Chapter Seven
As the Dreadnought Euraylus opened up its bombardment of the Turkish positions on W Beach at Cape Helle’s it sounded as if the heavens themselves might fall down such was the noise from the guns of the fleet. I don’t know about the Turks but it scared me and my mates to death just listening to it thunder overhead and watching it smash into the enemy positions throwing up huge plumes of dirt and smoke. Some of the shells from the guns were so large that you could watch them following their trajectory as they raced towards the enemy. We waited for the bombardment to finish then we would disembark onto lifeboats then a string of these would be pulled by steam launches. When we got as close to shore as possible the boats would be cast off and the naval ratings manning the oars would row us in over the final stretch and land us on the beach. We were in the boats and the steam launches were towing us behind them I looked over the side and the water looked a beautiful blue colour and you could see quite away down through it. I was lucky really because all my mates where in my boat Elijah, Charlie the Lord Brothers and Sgt Dawson the rest were all Fusiliers. Elijah looked across at me as the steam launch continued to tow us and the rest of the string of boats through the choppy swell. He said. “Well it’s not much like being on Queens Park boating lake on a Sunday afternoon still where else could you get paid for taking a sea cruise, no what I say is all aboard the Skylark.” I thanked God that we had Elijah on our boat and in our platoon for it was now he showed what a mate he was by cheering me and the lads up as we rowed ashore Elijah was one of those people who faced life head on and didn’t let it get him down. I replied. “Queens Park sounds quite a nice place to be right now though I wish the water was as blue and as clear as what it is here.” Charlie joined in saying. “I wouldn’t mind being there myself at the moment what with a nice young lady on my arm so everyone would admire us champion.” The Lord Brothers looked at Charlie and burst out laughing while Elijah lifted his eyes to heaven to let Charlie know what he thought of his daydream.
The shore was coming closer and everything was deadly quite as we chugged in towards it the lads all wrapped up now in their own world their own personal thoughts, then all of a sudden we could hear the crack thump of bullets passing by us as we came in closer. All of a sudden the steam launch veered to its left and took our string of boats with it as we passed the spot where it had just been I saw rocks just under the water so thank God the Coxswain had been on his toes. He had found a gap in the rocky outcrop and he cast our string of boats off and turned to return to the ship and pick up more. As our ratings rowed us closer to the shore the rifle fire became fiercer it was pinging off the boats or buzzing overhead and we watched as a lot plopped into the water I saw this but felt as though I was somewhere else it was most strange. Just then Charlie got a bullet graze across the back of his hand which started to bleed he yelped and shouted. “Who the hell’s shooting at us what’s going on? I thought we were just supposed to stroll up the beach after that bombardment that’s what they told us the bastards.” As we rowed closer we could hear jeering and shouting from some of the boats but as the shore neared dramatically these stopped to be replaced by the cries and pain of men who were being wounded and dying in the boats. All of a sudden one of the sailors who were sat near to me pulling on his oar slumped over looking like a discarded rag doll. His mates whose strokes had been thrown off gave him hell little realising for the moment that he was dead that only came when they saw the blood running down from his wound and pooling in the bottom of the boat. There was no time to dwell on this because now there was a deadly fire pouring into all the boats in ours we were taking a lot of casualties and the bottom of the boat was covered in water and blood which sloshed around beneath our feet. Up to now however it had been the sailors and Fusiliers who had borne the brunt but we knew this could not last as the boat had lost headway due to the crew being hit some of our lads grabbed the oars and began to row. Big splinters of wood were flying up into the air as our boat was hit countless times by bullets and the noise amplified inside the hull where we crouched taking cover and sounded all the more frightening. I was staring into the eyes of a dead sailor who had half his head shot away I could see this grey stuff mixed with the blood but at this time I didn’t know that it was the fellow’s brain. I was terrified and wished that I was back at home in a nice warm bed and that this was only a bad dream but I knew it wasn’t and I just threw up into the bottom of the boat where it mixed in with the bits of flesh blood and other bodily fluids in the seawater.
