GALLIPOLI.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 January 1920, Page 3

GALLIPOLI.

THE NEW ZEALANDERS' PART.

THE OFFICIAL HISTORY,

The first volume of "The Official History of New Zealand's Effort in the Great War" has been published by Messrs. Whitconibe and Tombs, on behalf of the Government. It is entitled •The New Zealanders at Gallipoli," and written by Major F. Waite, D.5.0., who himself served at Gallipoli. The work is beautifully produced, the highest grade of paper being used throughout and the illustrations, mostly all taken by the men who fought on Gallipoli, as numerous as they an excellent. The author is to be warmly congratulated upon his work, which is in every way worthy of his great theme. He writes in clear and concise terms, and affects no literary flourishes. The narrative, however, is not without its purple patches, and will be read with interest, not untouched by emotion, by future generations of New Zealandcrs. A3 a contribution to the history of the fighting on Gallipoli it must take an important place, affording one a much better and clearer connected account of the operations there than the many books that have already been written on the campaign.

CRUX OF THE CAMPAIGN.

The "story"' is prefaced by forewords from Sir James Allen, General Sir lan Hamilton, and that popular figure, General Sir William Birdwood. One is tempted to quote freely from their statements, and also frpm the narrative. We must reproduce this quotation from Sir lan Hamilton's remarks, because it deals with the crux of the campaign and the heroic part taken by that splendid citizen soldier and patriot, the late Colonel W. G. Malone, of ou. own province:—

On August G, took place the groat attack on. Sari Bair. To the New Zealand Mounted Rifles (Brigadier-General fell the honor of covering the assault, and the Kcw Zealand Infantry Brigade (Brigadier-Ger.eral Earl Johnston) formed the right assaulting column. During the four days' desperate fighting, which included night marches through the worst country ima-- ■*.''?. steep, scrub-covered spurs, sheer el: lis and narrow winding ravines, these two brigades and the Maoris wrosiod from a brave and numerous enemy the footing on the Ridge which they held till the bitter end.

Brilliant leadership was shown by Lieut.-Colonel A. Bauchop, commanding the Otago Mounted Rifips: and Lieut.Colonel W. G. Malone, Wellington Battalion, during this battle, wherein Corporal Bassett, of the Divisional Signal Company, won a well-earned V.c. I lay a very special stress on the deeds of Bauchop and Malone. These two heroes were killed whilst leading their men with absolute contempt of danger— Bauchop after having captured what was afterwards known as Bauchop's Hill, and Malone on the very summit of Chunuk Bair. Both Bauchop and Malone were soldiers ot great mark and. above, all, fearless leaders of men. Where so many, living longer, have achieved distinction, it is quite necessary that New Zealand should hear the names of these two gallant soldiers in tender remembrance. A,TRIBUTE TO RUSSELL.

Of the New Zealander3 who survived, Russell was beyond doabt the ing personality on the Peninsula. Steady as a rock, with a clear hand and a firm character, he belongs to the type of soldier who will shoulder responsibility, and never leave either his men or his commander in the lurch.

Chaytor, who was Assistant-Adjutant-Geaeral, did excellently well also, though, through- being wounded, he did not have full time to develop merits which afterwards became so conspicuous in Palestine.

The losses incurred by the brigades from this terrible and prolonged fighting for the key to the Narrows of the Dardanelles, were cruel. On September 21 and 22, Russell had further victorious righting when he and General Cox took Kaiajik Aghala; soon afterwards the brigades were sent down to Mudros to rest and to recruit. Reinforcements arrived in due course, and, in a shorter time than would have seemed possible, the formations were ready again and keen as ever to go on. But meanwhile, in October, events had occurred which put an end to the forward fighting and extinguished the Dardanelles enterprise.

THE GALLANT MALONE. Sir William Bird wood also pays a -noving tribute to the splendid soldierly qualities o£ Colonels Malone and Bauchop:— One of the most difficult points which we had to hold was known as Quimi's Post. The Turkish trenches there were certainly not more than ten. yards from our own, and it can easily be imagined how the battle raged furiously between the two systems. The gallant Quimi, after whom the post was named, had been killed, and, later on, the Australians were replaced in their turn by the Wellington Battalion under Colonel Malone. This officer at once set himself the task of making his post as perfect and impregnable as he could, and in this task he fully succeeded. I shall never forgot the. real pleasure it gave me when visiting the post from time to time to realise the keenness and energy which Colonel Malone put into his work, and on every visit I found myself leaving it with greater confidence that, com.- what may. Quinn's Post could never be taken by an enemy, however strong. -Shortly after this, Colonel Malone was, to my deep regret, and to that, I know, of his many comrades, killed while leading his battalion, most; gallantly in the main attack on Sari Bair on -August 8. A thorough and keen soldier, his loss'was great to "the whole force, and I personally felt I had lost not, only an excellent officer, but a really true friend. The other officer to whom T cannot refrain from making especial reference, was Colonel Bauehop. of the Otago Mounted Rifles; a more gallant and cheerier gentleman never lived. Always full of high spirits and courage—ready t 0 undwtike any enterprise, and re-

