August 6, 2025 • 35 mins
19 - November 1-25, 1915.
Gallipoli Diary, by John Graham Gillam.
Even during the horrors of the brutalizing industrialised slaughter of the First World War the Gallipoli campaign stands as a benchmark for the awful conditions and savage fighting that occurred. The narrow strips of land that the British, Australian, New Zealand and other Dominion troops tried to wrest from the dogged Turkish defenders was under constant shellfire and every item had to be dragged to the frontline under this hellish barrage. Captain (as at the time) Gillam was part of the supply service who risked their lives to get, food, clothing and ammunition up to the troops in the front-line. Gillam gives a clear, concise account not only of the dangers that he faced, but also the men that he served so ably in the front-line.
Gallipoli Diary, by John Graham Gillam.
Even during the horrors of the brutalizing industrialised slaughter of the First World War the Gallipoli campaign stands as a benchmark for the awful conditions and savage fighting that occurred. The narrow strips of land that the British, Australian, New Zealand and other Dominion troops tried to wrest from the dogged Turkish defenders was under constant shellfire and every item had to be dragged to the frontline under this hellish barrage. Captain (as at the time) Gillam was part of the supply service who risked their lives to get, food, clothing and ammunition up to the troops in the front-line. Gillam gives a clear, concise account not only of the dangers that he faced, but also the men that he served so ably in the front-line.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Section nineteen of Gallipoli Diary. This is a LibriVox recording.
All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
by Sue Anderson. Gallipoli Diary by John Graham Gillum, Section
(00:21):
nineteen November first to twenty fifth, nineteen fifteen. November first,
last night was very rough and several lighters were wrecked
on the beach. We also lost to a destroyer which
ran on the rocks just off West Beach. No loss
of life. A cool summer day again and no shelling
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from the Turks. This morning. Flies not quite so bad,
but still a plague. They have become persistent, fat sleepy ones.
Now no shelling from the Turks at all, and our
artillery hardly fiery shot. November second, a few shells only
this morning. A beautiful summer day, but flies badly worrying.
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A battery has been put on the road just by
the rise before eightieth Brigade headquarters. Destroyer which ran on
the rocks yesterday, still in the same position. November third,
after breakfast, having arranged for a visit round the trenches
with Panton, the Deputy Assistant Director of Medical Services. I
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go up to Division headquarters at the top of our gully.
We start off, accompanied by Lord Howard de Walden, pass
through the eighty eighth Field Ambulance Camp, dip down onto
the Beach Road, and after a short way along, bear
to the right on to Gibraltar Road. Instead of walking
up along the Gibraltar Road, as has been the practice
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of most of us up to now, we bear to
the right through the low wooded country between Gibraltar Road
and Hill ten. We crossed the newly made line of
trenches with barbed wire thickly laid in front, passing a
bombing school on our left. Turkish bullets fired at a
high elevation just reach this point, dropping with spent velocity.
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As we walk through the almond trees just beyond the
guns of the two battleships bang out. Suddenly we hear
the great shells shrieking over our heads and see them
burst with violence over Burnt Hill on our right front.
Passing the almond trees, we make a detour to the left,
arriving in the open space which leads to eighty sixth
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Brigade Headquarters Panton stops here at an advanced dressing station,
and while we wait for him, a few bullets sing overhead,
but there is never much rifle fire in the daytime.
We then dip down into c sea communication trench and
follow its windings to the line. We pass over one
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or two bridges, crossing large drains that have been dug
to drain the trenches. When the wet weather comes, we
are warned by the formation of the irregular hills, nullahs,
and ravines, and the great boulders of stone standing out
of the ground that at some time during the year
rain falls in great quantities. What will our trenches be
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like on the low ground when that time does come.
Salt lake on our left, gradually sinking under water, answers
that question. We see shrapnel bursting low over that part
of the line we are making for, and I have
a desire to turn my coat collar up. I always
do when I am near shells. Why, I don't know.
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We arrive at the support trench, in which are the
monsters and Dublin fusiliers. I see a few men clustered
together in the trench at a small entrance leading to
a dugout. One comes out from the dugout and says,
by Jassis, the poor lad's gone. A man had been
hit by shrapnel and had just died. After about twenty minutes,
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we continue on and on arrival at the Essex Regiment,
I inquire where Algie Wood had been hit. I am
taking up a short trench which turns sharply to the left,
coming to an abrupt end at a dugout his dugout.
I inquire how it happened, and am told that he
was leaning up against the back of the trench immediately
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outside his dugout, with his pipe in his mouth, looking
at an aeroplane which was hovering over our line. Suddenly
a bullet strikes him in the throat. He takes his
pipe out of his mouth, makes a gesture of extreme
annoyance with his arm ann mutters the words damn it.
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Then he sinks back in the arms of his Sergeant Major,
who is standing near him, and saying I am finished.
Sergeant Major quietly goes west, struck by a chance bullet
in a comparatively safe place. Cruel, cruel luck. At least
Algae Wood one of the most gallant offices of that
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pick of divisions. The twenty ninth should have been spared. However,
he had the satisfaction of putting up his hard earned
Distinguished Service Order ribbon a week or so ago. We
continue our way along trenches which, instead of running more
or less in regular lines, zigzag in and out in
sharp turns and corners, which face the high hills on
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our left, each corner protected by strong sand bag breastworks.
The reason for this is that these breastworks, placed at
short intervals in that part of the line where we are,
screen us from view of the enemy in his trenches
high up on the ridge of hills which overlook the
sea on our left. Of course, we in our trenches
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up there also can overlook the Turks in the trenches
running through the low Country in their territory, which trenches
also are punctuated at frequent short intervals by breastworks in
consequence of the danger of being seen by Turks on
the hill. Our trenches on the Lowland are very narrow,
and Lord Howard de Walden causes great amusement to some
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Tommy sitting on the fire step by the remark these
trenches were not built for a man with an extra
large tummy. We follow Panton, who is on his round
of inspection of sumps, cesspits, cook houses and the general
sanitation of the trenches. Myriads of flies which precede us
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on our way. When we halt, they all promptly settle
in black patches on the sand bags and sides of trenches.
When we continue our tour, they rising immediately with a
loud buzzing lead the way for us. An inspection of
the cook house of the Newfoundland Regiment is made. It
is built in a small sunken ravine at the back
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of the support line. Panton and Frew. There medical officer
go to the end of the ravine. I wait at
the inn near into to the trench. Anufouldler says to me,
excuse me, sir, but in the place in which you
are standing, our cook was killed yesterday by a sniper
from the hill. I am rude enough to forget to
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thank the man. I simply turn round on my heel,
practically diving into the trench. But I shouted thanks to
him as we left. Five minutes after, after a short
walk along the front line the usual front line, with
men at short intervals on the keen lookout through periscopes,
we return by Decommunication trench. Half an hour's walk we
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passed Gibraltar Hill and so over the Gorse to Gibraltar Road,
arriving at division headquarters on the hill, where I am
given a topping lunch. It is a beautiful summer day
and the Turks are sending over sporting shots at the shipping.
