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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e09fc42 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #66658 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66658) diff --git a/old/66658-0.txt b/old/66658-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 0b01a78..0000000 --- a/old/66658-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3654 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Australasia Triumphant!, by A. St. -John Adcock - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Australasia Triumphant! - With the Australians and New Zealanders in the Great War on Land - and Sea - -Author: A. St. John Adcock - -Release Date: November 2, 2021 [eBook #66658] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Tim Lindell, Chris Pinfield, and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The - Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AUSTRALASIA TRIUMPHANT! *** - - - - - -Transcriber's Note: - -Obvious printer errors have been corrected. Hyphenation has been -rationalised. - -The flagship of the Expeditionary Forces, here identified as the Orverto, -is elsewhere identified as the Orvieto. - -Small capitals have been replaced by full capitals. Italics are -indicated by _underscores_. - - - - -[_Frontispiece_: THE BATTERED "EMDEN" AFTER GOING ASHORE ON COCOS ISLAND.] - - AUSTRALASIA TRIUMPHANT! - - WITH THE AUSTRALIANS AND - NEW ZEALANDERS IN THE - GREAT WAR ON LAND AND SEA - - BY - A. ST. JOHN ADCOCK - - - WITH 36 ILLUSTRATIONS - - - Strong Mother of a Lion line, - Be proud of these strong sons of thine. - - TENNYSON - - - LONDON: SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, - KENT & CO., LTD., 4 STATIONERS' HALL CT., E.C. - - - _Copyright_ - _First published, January 1916_ - - - - -AUTHOR'S NOTE - - -It is too soon to attempt the telling at large and in detail of all that -has been done by Australia and New Zealand in the Great War. There is -much that has, for military reasons, not yet been revealed; and what has -been told has come to us from various sources in more or less -fragmentary fashion, so that one must read several accounts of the same -event in order to get anything of an adequate idea of it. All I have -done here is to collate such documents as are available and gather -together a connected narrative, not only of the actual campaigning, but -of the spiritual and mental experiences the Australasians have passed -through since August 1914, the way they have faced this crisis in their -history, and the effect the war has had on their national life. I have -drawn on official documents, on the dispatches of Sir Ian Hamilton, the -reports of the various correspondents of our English and the chief -Australian and New Zealand newspapers, on the speeches of public men and -letters of private citizens, and on a few conversations I have had with -some of the wounded Anzacs whom I have met in these latter days about -London. In all which I have been little more than an enthusiastic and, I -hope, faithful compiler, endeavouring to set down as vividly as I could -the impressions I formed from my reading and hearing of these things, -and trying occasionally to guess, according to my lights, at the spirit -and inner significance of this wonderful uprising of our Australasian -kinsfolk–at the ideal for which they are fighting with such glorious -heroism and for which so many of them have ungrudgingly laid down their -lives. Some, who have had no hand in the fighting, have very confidently -criticised both the Commander-in-Chief who has led these gallant -soldiers in the sternest of their battles and the Government that has -been responsible for the campaigns they have undertaken; but I have not -ventured to compete with such critics, chiefly because I accept the -judgment of the sturdy New Zealander who said to me, discussing the -nagging diatribes of a certain newspaper: "It's all fluff. If these -fellows knew a little more they wouldn't have so much to say." - -A. ST. J. A. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - BRITONS ALL 1 - -CHAPTER - - I. MAKING READY 3 - - II. PATROLLING THE PACIFIC 15 - - III. THE TRIUMPH OF THE "SYDNEY" 25 - - IV. EN ROUTE FOR EGYPT 33 - - V. CHRISTMAS AT THE PYRAMIDS 43 - - VI. THE FIGHT FOR THE SUEZ CANAL 51 - - VII. THE EPIC OF THE DARDANELLES BEGINS 59 - -VIII. THE DARE-DEVIL ANZACS 73 - - IX. THE AUSTRALASIAN IDEAL 91 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - -THE BATTERED "EMDEN" AFTER GOING ASHORE ON COCOS ISLAND _Frontispiece_ - - _Facing page_ - -FRENCH MEN-OF-WAR AND AUSTRALIAN TROOPSHIPS IN SUEZ CANAL, PORT SAID 4 - -MEN OF THE AUSTRALIAN LIGHT HORSE IN CAIRO 5 - -NEAR THE PYRAMIDS: THE CAMP OF THE AUSTRALIANS, AGAINST WHOM NO - GERMAN-TRAINED TURKISH ARMY CAN BE SUCCESSFUL 12 - -"STRANGERS IN THE LAND OF EGYPT" 13 - -FOOTBALL IN CAMP AT ABASSIA 13 - -WITH OUR COLONIAL TROOPS IN EGYPT 16 - -AUSTRALIAN ARMY FIELD-KITCHENS MARCHING PAST AT A REVIEW OF TROOPS - IN EGYPT 17 - -A SMALL PORTION OF THE ARMY IN EGYPT 20 - -THE AUSTRALIAN TROOPS IN EGYPT 21 - -FROM DIFFERENT POINTS OF THE COMPASS 21 - -THE HORSE LINES AT ABASSIA, EGYPT 28 - -THE AUSTRALIAN REMOUNTS DEPOT AT ABASSIA 28 - -OUR TROOPS IN EGYPT 29 - -WITH OUR TROOPS IN EGYPT 32 - -AN AUSTRALIAN SCOUT IN THE EGYPTIAN DESERT 33 - -CAMP OF THE AUSTRALIANS AT MUDROS BAY 36 - -SULTAN OF EGYPT VISITS THE DARDANELLES WOUNDED 36 - -SECOND DIVISION LEAVING MUDROS BAY WITH AUSTRALIANS - ON THE FORE DECK 37 - -THE LAST SERVICE ON BOARD THE "LONDON" FOR THE AUSTRALIANS 44 - -THE DARDANELLES–AUSTRALIANS AND BLUEJACKETS ON A TRANSPORT 45 - -AN AUSTRALIAN LANDING PARTY FOR THE DARDANELLES 52 - -AUSTRALIANS PREPARING TO DISEMBARK AT THE DARDANELLES 53 - -AUSTRALIANS LANDING NORTH OF GABA TEPE 53 - -THE DARDANELLES–AUSTRALIAN TROOPS AT THE LANDING 60 - -AUSTRALIA'S SPLENDID CORPS OF MOUNTED AMBULANCE MEN (1) 60 - -THE BRAVE AUSTRALIANS 61 - -AUSTRALIA'S MOUNTED AMBULANCE MEN (2) 61 - -THE DARDANELLES–SOLDIERS TAKING THEIR HORSES FOR A BATHE 68 - -GENERAL BIRDWOOD, IN COMMAND OF THE AUSTRALIANS - AT THE DARDANELLES 69 - -AUSTRALIA'S MOUNTED AMBULANCE MEN (3) 76 - -THE DARDANELLES–MEN BATHING AFTER RETURNING FROM AN ATTACK 77 - -HEROES FROM THE DARDANELLES 84 - -HEROES OF THE DARDANELLES 85 - -THE DARDANELLES OPERATIONS 92 - -THE DARDANELLES–AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND TROOPS IN A - RAVINE 93 - - - - -_Britons All!_ - - - _In times of peace, when every wind blows fortune to them still, - John Bull and all his kindred disagree, as families will: - With wrath and hate in wild debate they shout each other down, - And split up into parties for the People and the Crown; - But if a foe would part them, he is never long in doubt– - It's "Rule Britannia!" only, and they join to throw him out._ - - _When the struggle's once begun - And the flag aloft is run, - We're Britons then and brothers all until that fight is won._ - - _Beyond the Cheviots Sandy guards the Scotsman's separate fame: - He won't be called an Englishman–he scorns the very name! - And Pat across the Channel, in an island of his own, - And Taffy, who's a Welshman, would as nations walk alone; - Yet all the four shall stand four-square–one party and no more, - And that a family party, when a foe is at the door._ - - _Scot and Irish there is none, - Welsh and English count as one, - We're Britons then and brothers all when once the fight's begun._ - - _Let Britain in an hour of need her rallying bugle sound– - Her sons 'neath Australasian skies, on far Canadian ground, - By India's streams or Africa's, shall hear, where'er they roam, - And, drawn from all the ends of earth with kindling thoughts of home, - Shall arm and answer to the call and come where danger lours - To stand beside us in the name that's theirs as well as ours._ - - _Side by side shall sire and son - Hold the Empire they have won: - We're brothers now and Britons all until the fight is done._ - - - - - 1 - MAKING READY - -[Illustration: FRENCH MEN-OF-WAR AND AUSTRALIAN TROOPSHIPS IN SUEZ -CANAL, PORT SAID.] - -[Illustration: MEN OF THE AUSTRALIAN LIGHT HORSE IN CAIRO.] - - AUSTRALASIA TRIUMPHANT! - WITH THE AUSTRALIANS AND NEW ZEALANDERS IN THE GREAT WAR - - CHAPTER I - MAKING READY - - Lord, in this lull before the break - Of Thy wide tempest, let us make - Our ramparts round complete, - With noise of rivets, whirr of wheels, - And waters hissing 'neath the keels - Of our star-guerdoned fleet! - With workshops fashioning our might - With bugles singing through the night - In city and in farm; - The steady drill, the hammered din, - The quiet heart of discipline– - Grant us our hour–to arm! - - ARTHUR H. ADAMS. - - -All things considered, you cannot help sympathising a little with -Germany's outcry against the deceptive character of the British Empire. -When an eminent physician has carefully diagnosed a patient's complaint -and pronounced, quite emphatically, that he cannot possibly survive for -more than a very brief period, it is up to that patient to fade away -within the time limit prescribed for him. Otherwise, he must not expect -his doctor to be pleased, or to express any but uncomplimentary opinions -concerning his