I heard a cry from just behind me and when I looked I could see that Jimmy Lord had been hit and that his twin brother Mickey was trying to look after him. As he tried to dress his brothers wound Mickey was hit I watched as he tried to put his hand up to his neck as blood sprayed out of the wound then he simply went head first over the side into the blue water. I could see a cloud of red on the surface and I made to strip my kit and go over the side after him but Elijah grabbed my arm and said. “No Billy Boy you stay where you are or we will lose another friend.” I yelled back at him. “Who died and made you Sergeant eh?” Elijah shook his and replied. “Don’t be silly lad there is nothing you can do but get yourself killed and what good would that do anybody and Mickey certainly wouldn’t want you to do it.” He looked me in the eyes as he continued. “Listen lad with the amount of kit he was carrying and the depth of the water he would have had no chance. Anyway the wound to his neck probably killed him outright just look at the blood on the water’s surface.” I looked at the blood slick on the surface and followed it as it trailed down through the clear clean water to where Mickey had disappeared into the depths. I knew that Elijah was right but it sickened me to think there was nothing we could do for a good mate and a comrade. God this was not what I had dreamed war was about there was neither death nor glory here just scared ordinary blokes like me. There was no fanfare of trumpets and being born away on angel’s wings there was just death and destruction, screams of pain filth and blood and men crying for their Mothers. Jimmy was still lying unconscious in the bottom of the boat so for the present he would be spared the news of his twin’s death that is if he made it then there was Frank to tell I would write as soon as I could. I put these things to one side as we drew very close to the shore now and the bullets if anything were whining and buzzing round us like angry bee’s but with a much deadlier sting.
Looking forward I could see W Beach right in front of us now and what I saw didn’t fill me with any confidence whatsoever for it looked to be a complete mess. As I looked I judged the beach to be about 300-400yds wide but only about 30-40yds deep and on either side of the beach there were cliffs that must have been around 150ft in height and completely commanded the beach. A funnel shaped valley lay in the centre and climbed up from the beach reaching the level of the cliffs and this would be the route we would have to take. The beach was covered in barbed wire which was thickly strewn about and machine guns hammered down from the strong points on the cliffs. As our lads made their way ashore mines on the water’s edge and on the beach would explode throwing pieces of them into the air. Then bits of body and gore would fall back down onto the sand lying there like meat in some kind of hellish butchers shop display on the beach. The men in the boats just in front of us I could see were being told to jump into the water and wade ashore a lot of them obeyed and dropped over the sides but the water was too deep and the weight of their kit dragged them down drowning them. The ones who did make it to shore fell prey to either the mines machine guns or got entangled in the barbed wire on top of this were the bloody snipers who picked people off with deadly accuracy. The water around this area had turned crimson with the blood of the wounded and dying and the dead were rolling around in the surf but in some places they were that thick as to be jammed together in masses. I watched men with their limbs blown off or trying to hold their entrails in place and stop them falling out and spilling onto the sand I shuddered as I watched this scene and the hair on my head stood on end.
I am glad to say that the sailors in our wave had a bit more sense or luck but we could see on the far left a gap in the wire and our men where getting ashore more easily through this place. The sailors and Fusiliers on the oars pulled like mad and we came up grounding on the sand farther back those that were left jumped into the sea and we started wading ashore as the bullets continued to churn the sea in frenzy. I was wading in waist high water and had just put my foot down when I went head first down into the water I had found a large hole in the seabed and had fell I thought I was going to drown as I struggled with my kits weight thrashing and wallowing under the surface. I wondered if my life would flash before me as people said it did when you drowned when all of a sudden I felt a yank on my pack and my head cleared the surface leaving me coughing and spluttering. I knew I needed to quickly get my breath back so I took a deep breath of air and pushed forward all the way upright whilst Elijah held on to my pack and helped me to stand however both my kit rifle and myself were soaked. As we waded ashore I saw that Elijah had been wounded in the arm so I asked. “When did that happen?” He glanced at the wound and said. “I must have cut myself shaving.” I looked at him as though he had grown another head so he continued. “It happened when we went over the side of the boat but it’s nothing really it’s just a scratch so don’t worry yourself”, he smiled at me and we carried on up the beach. We had just got to the gap in the wire and we were heading for a point under the cliffs where we could see everyone else had taken shelter as this seemed to be the only place that offered shelter from the whining swarming bullets that were flying around. As we moved onward the bullets moved towards us dancing across the beach and looking almost beautiful in their precision. But I quickly got a reminder of how deadly they were when I felt a burning sensation in the back of my thigh and I nearly fell to the sand. We started moving up the beach again and we could see a Fusilier sat in the sand looking at the place where his legs had been though all that was left now was strips of flesh and the whiteness of smashed bone. We had to leave him where he was as there was nothing we could do for him I could feel my face changing colour at what we were witnessing which was a living hell. Eventually we made it to the cover under the cliff Elijah said to me. “You’ve been hit Billy Boy there’s blood on the leg of your pants.” It seemed like a dream at first but then the pain started and it hurt like hell, Elijah pulled a hanky from his pocket and tied it round the wound and this felt better he stood up saying. “You’ll be alright lad it’s like mine just a scratch.”
