25th April- Anzac Day

[christine liava'a]

"the distant echo of the rifle fire reached the ships at precisely 4.38 am,25 April. Quickly it gathered in momentum until the fire was heavy and continuous with flashes seen in the half-light. Turkish artillery situated further south at Gaba Tebe commenced firing shrapnel rounds at the fleet at 4.53 am. Minutes later the naval guns of HMS Prince of Wales, Triumph, and Bacchante replied."

"Bloody Gallipoli" - Richard Stowers

[christine liava'a]

The first Australians were ashore, but men still aboard ship tucked into a hot breakfast of porridge and tea not knowing when they would get a hot meal again. Flashes from the naval guns could be seen through the portholes.

The shuttle of troops from ship to shore continued ; by 8 am an estimated 8000 Australians were ashore. They could clearly be seen on the crests of the nearest hills, many of them digging in.

Bloody Gallipoli- Richard Stowers

[christine liava'a]

The first Australians were ashore, but men still aboard ship tucked into a hot breakfast of porridge and tea not knowing when they would get a hot meal again. Flashes from the naval guns could be seen through the portholes.

The shuttle of troops from ship to shore continued ; by 8 am an estimated 8000 Australians were ashore. They could clearly be seen on the crests of the nearest hills, many of them digging in.

Bloody Gallipoli- Richard Stowers

[christine liava'a]

It was now time for the New Zealanders to go ashore- the Aucklanders were to be the first on Anzac. At 8 am picket tugs appeared alongside TS Lutzow with lighters in tow. The bilge water in the lighters was tainted red and equipment left behind from earlier trips was blood spattered. Also, the first wounded returned to the ships. Fully laden Aucklanders with loaded rifles filed down gangways at once and took their places in the lighters. At last they would see some of the real action that all their training in Egypt had prepared them for. When the lighters were full, they moved off in tow; line astern like a string of sausages

Bloody Gallipoli- Richard Stowers

[christine liava'a]

Once they were clear of the shelter of the ship's hull, bullets started to whiz overhead because they were within a thousand yards of the beach, well within range of the Turkish machine guns on the heights. .. Bullets splashed into the water or struck the boats. Men tried to make them selves small targets, but there was no protection from the bullets. Surprisingly, unlike the Australians who earlier in the morning lost every man in some lighters, the Aucklanders had very few casualties on their way into the beach

Bloody Gallipoli- Richard Stowers

[christine liava'a]

Lieutenant Dittmer later recalled their approach to the shore- " in barges towed by naval steam picket boats until we neared the shore, when the barges were released and allowed to proceed under their own momentum until they grounded. Troops then waded in various depths of water to the beach. On account of towing difficulties and other setbacks the arrival on the beach was ragged and scattered."

The cove, between 2 knolls, was about half a mile long. To the front, a steep, scrub-covered slope ran to the skyline about 300 feet high. One or two small gullies split the hillside, each with a narrow winding gutter about six feet deep and wide at its base. The slopes and gutters were covered in low arbutus-type scrub.

[MartinWills]

Apr. 25th Sunday. [HMS Bacchante] Arrived Gaba Tepe, called all hands at 12p.m. midnight. Cleaned into whites, breakfast at 1.00 p.m. away all boats at 1.30 a.m. Our boats went to "Prince of Wales" for landing of troops. We are covering ship. The night is fine and moon shining, hands went to action station at 3.20 a.m., firing from shore commenced about 4.25 a.m. Battleships open fire at 4.45 a.m., we opened fire at 4.52 a.m. at a shore battery which had a commanding view of landing place. Went close in to 300 yds, let go with fore 9.2 [fore turret main 9.2" guns] two rounds surprised to silence battery which was in a V shaped gully. [this might be a battery in the area just in from Gaba Tepe which was later known as "Beachy Bill"] Our troops are making splendid head-way considering the nature of country, which is very hilly. We were hit during afternoon by small shell abt 18pds [about 18 pounds] and a number of bullets. It was one continual hail of lead all day long from Maxims and rifles ashore and a thunderous din from the ships, the landing of troops was carried out all day long, no hammocks allowed down. We have fired about 1,000 rounds today 9.2, 6 in., and 12 pounders. Sniping went on all through the night.

[christine liava'a]

Lighters in tow by torpedo destroyer carry NZ infantry to Anzac Cove

[frev]

April 25, Sunday.

".................. Suddenly a circle of hazy misty white light appears behind some land far away to the right of us. I cannot see the land but I know it must be there because there is something hiding the actual light from which that glare comes. There is no mistaking it - a searchlight. It must be somewhere in the Dardanelles, south of the peninsula. It sweeps in a scared sort of way to right and left, shifts up a bit; fidgets and suddenly disappears. That must be one of the lights on the Turkish forts in the straits. It is 4 a.m. ..............."

"................ 4.53: Just now there was the sound like a bursting rocket high in the air a little aft of the ship. [Minnewaska] A small woolly cloud unrolled itself. Below it a small circle of the surface of the the silky water was lashed up as if by a very local fierce thunder rain. Presently far away on the face of a small promontory about two miles to the south of us is a brilliant pinpoint flash. ..............."

'Frontline Gallipoli' (C.E.W. Bean's diary - K. Fewster)

Sunday April 25th.

"................... At 4.50 ships started firing on Gaba Tepe, and at 5am the general bombardment was begun by all ships except us. [Agamemnon]

At 5.15 it was quite light and many ships were following a long way astern of us: transports, trawlers full of troops, picket-boats towing cutters also full of troops, and lighters all ready for landing.

Collier River Clyde following in our wake was painted to match the cliffs at Seddul Bahr and had lighters lashed alongside her and gang-planks running along the ship's side; everything ready for running her up on the beach and making a rush ashore.