behaviour and the general defects of his system. Well, as -everybody knows, Treitschke, Bernhardi, and other accomplished German -professors devoted many years of their valuable lives to feeling the -pulse of John Bull, and they found that, by all the known laws of -science, he was on his last legs. They assured the world at large, with -the portentous cocksureness so peculiarly German, that he was so far -gone that a properly administered shock was certain to bring about his -immediate dissolution. The shock was administered all right; Germany saw -to that; but instead of keeping to his part of the programme and dying, -John promptly woke up, got out of bed, developed a lot more legs than -anybody had credited him with, and has ever since been firmly standing -on them all. - -And Germany is naturally indignant at this. What is the use of -scientific laws if they can thus be disregarded with impunity? Bernhardi -praised the British for some things, but he was sure he knew what he was -talking about, and most of the things they had done were much too -foolish to obtain his approbation. He explained how we had neglected to -train up our Colonies in the way they should go; we had never sternly -imposed our own _kultur_ on any of our "subject peoples"; we exercised -no control over Australasia, Canada, South Africa: we had failed to hold -them in subjection, and they were rapidly losing all trace of the -British spirit and would not remain permanently within the Empire. -Moreover, India and Egypt were seething with disaffection, he said, and -if a beneficent Germany only gave them half a chance they would break -into open revolt and throw off the hated British yoke. He had studied -the whole position most thoroughly and foresaw hopeful possibilities of -great Colonial rebellions–Australasia, Canada, South Africa would decide -before long to become independent States, and the old country would have -to go out and fight them in order to reduce them to submission, and then -would come Germany's golden opportunity. But it might not be necessary -to wait for those rebellions. If ever England were involved in a big war -nearer home, the shrewd Bernhardi was quite convinced that the -self-governing Colonies would naturally consult their own interests and -decline to take any part in it. He laid it down emphatically that, at -all events (to quote from Mr. Allen H. Powles's translation of his -"Germany and the Next War"), "the Colonies can be completely ignored so -far as concerns any European theatre of war." - -All which indicates what a strange gulf there must be between the -fossilised Prussian mind and the mind of a modern civilisation. These -pretentious speculations looked so profound, and were actually so -shallow; yet, simply by taking themselves seriously, the German -professors and militarists bluffed most of the world into accepting them -as masterly students of psychology. There is something amusing in the -essentially Prussian idea that we were ignorant of the art of -Empire-building because we had not held our Colonies firmly in -subjection and forced our own _kultur_ upon our "subject peoples" and -thus have made them indissolubly one with us. We have not done so for -two reasons. For one, they would never have allowed us to do it; the men -of British blood are not so docile as that, thank heaven! And for -another, as a nation we have no such stupid, swaggering desire to lord -it over our fellows. We had once, but have outgrown it. As for sending -our armies out to make war on the great free Colonies if they resolved -to set up as independent States–they are independent already, and if -ever they decided to sever the formal, natural tie that links them -easily with ourselves in a federated Empire, no Government in Great -Britain would be so foolish as to do anything but reluctantly acquiesce -in their decision. - - Britain fought her sons of yore– - Britain failed; and nevermore, - Careless of our growing kin, - Shall we sin our fathers' sin. - -The fact is, and it is now revealing itself, Germany does not understand -what freedom means. She does not know the difference between slavery and -brotherhood, and, with all her owlish wisdom, has never realised that -love is a mightier bond than fear. She has learnt nothing from her -failures in Poland, in Alsace, in her own Colonies. So immature is her -conception of Empire that she took it as a sign of weakness in us when, -after spending blood and treasure in the South African War, we withdrew -and left the Boers and our own people living there to join hands and -make their own laws and govern