GALLIPOLI - DEPLOYMENT OF RFA

[yardley]

I have recently found the following account relating to the movement of A Battery, 55th Brigade RFA, 10th (Irish) Division in 1915:

" 'A' Battery went first to the Peninsula, embarking on HMT 'Kingstonian' on 9th August arriving in Mudros on 13th. Here they waited for a month before embarking on the steam tug 'Bovry', with their guns and wagons on the 'Queen Louise' and leaving many horses and drivers still in camp, reaching West Beach on 10th."

This supports the account given in "The Tenth (Irish) Division in Gallipoli - Chapter IX, page 229 ":

"After about three weeks in Egypt, where a certain number of horses died as the result of eating sand which caused colic, the 55th and 56th Brigades were transferred to Mudros and thence without their horses to the Pensisula."

Clearly space and the availabilty of water was a problem on the Peninsula. Do any of our experts know if the policy of leaving horses and drivers behind on Lemnos was widespread and which, if any, of the other Royal Field Artillery units were affected.

Yardley

[michaeldr]

Clearly space and the availability of water was a problem on the Peninsula.

Yardley

From: APPENDIX IV

INSTRUCTIONS TO MAJOR-GENERAL H. DE LISLE, C.B., D.S.O.

(see http://www.gutenberg.org/files/22021/22021-h/22021-h.htm#Page_336)

4. You will have at your disposal the following troops:—

11th Division,

10th Division,

53rd Division,

54th Division,

(less 29th Brigade),

and there is on its way from Egypt to join you the 2nd Mounted Division (5,000 men dismounted), which should be available by August 18th. The 10th, 11th and 53rd Divisions are considerably depleted, and the moral of the latter at present leaves much to be desired. There are at present ashore, belonging to the above two F.A. Brigades (three batteries of which are awaiting horses to bring them up from Anzac) and[Pg 337] two Heavy Batteries. In addition, two Highland Mountain Batteries, attached to the 9th Corps, are ashore, and the 1/4th Lowland Brigade (two batteries 5-inch howitzers) are at your disposal when they can be brought up from Anzac. It has only been possible to land a bare minimum of horses owing to difficulties in respect of water and the landing of forage.

Three further F.A. Brigades and the 57th Brigade (two batteries) 4.5-inch howitzers are at Mudros ready to be brought up as soon as it is possible to land them. These Brigades will probably have to be landed without any horses in the first instance, and taken into position by the artillery horses already ashore.

So you can add to you list fodder or forage, which seems also to have been a problem. And then there is the question of waste disposal. Somewhere or other I have seen a complaint by a Medical Officer that the manure from the horse lines was not being disposed of properly, which in turn was aggravating the already serious health hazard from flies.

Fortunately the (lack of) depth of the various fronts meant that once the guns had been landed they did not have to be moved very far. I imagine that those which could not be man-handled could possibly have make use of the available horses already ashore - see above quote

I have not studied this particular aspect of the campaign, however I would not be surprised if leaving the horses behind turns out to have been a more common practice. You will see from other places in the Hamilton Diary's Appendices references to a 'modified scale of horses' [eg: see page 322] so I think that some problems with horses was anticipated, and perhaps the situation got worse as the landings progressed

I shall try and follow this thread and learn more.

Good luck

Michael

[yardley]

Dear Michael,'

Thank you very much for your detailed and very helpful reply.

There are reports and photographs showing guns being man-handled into position over fairly rough terrain, which would have been totally unsuitable for horses. I believe there were occasions when mules were used to move the guns.

One wonders about command and unit cohesion with elements remaining on Lemnos whilst the batteries were fighting on the Peninsula.

Given the need for secrecy, it must have been a logistical nightmare getting the guns, horses and mules away during the evacuation.

Yardley

Clearly space and the availability of water was a problem on the Peninsula.

Yardley

From: APPENDIX IV

INSTRUCTIONS TO MAJOR-GENERAL H. DE LISLE, C.B., D.S.O.

(see http://www.gutenberg...-h.htm#Page_336)

4. You will have at your disposal the following troops:—

11th Division,

10th Division,

53rd Division,

54th Division,

(less 29th Brigade),

and there is on its way from Egypt to join you the 2nd Mounted Division (5,000 men dismounted), which should be available by August 18th. The 10th, 11th and 53rd Divisions are considerably depleted, and the moral of the latter at present leaves much to be desired. There are at present ashore, belonging to the above two F.A. Brigades (three batteries of which are awaiting horses to bring them up from Anzac) and[Pg 337] two Heavy Batteries. In addition, two Highland Mountain Batteries, attached to the 9th Corps, are ashore, and the 1/4th Lowland Brigade (two batteries 5-inch howitzers) are at your disposal when they can be brought up from Anzac. It has only been possible to land a bare minimum of horses owing to difficulties in respect of water and the landing of forage.

Three further F.A. Brigades and the 57th Brigade (two batteries) 4.5-inch howitzers are at Mudros ready to be brought up as soon as it is possible to land them. These Brigades will probably have to be landed without any horses in the first instance, and taken into position by the artillery horses already ashore.

So you can add to you list fodder or forage, which seems also to have been a problem. And then there is the question of waste disposal. Somewhere or other I have seen a complaint by a Medical Officer that the manure from the horse lines was not being disposed of properly, which in turn was aggravating the already serious health hazard from flies.

Fortunately the (lack of) depth of the various fronts meant that once the guns had been landed they did not have to be moved very far. I imagine that those which could not be man-handled could possibly have make use of the available horses already ashore - see above quote

I have not studied this particular aspect of the campaign, however I would not be surprised if leaving the horses behind turns out to have been a more common practice. You will see from other places in the Hamilton Diary's Appendices references to a 'modified scale of horses' [eg: see page 322] so I think that some problems with horses was anticipated, and perhaps the situation got worse as the landings progressed

I shall try and follow this thread and learn more.

Good luck

Michael