April 1915 ... The Dardanelles
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The landings on the Peninsula were originally planned for April 23rd, but due to poor weather conditions were postponed by forty-eight hours. Two landing areas were scheduled: the first at Gaba Tepe, to be undertaken largely by Australian and New Zealand units, and the second at Cape Helles. Two diversions were also planned: the first by the French on the Asian shore and the other at Bulair by the Royal Naval Division. Three hundred ratings from the Howe and Hood Battalions were selected for beach duties at Cape Helles.
Shortly before dawn on the twenty-fourth, a fleet that had left from Scyros—comprising HMS Canopus, Kennet, Jed, and Dartmouth, ten transports, two supply ships, a hospital ship, and various small craft—sailed through the Gulf of Saros. The transports dropped anchor midway between the north and south shores, while the warships began a day-long bombardment of Bulair at 05:45. At 07:45, HMS Kennet passed close to the shore for a detailed reconnaissance. The feint did not appear to have been taken seriously by the Turkish defenders, and a landing of the Division was considered. However, due to enemy activity throughout the day, it was thought such a landing would meet stiff resistance and result in heavy casualties. Lieutenant-Commander B. C. Freyberg volunteered to swim ashore to undertake certain tasks. This was readily agreed, and a feigned landing was staged. Eight boats were lowered from the transports during the afternoon, and in the early evening twenty men boarded each. These boats, pulled by a trawler, made as if to land just before dark but returned after nightfall. At 22:00, under the cover of darkness, Freyberg began the two-hour swim to shore. On arrival, he lit flares along the beach to give the impression of an army’s campfires before moving inland to observe the Ottoman defences. Once complete, he began the two-hour return journey to the ships. Just after dawn, the Royal Naval Division fleet sailed south to Cape Helles. There were five landings on Cape Helles on the twenty-fifth. The main attacks were on V and W Beaches. On V Beach, the assault was undertaken by the 1st Dublin Fusiliers, 1st Munster Fusiliers, and 2nd Hampshires, with a company and a platoon of the Anson Battalion. On W Beach, the 1st Lancashire Fusiliers, 4th Worcesters, and 1st Essex landed with a company of Anson. There was a subsidiary attack on X Beach by the 2nd Royal Fusiliers, 1st Inniskillings, 1st Border Regiment, and the remainder of the Anson Battalion. A flanking party on Y Beach was undertaken by the Plymouth Battalion, along with a company of the 2nd South Wales Borderers and the 1st K.O.S.B. A second flanking landing was made at Morto Bay by the remainder of the 2nd South Wales Borderers. The landings on Y and X Beaches met with little opposition. After landing at 05:45 on Y Beach, the crest of the cliffs was gained by 06:30. The enemy were engaged eight hundred yards to the north, and a defensive flank was formed to the northeast. The assault continued to advance eastward, covering Gully Ravine. On X Beach, the barrage from the ships had cleared the enemy from the cliff tops. After scaling the cliffs, the troops were to advance on Krithia, but the defenders were in prepared positions, and this advance proved impossible. | ||||||||
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The defences at V and W Beaches had been strengthened just prior to the landings, and both saw ferocious fighting with numerous casualties on both sides. Both beaches were later described as bloodbaths. On W Beach, the landing was met with very strong resistance, but by 09:30 the trenches up the gully from the beach had been taken. The Hood and Howe beach parties linked up with the Anson unit and joined the fighting, only returning to the beach after the cliffs had been secured.
At dawn, a platoon of Anson and three companies of the Dublin Fusiliers were towed to V Beach in small craft. The men in these boats were annihilated on landing, with only a handful surviving. The converted coal steamer River Clyde carried the bulk of the force, but it grounded some distance from the beach. Lighters were arranged with difficulty under murderous fire to allow disembarkation. As the men made their way over the bridge, huge numbers were cut down by the defences; it is estimated that fewer than fifteen percent actually made it to the beach. Men disembarking from the steamer could look down through the clear water to the bodies of those who had gone before, lying on the bottom. The water was stained red with the blood of the fallen. |
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Sub-Lieutenant Tisdall of the Anson Battalion courageously recovered a number of the wounded from the beach and returned them to the ships. He would later be awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions that day. It was eventually decided that the men could not be landed without the cover of darkness; the Turks had to be held off from overrunning the beach by the few who had already landed.