The battleships answer, so the enemy turned their guns on
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to them instead and actually record two hits on the
Prince George, which then maneuvers for a fresh position. Then
they get on to the supply ships again, which have
to clear outside the boom further away from the end
of the promontory. Suddenly, a good shot at long range
gets a supply ship which is loaded with hay, and
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quickly sets it on fire. Our battleships get very angry
at this, but it is some time before they can
silence the Turkish batteries. At sunset, the hay supply ship
is still smoking, but the fire is well under control.
A new officer arrives, named Hunt, a good fellow from Tipperary.
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Good omen, for though we are a long long way
from Tipperary, one from that immortal place has come to
join us. November fourth the ship that was set on
fire yesterday lost practically all the hay in the forward hold. Consequently,
for some time our poor little Indian mules will be
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on half rations. Destroyer has now broken her back and
is a total wreck. Waves breaking over her. Rain is
beginning now. We had a few showers this morning, a
little shelling in the morning, but the afternoon was quiet.
Go up to Brigade headquarters with a new transport officer.
Hunt find conference on so mc laughlin and Morris entertain
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us to tea. Have to make a detour through flat
wooded country getting to and from headquarters on account of
this beastly new battery. Very quiet this afternoon, no shelling
and hardly any rifle fire. Hunt remarked coming back that
it was a nice country walk. Anne reminded him of
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his homestead in Tipperary. He has been at Blackheath for
the last six months, at headquarters at the Rangers Lodge.
Anne left there only three weeks ago, so I like
getting him to talk about Blackheath, which I knew so well.
I have been on this place so long now that
a newcomer has only to mention about riding on a
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tram car or going into a cake shop when I
am held thrilled with interest and pleasure. November fifth, a beautiful,
cool summer day. Shelled at ten this morning for quite
an hour. The destroyer has now completely broken her back
and her stern has disappeared. The Turks discovered the mishap,
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but they could not see that she is a wreck
as she is bows on to the Turkish position. Thinking
therefore that the destroyer was still intact though stuck on
the ground, they attempted to finish her off, and for
three hours shelled her. They only recorded two hits, however,
and it was satisfactory to see old Turk wasting his ammunition.
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To day, another old friend has gone. He is way
the eighty sixth supply officer, who has been here since
April twenty fifth without ever going sick. He felt rather
dicky two days ago and was told to stay in
his dugout, and to day I find he has developed
diphtheria badly. He tries not to go, but a doctor
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soon settles that I shall now feel more lonely than ever,
For we were great pals, and our walks to our
respective headquarters were among the few pleasures that I could
look forward to when casualties occurred at his dump. He
was always there to attend to the wounded, and as
supply officer, the eighty sixth Brigade will miss him. I
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wonder how many of the old twenty ninth are left well.
Way is for Blighty, and good luck to him. But
diphtheria is a nasty illness, and I hope he pulls through.
November sixth, Walker has gone off permanently to hospital with jaundice,
and Hunt and myself are left on our own beautiful
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summer day to day Turk very quiet and hardly any shelling.
Swift chure Back and the Canopus and Prince George busy
shelling Turkish positions. This afternoon, November seventh, another beautiful summer day.
Turk shelled our valley at ten and again at three,
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no damage, though some were uncomfortably close to us. Our
ships and shore batteries fairly busy, monitors busy. At night.
November eighth, a cool, lovely day. Flies are dying rapidly,
the best news to record for a long time. Two
new Army Service Corps officers arrived to join us, named
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Matthews and Elphinstone. Very few shells this morning, but they
come very near our dugout. This time, Cox of the
Essex comes in for a chat, the only original officer
now left of that regiment. I walk back with him
to brigade headquarters and Matthews comes with me. Walking across
the flat space just leading to the eighty six Brigade headquarters,
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I point out to Matthews the lines of light brown
earth running up the slopes of the hill on our
left front, and he hardly believes me when I tell
him one line is Turkish. Like all who newly arrive,
he is surprised at the short walk from the beach
to the line. Our batteries are dusting the Turkish line
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with shrapnel and their batteries are retaliating. They make very
good shooting on both sides. As of course, they have
all the ranges registered to a nicety. We call at
both brigades and have tea at each. Coming away, Matthews
tells me that he is of a retiring disposition and
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that he does not like being thrown suddenly into new society,
and that two tea parties is more than his nerves
can stand more, especially when a general is present at
each November ninth usual visit to Brigade headquarters with hunt
and after inspect the forward reservations At Commander Royal Engineer's dump,
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men busy digging trenches back near beaches. Now another beautiful
cool summer day. Cold at night, Turks busy shelling batteries
and shrapneling trenches. There is only one possible game for
the Turk to play, and he is playing it well.
That is to say, he must keep us at bay
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at all costs. Therein lies his only chance. For once
we can get across the peninsula tomatoes, his game is
up for we cut his main line of communications, so
he shells us continually to keep us occupied. The shelling
is so effective that elaborate dugouts have to be built.
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These are made as strong as possible, the inner walls
being strengthened with sand bags, the roof formed with strong
cross beams on which rest first iron sheets or wire netting,
then two layers of sand bags, then soil. These dugouts
are perfectly secure against shrapnel or high explosive splinters, but
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of course could not stand against a direct hit. But
that would not worry the occupants much as it would
be all over in a few minutes. Inside such houses
we have lounges cut out of the earth and covered
with sacks. Our furniture is rough and ready, and made
on the spot. It is marvelous what can be done
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with any ordinary wooden box if you know how to
deal with it. Out of our wooden boxes, chairs and
tables appear like magic chairs, with arms and adjustable backs,
strong tables, and various other bits of furniture. Some of
them are really quite good and show clearly the ingenuity
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of their makers. We also have candlesticks, recesses for books,
and toilet articles, all made from the same source. Fireplaces
are made out of home made bricks, for there is
a good deal of clay on the peninsula. They are
good fireplaces, too, complete with mantelpiece bars and hob So
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we sit round of an evening reading periodicals a month
old with the same zest and interest. As we read
the latest editions at home by the papers, England sounds depressing,
so we would rather be here. We do know the
truth of Gallipoli. Here man likes to know what he
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is up against. Seven divisions at the start would have
fixed this job. No ships would have been lost, and
our little friend Bulgaria would have thought twice of coming
in against us. All night outside we hear the crack,
crack crack of the rifles in the trenches. Worcesters did
a good bit of work the other night, capturing a
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sniper's post three hundred yards in front. Only two casualties
over that little job. They expected more Turks in front
of the twenty ninth have fairly got the wind up.