fusing to acknowledge difficulties, lie was just the type of man wanted to ensure the maintenance of high morale in such a campaign as we were carrying out at Gallipoli. For a very long time Colonel Banchop held command of our extreme semi-detached outposts, and I know how proud he was of the great game of war in which he played so prominent a part. Perfectly fearless, he came through the fighting unscratched until August S, when he was killed at the head of his regiment, leading it in a gallant charge on the extreme left of our old position. Surely it would be impossible for any commander not to be devoted to such men as these! What seemed to me as one of the best features of our fighting at Gallipoli was the mutual confidence and esteem which it engendered between the New Zealand and the Australian soldiers. Before tlr' chey had had little opportunities oi .aiowing each other. Going round, as I did, the trenches of all, ,t was to me a constant source of satisfaction and delight to find New Zealandcrs and Australians confiding in me the highly favorable opinion which, apparently to their surprise, they had formed of each other! May such a feeling continue for all time, to the great advantage of the British race in the Southern Seas. '"■'■ THE LANDING AT ANZAC.

•'.'The author deals with the concentration of the New Zealandore in the Dominion, the voyage to Egypt, the training of- the men there, the fighting with the Turks at the Suez Canal, the rendezvous at Mudros, and the historic landing at Anzac. Let him speak (he was himself in one of the first lot of! boats): —

. . . Shells plopped in the water all round as tows set a course for the beach. Boat after boat of wounded passed us going hack to the transports they had left only a few hours before. They waved their blood-stained arms and cheered with feeble cheers. The encouragement was certainly welcome. We were now well within range. Rifle and shrapnel fire was whipping tiie water round the boats. About GOO yards from the shore the barges were cast loose, and each, with ft naval rating as coxswain, pulled vigorously for the beach. Casualties were frequent. As the boats grounded, the men tumbled out; many were hit in the water and were drowned. A major, jumping from the bows—the water was about iri feet deep—was hit in the knee. .!:< :.II into the surf, but was hauled c. ';oard again, and the picket boat to woo him back _to the transport he had just left. The survivors fell in and adjusted (heir heavy equipment under the protection of the sandy cliff.

HOLDING QUINN'S POST. In Chapter VIII. is given a stirring account of the splendid work done by the New Zealand Engineers at that famous ' point—the apex of the outer line—Qainn's Post {Colonel Malone's special charge). '•Holding Quinn's meant holding Ansae," 'and no labor was too great to be expended on it. Major Waite tells of men in the bomb factory, having completed a long day's work, turning cheerfully to work again when it became known that '•Quinn's was short of bombs.'' "It was pathetic," he writes,

to see these hard-swearing Australian and New Zealand sappers nodding their heads and dropping off to sleep, with a detonator in one hand and a fuse in (lie other, only to wake with a start, and, in the small hours of the niornin.g, carry the product of their toil up to their beloved Quinn's—a journey of over a mile in the dark with a box fo high explosives." As to the specially fine work put in by the miners and tunnellers, who, when it was feared that the enemy would commence mining the hillside on Monash Gully, stuck at their job night and day till a, counter-mining system was established, Major Waite writes:

All through the colonial armies were miners and tunnellers—these men from Broken Hill. Coolgardie, Waihi. Westport, and other places where coal and gold are won. were formed into companies under experienced oiiieers, and in b large measure the strenuous labor of these improvised units at Courtney's, Quinn's and Pope's saved Anzac to the British. Right through the twenty-four hours the miners sweated at the fun-nel-face, interested in only one thing: how far the man just relieved had driven in his last shift. There was no talk of limiting the output or of striking in Ar.zac, for here there was a great eommuni.ty of interest—each one was prepared to labor, and, if needs be, to sacrifice himself in the interests of the common weal.