themselves. "The low-Dutch are in the -ascendant in South Africa now," wrote the egregious Bernhardi, and he -pronounced that when Germany launched her legions against England the -South Africans would be quick to seize the occasion and rise and strike -for freedom. - -But people do not strike to obtain what they possess. The -long-premeditated blow has fallen, and instead of shattering the British -Empire past repair has merely tightened any loose rivets in it and -welded it more firmly together than ever. German psychology has proved a -vain thing; not a single one of the solemn prophecies of her professors -has come true. South Africa has crushed the enemy at her gates, has -added German West Africa to the Empire, and is sending troops over to -fight in the British battle-line in France. The Princes of India have -rallied eagerly to the flag, and France and the Dardanelles have undying -stories to tell of the loyalty and courage of those sons of hers who -have fought and died for its honour. The moment the word of alarm -flashed over the seas, Canada, Australia, New Zealand leaped to arms and -were ready, and sent their thousands forth and are sending them still to -hold inviolate the Empire that is theirs no less than ours. - -But this is to be the story of the boys from Down Under; the equally -glorious stories of Canada, South Africa, India I leave to other -tellers. - -In those August days of 1914 when war and peace were still in the -balance, and we of the British Isles were waiting in tensest anxiety, -not fearing that war was to come, but dreading lest the diplomatists -should arrive at a compromise that would justify us in standing meanly -aside and leaving France to her fate; all through Australia and New -Zealand men waited as anxiously, torn with the self-same fear. And on -the morning of the 5th, when the cable told them that Great Britain had -declared war upon Germany they felt the same deep sense of relief that -the same news had brought to us at midnight on the 4th–relief, and even -thankfulness that, with Belgium's neutrality ruthlessly broken, the -Empire had done the only right and honourable thing. When the storm -burst, the Federal Parliament of Australia had been dissolved and -electioneering was in full swing. Nevertheless, in two days, with the -whole-hearted approval of all parties in the country, the Prime Minister -had offered to send 20,000 men to the front, as a first contingent, and -our Government had gladly accepted the offer. The Australian -Commissioner in London called at the War Office in connection with this -proposal, and wrote home to say that Lord Kitchener told him, "I know -the Australian soldier, and know he will give a good account of -himself"; and that his final words were, "Roll up! Roll up!" - -And no sooner was the call made for volunteers for foreign service than -they did roll up–they went swarming in thousands to the recruiting -stations at Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Hobart, Perth, and -other great centres, and in a very short time more than the required -number had been enrolled and were rapidly gathered into vast camps at -Broadmeadows, at Helena Vale, and elsewhere, and all the States of the -Commonwealth were humming with warlike preparations. The militia were -called out; Rifle Clubs were formed; the women organised for Red Cross -work and to look after the needs of the soldiers and their families; -troops slept by their guns in the forts round the coast, for German -cruisers were prowling then in the Pacific and the Indian Ocean and -there were possibilities of raids and bombardments. Negotiations were -opened with the Imperial Government, which readily granted a War Loan of -£18,000,000. There was prompt seizure of German and Austrian ships lying -in Australian ports; there was a drastic hunting down of German spies -and rounding up of alien enemies. Word that war had been declared was -received on the morning of the 5th August, and at noon of the same day -Australia's first shot was fired from the fort at Point Nepean, when a -German cargo steamer, the _Pfatz_, was held up and captured. The first -expeditionary force was raised within two or three days; and before the -end of August a second large contingent had been formed and had gone -into camp for training, this second contingent including a Light Horse -Brigade; and "the Australian Light Horse," as Lord Denman, sometime -Governor-General of the Commonwealth, has said, "is the finest Light -Horse in the world." - -A goodly percentage of these volunteer armies–for the compulsory service -in Australia and New Zealand