We bomb and shell their nerves away. General Cayley says
he is quite happy and does not want to go
to Salonica, as he is looking forward to sitting round
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his fire of a winter's night. General Percival says, bother
General Cayley's fireplace, he wants to go to Salonica and
get a move on. And so they live their lives,
these men lives full of danger, yet joking about their fireplaces.
November tenth, another fairly quiet day. Ships firing a bit
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against Turkish batteries which are sending back shrapnel. Take up
Elphinstone to brigade and have tea at the eighty sixth
have some excellent rock cakes made by their cook. General
Cayley calls in. We walk round with him to the
eighty eighth. I get awfully fed up at times, but
every time I see General Cayley, he gives me a
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spurt for a few days. I had jaundice badly about
two weeks ago, and they were going to send me off,
and that meant England. I got a spurt and soon
felt fit again, and have never felt so well in
all my life. Morris machine gun officer of the eighty
eighth seriously ill with rheumatism, but he is trying to
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hang on. Destroyers and monitors make a practice of showing
the pimple from the Gulf of sorrows now amusing marching destroyers.
They fire, then emid a cloud of smoke, sail round
behind it, then fire again and so on. Old Turk
can't hit back, shelling pimple much in fashion. Just now,
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Poor old Turk fancy trying to get to sleep on
the pimple with big guns throwing great shrieking shells at
him all night. November eleventh, summer day, our moving camp
to ninth Corp Gully, busy arranging the necessary digging Turks
very busy with shrapnel this morning around Chocolate Hill and
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to the left. Battleships, very angry and fire back, making
a fearful noise. Old Turk sticks at it. Though General
Delile riding with assistant Deputy Commander and orderly nearly gets hit.
He takes too much risk and seems to have no nerves.
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November twelfth, getting rather cold now, Fleet firing heavily today,
and Turks as usual busy with shrapnel. Sea beach badly
shelled and thirteenth Division supply depot gets it badly several casualties.
A year ago today I received my commission and joined
the thirteenth Division. If I had not joined the twenty
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ninth Division, I might have been on the sea beach
today with the thirteenth Division. Go up to brigade with
Elphinstone and see news Stone Captain Armstrong Hadau is now
with the eleventh Division, and I am sorry he is gone.
Stay till dusk. Turkish snipers always creep out at dusk,
bullets freely coming. When we take our leave over the
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gorse outside the brigade headquarters, I say to Elfinstone at
this point at night, I always walk fast, and he,
this being his first experience, says I am with you.
Out of range, we light our pipes. Then a comfortable
walk back in the moonlight, finish up work at the depot,
Dinner and a smoke, and to Hell with a kaiser.
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November thirteenth. It is getting very windy and cold, but
day quite fine. Flies, still worrying, but not nearly so
bad as a few weeks back. No shelling from Turk
ships firing on Turkish batteries which are badly shrapneling. Chocolate Hill,
Kitchener in neighborhood. Matthews leaves to be adjutant of train
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at Hellas and Hunter and I go out in his
pinnace to see him off. See a bit choppy and
I sitting on top of the engine room nearly fall
through the skylight into the engines. Horn arrives to take
his place, has seen kitchener at Moodro's with a numerous
staff staff. Captain eighty sixth Brigade comes to Tea show
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him over our new camp for winter, which is in
course of preparation. It is going to be some camp.
It breaks the monotony making this camp guests for dinner.
Beautiful moonlight, night and very quiet. November fourteenth, a bit
of a gale blowing, another quiet day, absolutely no shelling
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Kitchener arrives here at three o'clock with staff. Was up
brigade with horn at the time and so missed the show,
but my sergeant told me about it. He landed at
Little West Beach, walked through the main supply depot and
then past our depot up ninth Core Gully to the
top of the hill, and had a good look round
the positions. He was only here about two hours. Tommies
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came running up and stood in groups at attention while
the commissioned officers and officers saluted, and he passed along,
saluting gravely, right and left now and again, stopping to
look at some dugouts. There is now general satisfaction the
Kitchener has been and seen for himself what things are
really like here. No shelling of the beaches while he
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was on shore, but the lowlands were being shrapneled. November fifteenth,
quiet morning in the afternoon the Turks put a dozen
of the best over the beach, but did no harm.
Bit of a battle on Chocolate Hill this afternoon at
five and rifle fire and a great deal of shrapnel
for half an hour, our battleships firing heavily and making
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a deafening din heavy thunder storms at eight with vivid
forked lightning and rain. I suppose this is a foretaste
of what is to come. The safety of the beaches
has now greatly improved. West Beach and the beach adjacent
are now joined by a deep cutting, a deep trench
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starting at the main supply deepot runs down to West Beach,
in which is laid a tramway used for carrying supplies
from the piers to the deepole. This is under cover,
entirely hidden from the enemy by day. The earth taken
from this cutting or deep trench has been thrown up
in great mounds at the back of the two beaches,
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rendering them safe from high explosive shells, though of course
not from shrapnel but whistling. Rufus has not worried us
since the late days of October, devoting his attention to
the unfortunately situated sea beach on the other side of
Lalla Baba. The road leading up on the higher ground
to our division headquarters is now sunk, and the dugout
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earth thrown up on the side facing the enemy hides
all trainsransport by day entirely from his view. Since this
has been done. This road has been almost entirely free
from shrapnel. November sixteenth, men are hard at work digging
our new camp in ninth Core Gully. We moved there
when Ninth Core Headquarters moved to the end of the promontory.
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Ninth Core new Headquarters should be entirely winter proof, even
during the severest weather. They are also practically invulnerable by
reason of their position and the vast amount of labor
that has been expended upon them. I myself sawt sheds
in sections being put bodily into rock excavated to receive them.
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There were communication trenches cut in the living rock, connecting
dugout with dugout. Also, elaborate excavations in the rock form
shell proof living quarters, and when necessary, unlimited wood, iron
and sand bags have been lavishly used. The whole place
is a perfect engineering achievement, the most wonderful nest of
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safety that the mind of man could conceive. How different
are the conditions at La Lla Baba, but three miles away,
where the wretched hovels of the troops cluster as thickly
as the cells in a honeycomb. No coping of iron
or beams. There a man is lucky if he has
as much as a blanket or a waterproof sheet to
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stretch over his miserable hole in the ground, not enough
shelter to keep out the rain drops, let alone shrapnel.
The system on which our camp is being modeled is
the same as for all the other beech camps here.