With the existing position on the beaches, it was impossible to press on to Krithia as originally intended. Due to the failures on other beaches, those on Y Beach withdrew to a defensive line, which was completed by 15:00. Three platoons of Anson were moved from V to W Beach to assist in beach duties. These units were the only reserves on the beach. Over the night of the 25th–26th, the Turks counterattacked, and the Anson units on W Beach were moved into the firing line, where the enemy was held. On Y Beach, the Marines suffered heavy casualties in the counterattacks. At 07:30 a withdrawal was ordered from this area, and it was completed by 09:30. On V Beach, all the men were landed overnight without further loss. The Drake Battalion had been held in reserve for the landings, and it was released on the twenty-sixth. The Battalion was immediately despatched to Cape Helles, where it landed at 20:30. On the twenty-seventh, the line was advanced two miles unopposed, the enemy having withdrawn to the defences covering Krithia, and it was decided that the Allies would press on to the town the following day. Capturing this key objective would allow those landing at Cape Helles to push northwards, remove the Turkish defenders from the heights overlooking the Dardanelles Straits, and join up with the troops of the MEF who had landed at Gaba Tepe. The ultimate objective of the campaign was to capture the Turkish capital, Constantinople. | ||||||||
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The Drake Battalion was attached to the 87th Brigade. At 08:00 on the twenty-eighth, with the 87th on the left of the 88th Brigade and five French battalions on the right, the assault was launched, covered by the guns of the ships below. The attack made progress on the left but stalled elsewhere. Drake was ordered to the firing line, where it remained overnight. The Turks counterattacked and broke the Allied line by driving the French back with a bayonet charge. The situation was eventually recovered with a prolonged naval bombardment, but not before two of Drake's companies were withdrawn from the firing line to cover the Allied headquarters at W Beach.
During the course of the twenty-eighth, the Marine and 1st Naval Brigades were ordered to Gaba Tepe to reinforce the Anzacs, although the Plymouth and Drake Battalions would remain on Cape Helles attached to the 29th Division. Portsmouth and Chatham landed that day, Deal and Nelson on the twenty-ninth. All three Marine battalions were immediately moved into the front line, with Nelson in reserve working on the construction of dugouts. The Hood and Howe Battalions were ordered to disembark at W Beach, and the transports sailed back to Cape Helles. |
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| The three Marine battalions were continuously engaged in fighting and suffered heavy losses. The Chatham Battalion lost part of the line to Turkish attacks but recaptured it on the thirtieth, suffering considerable casualties in the process. Due to the defenders’ positions, it was virtually impossible to keep the lines supplied. Lance-Corporal Parker of the Portsmouth Battalion would later be awarded the Victoria Cross for going forward under heavy enemy fire to attend to the wounded of a carrying party, all of whom had become casualties, despite being seriously wounded himself. | ||||||||
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Over the night of May 1st–2nd, the Turks counterattacked on Cape Helles once again. The first line of the counterattack advanced with no ammunition, relying solely on bayonets; from this, the tenacity of the defence can be recognised. At this time, the Royal Naval Division units on the Cape were in the reserve line. The Anson Battalion was despatched to the French lines, which had been breached, while both Howe and Hood entered the trenches at Achi Baba Nullah. The casualties were heavy, but by dawn only small groups of the enemy could be observed.
At 10:00 the Allies counterattacked, and the whole line moved forward. Hood and Howe advanced up the gully but suffered heavy casualties and were forced to dig in. A general behind the lines did not understand why the battalions had not pressed on and sent reinforcements. The Turks were able to observe the movement of these troops and intensified the artillery fire falling on the gully. The Hood Battalion was forced to withdraw, followed shortly after by Howe. That evening, the Division was withdrawn from the line. |
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At Gaba Tepe, the Marine Brigade remained in the line until the second, when an attempt was made to capture the head of the cliffs overlooking the gully from the beach. The three Marine battalions and Nelson were held in reserve for the assault. The attack commenced at 20:00 but quickly descended into great confusion and was clearly failing. At 02:00, the Nelson Battalion was ordered into the fighting, followed by both the Portsmouth and Chatham Battalions at dawn. Chatham captured two of the enemy's central trench lines, but no progress was made on the flanks and, due to the lack of support, the positions had to be abandoned six hours later. Allied casualties in the attack were severe, and to prevent further losses it was decided to concede the ground won in the centre and withdraw to a defensive line.
On the night of the third, the Turks renewed their counterattacks against the French line at Cape Helles, and once again the Anson Battalion was ordered to support the left flank. The enemy was driven back. The line then remained quiet, and the battalion was withdrawn on the fifth. It had been observed that the Turks now appeared to have adopted a strategy of defence and were strengthening their positions around Krithia. The Allies aimed to exploit this situation before the defensive preparations were complete. | ||||||||
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