tools forward as far as you can —it may mean the saving of many lives later in the day. Until broad daylight the bayonet is your -weapon, and when you charge do so in as good a line as possible; one or two good pieces of bayonet work may stand us all in good stead later on. Every man must keep his eyes skinned, and help his officers and non-coms, to the utmost by reporting quietly things quickly seen. After taking a charge out shut the cartridge pocket. Once ashore, don’t be caught without a charge in the magazine. Look after each cartridge as if it were a £lO note. Good fire orders, direction, control, and discipline will make the enemy respect your powers, and give us all an easier task in the long run. Wild firing only encourages the enemy. Keep your food and water very carefully —we don’t know when we shall got any more. Don’t show yourself over the skyline and give your position away if you can avoid it. PART OF THE GAME. “We must expect to be shelled when in our position, but remember that this is part of the game of war. One thing I want you all to remember through this campaign work is this, and it is most important : you may get orders to do something which appears in your positions to be the wrong thing to do, and perhaps a mad enterprise. Do not cavil at it, but carry it out with absolute faith in your leaders, because after all wo are a very small piece on tho board. Some pieces have often to be sacrificed to win the game, and, after all, it is to win the game that wo are here. You have ouilt up a very good reputation for yourselves, and now have a chance of making history for Australia, and a name for the Australian Brigade—the 3rd Brigade—that will live in history. I havo absolute faith in you, and believe few, if any, finer brigades have ever been put to the teat. —(Signed) E. Sinclair Maclagan, commanding 3rd Infantry Brigade.” THE BRIGADE AT WORK. Tho 3rd Brigade carried out those instructions almost to the letter. They went up those hills with tho bayonet until daylight, and after. They made their attacks with a swiftness which probably no infantry in the world ever surpassed. They reorganised, where possible, even though it might only bo under a private soldier or a corporal. They always kept an eye on their flanks, and this was what enabled their scattered parties to maintain an unbroken line, and have it established in time for the heavy attacks later in the day. They sent back lucid reports, which enabled their commander to know where to put in the other troops as they came up. They had to drop their packs, but a good proportion of them clung to their food and water, sufficient to tide them over until supplies came up. They followed their officers as soldiers have seldom followed them before, and when their officers were killed and wounded they followed any commander that was nearest them. PRAISE FOR THE NON-COMS. I havo hoard it pointed out as one of tho most remarkable qualities in the Australian and Now Zealand troops that during the first three days in their trenches many of the men lining those trenches were a quarter of a mile away from tho nearest officer, and wore taking their commands from some corporal or sergeant, who rose to the situation and took control, with complete confidence. of yards of trenches. Many of the men m the trenches during these critical clays never saw an officer. There wore n»t officers enough to go round, but the subordinate commanders did not hesitate to take control, and did so with wonderful capacity