An effort is being made to house them in through
the rigors of the winter storms, which no doubt will
soon be upon us. Taking advantage of the sloping ground
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in the fold of the gully on the promontory, which
increases in height as it extends inland towards the high land,
deep trenches are dug parallel to the lines of our
trenches in shore. They are seven feet wide, with parapets
and paradis eight feet and six and a half feet high, respectively.
They should be roofed in by corrugated iron. Some only
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of them are. However, corrugated iron is still a luxury here.
Filled sand bags are then laid on the top, which
should render them shrapnel proof. As they generally run at
right angles to the line of Turkish artillery fire, a
high explosive shell would explode on the mound of earth
thrown up in front of the parapet and not in
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the roof. Each trench is dug on lower ground than
the one in front. The whole system is being organized
by an able technical engineer officer who is hard at
work from morning to night. His camp is taken as
a model, although in view of the enemy, its safety
against casual shelling such as we are daily subjected to,
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has been demonstrated several times against a heavy bombard and
of course no trenches are proof. Shrapnel bullets have spattered
harmlessly on his sand bag roofs. High explosive shells bursting
full in the middle of his camp have been caught
by the mound of earth in front of the trench.
Should the shell miss one line of trenches, it is
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caught by the mound of earth in front of the
other line behind. A direct hit on the roof, except
from a howitzer, is almost impossible. Drains are cut about
and around the trenches to catch the water from the
forthcoming heavy rains, and advantages taken of the formation of
the gullies To make one main drain into which smaller
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drains can run. One has only to look at the
great boulders of stone standing half in and half out
of the earth, all over the high ground of the peninsula,
and at the large, medium and small gullies, which are
of all kinds of intricate geographical formations. To realize that
at some time of the year, not only a series
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of ordinary rainfalls, but raging deluges of water fall in
all powerful torrents, mercilessly driving all before them, even great
boulders of stone. No trenches, no matter how well constructed,
can withstand heavy driving floods. Let engineers first study the
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formation of the land, pause and reason a little, and
they will see that all this labor will be lost
and their trenches full to the brim at the first
heavy downfall. In dry weather, though the system is excellent
and the men inside are very comfortable. The trenches are
entered by steps from the road or path at either end,
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or from the terrace behind between each trench. At night,
the men sleep in one row, side by side, their
kits hung on the earth wall behind them. Quarters for
noncommissioned offices are partitioned off by timber and sacking. By day.
Their blankets are rolled up neatly, and the whole makes
a roomy apartment. A cook house constructed on the same
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principle is built at the end of a series of trenches.
Officers dugouts are built nearby, dug in the slope or behind,
protecting boulders. The whole, neat, orderly and compact, affords remarkably
good cover from shrapnel and high explosives. But for protection
against weather. Never for protection against weather, I prefer the
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delial system of terraces built on a steep slope. In tiers,
the whole practically a flight of very large steps, but
of course a steep slope is necessary. The men's quarters
are simply built on each terrace. The back wall is
cut out of earth, the roof of corrugated iron, supported
by timbers and made shrapnel proof, and the sides are
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built up of loose stones, tarpaulins and timber. The hill
on which such as the system is built affords the
necessary protection against shell fire. It is of course weather proof,
as it is simple to drain. Sea. Beach and Lalla
Baba across the bay get very badly shelled this afternoon,
and in consequence the battleships are hard at work, endeavoring
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to silence the Turkish batteries sounds of very heavy firing
are heard from hellas probably monitors in action. November seventeenth,
very little shelling, hardly any our way. Today is very stormy,
and as the time goes on the wind develops into
a great gale. All landing of stores has to cease.
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Great white waves dash up against our piers, and after
it is over there will be much work for the
Australian bridging section. In the evening, our flimsy summer quarters
are cold and drafty. The oil drum fire won't burn,
so we turn in early, Elfinstone and Horn going to
their dugout up the rise to our left. Suddenly, just
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as we are getting into bed, the tarpaulin half of
our roof blows adrift. Hunt and I have a job
to fasten it back in position once more. The wind
is shrieking outside. A short while after, Horn and Elphinstone
come back asking for shelter for their bivouac has blown
down all together, and so we crowd them into our
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shelter for the rest of the night. November eighteenth, nineteenth
and twentieth. The usual daily visits to brigade headquarters, forward
reserve dumps and division headquarters. I get exercise this way
also to and fro on the beach, paying calls on friends.
Among the many dugouts there, some are excellent, especially those
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of the naval landing officers and camp commandant. Built in
the side of the high rocks. The field cashier has
to be stung by me now and again on behalf
of my staff cap and to pay the men of
Brigade headquarters. His dugout is not in a very safe place.
Once outside the dugout, leaning against the wall of sand bags,
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talking to an Australian officer, I heard a shell coming
clean for us. I had no time to get to cover.
I saw men several yards away dive for cover. I
watched the Australian. He did not duck, but I noticed
that he gripped his pipe tightly with his teeth. I
leaned back hard against the wall behind me, and the
(32:32):
beastly thing passed low over our heads and burst in
the sea. I said to him, I wanted to duck,
but as you didn't, I didn't, And he replied same.
Here son gale has been blowing hard the last three days,
the Navy having great difficulty in landing stores, et cetera.
(32:53):
But to night, the night of the twentieth. The wind
is dying down, hardly any shelling at all now except inland.
Our flimsy bivouac very drafty and cold. It is hard
work keeping our accounts and doing our office work. November
twenty second, gale blowing hard now and win much colder.
(33:16):
Hard at work building our new camp. Hunt falls ill
and has to go to bed, but trying to stick
it out. Turks very quiet. We are woke up at
twelve midnight by a dugout on fire, and all turn
out to get the fire under and prevent it spreading
in the strong wind to neighboring dugouts. We curse heartily
(33:36):
but managed to put the fire out in half an hour.
No one is hurt. November twenty third, when quieting down,
thank goodness, we pulled down our summer residence in which
we had lived for close on three months, in a
short while. Not a sign of it is left, and
we are hard at work shifting the whole camp into
(33:57):
our new quarters in the late ninth core Gully. Each
regiment's quartermaster's staff and a few regimental transport details and
our Army Service Corps supplied details move with us. Also
the two Brigade Post offices. Our camp is not properly finished,
but we are all glad to be in it, for
it is much warmer at night in our dugouts. November
(34:21):
twenty fourth. The weather is now much more settled. It
was making us all very anxious as landing stores was
very difficult for the Navy Brigade Headquarters country walk again,
but life very monotonous. Battleships now and again pop off,
a little shelling from the Turk, but not half a dozen.
(34:42):
All day hard at work on new camp. November twenty fifth,
Hunt very seedy, so I send him to field ambulance.
