ROYAL BUCKS HUSSARS AUGUST 12 1915

[bobpike]

A friend has contacted me and I wondered if anyone could add to the basic information he has. He writes –

I sadly have not been able to find out what happened to my Great Grandfather. He was killed on the 21^st August as part of the last afternoon’s attack on Chocolate Hill by the Yeomanry lead by Lord Longford, who was also killed on that same day.”

His name is –

LOVE-Private-HERBERT-1684--Hussars, Royal Bucks.-------HELLES MEMORIAL-Panel 16 and 17

[Guest]

The RBH war diary for this period did not survive. There are however around 30 Yeomanry accounts of what happened that day. The Royal Bucks Hussars were brigaded under the 2nd South Midland Mouted Brigade (diary survived) with the Dorset Yeomanry (diary survived) and the Berkshire Yeomanry (diary did not survive). Here are the surviving diaries for this Brigade:

HQ 2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade War Diary 21st Aug 1915. 13:00 Brigade took part in general attack against enemy entrenched on Hill 70. The Brigade advanced across the open leaving the Salt Lake on left flank. By Regiments in following order: Berks, Dorsets, Bucks. Each Regiment in line of Troop Columns. MGs brigaded on right flank. During the the advance the Brigade came under heavy shrapnel fire.

Casualties in advance 2 Officers and 41 ORs .

4:45 pm The Brigade formed up under cover of Hill 53 [Chocolate Hill]

5:00 pm Verbal order received to attack Hill 70 [scimitar Hill]

5:15 pm Berks Yeo started the attack. Dorsets, Bucks following in support - During this attack heavy casualties were caused in all Regiments owing to the skillful way which the enemy's trenches had been sited it was impossible to see them - the Dorsets & Bucks had meanwhile reinforced the Berks 1st line and also prolonged their left . A large amount of scrub which had been burnt made the advance difficult. 6:15 pm The Berks with a portion of the Bucks and Dorsets charged and captured the enemy's front trenches. The position captured formed the apex of a triangle and owing in enfilading fire the Brigade was unable to hold the trenches and had to evacuate it. All Brigade staff and 70% of Regimental Officers had been casualties.

8:00 pm Brigade gradually relieved in small parties and eventually rallied on 22nd on Western slope of Hill 53. Relieved. Dug in. Collected casualty rolls.

Margin note: Following strength going into action -

HQ & Sigs 4 Officers and 47 ORs.

Bucks 9 Officers and 312 ORs

Dorsets 8 Officers and 301 ORs

Berks 9 Officers and 314 ORs...

Returned:

HQ - 0 Officers and 45 ORs,

Bucks 3 Officers and 178 ORs

Dorsets 4 Officers and 150 ORs

Berks 1 Officer and 159 ORs

Dorset Yeomanry War Diary 21st Aug 1915.

2:45 pm Paraded on Plateau behind LALA BABA.

3:00 pm marched in Line of Troop Columns (Regiment Column of Troops Columns) in Brigade Column 2nd, 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th in order of Regiments: Berks, Dorsets, Bucks. Marched SE of Salt Lake under heavy shell-fire to CHOCOLATE HILL. Our Casualties during this march were very slight 7 men only being wounded.

4:30 pm Brigade was ordered to attack Hill 70. The Brigade moved off with the Regiments in columns of 1/2 Squadrons in extended order of Regiments; Berks, Dorsets, Bucks.

4:30 pm MG Sections marched as part of the Brigade carrying guns by hand. The rear troops in each Regiment carried entrenching tools.

6:00 pm Having crossed the Infantry advanced trenches we reached the top of Hill 70 at about 6 pm under very heavy fire of artillery, rifle and MGs. Brig Lord Longford then ordered the advanced lines to charge Turk trenches. The supports meanwhile taking cover under the edge of plateau . The advanced lines entered Turkish trenches but after a short sharp fight were driven out by superior numbers. They then fell back on the supports at the edge of the hill. The whole then proceeded to dig in as rapidly as possible.

There are another 29 fairly detailed accounts written by the Yeomanry. The above two are the closest to the unit you are interested in, but given the proximity all the accounts are relevant. The written material relating to the Yeomanry at Gallipoli exceeds 100,000 words. Here is an example from the Middlesex Hussars:

1/1st Middlesex Hussars 21st Aug 1915: There was bathing the next morning. At 14:00 hrs the Middlesex Yeomanry paraded for the march up to Chocolate Hill, carrying haversack rations, water bottle, arms, 200 rounds of ammunition, entrenching tool , two sandbags and a pick or shovel.

At 14:30 all the guns on ship and shore began to bombard the Anarfarta Hills. The bombardment described by Sir Ian Hamilton as 'very inadequate in duration, but the most our ammunition would run to', ceased at 1500 and the Division began its march. Sir Ian Hamilton in his report says: 'The Yeomanry were also Corps reserve at Lala Baba, where they were safe; but when they advanced, supposing they had to, they would have to cross a perfectly open plain under shell-fire. This was the special blot on the scheme but there was no getting away from it.'

The Middlesex Yeomanry led the Division which marched with regiments in line of troop column. Brig-Gen Arthur Taylor DSO and his staff set out a little ahead of the rest and the Regiment was led by Col Sir Mathew Wilson and Capt Watson led C Squadron which was in front. The officers carried walking sticks and a mouth-organ was heard in one troop suggestive of a Saturday afternoon ramble. It was after about half an hour that the regiment received the furious attentions of the Turkish artillery.. Each Troop extended with about three yards from man to man but one troop lost eight men from one shell. The setting sun was shining into the eyes of the Turk, which was probably one reason for the Regiment escaping comparatively lightly from the shell-fire; as it was hoped the enemy could not at first make out the nature of the advance and when he did he apparently ranged on the Middlesex Yeomanry they being the leading regiment and those following on got the full effect of his fire.

