1st Australian Light Horse regiment

[Jeff Pickerd]

Mere,

 

I would also extend my thanks to you for putting up the translation. Of Lt Col  Mehmet Sefik report, as Steve has noted, it does fill in a number questions to the 1st LH attack on the morning of 7th August, all very interesting. Also as Steve has stated, you have cleared up a number issues with regard to placing the Ottoman trench numbers to the Australian ANZAC TRENCH DIAGRAM No. III, again, much appreciated.

Emre, please keep up your excellent work with these Ottoman translations, something I would never be able to achieve.

 

By the way, Lt Nettleton’s flask is held by Professor Hauk Oral, I had much pleasure back in 2007 of holding it in my hands, and it remains in very good hands.

 

Jeff

[emrezmen]

Steve,very glad to be of help. It's great to see you've obtained those details.  

 

There were three famous "Sergeant Mehmets" at Gallipoli. The first one you mentioned, known as "bombaci" (bomber/grenadier), was from 70th Regiment, 2nd Bn. He lost his right arm at Gully Ravine. I don't have any date information atm.  

 

 

The second Sergeant Mehmet was from 64th Regt. His name was given to the Ottoman trenches on the Nek. Today's Turkish memorial there also named after him. I couldn't find any wartime photo of him.

 

And the last one, Sergeant Mehmet of Biga, was from 27th Regt, 3rd Bn and probably in trenches during the LH attack. He decorated with Imtiyaz Medal, which was very rare among pvts or ncos, for his actions on 4 March 1915 during the landing of British demolition parties at Seddülbahir. Below is a fantastic photo of him, probably taken before the actual landings:

 

 

14 hours ago, stevebecker said:

I had been trying to confirm how Halis Bey deployed his Bn on Deadmans.

 

Its known he had one company holding the front from Sgt Ali trenches (1xplatoon) and Ahmend Onbasi (1xPlatoon) and C 22 between Deadmans and Quinns (1xplatoon) with 1xplatoon in support possibly around the Top of Deadmans.

 

There would have been a company in support behind Deadmans and another company in reserve between Deadmans and Gun Ridge. Possibly the last company at rest or on work parties?

 

From the casualties I show, trying to confirm what company held Deadmans is hard to see, but the account by Sefik and Halis mentions Lt Mucip Efendi 3Bn 4Co (12Co). So was the 12Co holding the line?

 

Generally, for 27th Regt at least, the two coys (max. 500 men) of a battalion would be deployed in the frontline while other two coys remain in support. I think I will be able to answer all these precisely in coming days or weeks (hopefully, with a couple of sketches). I'll post a new entry here.

 

10 hours ago, Jeff Pickerd said:

Mere,

 

I would also extend my thanks to you for putting up the translation. Of Lt Col  Mehmet Sefik report, as Steve has noted, it does fill in a number questions to the 1st LH attack on the morning of 7th August, all very interesting. Also as Steve has stated, you have cleared up a number issues with regard to placing the Ottoman trench numbers to the Australian ANZAC TRENCH DIAGRAM No. III, again, much appreciated.

Emre, please keep up your excellent work with these Ottoman translations, something I would never be able to achieve.

 

By the way, Lt Nettleton’s flask is held by Professor Hauk Oral, I had much pleasure back in 2007 of holding it in my hands, and it remains in very good hands.

 

Jeff, thank you for your comments. Again, more than happy to be of help here. I'll certainly continue sharing stuff like this.

 

Cheers.

 

 

 

Edited 3 February , 2019 by emrezmen

[Guest]

Mate,

 

These are the men from  3Bn 27th Regt I have on record

 

