To both the main battles at Helles during this month (June 4 and 28) the Anzac corps rendered valuable support. Their task was to retain in position the large Turkish forces which hemmed them round in their triangle of cliff and ravine. By repeated threatenings and attacks they continually remained “a thorn in the side” of the enemy’s defence, always endangering his communications and delaying his reinforcement. The chief share of the service naturally fell to the troops allotted in “shifts” to maintain the apex of the triangle at the farthest end of Monash Gully, the continuation of the main ravine or valley called “Shrapnel.” This position was mainly guarded by Pope’s Hill, throughout commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Harold Pope, 16th Battalion (South and Western Australia), and by Quinn’s, Courtney’s, and Steel’s Posts, stationed at short intervals along the edge of the steep ridge on the right, slightly in advance of “Pope’s.” By the digging of narrow and complicated trenches and subterranean passages, all these points had been converted into small forts; but the proximity of the enemy’s counterworks exposed them to continuous danger; for the lines of trench approached each other in places within 15 yards, and even within five. It was easy to lob bombs and grenades over from one side to the other, and to converse with taunts or ironic compliments in such languages as Colonials and Turks could master in common.
QUINN’S POST AT ANZAC
But perilous as the whole position was, “Quinn’s,” hanging on the summit of its almost precipitous ascent, was regarded as the point of greatest danger and highest honour. Here Major Quinn, 15th (Queensland and Tasmania) Battalion, was killed on May 29 in repelling a violent and almost successful Turkish assault, preceded by a mine explosion, which obliterated part of his carefully dug defences. After this severe loss, the position was commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Malone, Wellington (New Zealand) Battalion, for a little over two months, until he fell in the great assault upon Sari Bair in August. Though not a professional soldier, being a solicitor in civil life, he was, none the less, an Irish officer of the finest type. Never tired of impressing upon myself and other friends the true and serviceable paradox that “the whole art of war lies in the exercise of the domestic virtues,” he maintained his exposed position by the unflinching practice of the cleanliness, punctuality, courage, and humorous endurance of perpetual provocation in which the domestic virtues consist.
From this Post a sortie was made on the night of June 4 to destroy an enemy’s trench close in front. The trench was taken, but the small party was bombed out of it in the early morning. Next night a somewhat larger party (100 men and 2 officers, 1st Australian Infantry Brigade) assaulted the strong position to the right from Quinn’s, known as “German Officers’ Trenches” from the appearance of German officers there during the armistice. Here a special party of ten men, under Lieutenant E. E. L. Lloyd, 1st Battalion (New South Wales), was told off to destroy a dangerous machine-gun. It was a difficult task, for, like most Turkish trenches in this quarter, the trench was protected by heavy overhead beams. But one of the ten discharged a few rounds into the gun through holes at 5-foot range, and the remainder of the sortie party destroyed some of the trench. These sorties cost 116 casualties—a heavy loss in proportion to the numbers engaged; but the Turkish loss was reported considerably greater.
JUNE 29 AT ANZAC
Fighting of some sort was continuous day and night along that ridge of Posts. Bombs, rifles, machine-guns, and artillery were incessantly at work. At night especially the Turks would sometimes be seized with a kind of frenzy, and pour out streams of bullets, most of which went wailing and whining overhead to fall in showers upon the sea. But on the 29th they made another genuine night attack under orders from Enver, who again called upon them to chase the Infidel from the soil of Islam. It was further provoked by a sortie the previous afternoon from the southern end of the Anzac position. About half a battalion of Queenslanders (1st Australian Light Horse Brigade, of course unmounted) and some of the Queensland Infantry (9th Battalion, 3rd Australian Brigade), led by Lieut.-Colonel H. Harris, rushed from the trenches near the so-called “Wheat Field,” where the farthest Anzac ridge falls gradually towards the coast, and dashed upon a strongly held Turkish position opposite. The object seems to have been to divert Turkish reinforcements making for Krithia, and in this the movement was successful. Large numbers of Turks were seen coming up from Eski Keui, supposing the Australian outburst to be a serious assault, and when they were entangled in the scrub and gullies, exposed to various fire from Anzac and from destroyers close off shore, the Queenslanders withdrew.