At night. Here a rumor that the evacuation of souve
La Bay has been decided. On go down on beach
in the evening to see about a arrangements for getting off,
but am led to believe it is only baggage for
(35:04):
a division which is leaving. End of Section nineteen
Section nineteen of Gallipoli Diary. This is a LibriVox recording.
All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
by Sue Anderson. Gallipoli Diary by John Graham Gillum, Section
(00:21):
nineteen November first to twenty fifth, nineteen fifteen. November first,
last night was very rough and several lighters were wrecked
on the beach. We also lost to a destroyer which
ran on the rocks just off West Beach. No loss
of life. A cool summer day again and no shelling
(00:42):
from the Turks. This morning. Flies not quite so bad,
but still a plague. They have become persistent, fat sleepy ones.
Now no shelling from the Turks at all, and our
artillery hardly fiery shot. November second, a few shells only
this morning. A beautiful summer day, but flies badly worrying.
(01:07):
A battery has been put on the road just by
the rise before eightieth Brigade headquarters. Destroyer which ran on
the rocks yesterday, still in the same position. November third,
after breakfast, having arranged for a visit round the trenches
with Panton, the Deputy Assistant Director of Medical Services. I
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go up to Division headquarters at the top of our gully.
We start off, accompanied by Lord Howard de Walden, pass
through the eighty eighth Field Ambulance Camp, dip down onto
the Beach Road, and after a short way along, bear
to the right on to Gibraltar Road. Instead of walking
up along the Gibraltar Road, as has been the practice
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of most of us up to now, we bear to
the right through the low wooded country between Gibraltar Road
and Hill ten. We crossed the newly made line of
trenches with barbed wire thickly laid in front, passing a
bombing school on our left. Turkish bullets fired at a
high elevation just reach this point, dropping with spent velocity.
(02:12):
As we walk through the almond trees just beyond the
guns of the two battleships bang out. Suddenly we hear
the great shells shrieking over our heads and see them
burst with violence over Burnt Hill on our right front.
Passing the almond trees, we make a detour to the left,
arriving in the open space which leads to eighty sixth
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Brigade Headquarters Panton stops here at an advanced dressing station,
and while we wait for him, a few bullets sing overhead,
but there is never much rifle fire in the daytime.
We then dip down into c sea communication trench and
follow its windings to the line. We pass over one
(02:54):
or two bridges, crossing large drains that have been dug
to drain the trenches. When the wet weather comes, we
are warned by the formation of the irregular hills, nullahs,
and ravines, and the great boulders of stone standing out
of the ground that at some time during the year
rain falls in great quantities. What will our trenches be
(03:16):
like on the low ground when that time does come.
Salt lake on our left, gradually sinking under water, answers
that question. We see shrapnel bursting low over that part
of the line we are making for, and I have
a desire to turn my coat collar up. I always
do when I am near shells. Why, I don't know.
(03:38):
We arrive at the support trench, in which are the
monsters and Dublin fusiliers. I see a few men clustered
together in the trench at a small entrance leading to
a dugout. One comes out from the dugout and says,
by Jassis, the poor lad's gone. A man had been
hit by shrapnel and had just died. After about twenty minutes,
(04:00):
we continue on and on arrival at the Essex Regiment,
I inquire where Algie Wood had been hit. I am
taking up a short trench which turns sharply to the left,
coming to an abrupt end at a dugout his dugout.
I inquire how it happened, and am told that he
was leaning up against the back of the trench immediately
(04:21):
outside his dugout, with his pipe in his mouth, looking
at an aeroplane which was hovering over our line. Suddenly
a bullet strikes him in the throat. He takes his
pipe out of his mouth, makes a gesture of extreme
annoyance with his arm ann mutters the words damn it.
(04:41):
Then he sinks back in the arms of his Sergeant Major,
who is standing near him, and saying I am finished.
Sergeant Major quietly goes west, struck by a chance bullet
in a comparatively safe place. Cruel, cruel luck. At least
Algae Wood one of the most gallant offices of that
(05:04):
pick of divisions. The twenty ninth should have been spared. However,
he had the satisfaction of putting up his hard earned
Distinguished Service Order ribbon a week or so ago. We
continue our way along trenches which, instead of running more
or less in regular lines, zigzag in and out in
sharp turns and corners, which face the high hills on
(05:26):
our left, each corner protected by strong sand bag breastworks.
The reason for this is that these breastworks, placed at
short intervals in that part of the line where we are,
screen us from view of the enemy in his trenches
high up on the ridge of hills which overlook the
sea on our left. Of course, we in our trenches
(05:46):
up there also can overlook the Turks in the trenches
running through the low Country in their territory, which trenches
also are punctuated at frequent short intervals by breastworks in
consequence of the danger of being seen by Turks on
the hill. Our trenches on the Lowland are very narrow,
and Lord Howard de Walden causes great amusement to some
(06:08):
Tommy sitting on the fire step by the remark these
trenches were not built for a man with an extra
large tummy. We follow Panton, who is on his round
of inspection of sumps, cesspits, cook houses and the general
sanitation of the trenches. Myriads of flies which precede us
(06:29):
on our way. When we halt, they all promptly settle
in black patches on the sand bags and sides of trenches.
When we continue our tour, they rising immediately with a
loud buzzing lead the way for us. An inspection of
the cook house of the Newfoundland Regiment is made. It
is built in a small sunken ravine at the back
(06:51):
of the support line. Panton and Frew. There medical officer
go to the end of the ravine. I wait at
the inn near into to the trench. Anufouldler says to me,
excuse me, sir, but in the place in which you
are standing, our cook was killed yesterday by a sniper
from the hill. I am rude enough to forget to
(07:12):
thank the man. I simply turn round on my heel,
practically diving into the trench. But I shouted thanks to
him as we left. Five minutes after, after a short
walk along the front line the usual front line, with
men at short intervals on the keen lookout through periscopes,
we return by Decommunication trench. Half an hour's walk we
(07:35):
passed Gibraltar Hill and so over the Gorse to Gibraltar Road,
arriving at division headquarters on the hill, where I am
given a topping lunch. It is a beautiful summer day
and the Turks are sending over sporting shots at the shipping.
The battleships answer, so the enemy turned their guns on
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to them instead and actually record two hits on the
Prince George, which then maneuvers for a fresh position. Then
they get on to the supply ships again, which have
to clear outside the boom further away from the end
of the promontory. Suddenly, a good shot at long range
gets a supply ship which is loaded with hay, and
(08:18):
quickly sets it on fire. Our battleships get very angry
at this, but it is some time before they can
silence the Turkish batteries. At sunset, the hay supply ship
is still smoking, but the fire is well under control.
A new officer arrives, named Hunt, a good fellow from Tipperary.