I fumbled for my cigarettes and gave one to Elijah we lit up just as CSM Domby came along and said. “Right there’s another overhang further along so make for it and for fuck’s sake try to keep your asses under cover we’ve lost enough men in this fucking charnel house today.” He went off chivvying the rest of the men and we took off and managed after a few precarious minutes to reach the next bit of overhang. The CSM joined up with us again and looking at me and Elijah he said. “Wounded eh that’s not too bad you’re a lot luckier than them poor bastards down there”, and he pointed to a line of dead Fusiliers at the edge of the water. Turning back he said. “It’s good to see the pair of you but remember what I said and keep your bloody heads down I would like to give you a rest but it’s a non starter. As soon as some more make it here we will be pushing on to our next objective so if your rifles have got either sand or water down the barrels clean them now.” He looked out to where the machine gun bullets still flew and told us. “For pity’s sake watch those fucking machine guns the little bastards have got them emplaced on the cliff tops and that’s a perfect firing position to enfilade down on us.” Leaving us with these words of wisdom the CSM pushed off to round up more of the Companies survivors ready for the next stage. So having listened to the advise me and Elijah sat down then taking our cleaning kits out we started to give our rifles a good clean for after all our lives depended on them. As I was cleaning my rifle my stomach churned over and I leant over to one side and threw up I suppose it was both fright and nerves that was causing this but I can honestly say that I had never been as scared in my life. I could not believe what had happened to us in such a short time as I looked out at all the dead bodies strewn across the beach not to mention the body parts that hung from the wire or that were clustered together or had been thrown across the sand this whole place really did resemble hell on earth.
A short time later Charlie Slater appeared in our midst with a bandage on his hand he looked at us saying. “Where the fuck did you two get to, one minute I was with you and the next I was by myself and shitting a brick I don’t think I’ve ever been so sacred in my life.” Elijah looked up from cleaning his rifle and replied. “Do you think we have nothing better to do with the bullets flying round our bonces than to hang around like a pair of fairground dummies on a shy or don’t you think that Billy Boy and I have been shitting it as well?” He spat in disgust as Charlie looked at the pair of us properly spotting our bandages he became quieter and said. “I’m sorry lads I will be alright in a moment I am just in such a blue funk right now.” Having just finished cleaning our rifles and making Charlie feel more at home we stood up just in time to receive the order to move onto our next objective. So we girded our loins fixed our bayonets and moved forward each thinking I am sure that his next step would be his last. We started up the ravine that ran to the top of the cliffs and that’s when we ran into another Turkish surprise for we could see that they had cut trenches on either side of the ravine. The enfilading fire coming from these was murderous and was cutting what was left of the Company to pieces with casual ease. Now our lads were paying the butchers bill and quite a few laid dead and wounded but not nearly as many as the Fusiliers who it seemed were being decimated. Now as well the Turks were throwing bombs down and two Fusiliers right in front of me took the brunt of these being peppered in shrapnel and their screams will haunt me till my dying day.
As we moved up the ravine ready to take the next trench Lt Walter Cole was killed he had just waved at me and was advancing with his pistol held out in front of him when I saw him jerk and fall face down into the dirt. Both Elijah and I managed to get over to him and saw the mess the bullets had made in his back they were huge and looked like crimson jelly with white smashed bone mixed in. Elijah turned him over and held him in his lap we could see the small entrance wounds in his chest with blood stains round them it his blood had also trickled down his chin. We looked into his dead glazed eyes with no light left in them and I thought about his mother and father who would be heartbroken when news of his death reached them Elijah laid him carefully back down and closed his eyes. We walked up that sloping valley of death with bullets whizzing and ricocheting all over the place and it was just as we got closer to the top that we lost Charlie Slater. We had just poured a withering fire into a trench on our left knocking it out and bayoneting the Turks who tried to surrender. Charlie was in front of me and turned round towards me to say something or other but I am afraid that he never got the chance. I saw a smile on his face and then his mouth opened just once and I watched as a small hole appeared in the centre of his forehead and an explosion of blood and brains erupted from the back of his head. I watched as puzzlement filled his eyes for a split second and then he fell down on his back I ran over shouting his name but I knew that it was too late and that nothing could be done for old Charlie.