Next day was fairly quiet until afternoon, when the Turks were seized by one of the frenzies above mentioned. It died away, but at midnight, after various feints, they made a violent assault up the Nek, or apex of the triangle. It began with heavy firing for an hour and a half, and then in the moonlight swarms of Turks were seen trotting forward across the narrow Nek against our trenches, hardly more than 100 yards away, and shouting “Allah! Allah!” as their religious manner was. They were Nizam troops—18th Regiment, 6th Division—fresh arrivals from Asia. As they came on, they encountered an overwhelming fire from the New Zealand Mounted Rifle Brigade (Brigadier-General Russell, one of the most distinguished of N.Z. officers), together with some South Australian Light Horse under Brigadier-General F. G. Hughes, destined to win still higher reputation upon the same scene. These were stationed on Russell Top, commanding the Nek and the complicated Turkish position known as the Chessboard, close beyond it. Three times the Turks ran forward, but rifles and machine-guns shattered them as they came, and the shadowy forms ceased to move. Others tried to work round the Nek on each side, down Monash Gully on their left, and by the precipitous front of Walker’s Ridge on their right. Both attempts failed. Few survived. Next morning the Nek and defiles were littered with the dead. At least 600 were counted. It was the last Turkish attack upon the heights of Anzac.[135]
GENERAL GOURAUD WOUNDED
So the midsummer month drew to an end. There was a sense of victory in the air. Officers and men grew elated by confidence in superiority. All felt the Turks were beaten, if only Helles and Anzac could maintain the pressure. Drafts came dribbling in, a hundred or so at a time. But, though nominally in sufficient numbers to fill up the gaps reported when they left England or Egypt, they arrived only to find the gaps had meantime increased, and their numbers never filled them. Since the landing, two Divisions (Territorials) had now arrived. Three more (New Army or “Kitchener’s”) had been promised, but were delayed for another month, and few soldiers can retain the elation of victory at high pitch through weeks of inaction. “You cannot bottle up enthusiasm for future use, as you do pickled herrings,” said Goethe. Guns were short; ammunition was worse than short; the lack of it was perilous; trench-mortars and hand-grenades hardly existed. Heat, dust, flies, want of water, and the restriction of large forces to narrow limits of ground increased sickness and wastage in the trenches and dug-outs of both Helles and Anzac landings. On the whole, the French retained health and vigour best, their rations being less monotonous, and themselves more fastidious in cookery. But on the last day of the month the French, and, indeed, the whole army, suffered an almost irreparable blow. General Gouraud, commanding the French Army Corps, was visiting the wounded on V Beach when an 8-inch shell from Asia burst within six yards. As though by miracle, the fragments missed him, but the explosive force flung him over a six-foot wall and into a fig tree, which perhaps lessened the shock. His thigh, ankle, and arm were broken, and he was compelled to surrender the command, though ultimately he recovered, and won further fame at Châlons and in command at Rheims. General Bailloud, that volatile and high-spirited veteran, succeeded to the command till he was transferred to Salonika in October, and was succeeded by General Brulard, of the 1st Division.
Upon the Russian front, of which the Dardanelles should always have been regarded as an essential strategic part, the course of war continued disastrous for the Allies. As noticed above, Przemysl was retaken by German-Austrian armies on June 3. The fall of Lemberg followed on June 22; nearly the whole of Galicia was reoccupied; Warsaw was threatened; and at various points, north and south, the Russian frontier was crossed. So far as Turkey was concerned, the Russian armies were withdrawn from the war, and Sir Ian’s mixed and mainly inexperienced forces, insufficient in numbers, ill supplied with guns, worse supplied with ammunition, dependent upon long and hazardous communications, were left to confront the full strength of the Turkish Empire alone.[136]