One of many incidents

[Guest]

The following incident occurred on 19 October 1915 at Quinn's Post.   I've found too many references to it; so much so that I felt compelled to share them.  

How it started

- Extract from an interesting letter received by the Chief Inspector of the Education Department, Mr Fussell, from his son, who is an officer with the Australian Forces:— We had quite an incident this morning, jokingly, I told one of our bombers that he did not know how to throw a bomb, and to show him I picked up a tin of bully beef and landed it dead into the Turks' trench. That seemed to start the ball rolling, as it was not long before packages containing cigarettes and tobacco came flying back, ac-companied by a note written in French, addressed to the Australian comrades of the Turkish soldiers asking for souvenirs and a good knife and more meat. With the help of a private, I concocted a reply in French thuswise :—"To our friends the enemy, we present our compliments and thank you for the tobacco. Glory be to Allah that you are unable to throw your' bombs with the same precision. We have sent you a poor knife; it may come in useful for cutting our throats on 'Der Tag.' We have given the Huns a hiding in France—23,000 prisoners and 81 guns. 'Gott strafe England'! I don't think. See you in Constantinople shortly. Bomb follows. Your Australian Friends." They wrote back congratulating us on the capture of the 23,000 Germans, and asked us somewhat naively when we expected to get to Constantinople, and how many Australians we had here! Needless to say, we told them. One of the Turks got out of the trench and picked up a package that had fallen short, saluted, and got back again—of course, nobody shooting at him. He took a risk, however, of being potted at from a distance of 200 or 300 yards by our fellows on other positions who would not know anything about the joke. I got up on our parapet and got one of theirs that had fallen short. They are fair enough fighters. One of them sang out that they did not want to fight us, but that they had to—this with a shrug. of the shoulders that plainly said, "the Germans are the trouble." Bomb throwing was resumed shortly after, and we are as you were once more. It was a pleasant-break for us. I would like to get permission to try and get a small armistice to bury a major and two privates who have been lying dead in front of our parapet for eight weeks. I might say my reasons for wanting to do so are twofold. The Turkish Message. The following is a literal translation of the Turkish soldier's message: "My dear Australian friends, —We have received your pre-sent of preserved beef, and we were very pleased with it. We ask you for another of your souvenirs, and we will give you also a souvenir. Now please accept my compliments in return for your gift of preserved beef. We are sending a piece of tobacco.—Your comrades, The Turkish Soldiers. "P.S-Please throw us a good knife."  Lieutenant Leslie George Fussell, 17th Australian Infantry Battalion, 5th Australian Infantry Brigade, 1st reinforcements, location: QUINNS POST, Shepparton Advertiser (Vic), Monday 13 December 1915, page 4.

Other eye witness accounts

- We had some fun with the Turks...; we threw over to them some tinned meat and jams from our trench and they were greatly pleased. They threw back some cigarettes and souvenirs. We got word from our officers not to fire, and the Turks came out and picked up the things that had not reached the trenches, and our fellows jumped over the parapet. Not a shot was fired; I would never have believed it but I had witnessed it myself. One of our officers was talking to them in French. When they had collected everything they went back and started to fire and threw bombs as usual. They send notes over to us often, In one they wanted to know when we were going to get to Constantinople. To our gallant Australian comrades and first up,—from your Turkish friends. They are fairly big fellows and fair fighters, and I think they respect the Australians as fighters. I do not think they like the Germans, because in one note they congratulated the British on their success in France. 17th Australian Infantry Battalion, 5th Australian Infantry Brigade, No. 1050, Charles Harper Craig, C Company, Location: QUINNS POST, South Coast Times and Wollongong Argus (NSW), Friday 10 December 1915, page 10.

-...we had a sort of peace with them for a quarter of an hour. They gave us cigarettes, Turkish delight, and several other things. They stood on top of their trenches and threw the things to us. We got out of our trenches also, so as to pick up what fell short. Some of us shook hands with them. They gave us the office when to get back to our own trenches again, and it didn't take us long to be out of sight. 17th Australian Infantry Battalion, 5th Australian Infantry Brigade, No. 1538, Arthur Morrison Dick, 1st reinforcements, B Company, Location: QUINNS POST, Port Macquarie News and Hastings River Advocate (NSW), Saturday 11 December 1915, page 2.

Soldiers in other areas

- Some of the lads on the hill next to ours have been having some fun in their own quiet way with the Turks, exchanging bully beef and jam for cigarettes. The trenches are only 10 yards apart, and while the deal is going on they never shoot at one another, but when the business is completed they blast away in the deadliest fashion. Such is war. "Another post on our position is a place called Friendly Post, where we never shoot at the Turks, and they never shoot at us. A little further on it is business as usual." 19th Australian Infantry Battalion, 5th Australian Infantry Brigade, No. 494, James Cornelius Brassell, B Company. Location: Pope's Hill, Maitland Daily Mercury (NSW), Wednesday 29 December 1915, page 6.

- During the morning a conversation took place between the enemy and our troops at QUINNS POST. The Turks were visible over their own parapets; the 5th Australian Field Battery was just going to fire when our own troops were also observed standing up.  Fire was withheld while enquiries were made. Disaster narrowly averted. 1st Australian Division, Artillery Daily Report, 19 October 1915, 1st Australian Division, General Staff, Headquarters, War Diary, October 1915, item no. 1/42/9, Part 5, page 20.

Repercussions

- At 0930 parties of Turks exposed themselves above parapets at Quinn's Post.  Simultaneously our own infantry were observed to act in the same manner, who threw over tins of meat etc to the Turks. Report and recommendations against continuance of this conduct forwarded to Divisional Artillery Commander. 2nd Australian Artillery Brigade, Headquarters, War Diary, October 1915, item no. 13/30/11, page 9.

- No.2 Section Right (LONE PINE to COURTNEYS both inclusive) At about 0800 as a result of some of our men shouting greetings towards the hostile trenches the enemy showed a disposition to parley.  A tin of beef and a tin of jam were thrown towards the hostile trenches and fell short.  Two Turks came out of their trenches and recovered them.  They then threw tobacco towards our trenches.  These fell short, one of our men went forward over the parapet and recovered it.  He had some distance to go and while out noticed that one hostile trench in our immediate front was not occupied but will with barbed wire.  The two Turks who came over the parapet were clothed in dark grey woollen clothing and those who showed their heads and shoulders above the parapet appeared similarly dressed.  All the enemy appeared to be sturdy men, clean, well and warmly dressed. Orders have been issued that all parleying with the enemy is to cease.  2nd Australian Division, summary of events from 0600, 19 October 1915 to 0600, 20 October 1915, 1st Australian Division, General Staff, Headquarters, War Diary, October 1915, item no. 1/42/9, Part 5, page 35.

 

Edited 13 September , 2021 by Guest
To correct the event date.