Someone behind us got the sniper who had killed our friend but that was to late I knelt down beside him and smoothed the hair out of his eyes I saw the small black hole and cursed it then I sobbed bitterly. Elijah put his hand on my shoulder and said. “Come on lad there’s nothing that we can do for Charlie now leave him we have to look after ourselves.” We moved on and as we did so I thought no more dances for you Charlie my son or birthdays and forget Christmas no more walking out with young ladies or holding hands and spooning in the moonlight no more anything and the tears streamed down my face. He had been a good mate Charlie and all this now was getting to much for me I thought to myself what the fuck am I doing here at my age watching my mates get slaughtered I could see no sense in any of it. Elijah’s face was set and his eyes shone as he said. “Just you wait I will show these fucking Turks no mercy from now on you can bet on that.” I replied I know exactly how you feel but we can’t afford to hang around this killing ground we must carry on or we will end up the same way.” The time pushed on and so did the rest of us assaulting our objective at Hill 114 and securing it despite the casualties that we had suffered the Turks eventually withdrew abandoning their trenches which we took over.
The Lancashire Fusiliers had secured W Beach and we now set about consolidating the ground that we had took at such cost in case the Turks threw in a counterattack but they never did. A short time after this Captain Melstone arrived at Hill114 and came to see us we had got mixed in with some Fusiliers and there was only Elijah and I left from our platoon with them. He walked up to us and said. “Hello you two how are you both?” Elijah replied. “Not too bad Sir we can’t complain there’s worse than us by a long way.” The Captain opened his silver cigarette case and handed them round we took one and lit up as he asked. “What about you young Lamb how are you feeling alright?” He looked at the bandage on my leg and I could tell that he was concerned and that was why he was one of the finest officers that we had in the Battalion. I took a drag of my fag blowing smoke out in a plume as I replied. “Like Pte Mack said Sir we can’t complain but I can say that I am bloody tired and I could sleep for a week.” He smiled saying. “Yes I know what you mean it’s been a hard slog and we have lost some good men and friends and I know that things are a bit confused at the moment but we will hopefully find more about what’s happening later when we get informed from the Staff. A Lance Corporal from the Fusiliers appeared and said. “We should have a brew going in a couple of minutes Sir if you and your lads would like one?” Captain Melstone replied. “No thank you Corporal we shall be moving on after this smoke we have collected all the men from our Company in a trench on the left and I think my lads here are the last to be found.” The Corporal responded by saying, “Very good Sir but if you should change your mind we are round the corner”, then having told us this he made his way down the trench to the next set of men. As we followed the Captain we said goodbye to some of the Fusiliers who had been in the attack with us who were good blokes. But it was not long before we were back in the bosom of our Company and CSM Domby came up to us and said. “Right you two lets get you sorted out get your wounds redressed and if there is anything bad about them report to the medics if you can find any. Oh yes where’s that other reprobate Pte Slater got to I haven’t seen him yet?” I looked at the CSM and replied. “Charlie got hit by a sniper Sir I don’t think he felt a thing because the sniper hit him dead centre if his forehead. I went over to check him but the whole back of his head had gone some bloke from the Fusiliers got the sniper but that was too late for poor Charlie.” I could not believe that I was being so cold about the death of a good friend but I was so fucking bone weary and tired of throwing up that nothing seemed to matter anymore. The CSM took it all in his stride and looking at me and Elijah said. “Yes there are a lot of good lads that have gone this morning and the world will be a worse place without them. Now there’s a brew going down the trench so go and get a mug and get those bloody dressings changed before some disease sets in and takes the pair of you”, and with this he turned and walked off down the trench.
