10th Irish Div casualties 15 August 1915

[steve fuller]

Hi Pals

Have been using Westlakes book & the "10th Irish Div in Gallipoli" that Liam very kindly mailed me to try & calculate the casualties from 15th & 16th August attack along Kiretch Tepe.

Have "guesstimated" at between 2000 (conservative) and 2800 (bearing in mind phrases like "destroyed" used to describe several Btns). Is anyone in a position to be able to give a clearer / more accurate number at all?

The 10th book made a harrowing read I must say. What an awful engagement (sounds like a film title!).

Thanks chaps & chapesses

Steve

[curranl]

Hello Steve,

Apologies; I was supposed to check this for you but forgot. I'll have a look through Bryan Cooper's book tonight. If anyone else has them, please post and we can compare figures.

Regards,

Liam.

[steve fuller]

Hello Steve,

                Apologies; I was supposed to check this for you but forgot. I'll have a look through Bryan Cooper's book tonight. If anyone else has them, please post and we can compare figures.

Regards,

Liam.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi Liam, no apols needed mate - know youre up to your neck in it!

Thank you for the offer anyway Liam, but no rush. Would welcome your feedback on the story Ive written too, if you have a spare 10 mins at some point? Would like to know if Ive represented the 10th correctly ...

http://bedfordregiment.org.uk/id16.html

Thanks again

Steve

[curranl]

Hi Steve,

Finally got a chance to look up Coopers book on the 10th Division. He unfortunately doesn't give individual battalion casualty figures, but says this about casualties:

.........for the best proof of the enduring spirit of the Division may be found in the fact that when after losing nearly 75 per cent of it's original strength......

I am assuming you are primarily interested in the casualty figures for 30th and 31st Brigades, as these were the ones at Suvla. The 29th Brigade landed at Anzac Cove.

If we assume roughly 4,000 men per brigade and a casualty rate of 75%, then the casualties for the two brigades you are interested in should be somewhere in the region of 6,000 men.

Tom Johnstone in Orange, Green and Khaki gives the 10th Division Other Ranks KiA and DoW figure as 2,017 for the entire Division, during the entire Campaign. If we assume a third of casualties were KiA or DoW then the total casualty figure for the Division should be 6,000 - but that is for the entire camaign.

Either way, "shattered" seems a pretty fair description!

Cracking piece of work on the Bedfords, by the way. I think you did a very decent job on the 10th Division as well.

Regards,

Liam.

[curranl]

Hi Steve,

Back again. Just found another snippet in Orange, Green and Khaki

" On the 15th (August), Lord Granard wrote:

This Campaign is going as badly as it can. You have doubtless seen our casualties. 10th Division has lost over 114 officers and circa 3,000 men killed and wounded. Ian Hamilton is entirely responsible..............."

Regards,

Liam.

[steve fuller]

Thanks Liam, finishes the piece off very nicely. God, over 4000 casualties from 15th & 16th alone then between the 3 bgdes? What can you say

Thanks for the kind comments too. Glad I did the 10th Irish guys justice; seemed only right considering theirs was the main attack & "my" Brigade was "only" supporting! More importantly, I could have copied most of the book you sent me to be blunt; what a heartbreaking read I found it. One sided bombing duels, forlorn bayonet charges over blind crests to try & relieve the hoplessness of the situation with only 4 men coming back .... Like I said, what can you say?

And the 90th anniversary approaches - will see you on forum in a few days time with rememberances then Liam. We'll have to do a nice long piece to do them justice ....