At 6am 12 cutters full of troops towed in to 'X' Beach by four picket-boats; at 6.15 boats returned empty from 'X' and we proceeded inside Straits. At 6.25 we started shelling Seddul Bahr village with 12-pdrs for 10 minutes, while they had three shots at us from Kum Kale about 100yds short.

At 7am River Clyde ran up on the beach at full speed; I could see men swimming in to the beach under heavy rifle and shrapnel-fire securing lighters; one or two of them appeared to get killed but three or four stuck to it while under heavy fire. ..............................."

'Dardanelles - A Midshipman's Diary' - H.M. Denham.

[Ozzie]

I bet the men thought of that last meal on board for a long time after the landing!

Kim

[michaeldr]

Helles – ‘Queerest Sunday I’ve ever spent’

“Sunday 25 April

On guard on fo’castle at 4a.m. Reached Gallipoli in early morning. Had grand view of commencement of bombardment by the fleet. Watched the havoc wrought by the Queen Elizabeth’s mighty guns on the forts of Sedd-al-Bahr. These forts soon reduced to ruins and in flames. A curious five-funnelled Russian warship (known among us as the ‘Packet of Woodbines’) pounding away at the Asiatic coast. Turks shelled us from both European and Asiatic sides. Shells falling all around us but none hit the transport. Watched the landing by the Fusilier Brigade – a ghastly but entrancing sight. Could see them being mowed down by Turk’s rifle and machine-gun fire. Several boats capsized at barbed wire entanglements which Turks had placed under the sea. Occupants drowned. Many boats drifted out to sea again with all their occupants killed. Saw several soldiers swimming to cut the barbed wire. Meanwhile River Clyde had been run right ashore. Several sailors and midshipmen swam with ropes and planks to make a gangway from the River Clyde, so troops could be quickly landed.

Our turn now came to land. The Essex and two companies of the 5th R. S. with machine-gun Section transferred to gun-boat which took us closer in. All had to huddle down before as Turks were sweeping decks with rifle fire and machine-gun fire. Each man had his rifle equipment, five-days rations, bundle of firewood. In addition we had all the machine-gun stuff. Transferred to small boats rowed by sailors – a very risky proceeding. Many of the sailors killed before we got ashore. Now we saw what we took to be a line of skirmishers lining the shore. Had to jump waist-deep into the sea and wade ashore. Our skirmishers proved to be a line of dead Fusiliers. R.C. priest [Rev Father William J. Finn] did neat work tending the wounded until he was killed himself. Rushed across the narrow strip of shore and commenced to scale the cliff – a very difficult task – being heavily laden and under fierce fire. Cleared the Turks from the cliffs. Got them on the run. Fierce struggle round one small building which proved to be a church. Comparative quietness towards night-fall. Lay down to try to get some rest, but that was not to be. Turks began fierce counter-attack about 11p.m. Never heard such a commotion in all my life. Noise of rifles and machine-guns deafening. Turk’s cries of ‘Allah! Allah!’ very weird. Machine-guns sent forward. Commenced to dig ourselves in. Attack lasted until daylight. Turks driven bit inland. Queerest Sunday I’ve ever spent.”

from the ‘Diary of John F. Goate, Machine Gun Section, 5th Royal Scots, 29th Division’ [discovered after his death in 1946, by his daughter Ms Dorothy Goate] as reproduced in ‘The Gallipolian’ issue No.91, Winter 1999

[christine liava'a]

The Auckland Infantry battalion left the beach and scrambled acros Ari Burnu spur towards Walker's ridge. They were about to climb the bluffs beyond Walker's Ridge when fresh orders arrived. The Australian command was concerned that Walker's Ridge was too narrow and the long climb in single file would result in the battalion being committed to action on the tops in a piecemeal and disorganized fashion. So the Battalion about -turned, this time with the 16th Waikato Company in front. The Aucklanders exposed themselves to sniper and machine gun fire from further up the slopes and to shrapnel from overhead... (they) offered easy targets to the Turks as they advanced through the scrub below.

The Aucklanders entered Shrapnel Valley in small groups, each working its way uphill. Turkish and Australian dead lined the dry watercourse. Traffic was already busy in the valley, soon to become one of the main arterial routes over Gallipoli. Australians carrying ammunition were going up, and wounded were making their way back to the beach were coming down..

They managed to establish some organization at this point: generally, the 6th Hauraki company to the left towards the tops later known as walker's Ridge; the 16th Waikato Company in the area later known as Pope's Hill; the 3rd Auckland Company to the area known as Quinn's Post, and the 15th North Auckland company to the right in the area called Courtney's Rise. All the companies were mixed in with Australian troops.

Bloody Gallipoli; Richard Stowers

[christine liava'a]

Natural leaders of all ranks gathered small groups around them and fought throuhout 25 April in this manner. The Turks had quickly received reinforcements and were counter attacking all along the firing line that generally followed the crest-line of the tops. There was no more forward movement - theAustralians and New Zealanders were fully occupied just staying where they were, fighting and trying to maintain a supply of ammunition and reinforcements. The Turks tried desperately to drive the invaders back into the sea by quick charges all along the line, which were stopped by rifle and bayonet only, as no grenades or machine guns were available.

Bloody Gallipoli; Richard Stowers

[Ozzie]

In a world of modern technology it is so hard to imagine the raw courage and strength it took the Anzacs and other Allies to accomplish what they did, given the terrain and opposition.

Kim

[Simon Furnell]

Been thinking about them all today,and what they went through over the following months.

Their story is something that will always be remembered,in many places all over the world.

Regards.

Simon.