So far we had managed to set up an enclave around W Beach and hold it but as my eyes started to close I wondered at what cost. I was asleep in seconds but the nightmares soon came to haunt me especially the ones about the landing and my friends getting killed I saw their faces again Mickey Lord Lt Cole Charlie Slater and many more and I walk up in a cold sweat of fear trembling and sick to the stomach again. Elijah came towards me saying. “Here you are Billy Boy a nice mug of Rosie Lee for you”, and he shoved a mug into my hand. My head felt like it had been bandaged in cotton wool I looked down the trench and saw other lads who must have felt the same as me. I smacked my chops which tasted as though a cat had shit in them so I took a swig of tea which was hot sweet and strong and the best drink I had ever tasted. I said to Elijah. “How long have I been asleep it must be getting late?” He replied. “Not long about ten minutes at most I had just chance to get our tea and get back when you woke up anyway the Major is going to address us in a moment. As we drank and smoked the Sergeants and Corporals were calling everyone round all apart for the sentries who were on watch for a Turkish attack. Major Danby stood on the back step of the trench and said. “Alright lads I know that you have had a rough time and that everyone’s tired but I want to explain as well as I can what’s happened and what is going to happen as far as we’re concerned. He looked at us stood in the trench with our faces upturned to him and continued. “I know things didn’t go exactly to plan the bloody Turks were ready for us and the bloody wire strung below the waterline and across the beach played havoc. We as well as the Fusiliers have lost a lot of good friends and comrades today and there are also a lot of wounded to be seen to.
Looking over the tops of our heads he coughed waited a moment and then went on. “I am extremely proud of you and you should be proud of yourselves and each other our task was to join up with the Munster’s, Dubliner’s and the other troops on V Beach. It seems however that because of the number of casualties not only to our Company but to the Fusiliers Battalion which has suffered a serious percentage of dead and wounded.” He stopped and wiped his face with his hanky before continuing. “Also because the troops on V Beach got badly mauled as well that there is no chance of us joining up with each other as for the objectives of the Dardanelle Forts I think that Krithia will now be our goal and may just be more obtainable. Someone from the back shouted. “We can go on just give us the word Sir”, mutters of agreement ran around the trench. The Major smiled at this saying. “Sorry lads but its no longer viable or realistic we will consolidate the areas that we now have and the beachhead. We will then wait for orders all though things are a bit mixed up at the moment that is only to be expected, but when the time comes and we are ready we will push on and give Johnny Turk a bloody nose”, this got a half hearted cheer from the lads. Again he looked at us blood smeared and bone weary and said. “Well done lads carry on the good work that you have achieved so far however I must go now and have a word with the higher echelon and try to find out what’s going on. I will leave you in the capable hands of Captain Melstone and CSM Domby who will call the roll”, he saluted us and went off with what remained of our Officers in tow. Captain Melstone took the Major’s place saying. “Right lads we will try to make this as painless as possible and as quick as we can, Sergeant Major can you call the role please?” CSM Domby stepped forward and began to call the role the answers started coming some men were dead some missing and some wounded and it was harrowing listening what had happened to them.
CSM Domby called out the first name. “Private Dawes?” Further down the line a man answered. “Dead Sir he got caught on the wire as we came in I watched him go he was tangled in one of the big piles close to the water. He was dangling on it like a kids puppet and then the machine guns caught him again and he looked like a rag doll with blood all over him, I’m sorry Sir but I couldn’t look any more Fred was a friend of mine”, he looked away and you could see the tears in his eyes. The CSM coughed and continued. “Does anyone know about Lt Cole?” Elijah answered. “He’s dead Sir machine gun got him in the ravine on the way up to the cliffs both myself and Pte Lamb checked him but it was no good he’d had it.” The role call went on. “Pte Slater, no that’s alright I know about him.” Continuing the CSM said. “Pte Lord J?” I answered. “Badly wounded Sir in the boat as we were coming into the beach looked like he took a couple of rounds in the chest.” The CSM looked towards Captain Melstone then back at us saying. “Pte Lord M?” Again I replied. “Dead Sir he took a shot to the throat and fell into the water with the weight of his equipment he went straight down.” The CSM looked at me with a raised eyebrow and the Captain just cleared his throat the role went on but eventually it was nearly finished there was just one more bit of bad news and that was Sergeant Dawson was missing and all we could hope for was that he turns up safe or wounded.
