The 28th: A Record of War Service in the Australian Imperial Force, 1915-19 Part 9

[Ill.u.s.tration: REGIMENTAL QUARTERMASTER-SERGEANT R. G. s.e.xTY.

Afterwards Captain and Transport Officer. Mentioned in Despatches.]

Nor were the troops in a condition to successfully cope with the inroads of disease. "Worn out with hards.h.i.+p and incessant sh.e.l.l fire, from which even when in reserve, they were never free,"[N] ill-sustained by a monotonous diet of food--in part of doubtful quality, and always short of sleep and of supplies of water necessary to rest the body and keep it clean; their vitality and powers of resistance to disease were considerably reduced, and they fell an easy prey to the virulent and prolific germs.

The army ration consisted of meat, bread, vegetables, and groceries.

Meat included tinned and fresh meat and bacon. Bread included ordinary bread, biscuits, and flour. The groceries were tea, sugar, jam (or cheese), pepper and salt, with such alternatives and additions as tinned milk, rice, prunes, curry powder, and raisins--which last were rarely available. The 28th's experience was that, when supplies were available and the weather permitted of them being landed, Argentine chilled beef and baker's bread left little room for complaint. However, the two factors mentioned did not always coincide and the Battalion, for days on end, had to be content with subst.i.tutes. The tinned meat ("dog" or "bully beef") was also from Argentine, and had already been dealt with for "extract" besides being extremely salt in flavour. The only way to make it palatable was to fry it up with bacon fat and chopped onions, or boil it again and add rice and curry powder when procurable. Nevinson[O]

says that when the Anzac men threw over tins of meat to the Turks in exchange for packets of cigarettes it was a cheap gift, and the enemy returned the messages, "Bully beef non, envoyez milk." Now and again one came across a treasure in the form of a stray tin of a Canadian brand, or of "Maconochie" (a very substantial and nouris.h.i.+ng stew), but looked in vain for the well-known Australian and New Zealand products.

The bacon, mostly very fat, was known as "lance-corporal bacon," _i.e._, with only one thin streak of lean running through it. This was issued _ad nauseam_. One man expressed his feelings when he said that he would never be able to look a pig in the face again.

There are no biscuits like the army issue. To those whose dent.i.tion was not perfect the masticating of them was tedious and painful. Some men made graters out of biscuit tin lids and grated the article to a powder, afterwards making a kind of porridge with it. Others discarded them as food and carved them into frames for photographs, or cigarette pictures, or contrived other mementos of a disagreeable period. Fresh vegetables were rarely seen. Now and again an enterprising individual would return from the beach with a cabbage, or a few potatoes, which he had purchased from one of the Navy or looted from some unsuspecting person who had them in charge. So far as can be remembered, not one single issue of potatoes was made to the Battalion during the whole of its stay on the Peninsula. Onions, however, were plentiful and of first-rate quality.

Other subst.i.tutes were preserved or desiccated vegetables, which were found quite unpalatable and quickly refused by the Quartermaster.

Of the groceries, the issues of tea and sugar were insufficient for the occasion. The Australian tea-drinking habit (amongst others) had not then spread through the army. The Canadian cheese was excellent, but the jam lacked in all three essentials--quant.i.ty, quality, and variety.

Bairnsfather has placed on record the soldier's feeling in this regard.

Certain other articles of importance were issued weekly. These included lime juice, rum, and tobacco. Rum was a new experience to many, but its value as a stimulant for tired troops was soon appreciated--even by the teetotallers. The virtues of rum and condensed milk were extolled. The precious liquid was contained in earthenware jars bearing on the outside the letters "S.R.D." The popular interpretation of this legend was "Seldom Reaches Destination," from the belief that, small as the authorised issue was, it was either reduced in quant.i.ty, withheld, or weakened with water by those through whose hands it pa.s.sed between the supply depot and the people for whom it was intended. Instances were not lacking which gave foundation for this belief, and an incident is well remembered in which a member of one formation regaled himself for two nights on his company's share and finished up the carouse by giving the "alarm." He left for Australia shortly afterwards. The Battalion made the acquaintance of tobacco and cigarettes of many brands and as many qualities. In some cases the name on the package was the only indication of its supposed contents. Some of the issues were at the cost of the Government and others as a result of gifts by soldiers' aid societies in Australia and England.