Abdullah Ismail    27th Regt 3Bn 11Co     Pte (1353)    Dow 29-8-15    
Abdullah Mehmet    27th Regt 3Bn 10Co     Pte (1035)    Dow 19-8-15    
Abdurrahman (Ozgan) Efendi     27th Regt - 3Bn - 12Co     Lt to Capt        
Ahmet Ali    27th Regt 3Bn 11Co     Pte (364)    Dow 15-8-15    
Ahmet Mucip (Kemalyeri)    27th Regt - 3Bn - 12Co     Lt to Capt        reported in Ahmed Onbasi Trench in B Sqn 1 LHR attack
Celal Efendi     27th Regt - 3Bn     Lt        
Cemal Efendi     27th Regt - 3Bn - 10Co -     Lt    KIA 26-4-15     
Galip Efendi     27th Regt - 3Bn - 12Co -     Capt    WIA 25-4-15    from Çengelköy/Istanbul
Hakki Efendi    27th Regt - 3Bn -     Lt    WIA 7-8-15    reported WIA in Ahmed Onbasi Trench in B Sqn 1 LHR attack
Halil Efendi     27th Regt - 3Bn     Lt        
Halis (Ataksor)     27th Regt - OC 3Bn - & comdr 27th Regt - 8-15     Capt to Maj    WIA 25-4-15 arm    born 1876 died 1933 from Usak shown as Capt Kor Halis OC 3Bn at Gallipoli
Hasan Efendi     27th Regt - 3Bn     Lt        
Hasan Huseyin    27th Regt 3Bn 4Co (12Co)    Pte (3632)    KIA 7-8-15    
Idris Efendi     27th Regt - 3Bn - 9Co -     Lt    KIA 25-4-15    
Ismail Ali    27th Regt 3Bn 11Co     Pte (2738)     Dow 29-8-15    
Izzet    27th Regt - 3Bn - 12Co    Sgt    KIA 7-8-15    reported KIA in Ahmed Onbasi Trench in B Sqn 1 LHR attack
Lütfü Efendi     27th Regt - 3Bn - 9Co    Lt    KIA 15-6-15    
Medeni Efendi     27th Regt - 3Bn - 12Co     Lt        
Mehmed Vehbi     27th Regt - 3Bn -     Capt        
Mehmet Ahmet     27th Regt 3Bn 9Co     Pte (2627)    Dow 27-8-15    
Mehmet Ali Ahmet    27th Regt 3Bn 9Co     Pte (1086)    Dow 23-8-15    
Mehmet Çavus (Sgt)     27th Regt - 3Bn -     Sgt        of Biga decorated with Imtiyaz Medal at Gallipoli
Mehmet Ismail    27th Regt 3Bn 1Co (9Co)    Pte (3153)    KIA 9-8-15    
Mehmet Ismail    27th Regt 3Bn 9Co     Pte (635)    KIA 9-8-15    
Mehmet Suleyman    27th Regt 3Bn 3Co (11Co)    Pte (469)    Dow 15-8-15    
Mehmet Tevfik    27th Regt 3Bn 2Co (10Co)     Pte (734)    DoW 8-8-15    
Mithat Efendi     27th Regt - 3Bn     Lt        
Mustafa Hilmi Efendi    27th Regt - 3Bn - 10Co - 1plat    Lt    KIA 25-4-15    
Salih Halil    27th Regt 3Bn 2Co (10Co)    Pte (789)    KIA 2-8-15    
Suleyman Saban    27th Regt 3Bn 9Co     Sgt (367)    KIA 9-8-15    
Ziya Efendi     27th Regt - 3Bn     Lt        
 

Cheers

S.B

Edited 8 February , 2019 by stevebecker

[Jeff Pickerd]

Referencing Haluk Oral’s book “Galipoli 1915 Through Turkish Eyes”, the chapter under the heading of, “A Dusty Flask Looking For Burdett Philip Nettleton”, page 273; Professor Oral quotes from Lt Col Sefik Aker’s memoirs dealing with the 1^st Light Horse Regiments attack from Pope’s Hill – ‘The enemy was not successful. The Australians managed to capture only the small trench number 21 of the 27^th Regiment, commanded by me – and that only because all its defenders had either been killed or wounded – and planted their flag to indicate to their rear that they had taken the trench. However, following a brief counter attack we took back the trench, including the Australian dead, who made up almost all of the attackers, and their flag. These corpses were buried in a special location.’ (Page 279, note 3 – Sefic Aker, Canakkale – Ariburnu Savaslan Ve 27 Aley, Askeri Mecmua, 1935. No. 99.)

From the same chapter, pages 274 t0 276, Haluk Oral has the translation of Major Halis Bey’s report of the attack, [Document 18, pages 275 & 476] which strongly suggests that it was the basis for Lt Col Sefik’s report in the regiments war diary, as posted by Emre, post No. 74.

‘To the Command of the Twenty Seventh Regiment,

Ariburnu, 7-8-1915

On the night of the 6/7 of August following the attack on the trenches of the Eighteenth Regiment at Yukseksurt [The Nek], an enemy force that we estimate to be the equivalent of about a battalion, came out of trench R at 0430 in the morning, and attacked trenches number 20 and 21, and the trench known asAli Cavus, for which this Battalion were responsible. The enemy’s attack was carried out under cover of gunpowder smoke, which was caused by intense artillery fire directed towards our trenches that had begun the night before, and which covered the area between trench R and our trenches, and was met by intense fire.

The enemy first of all attacked the area that makes up an angle between trench number 20 and Ali Caustrench, but once they understood that, being under heavy rifle fire themselves, they would not attain any result, they were obliged to retreat to the steep part of the Gully, from whence they began to attack trench number 21 and the left flank of Ali Caus trench with a big force, and notwithstanding the great losses it suffered, eight to ten of its men managed to penetrate a covered area of our trench number 21, from where they rained an uninterrupted salvo of bombs upon a trench,as a result of which the trench was emptied of its occupants, having all been killed and taking this occasion they occupied a section of the trench equivalent to two squads, and through stones to their rear to ask for reinforcements, but all the same very few of them and of those who came to their aid managed to escape, with the remainder being toppled. The battle ended at 0700 and as it was a very violent battle, we suffered 51 dead and 160 wounded, of whom one was a Cadet Officer (acting as platoon leader) and 360 bombs and 132 cases of ammunition were expended, and various weapons, digging utensils, two sacks of bombs and a map of the trenches, which had been abanded by the enemy were found. I submit also the information that the artillery fire towards our trenches following the repulsion of the adversary resulted in partial destruction of our trenches and caused a great part of our fatal casualties.

3/27 Tempory Commander

Major Halis.”

Jeff

 

9Edited to replace failed text submission 25-2-2019

 

Edited 25 February , 2019 by Jeff Pickerd