THE BATTLE OF KRITHIA. The author tells the story of the Battle of Krithia, for which a strong force of New Zealanders was detailed. Coming from the cramped confines of Anzac, the New Zealanders marvelled to see French officers in blue and red riding up and doXrw the road, and motor cyclists dashing about with signal messages. Poor Anzac could not boast of a road on which to run even a bicycle! The men wore also much interested in the. first, sight of the French 7o's. Of the actual fighting that ensued Major Waite says:

On the morning of May 8, t-lio New Zealand Brigade was ordered to the support, of the iJiltli Division. We were to go through the RStli Brigade, and v.'it.li the 87th Brigade on our left, renew the attaek on Krithia at, lll.'iO a.m. The advance was made in a succession of waves; the Wellingtons were on the left, the Auckland* in the eenire, ami the, Canterbury's on the right; the Olago Battalion was in reserve. After an intense bombardment by onr ship's guns anil field urt.illevv, the brigade advar.eed from the reserve trenches a'i ]().:'.() a.m. Tlie grniDid was broken, and this hindered the pace. Many were bint wim might have been saved if this advance bad been made before daylight. The troops pressed on despite the casualties. When the officers ordered a brent her, the tired nipiii fell down flat right out in the open. Past the Hants' trenches and the F.ssex trench they went steadily forward until they eame'to a big front-line trench held by "the 2!tth Division. From here it was about, SOO yards to the enemy main line trench, but scattered in front of his line, in every depression and behind every clump of bush, were machine guns and hosts of enemy snipers. THE DAISY PATCH.

From ;his front-line trench ihe Regulars had advanced the day before, but tad. bean dsivsr- bwJc. t)>»

word was passed along that the New Zealanders would prepare to- charge. When some Munsters and Esses saw the preparations, they shouted, "You're not going to charge across the daisy patch, are you?' "Of eourse we are," the Aucklanders answered. "God help you," they said, and watched with admiration as the New Zealanders flung themselves over the top. The converging machine-gun fire from the clumps of fir trees swept the ground like a hose. This fam'ous "daisy patch" was situated just to the left of a dry creek-bed running from near the village of Krithia. down the centre of the Peninsula towards the Cape—a piece of ground about 100 yards across, absolutely devoid of cover; apparently it had once been sown with some crop, but was now overgrown with the common red poppy of the field and countless longstemmed daisies comparable to the dog daisy of England and New Zealand. The ba.nk of the creek afforded good cover, and the Turkish snipers took full toll of our men.

The troops had hardly got a quarter of the way across the patch when there burst' a further terrific storm of machinegun and rifle fire. Heavily laden with entrenching tools and equipment, the troops were exhausted and could go no farther. By 3 p.m. the thin line -was digging itself in. Canterbury had advanced about 250 yards, Auckland had two companies about the same distance, but the right company had fallen back owing to heavy cross machine-gun fire from a clump of fir trees. Wellington had made good about 300 yards, but were under very lie.ay fire from a Turkish trench on our left front. Two companies of the Otago Regiment were sent in to help Auckland, who had lost heavily and were somewhat shakem

A squadron of armored cars advanced in fine style up the Krithia road, but a few Turkish trenches dug across the road damped their ardour, and they disconsolately returned to the rear. A WITHERING FIRE. , All that afternoon our men hung on under a withering fire. The wounded lying out in the open were hit again and again. Away on the right, the French could be seen pressing vigorously forward towards the crest, but were ever beaten 'back, TJmes without number they surged forward, but could not hold the ground so hardly won. Again and again that awful afternoon did the British, French, Indian, and Colonial soldiers hurl themselves forward towards the Turk. But the enemy machine guns were not to be denied; from end to end of the' line the attack undoubtedly held up. It was resolved to make,one final effort before nightfall. The remaining two companies of the Otago Battalion were pushed up to support Wellington's right and Auckland's left, and a newly arrived draft of New Zealand Reinforcements was moved up into reserve. At 5 p.m., every available gun ashore and afloat opened on the Turkish lines. Never before had the troops heard such an awesome uproar—the spiteful French 75's vied with the li-in. monsters of the Queen Elizabeth in heaping metal on the Turk. Half an hour later the whole line advanced against the Turkish lines, but it was more than flesh and blond could do to make a permanent advance Everywhere ground was gained, but at a tremendous'price. The thinned-out ranks were not strong enough to hold what had been gained. This effort had spent itself before 7 p.m. 'Die Canterbury.? had gone forward some 400 yards. The Auckland went well ahead, but lost very heavily in officers. They fell back almost to their original line. Wellington made a substantial advance, but were hold np by the enemy machine, guns, which before had proved troublesome. These guns were difficult to get at, as a deep nullah lay between these guns and the New Zealandcrs, and could only be assaulted by the STUi Brigade. "Away on the left a fire broke out. among' the gorse and scrub. The Sikh wounded fared very badly in the flames. After dark it was found that the Canterbury* were in direct touch with the 2nd Australian Brigade on the right. Canterbury's left was not in touch with anyone, but a second line s„ome distance to'ihe roar filled the gap. Our line from Wellington's right was also not in touch, but was protected by trenches of the 87th Brigade echeloned in rear.