It has already been said that water was scarce. A few wells existed, but were quite unequal to the demands made upon them. It was therefore necessary to carry the water for some distance. Two-gallon petrol tins were used for this purpose by special fatigue parties. Larger quant.i.ties were carried in "fanta.s.sies"--10-gallon tanks borne in pairs on mules--and delivered to the Quartermaster, who was responsible for the distribution of all supplies and stores. Not always was it possible to secure sufficient for ablution purposes, and at one time--during November--the issue was restricted to quarter gallon per diem per man for all purposes. At the Apex, whilst water was scarce, small parties from the reserve companies were taken in turn to the beach and allowed to bathe. A certain amount of risk was attached to this proceeding, as the enemy sh.e.l.led the locality whenever a target offered. Fortunately the parties escaped without casualty.

The cooking of food was first carried on by individuals. The mess tin could be used as either saucepan or kettle, and its lid as a frying pan or drinking vessel. With the aid of the entrenching implement, which each man carried, a little excavation would be made in some convenient place and a fire built of any available fuel. As a support for the tin when laid on the embers any number of stones was available. On some of these heat had a peculiar effect, and the unwary one was sometimes startled by a loud report and the sight of his meal being hoist in the air. Usually two or more men combined in the cooking process, but the preparation of food by the individual was found to be wasteful and injurious to health in that it attracted many flies and lacked thoroughness. The company system was therefore reverted to, and the dixies brought into use in kitchens constructed outside the trenches.

The dixies were then taken forward and the meal served out in equal shares according to the numbers to be provided for. The change at first was not popular, but its beneficial effects became apparent later, and the system was not again departed from except for very brief periods when extraordinary conditions existed.

Fuel was by no means plentiful, and anything at all that would burn was carefully collected. Under cover of darkness individuals would forage on the exposed slopes and return with arms full of twigs and brushwood. In the back areas fatigue parties were at work daily collecting firewood which was brought to a depot for issue to units. These parties worked under brigade orders and a number of 28th men were, on one occasion, sent up an exposed slope accompanied by a white donkey. The animal, so easily distinguishable against the background of dark verdure, soon attracted the enemy's artillery fire and some casualties resulted. The Regimental Medical Officer and two or three stretcher-bearers very gallantly ascended the hill and attended the wounded despite the continuance of the Turkish shrapnel.

Supply and transport on the Peninsula was no easy problem. Supplies in bulk were landed on the beach from barges when the weather permitted.

There, near the two piers, a reserve of at least seven days was stored and supply staffs lived between walls constructed of boxes of biscuit and tinned meat. These walls were lined with sides of bacon resting on a plinth of filled rum jars and certain medical comforts intended for the sick or wounded. In the neighbourhood huge piles of all manner of articles abounded, and sandwiched in between them one would occasionally discover a howitzer, which would come into action intermittently. From these depots the Army Service Corps attached to Divisions drew what was required or available and transported it to their own areas. There it was again divided up, according to the actual number of men present with each battalion, and the Quartermasters took delivery.

The means of transport consisted of carts, mules, and donkeys. Few horses were kept at Anzac. The only ones the 28th saw belonged to the 6-inch howitzer battery, and were stabled up on a hillside the face of which had been cut away so as to afford safe cover. One other horse seen was used by a despatch rider who almost daily went somewhere towards the left of our line and as frequently was the target for snipers. The carts were two-wheeled, with mule draught, and could only be used at night, when they conveyed supplies to the 54th Division which lay at the northern end of the Anzac Corps areas. These carts had made a well defined track, and their pa.s.sage was easily marked by the creaking and groaning sounds they gave forth. Yet they were seldom, if ever, sh.e.l.led by the enemy. They were driven by Maltese or natives of India who, during the daylight hours, camped in some of the crevices in the cliffs near the sh.o.r.e. As carts could not ascend the ravines, mules were used for carriage to the forward positions. They were sure-footed and capable of carrying a substantial load. Sh.e.l.l-fire had not much effect on them, but occasionally they became fitful and, despite the lurid exhortations of their drivers, would discard their loads at most inconvenient places.