We had consolidated the trench and cleaned most of the rubbish out of it and the dead Turk bodies that had been left behind. Now the sun came out in earnest and it was stiflingly hot in the trench besides this hardly any of us had any water left and our thirsts were raging. This was not simply a matter of the heat and dust that was now blowing around our mouths burned and had the brassy taste of cordite in them from the rounds we had fired. Corporal Bob Simmons came along and said. “Alright Billy Boy Elijah I need to ask you if you have any water left?” Elijah answered. “Are you taking the piss or what my bottle was empty half way up to these heights and it hasn’t refilled itself since then.” Bob continued. “Sorry lads but I had to ask Captain Melstone needs to know exactly how much water the Company has left but I must admit up to now our water situation doesn’t look to healthy.” Elijah now looked a bit abashed about his outburst and said. “Look Bob I am sorry if I bit your head off I know it’s not your fault we have no water we are all just a bit tired that’s all.” Bob replied. “I know that feeling all too well lads and it’s alright Elijah can’t blame you for what’s happening either anyway I must be off on my rounds so cheerio boys and I will no doubt see you later?” He set off down the trench asking others about water and as we watched him go we knew that he was in for some serious ear bashing for his trouble.
The sun was high in the sky now even though it was only just after mid-day it beat down on the trench and us like a hammer on an anvil and crushing people with its force. It was about half an hour later that Sergeant Smith came along and said. “Billy Boy Elijah the CSM and Captain Melstone wants to see you pair likety spit so get a move on.” I asked. “What’s it all about then Sarge.” I hoped that he might cast some light on what was happening as he replied. “I don’t really know for sure but I am pretty positive it has something to do with the water situation which is desperate to say the least. But the best way to find out is to get your asses down to the Command Bunker where they will tell you.” Elijah stood up fastening his kit and saying to me. “Come on Billy Boy lest go and see what they want us for.” I got my kit together and we set off for the Command Bunker further down the trench as we walked I could feel the heat and my tongue was sticking to the roof of my mouth. On reaching the Command Dugout we were met by the CSM and Captain Melstone who had with them about twenty of the lads. The CSM shouted. “Hurry up you two and get over here the Captain has something to say.” We made our way to where they stood as the Captain said. “Right lads listen up I don’t suppose I need to tell you how bad the water situation is here because I am sure your all as thirsty as I am. I must tell you however that even with the supplies coming up from the beach there will not be enough water for all of us and we must do something to prevent thirst and dehydration.” Elijah piped up saying. “You can say that again Sir I am spitting bloody feathers here”, this got a laugh from the lads and even the CSM and Captain Melstone smiled. The Captain continued. “Well I think Pte Mack has summed things up nicely and with that in mind we have been tasked by Brigade to send out a recce patrol and locate a source of water. Now I know things have been quite since the Turks withdrew and up to now we have no sightings of the enemy in the vicinity so let’s just hope it stays that way.” He started tapping his boot with his swagger stick a little habit he had when speaking he told us. “There is a village about a mile north of our position we will therefore advance towards this cautiously and locate a well or stream which we can use to replenish our supplies. The Fusiliers will be sending out patrols as well however I can’t emphasise how important it is that we find water.” He looked us all over and the turning to the CSM said. “We move off in ten minutes Sergeant Major let them have a last smoke before we go”, and with this he ducked into the Command Bunker.
We had a smoke and then moved off myself and Corporal Kenny had been detailed to bring up the rear keeping an eye out for enemy ambushes from behind us. We had also been told that once we got to the village we should pick out good advantage points for ourselves so we could snipe on the enemy if necessary we two being the best marksmen in the patrol. We marched on the terrain was not to bad there was some farm land and a few rough scrubby places up and down but it was not green and luscious like the land at home. Even so it seemed like the land had been cultivated and looked after we continued on and the sun shone down roasting us like pigs on a spit and all the time our thirst was getting worse. We emerged from a gully and moved on to a flat piece of land just in front of us lay the village if that’s what you could call it really there was just a collection of mud brick houses. As we got closer our eyes roved the country sight seeking out places where ambushes might be situated the Captain sent ten of our men forward to recce the village to see if any of the enemy were lurking there. They moved forward cautiously and disappeared between the houses we watched