There was no cover. Nobody doubled until the order was given a few hundred yards away from Chocolate Hill. The shrapnel set fire to the dry scrub and very many wounded in this wide area were burnt to death. Sir Ian Hamilton's dispatch described the march of the Yeomanry as follows; A Turkish Artillery officer met in Constantinople after the war said the Division presented a target such as artillerymen thought impossible outside the world of dreams.......The Regiment halted on Chocolate Hill and watched their fellow Yeomen being shelled on their march across the plain. Orders for the attack were issued, which were rather vague and the maps were very difficult to read owing to the heavy contour lines. After a short breathing space the regiment was ready to move on by about 17:30. It was here that Capt Bullivant fell out: he had been wounded in the march across the plain.

The attack on Ismail Oglu Hill (Hill W) had been repulsed by terrific frontal and enfilading fire and the Division was sent forward to make another attempt. The regiment was ordered to attack round the right slope past Green Hill and if possible to get a footing on Hill W. Capt Watson led the firing line consisting of two troops each of B and C Squadrons, the other four troops closely supporting him. A trench was found running from the slopes of Chocolate Hill to Green Hill and this was utilised as far as possible but it was so full of wounded of the Royal Munster Fusiliers and Lancashire Fusiliers who were crawling back that the regiment was moved across the open to the slopes of Green Hill, the bush of which was then in flames. Pushing on a trench was occupied on the west slopes of Hill W. One troop went out in front and dug themselves in. The Colonel was ordered to wait here.

Lt ROLLER with two men was sent forward to select a line of advance to Hill W. At 0215 on the 22nd the Regiment was ordered to retire to Lala Baba. The following description of the previous afternoon is taken from an account given by a trooper: "We skirted the right flank of Chocolate Hill until we came to a gap in a hedge. This provided to be marked by a sniper. After Moncar and Dickson had been shot through the head and Halifax, a taller man in the shoulder we crawled through, doubled a few yards across the open and jumped into a trench so shallow that it was necessary to stoop to gain any cover. Like sheep we followed one another. Few can have had any idea as to where we were or what we had to do. From time to time processions of terrible mutilated men, groaning and cursing squeezed past us. The clacking of machine-guns was incessant. While we sheltered in the trenches our officers and stretcher-bearers walked about as if on manoeuvres. We ran from trench to trench. Once we dashed across to a bush from which we were scared away by the news that it was behind a sniper's mark; again we shared cover behind a hillock with some men who proved to be dead....

As night came the hill was lit up by the bush fires which had frustrated our attack. Finding ourselves in an overcrowded trench with men of another unit some climbed onto the parados and went to sleep utterly weary. There was some trench improvement work; and once all were rallied to repel a threatened attack.The order came to retire and with difficulty the regiment was collected and formed up in mass on a road some way to the rear". (It was hard to distinguish in the dark between the dead and the sleeping and when the word was passed to retire, some men never received it. One man in Lt Brodrick's troop, woke up in the night to find himself alone. He started to crawling as he thought to the rear but popped his head over a Turkish Trench. He crawled away again very quickly indeed).

The account continues: "We started back at 0230 across country, jumping over trenches which were full of wounded men who groaned and cursed as we knocked clods of earth on to them. While marching back across the Salt Lake plain, we suffered some casualties in the darkness from snipers and on at last arriving at Lala Baba we lay down and slept. Thus ended our first experience of war and the last battle of Gallipoli". Lt ROLLER and his two men had not returned when the regiment retired but they subsequently cast up. The regiment lost 56 men out of 250 [Edit: likely original error as all units were around 360]

The following are the men killed and those who died of wounds received that day: KIA: 3447 L/Cpl Reginald Sydney HAMMERTON, 3418 L/Cpl Nenry Emil JOY, 3397 Tpr S D DICKSON, 3282 Tpr Leslie George DULIEU, 3245 Tpr Roy Melville ROWAN, 3199 Tpr Ivor Vaughan PARRY, 3693 Trmptr Frederick James MONCAR.

On the 22nd 3263 Tpr Sydney Phillip PARKER, the 23rd Tpr J MURRY and the 29th 3618 Tpr William Edgar GRANT died of their wounds. 46 men were wounded.

The Div had lost 1,200 out of 5,000 and the total casualties that day were more than 12,000. Nothing was accomplished. The Gallipoli venture failed - but not through the fault of the troops. After this the Army in the Dardanelles was left to languish. Sergt Bird remained out for 3 days with the wounded, well deserving his DCM. Sergt Dennyer [2514 Horace Frederick DENYER] who as acting SQMS should have remained behind insisted on marching with the regiment and he was hit in the head while crossing the plain but remained with his squadron throughout the action.. That day, Sunday August 22nd was spent collecting casualties on the ground over which the advance had been made on the previous day. That night the Div marched back to Chocolate Hill without a casualty and took over from the remnants of a Munster battalion which numbered 50 ORs, the CO and one subaltern.

MG

Transcriptions courtesy Great War Diaries Ltd.

[bobpike]

Martin,

What can I say, brilliant, I'm very grateful for your efforts. If you need any Gallipoli photos let me know I have a good collection of headstones, memorial names, etc

Bob

[ServiceRumDiluted]

Thanks for posting that, I'm pretty sure I'll be related in some way to Leslie George Dulieu though I dont think he appears in my direct family tree.