They were awkward creatures to meet in a sap. One might attempt to pa.s.s them on the side where there appeared to be the more room, only to find that, when nearly through, the mule would lurch over and pin you to the wall of the trench with the corner of an ammunition box or water tank.

Each battalion had the use of a certain number of small-sized donkeys. A few men had to be detailed to look after these and drive them--being responsible to the Quartermaster, who was known, sometimes, as "the O.C.

Dunks." The donkeys carried loads suitable to their strength and were found to be most useful animals in the areas near the front line.

Sometimes they got shot. A story is told of one of the 28th drivers who was rather attached to his pair of animals. One day in the Dere a sh.e.l.l killed one of his donkeys and the concussion from the explosion knocked the other one over. With a little persuasion he got up again, but the driver, in explaining the loss, said that he had had one beast killed and that the other had _fainted_.

FOOTNOTES:

[N] Gallipoli Diary.

[O] H. W. Nevinson. The Dardanelles Campaign.

CHAPTER VIII.

GALLIPOLI (continued).

Lower Ches.h.i.+re Ridge, the Battalion's new position, was in part a razor-edged feature which faced the steep north-west slope of Sari Bair.

In between the two, and diagonally across the front, ran the Aghyl Dere which pa.s.sed through the trench line at the 28th's northern boundary.

Here a high breastwork had been constructed which carried a firestep and at the same time allowed room for the pa.s.sage of water underneath. This breastwork, and the line for some distance beyond, was manned alternately by the 5th Norfolks and 10th Londons, both of whom belonged to the 162nd Brigade, 54th Division, and were Kitchener Army men. Both battalions were much reduced in strength and contained many men whom disease had rendered really unfit for work other than that of the lightest nature. However, they hung on with the Tommy's well known stoicism.

The 28th line was very varied. Commencing from the left of the 27th Battalion, it ran through a hilltop to a place where an L-shaped cutting had to be made to secure any footing at all. Thence about a dozen steps, cut in a face, took one to a lower level which ran along towards the Dere and terminated in a series of firing bays opening out from tunnels which had been excavated by the 4th Brigade and further improved by the 25th Battalion. Portions of three companies were detailed to hold the line, "B" Company being on the right and "A" Company functioning with the British. Immediately behind the line was a deep hollow which sheltered the supports and provided s.p.a.ce for the kitchens and headquarters of the Battalion. Little Table Top and Rose Hill formed the western side of this hollow, and across their summits had been constructed a reserve line with machine guns in position.

The nearest enemy trenches were some 600 yards distant. The intervening s.p.a.ce was mostly covered with scrub, but in the breaks and on the bare patches could be seen the bodies of many of those who had taken part in the ill-fated attempt of Baldwin's Brigade to storm Chunuk Bair on the 10th August. Boxes, tins of biscuits, coils of wire, and various portions of equipment were scattered broadcast about the valley.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE FRONT LINE ON CHEs.h.i.+RE RIDGE.

_Map by Australian War Museum._]

Life at Lower Ches.h.i.+re Ridge was peaceful as compared with that at the Apex. A daily dose of shrapnel was sent along from the direction of Abdel Rahman Bair, to the north-east, but this seldom did any harm. On the evening of the 7th October a machine gun fire demonstration was made by our divisions on either flank without any apparent effect. At 7 p.m.

on the following day the wind rose and was soon followed by drenching rain which lasted most of the night. About an hour after it commenced the Turks opened a heavy rifle and machine gun fire against the Light Horse Brigade and Walker's Ridge. This continued for some time but there was no further development. Owing to the weather the Battalion spent a very miserable night.