(08:39):
Good omen, for though we are a long long way
from Tipperary, one from that immortal place has come to
join us. November fourth the ship that was set on
fire yesterday lost practically all the hay in the forward hold. Consequently,
for some time our poor little Indian mules will be
(09:01):
on half rations. Destroyer has now broken her back and
is a total wreck. Waves breaking over her. Rain is
beginning now. We had a few showers this morning, a
little shelling in the morning, but the afternoon was quiet.
Go up to Brigade headquarters with a new transport officer.
Hunt find conference on so mc laughlin and Morris entertain
(09:24):
us to tea. Have to make a detour through flat
wooded country getting to and from headquarters on account of
this beastly new battery. Very quiet this afternoon, no shelling
and hardly any rifle fire. Hunt remarked coming back that
it was a nice country walk. Anne reminded him of
(09:45):
his homestead in Tipperary. He has been at Blackheath for
the last six months, at headquarters at the Rangers Lodge.
Anne left there only three weeks ago, so I like
getting him to talk about Blackheath, which I knew so well.
I have been on this place so long now that
a newcomer has only to mention about riding on a
(10:07):
tram car or going into a cake shop when I
am held thrilled with interest and pleasure. November fifth, a beautiful,
cool summer day. Shelled at ten this morning for quite
an hour. The destroyer has now completely broken her back
and her stern has disappeared. The Turks discovered the mishap,
(10:30):
but they could not see that she is a wreck
as she is bows on to the Turkish position. Thinking
therefore that the destroyer was still intact though stuck on
the ground, they attempted to finish her off, and for
three hours shelled her. They only recorded two hits, however,
and it was satisfactory to see old Turk wasting his ammunition.
(10:53):
To day, another old friend has gone. He is way
the eighty sixth supply officer, who has been here since
April twenty fifth without ever going sick. He felt rather
dicky two days ago and was told to stay in
his dugout, and to day I find he has developed
diphtheria badly. He tries not to go, but a doctor
(11:16):
soon settles that I shall now feel more lonely than ever,
For we were great pals, and our walks to our
respective headquarters were among the few pleasures that I could
look forward to when casualties occurred at his dump. He
was always there to attend to the wounded, and as
supply officer, the eighty sixth Brigade will miss him. I
(11:38):
wonder how many of the old twenty ninth are left well.
Way is for Blighty, and good luck to him. But
diphtheria is a nasty illness, and I hope he pulls through.
November sixth, Walker has gone off permanently to hospital with jaundice,
and Hunt and myself are left on our own beautiful
(12:01):
summer day to day Turk very quiet and hardly any shelling.
Swift chure Back and the Canopus and Prince George busy
shelling Turkish positions. This afternoon, November seventh, another beautiful summer day.
Turk shelled our valley at ten and again at three,
(12:21):
no damage, though some were uncomfortably close to us. Our
ships and shore batteries fairly busy, monitors busy. At night.
November eighth, a cool, lovely day. Flies are dying rapidly,
the best news to record for a long time. Two
new Army Service Corps officers arrived to join us, named
(12:44):
Matthews and Elphinstone. Very few shells this morning, but they
come very near our dugout. This time, Cox of the
Essex comes in for a chat, the only original officer
now left of that regiment. I walk back with him
to brigade headquarters and Matthews comes with me. Walking across
the flat space just leading to the eighty six Brigade headquarters,
(13:08):
I point out to Matthews the lines of light brown
earth running up the slopes of the hill on our
left front, and he hardly believes me when I tell
him one line is Turkish. Like all who newly arrive,
he is surprised at the short walk from the beach
to the line. Our batteries are dusting the Turkish line
(13:28):
with shrapnel and their batteries are retaliating. They make very
good shooting on both sides. As of course, they have
all the ranges registered to a nicety. We call at
both brigades and have tea at each. Coming away, Matthews
tells me that he is of a retiring disposition and
(13:49):
that he does not like being thrown suddenly into new society,
and that two tea parties is more than his nerves
can stand more, especially when a general is present at
each November ninth usual visit to Brigade headquarters with hunt
and after inspect the forward reservations At Commander Royal Engineer's dump,
(14:13):
men busy digging trenches back near beaches. Now another beautiful
cool summer day. Cold at night, Turks busy shelling batteries
and shrapneling trenches. There is only one possible game for
the Turk to play, and he is playing it well.
That is to say, he must keep us at bay
(14:34):
at all costs. Therein lies his only chance. For once
we can get across the peninsula tomatoes, his game is
up for we cut his main line of communications, so
he shells us continually to keep us occupied. The shelling
is so effective that elaborate dugouts have to be built.
(14:55):
These are made as strong as possible, the inner walls
being strengthened with sand bags, the roof formed with strong
cross beams on which rest first iron sheets or wire netting,
then two layers of sand bags, then soil. These dugouts
are perfectly secure against shrapnel or high explosive splinters, but
(15:17):
of course could not stand against a direct hit. But
that would not worry the occupants much as it would
be all over in a few minutes. Inside such houses
we have lounges cut out of the earth and covered
with sacks. Our furniture is rough and ready, and made
on the spot. It is marvelous what can be done
(15:37):
with any ordinary wooden box if you know how to
deal with it. Out of our wooden boxes, chairs and
tables appear like magic chairs, with arms and adjustable backs,
strong tables, and various other bits of furniture. Some of
them are really quite good and show clearly the ingenuity
(15:58):
of their makers. We also have candlesticks, recesses for books,
and toilet articles, all made from the same source. Fireplaces
are made out of home made bricks, for there is
a good deal of clay on the peninsula. They are
good fireplaces, too, complete with mantelpiece bars and hob So
(16:19):
we sit round of an evening reading periodicals a month
old with the same zest and interest. As we read
the latest editions at home by the papers, England sounds depressing,
so we would rather be here. We do know the
truth of Gallipoli. Here man likes to know what he
(16:40):
is up against. Seven divisions at the start would have
fixed this job. No ships would have been lost, and
our little friend Bulgaria would have thought twice of coming
in against us. All night outside we hear the crack,
crack crack of the rifles in the trenches. Worcesters did
a good bit of work the other night, capturing a
(17:00):
sniper's post three hundred yards in front. Only two casualties
over that little job. They expected more Turks in front
of the twenty ninth have fairly got the wind up.
We bomb and shell their nerves away. General Cayley says
he is quite happy and does not want to go
to Salonica, as he is looking forward to sitting round
(17:21):
his fire of a winter's night. General Percival says, bother
General Cayley's fireplace, he wants to go to Salonica and
get a move on. And so they live their lives,
these men lives full of danger, yet joking about their fireplaces.