HEAVY CASUALTIES. During the night the position gained was consolidated. The -Auckland Battalion was much disorganised and split up, so was withdrawn to the reserve trenches. The casualties had been very heavy. Large numbers of wounded had to spend the night'on the battlefield, as their evacuation was difficult. At 3.53 p.m. on May 9, an order was received to take over the section from our left to the Krithia Nullah. The. 87ih Brigade was to go into support, the line beiii.g held by the Wellingtons, Otagos, and Canterburys. Part of the SStli Brigade was also retired. The marksmen of the Canterbury's took the enemy snipers by surprise, and established a moral superiority over them. Then the New Zealanders were relieved by units of the' East Lancashire Division, recently arrived from Egypt. Sir lan Hamilton paid this tribute to the New Zealanders for their valiant work: — .

"Mny I, speaking nut of a full heart, bo permitted to say how gloriously the Australians and Now Zealanders have upheld the finest, traditions of our raw during this struggle still in progress; at first with audacity and dash, since then with sleepless valor and untiring resource. They have already created for their countries an imperishable record of military virtue."

Specking of the armistice, after the vain attempt, of the Turks to drive the Anzacs into the sea, the author says:—

The burying parties struggled up the areasy clay tracks, marched out with their'shovels and their stretchers, and the day's work began in earnest. And what. ii. work! In some sector* the dead lav in heaps, hi one area of about an acre, three hundred bodies were tal-lied-mostlv Turks. "They arc 'lying uist as thick as sheep in a yard," siud a liawke's Bay boy in the demarcation party. It was soon realised that proper burials were out of the question, and that it was impossible to carry the enemy's dead to the centre line. A mutual agreement was made to cover up friend and foe, the Turk on his side and we on ours. So the Anzac dead in the Turkish area were not identified by us; these are the men who eventually were described as ''Missing, believed killed" hv the Court of Enquiry.

THt: CAI'TURF. OF CTrT'NT'K HAIR.

The biggest event, one that was planned to be doai'ive oi the campaign, was

the grand assault on the Turkish defence system by the Anzacs, helped by an attack in force at Cape Helles and a new landing at Suvla Bay by the 9th Army Corps. Chunuk Bair was the- objective of the right column under Bri-gadier-General F. E. Johnston. After a hard day's fighting, At 4.15 in the grey of the morning, the Wellington Infantry and the 7th Gloucester, led by Lieut.-Colonel Malone, commenced the desperate struggle for Chunuk Bair. So far as the New Zealanders are concerned, August S, 1915, was the blackest day on the JVninsula. But the prize was the strategical key to the Gallipoli Peninsula. Win the and we should win the Narrows. 'Open the Narrows to the Navy, and Constantinople was ours! Surely a prize worth fighting for. So from the scanty trenches on Rhododendron Spur leapt the Wellingtons and the 7th Gloucesters.

_ By their dash and audacity the crestline was soon gained. We now had a footing on the ridge, and to cling to that foothold and extend from it was now the pressing need. The Wellingtons and Gloucesters started to dig in, but the enemy evidently made up his mind to cut the New Zealanders off. A body of snipers picked off all the machine gun crews. Vhen Malone's battalion was seen marching along the skyline four machine guns were pushed up to him. These guns never came back. When half way up the ridge a veritable hail of lead burst round them, and they were so badly damaged that only one gun could be reconstructed from the remnants of the four; but it got into position and did good service until the whole of the gun crew were killed or wounded.

Two machine guns thai were to support the right flank of the attackers from the Apex were pushed forward on the slope to avoid being- silhouetted against the crest line. The Turkish snipers now concentrated on these guns. Soqni all the personnel were killed orwounded. A Maori machine gun close by lost their officer killed and had nine other casualties, but a few men foucrht their gun all day without a murmur. This was the only machine gun left in action on this (lank.