About this period, a method of recording time that was novel to most of the Australians was brought into vogue by the adoption of the French system. This at first led to some little confusion, but was considered essential in order to ensure proper co-ordination in the efforts of the Allies. Later on, it came naturally to all. The difficulty of easily recognising the figures "0015" as representing 12.15 a.m., "1430" as 2.30 p.m., and "2245" as 10.45 p.m., may be quite understood.

Apart from holding this part of the line, the officers and men were princ.i.p.ally engaged, during their stay here, in improving the accommodation for the supports and providing for their protection in the winter. A detachment of New Zealand Engineers was attached to the Battalion to advise. However, little progress could be made owing to the scarcity of timber and iron and the nature of the soil, which, in this quarter, was composed of the scourings of the hills and had no stability. Difficulty was also encountered with the plans of the Commanding Royal Engineer of the Division, which were frequently changed, in order to conform to the varying moods of the Divisional Commander. In consequence, much labour was expended, but little real progress made for some time. Defensive works included the deepening of the front line trench, which was carried down to a depth of ten feet--in some places--without any material increase in width. This was the policy of the day and was based on securing immunity from shrapnel fire. Had the enemy used heavy sh.e.l.ls, with delayed action fuses, these same trenches would have proved veritable death traps for their garrisons.

Near the junction of "C" and "A" Companies' sectors, two tunnels were driven in the direction of the enemy's lines. From the heads of these, it was intended to construct a lateral underground trench, which would join up with the forward works of the neighbouring battalion on the left. The trench was to be completed almost entirely underground, and then finally the crust of earth would be broken through in one night and the enemy at dawn would discover a finished work having a command of the whole of that portion of the Dere as well as the ravine running down from the north. The Battalion did not stay in this sector long enough to witness the completion of its labours and the work was afterwards carried on by the 4th Brigade.

The scarcity, which has been referred to, of timber and iron was exemplified in another manner when a change in garrisons took place.

Units marching in and out of a position would take their precious bits of wood and sheet iron with them and their transport was personally supervised by an officer. This, in the case of a company or battalion being relieved, sometimes led to the partial dismantlement of works. As a result stringent orders on the subject were issued. These were not always regarded as they should have been. Once, during the gales, a barge laden with timber was wrecked, and her load distributed along the beach, at the foot of Chailak Dere. Within a few hours--whilst the Engineers were thinking of organising salvage parties--the whole of the spoils had disappeared into the valleys and up the slopes of the Light Horse and Infantry positions.

The prominence given to sniping has been referred to earlier. To counter the Turks' efforts in this direction, the Brigadier organised a body of men composed of expert rifle shots, chosen from each battalion. This was placed under the command of Captain H. B. Menz, of the 28th Battalion, who had Lieut. W. P. Devons.h.i.+re, 27th Battalion, to a.s.sist him. These snipers were equipped with powerful telescopes and were disposed in carefully chosen positions in the line--or beyond or behind it. Their usefulness, aided as they were by other men from the companies, was soon demonstrated. In a few days not a Turk dare expose himself within 600 or 700 yards distance of our lines, and scarcely ever was a hostile rifle loosed during daylight hours. After dark, Jacko would take courage and pot in the direction of our trenches. The snipers were also of use to the English, who were being hara.s.sed on the other side of the Dere. The tactful offer of the loan of two or three Australians in a few days removed the cause of their trouble. The Turks occasionally resorted to ruses, but these were quickly negatived by the Australians, who showed themselves no mean masters of craft. Nearly across to the opposite side of the valley were revealed, by the telescope, the shoulders and black face of a dummy sharpshooter located behind a bush. Some distance up the valley, to the north, a piece of iron piping protruded from cover in imitation of a gun. Dummy loopholes abounded. On the slope of Chunuk Bair, a communication trench wound down. At a certain hour of the afternoon a man coming down this trench would, at one turn under observation, be preceded by his shadow. Our snipers watched for this shadow and made deadly practice at the substance. After a few days, the enemy ceased to move in that quarter whilst light lasted.