November tenth, another fairly quiet day. Ships firing a bit
(17:44):
against Turkish batteries which are sending back shrapnel. Take up
Elphinstone to brigade and have tea at the eighty sixth
have some excellent rock cakes made by their cook. General
Cayley calls in. We walk round with him to the
eighty eighth. I get awfully fed up at times, but
every time I see General Cayley, he gives me a
(18:05):
spurt for a few days. I had jaundice badly about
two weeks ago, and they were going to send me off,
and that meant England. I got a spurt and soon
felt fit again, and have never felt so well in
all my life. Morris machine gun officer of the eighty
eighth seriously ill with rheumatism, but he is trying to
(18:27):
hang on. Destroyers and monitors make a practice of showing
the pimple from the Gulf of sorrows now amusing marching destroyers.
They fire, then emid a cloud of smoke, sail round
behind it, then fire again and so on. Old Turk
can't hit back, shelling pimple much in fashion. Just now,
(18:48):
Poor old Turk fancy trying to get to sleep on
the pimple with big guns throwing great shrieking shells at
him all night. November eleventh, summer day, our moving camp
to ninth Corp Gully, busy arranging the necessary digging Turks
very busy with shrapnel this morning around Chocolate Hill and
(19:10):
to the left. Battleships, very angry and fire back, making
a fearful noise. Old Turk sticks at it. Though General
Delile riding with assistant Deputy Commander and orderly nearly gets hit.
He takes too much risk and seems to have no nerves.
(19:30):
November twelfth, getting rather cold now, Fleet firing heavily today,
and Turks as usual busy with shrapnel. Sea beach badly
shelled and thirteenth Division supply depot gets it badly several casualties.
A year ago today I received my commission and joined
the thirteenth Division. If I had not joined the twenty
(19:51):
ninth Division, I might have been on the sea beach
today with the thirteenth Division. Go up to brigade with
Elphinstone and see news Stone Captain Armstrong Hadau is now
with the eleventh Division, and I am sorry he is gone.
Stay till dusk. Turkish snipers always creep out at dusk,
bullets freely coming. When we take our leave over the
(20:15):
gorse outside the brigade headquarters, I say to Elfinstone at
this point at night, I always walk fast, and he,
this being his first experience, says I am with you.
Out of range, we light our pipes. Then a comfortable
walk back in the moonlight, finish up work at the depot,
Dinner and a smoke, and to Hell with a kaiser.
(20:37):
November thirteenth. It is getting very windy and cold, but
day quite fine. Flies, still worrying, but not nearly so
bad as a few weeks back. No shelling from Turk
ships firing on Turkish batteries which are badly shrapneling. Chocolate Hill,
Kitchener in neighborhood. Matthews leaves to be adjutant of train
(20:58):
at Hellas and Hunter and I go out in his
pinnace to see him off. See a bit choppy and
I sitting on top of the engine room nearly fall
through the skylight into the engines. Horn arrives to take
his place, has seen kitchener at Moodro's with a numerous
staff staff. Captain eighty sixth Brigade comes to Tea show
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him over our new camp for winter, which is in
course of preparation. It is going to be some camp.
It breaks the monotony making this camp guests for dinner.
Beautiful moonlight, night and very quiet. November fourteenth, a bit
of a gale blowing, another quiet day, absolutely no shelling
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Kitchener arrives here at three o'clock with staff. Was up
brigade with horn at the time and so missed the show,
but my sergeant told me about it. He landed at
Little West Beach, walked through the main supply depot and
then past our depot up ninth Core Gully to the
top of the hill, and had a good look round
the positions. He was only here about two hours. Tommies
(22:05):
came running up and stood in groups at attention while
the commissioned officers and officers saluted, and he passed along,
saluting gravely, right and left now and again, stopping to
look at some dugouts. There is now general satisfaction the
Kitchener has been and seen for himself what things are
really like here. No shelling of the beaches while he
(22:28):
was on shore, but the lowlands were being shrapneled. November fifteenth,
quiet morning in the afternoon the Turks put a dozen
of the best over the beach, but did no harm.
Bit of a battle on Chocolate Hill this afternoon at
five and rifle fire and a great deal of shrapnel
for half an hour, our battleships firing heavily and making
(22:51):
a deafening din heavy thunder storms at eight with vivid
forked lightning and rain. I suppose this is a foretaste
of what is to come. The safety of the beaches
has now greatly improved. West Beach and the beach adjacent
are now joined by a deep cutting, a deep trench
(23:12):
starting at the main supply deepot runs down to West Beach,
in which is laid a tramway used for carrying supplies
from the piers to the deepole. This is under cover,
entirely hidden from the enemy by day. The earth taken
from this cutting or deep trench has been thrown up
in great mounds at the back of the two beaches,
(23:32):
rendering them safe from high explosive shells, though of course
not from shrapnel but whistling. Rufus has not worried us
since the late days of October, devoting his attention to
the unfortunately situated sea beach on the other side of
Lalla Baba. The road leading up on the higher ground
to our division headquarters is now sunk, and the dugout
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earth thrown up on the side facing the enemy hides
all trainsransport by day entirely from his view. Since this
has been done. This road has been almost entirely free
from shrapnel. November sixteenth, men are hard at work digging
our new camp in ninth Core Gully. We moved there
when Ninth Core Headquarters moved to the end of the promontory.
(24:19):
Ninth Core new Headquarters should be entirely winter proof, even
during the severest weather. They are also practically invulnerable by
reason of their position and the vast amount of labor
that has been expended upon them. I myself sawt sheds
in sections being put bodily into rock excavated to receive them.
(24:41):
There were communication trenches cut in the living rock, connecting
dugout with dugout. Also, elaborate excavations in the rock form
shell proof living quarters, and when necessary, unlimited wood, iron
and sand bags have been lavishly used. The whole place
is a perfect engineering achievement, the most wonderful nest of
(25:05):
safety that the mind of man could conceive. How different
are the conditions at La Lla Baba, but three miles away,
where the wretched hovels of the troops cluster as thickly
as the cells in a honeycomb. No coping of iron
or beams. There a man is lucky if he has
as much as a blanket or a waterproof sheet to
(25:26):
stretch over his miserable hole in the ground, not enough
shelter to keep out the rain drops, let alone shrapnel.
The system on which our camp is being modeled is
the same as for all the other beech camps here.
An effort is being made to house them in through
the rigors of the winter storms, which no doubt will
soon be upon us. Taking advantage of the sloping ground
(25:49):
in the fold of the gully on the promontory, which
increases in height as it extends inland towards the high land,
deep trenches are dug parallel to the lines of our
trenches in shore. They are seven feet wide, with parapets
and paradis eight feet and six and a half feet high, respectively.
They should be roofed in by corrugated iron. Some only
(26:12):
of them are. However, corrugated iron is still a luxury here.