The devoted party on the crest was assailed with every variety of shell, hand grenades and maxims. Time after time, Turks advanced to the attack but were driven oli at the point of the bayonet. The Gloucesters who had lost all their officers now came down the ridge (o the help of the New Zcalanders. They seemed dazed, but instinct and the example of the New Zealanders convinced them that the bayonet was the weapon for the Turk. Time and time again they charged and cleared their front. THE GLORY OF NEW ZEALAND. This toward. Turkish trench became a veritable death trap. Not far behind it was another line that resolved itself into our real line of resistance. But some ardent spirits of the Auckland-, Otagos and Wellingtons decide!? to stick to their forward line. No one —except the dozen badly-wounded survivors—can conceive the horrors of that awful front line trench. Jt was practically dark when they arrived in the early hours of the morning. When dayligh' •tame it proved to be a fatal position About ten. or fifteen yards to their front the groun'd sloped rapidly away into a valley until again it revealed itself about six hundred yards away. iVJien it was light this far away hill was seen to be occupied by about, a battalion of Turks—a battalion'advancing to attack this forward trench of Clnmuk! A few long range shots were all that could be fired. Then came the long wait while the attackers crossed the gully. To the waiting New Zealandcrs—the New Zealand infantrymen who had penetrated furthest into Turkey—the minutes seemed hours. But a shower of hand grenades announced the beginning of the end. From the dead ground in the front came bombs and more bombs. Away from the left 'came the Turkish "shrapnel. To tire at all, our men had to stand up in the trench and expose themselves almost bodily In viqjv. One by one they died mi Clmntik, until after a few hour.-' desperate struggle against overwhelming forces the only New Zealandcrs left alive were a dozen severely wounded. But not for a long time did the first Turk dare show his head. Then into (be trench several crept with their bayonets to kill the wounded. . Fortunately :i Turkish sergeant arrived and saved the lives of the wounded, who were carried off to tiie German dressing stations hehind Hill Q. In all the history of the Gallip'oH Campaign there is no finer story of fortitude, no finer exhibition of heroism and self-sacrifice, than was shown in this forward trench of Chnnuk on that desperate August morning. Here died some of the noblest characters in the New Zealand Army. August S was a day of tragedy for New Zealand, but no day in our calendar shines with greater glory.

All that day midst the shriek of the Turkish shrapnel, the dull booming of the British naval guns, the incessant rattle of musketry and machine gun lire, that heroic band held on. their faces blackened with dust and sweat, with the smell of the picric acid assailing their nostrils, with their tongues parched for the lack of water, up there in the blazing heat of the August sun those gallant souls held on. BASSETT WINS THE V.C.

The Auckland Mounted Rifles and the Maoris arrived at Rhododendron about ■*i a.m. and were ordered to tlie firing line aliout 11 o'clock. The Aucklanders went out to help Colonel Malone on the ] iclcco. On came this Turks again. The line of infantry and" mounted* drove (hem hack at the point of the bayonet. A portion of Cliumik Biiir was undoubtedly ours, but at what a cost! Many of the finest young men of the Dominion lay dead upon the crest. Colonel Malone himself, one of the striking characters in the Nev.- Zealand army, was killed as he was marking out the trench line.

It was during this struggle for Chunuk Bair that Corporal Bassett of the Divisional Headquarters undertook to carry the telephone line up on to the ridge and gained the first V.C. for New Zealand. In full daylight, with the approach swept by rifle and machine gun tire, with the Turkish field artillery from Abdel Rahman mercilessly searching the slopes, Bassett dashed and then crept, then dashed and crept again, up to the forward line on Chunuk. These lines worn cut again and again, but Bassett and his fellow linesmen of the Signals went out day and night to mend the broken wires. No V.C. ,011 the Peninsula was more consistently earned. This was not for one brilliant act of bravery, but for a full week of ceaseless devotion. The Maoris .ere sent over more to the left, and most'gallantly hung on to an almost untenable position in the neigh•borhond of. The Farm. They suforad

grievous losses uncomplainingly. At dusk the Otago Infantry went out to reinforce what was left of the Wellington and Auckland Infantry, the Ti.h Gloucester's, and the Auckland Mounteds. Already the Otagos had suffered terribly, but throughout that awful night of August S all previous experiences .were as nothing. It was a night of agony by thirst, of nerve-wracking bomb explosions, and of bayonet jabs in the dark. In the darkness a little much-needed water was carried out to the thirsty men. Hand grenades, food and reinforcements went out to the batiered trenches; more machine guns were sent—three from the Cheshire Regiment, three from the Wiltshires, and one from the Wellington Mounted Rifles. The Cheshire guns came back, as there was ample without them. This second lot of four guns was never seen again. Still another effort had to be made, for the hold we had on Clmmik had to lie increased. It was the most important capture., so far, in, the whole campaign; but the Suvla army still clung to the low ground at .Suvla, leaving the Australians with their left flank out in the air waiting for the "necessary support to carry them on to victory up the Abdel Rahman. There was no time to lose. The partial success on Chunuk must be exploited. We could not afford to wait on Suvla. (To be Continued.)