Captain Menz was also supplied with a Hotchkiss quick-firing gun which discharged a 3 lb. solid shot. This was placed in a carefully chosen nook in one of the hollows and camouflaged with green bushes. In the charge of Corporal C. T. Ballingall, an ex-citizen force gunner, this weapon was a powerful and effective means of knocking out sniper posts whenever they were located.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE CHAILAK DERE.

Looking towards the sea from Table Top. The razor-back leads to Old No. 3 Post.

_Official photo. No. G. 1829. Copyright by Australian War Museum._]

A system of patrolling the bed of the ravine, and of the lower slopes beyond, was carried out. Platoon commanders usually took charge of small parties of men which debouched from "A" or "C" Companies' lines and cautiously explored No-Man's Land. Compet.i.tion in this work became keen at times. One young officer--small of stature--claimed to have pinned a white handkerchief on a tree close to the enemy's wire. Another officer--the reverse in figure--averred that he got through the wire and dropped his cigarette b.u.t.t right on top of a sleeping enemy sentry.

Daylight revealed the white patch on the tree, but n.o.body seemed anxious to investigate too closely the tale of the cigarette.

[Ill.u.s.tration: VIEW OF THE AGHYL DERE.

Looking North-West. Ches.h.i.+re Ridge position on the left. In the foreground are reminders of the August fighting.

_Official Photo. No. G. 2002. Copyright by Australian War Museum._]

About this time occurred one of the Mohammedan festivals. High authority considered that this fact might engender an offensive spirit in the opposing force. Patrols, therefore, were instructed to be especially vigilant. Nothing important was discovered. One patrol did report that it had heard some musical instrument being played in the enemy's area, the sound of voices, and the barking of a dog. The officer who compiled the daily intelligence report wrote: "sounds of jollification were heard issuing from the enemy trenches." This phrase seemed to tickle the official ear, and was repeated by all reporters, and appeared finally in Sir Ian Hamilton's summary.

Patrols also performed a good deal of salvage work and brought in a considerable quant.i.ty of material from between the opposing lines.

Several ident.i.ty discs were likewise collected and forwarded on for the information of the records section of the Army.

On the evening of the 11th October a welcome addition was made to the strength of the Battalion by the arrival of portion of the 2nd and 3rd Reinforcements under Captain E. A. Coleman and Lieut. A. M. Hope. These were distributed the following day amongst the four companies, and Captain Coleman took over command of "B" Company. As was the case with the later drafts, these newcomers proved themselves to be excellent fellows.

The death of Lieut. F. E. Jensen had created a vacancy in the commissioned ranks which was filled by the promotion of Sergeant C. R.

Field--a trainee under the Australian Universal Military Service scheme.

Casualties amongst the non-commissioned officers were replaced by the appointment and promotion of men who showed themselves possessed of the necessary qualifications. In a few instances promotion was declined by the individual. Various reasons were given for this step. Some individuals lacked ambition, others were reluctant to accept responsibility, and again others preferred to retain the close company of the friends of their section--promotion resulting in a mild form of aloofness and isolation, a condition which the exercise of authority rendered almost inevitable.

About this time the first Battalion Bombing Squad was formed. This was a result of some lessons from the campaign on the Western Front, where experienced bomb-throwers, properly organised, had proved of great value in offensive and defensive operations. This squad was placed under Lieut. N. W. Sundercombe and was trained in some old Turkish trenches at the lower end of the Chailak Dere. The members showed such proficiency in their work that in the course of a few days only they were called upon to give a demonstration in method before the other squads of the Division. The members of the squad were Sergt. A. Brown, Corporals A.

Gibbons and I. E. Dunkley, Privates J. Connor, S. J. Price, G. B. Brown, F. Congdon, W. G. Green, F. E. Dawkins, H. Thetford, F. Parker, H.