Filled sand bags are then laid on the top, which
should render them shrapnel proof. As they generally run at
right angles to the line of Turkish artillery fire, a
high explosive shell would explode on the mound of earth
thrown up in front of the parapet and not in
(26:33):
the roof. Each trench is dug on lower ground than
the one in front. The whole system is being organized
by an able technical engineer officer who is hard at
work from morning to night. His camp is taken as
a model, although in view of the enemy, its safety
against casual shelling such as we are daily subjected to,
(26:55):
has been demonstrated several times against a heavy bombard and
of course no trenches are proof. Shrapnel bullets have spattered
harmlessly on his sand bag roofs. High explosive shells bursting
full in the middle of his camp have been caught
by the mound of earth in front of the trench.
Should the shell miss one line of trenches, it is
(27:17):
caught by the mound of earth in front of the
other line behind. A direct hit on the roof, except
from a howitzer, is almost impossible. Drains are cut about
and around the trenches to catch the water from the
forthcoming heavy rains, and advantages taken of the formation of
the gullies To make one main drain into which smaller
(27:39):
drains can run. One has only to look at the
great boulders of stone standing half in and half out
of the earth, all over the high ground of the peninsula,
and at the large, medium and small gullies, which are
of all kinds of intricate geographical formations. To realize that
at some time of the year, not only a series
(28:02):
of ordinary rainfalls, but raging deluges of water fall in
all powerful torrents, mercilessly driving all before them, even great
boulders of stone. No trenches, no matter how well constructed,
can withstand heavy driving floods. Let engineers first study the
(28:22):
formation of the land, pause and reason a little, and
they will see that all this labor will be lost
and their trenches full to the brim at the first
heavy downfall. In dry weather, though the system is excellent
and the men inside are very comfortable. The trenches are
entered by steps from the road or path at either end,
(28:44):
or from the terrace behind between each trench. At night,
the men sleep in one row, side by side, their
kits hung on the earth wall behind them. Quarters for
noncommissioned offices are partitioned off by timber and sacking. By day.
Their blankets are rolled up neatly, and the whole makes
a roomy apartment. A cook house constructed on the same
(29:07):
principle is built at the end of a series of trenches.
Officers dugouts are built nearby, dug in the slope or behind,
protecting boulders. The whole, neat, orderly and compact, affords remarkably
good cover from shrapnel and high explosives. But for protection
against weather. Never for protection against weather, I prefer the
(29:32):
delial system of terraces built on a steep slope. In tiers,
the whole practically a flight of very large steps, but
of course a steep slope is necessary. The men's quarters
are simply built on each terrace. The back wall is
cut out of earth, the roof of corrugated iron, supported
by timbers and made shrapnel proof, and the sides are
(29:55):
built up of loose stones, tarpaulins and timber. The hill
on which such as the system is built affords the
necessary protection against shell fire. It is of course weather proof,
as it is simple to drain. Sea. Beach and Lalla
Baba across the bay get very badly shelled this afternoon,
and in consequence the battleships are hard at work, endeavoring
(30:18):
to silence the Turkish batteries sounds of very heavy firing
are heard from hellas probably monitors in action. November seventeenth,
very little shelling, hardly any our way. Today is very stormy,
and as the time goes on the wind develops into
a great gale. All landing of stores has to cease.
(30:41):
Great white waves dash up against our piers, and after
it is over there will be much work for the
Australian bridging section. In the evening, our flimsy summer quarters
are cold and drafty. The oil drum fire won't burn,
so we turn in early, Elfinstone and Horn going to
their dugout up the rise to our left. Suddenly, just
(31:04):
as we are getting into bed, the tarpaulin half of
our roof blows adrift. Hunt and I have a job
to fasten it back in position once more. The wind
is shrieking outside. A short while after, Horn and Elphinstone
come back asking for shelter for their bivouac has blown
down all together, and so we crowd them into our
(31:26):
shelter for the rest of the night. November eighteenth, nineteenth
and twentieth. The usual daily visits to brigade headquarters, forward
reserve dumps and division headquarters. I get exercise this way
also to and fro on the beach, paying calls on friends.
Among the many dugouts there, some are excellent, especially those
(31:49):
of the naval landing officers and camp commandant. Built in
the side of the high rocks. The field cashier has
to be stung by me now and again on behalf
of my staff cap and to pay the men of
Brigade headquarters. His dugout is not in a very safe place.
Once outside the dugout, leaning against the wall of sand bags,
(32:10):
talking to an Australian officer, I heard a shell coming
clean for us. I had no time to get to cover.
I saw men several yards away dive for cover. I
watched the Australian. He did not duck, but I noticed
that he gripped his pipe tightly with his teeth. I
leaned back hard against the wall behind me, and the
(32:32):
beastly thing passed low over our heads and burst in
the sea. I said to him, I wanted to duck,
but as you didn't, I didn't, And he replied same.
Here son gale has been blowing hard the last three days,
the Navy having great difficulty in landing stores, et cetera.
(32:53):
But to night, the night of the twentieth. The wind
is dying down, hardly any shelling at all now except inland.
Our flimsy bivouac very drafty and cold. It is hard
work keeping our accounts and doing our office work. November
twenty second, gale blowing hard now and win much colder.
(33:16):
Hard at work building our new camp. Hunt falls ill
and has to go to bed, but trying to stick
it out. Turks very quiet. We are woke up at
twelve midnight by a dugout on fire, and all turn
out to get the fire under and prevent it spreading
in the strong wind to neighboring dugouts. We curse heartily
(33:36):
but managed to put the fire out in half an hour.
No one is hurt. November twenty third, when quieting down,
thank goodness, we pulled down our summer residence in which
we had lived for close on three months, in a
short while. Not a sign of it is left, and
we are hard at work shifting the whole camp into
(33:57):
our new quarters in the late ninth core Gully. Each
regiment's quartermaster's staff and a few regimental transport details and
our Army Service Corps supplied details move with us. Also
the two Brigade Post offices. Our camp is not properly finished,
but we are all glad to be in it, for
it is much warmer at night in our dugouts. November
(34:21):
twenty fourth. The weather is now much more settled. It
was making us all very anxious as landing stores was
very difficult for the Navy Brigade Headquarters country walk again,
but life very monotonous. Battleships now and again pop off,
a little shelling from the Turk, but not half a dozen.
(34:42):
All day hard at work on new camp. November twenty fifth,
Hunt very seedy, so I send him to field ambulance.
At night. Here a rumor that the evacuation of souve
La Bay has been decided. On go down on beach
in the evening to see about a arrangements for getting off,
but am led to believe it is only baggage for
(35:04):
a division which is leaving. End of Section nineteen
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