is for home defence only–were bushmen, -farm-hands, clerks, miners, many of whom had thrown up lucrative -appointments and journeyed long distances, hot-foot to be in time. A -writer in _The Melbourne Age_ spent an hour at one of the depots in -Melbourne and gave the following list of the recruits who presented -themselves whilst he was there: "jeweller–1; cricketer–1; actor–1; -collar-maker–1; musicians–3; hairdressers–3; cooks–7; journalists–5; -teachers–8; draper's assistant, 'private means,' hotel porter, military -officer, chemist, wool classer, tailor, axeman, rubber planter, -investor, insurance agent, signwriter, and student–1 each. There were -two or three storekeepers, ten motor mechanics, and half a dozen -travellers. This list," the reporter continues, "is a typical one, -though of course in some States particular occupations would be -differently represented. Generally speaking, it would be correct to say -that at least 80 per cent. of the men–eight in every ten–have in some -way earned their livings with their hands. The remaining 20 per cent. -would be made up of clerks, accountants, shopkeepers, professional men, -and others who were not manual labourers. In the great field entered for -the greatest of all races, 'private means' shows up rather badly." - -But we must not forget that "private means" represents the smallest -section of the community. What is infinitely more significant is that -before the end of November 1914 more than the 20,000 men offered had -been raised, had finished their preliminary training and sailed for -Egypt; and a second force of 16,500 was then in training to follow them. -There was also a force of some 7,000 mobilised for home defence. -Something of what Australia was doing, of the ardour and spirit and -spontaneous patriotism that animated her people may be gathered from a -communication which Sir Charles Lucas made to _The Times_. Sir Charles, -who used to be head of the Dominions Department of the Colonial Office, -was on a visit to Australia in those early days of the war, and what -impressed him greatly was the prevailing common sense and patriotic -enthusiasm with which public bodies and private citizens worked, the -promptitude and swiftness with which they prepared themselves, as if the -war had been at their very doors instead of thousands of miles away. He -saw no violent anti-German outbreak; no bombast nor boastfulness; -nothing but a sober, willing, resolute desire to participate to the -utmost in the great fight for freedom that was not to be the -motherland's only, but the Empire's. "Political parties, the churches, -and all classes spoke with one voice," says Sir Charles. "War funds -seemed to be almost unduly multiplied; young men everywhere were eager -to go to the front, and all were making sacrifices in time, and money, -and work"; and he expresses the keenest admiration of the men he saw at -the military camps, and the zeal, cheerfulness, and efficiency with -which all ranks were fitting themselves for the task to which they had -put their hands. "Australia will support the cause of the Empire in this -war to the last man and the last shilling"–Mr. Fisher knew the hearts of -his people before he drew that limitless bill upon their loyalty, and -this is the glorious story of how they are meeting it. - -As it was in Australia, so it was in New Zealand. There was the same -intense suspense in those first days of August 1914, the same nameless -fear lest the old country should be lulled into accepting German pledges -or otherwise induced to remain neutral and leave France to her fate, the -same fierce indignation against the unprovoked attack upon Belgium, and -the same immeasurable sense of relief and thankfulness when the word -came that Britain had declared war. There was, too, the same spontaneous -uprising, the same sinking of party differences, the same swift, -passionate gathering up of all the energies, all the resources of the -nation and placing them at the service of the Empire–not with any lust -for glory or conquest, but with a high realisation that in so doing New -Zealand was devoting herself also to the higher service of humanity. -For, as you may hear on all hands, it was the terrible story of -Belgium's martyrdom that stirred such a passion of sympathy and blazing -wrath throughout New Zealand as in Australia–the thought of that gallant -little people so brutally wronged and battling with such desperate -heroism to drive back the barbaric hordes of a mighty invader: it was -this that so tore at the hearts of people there that they rejoiced, as -at the best of good tidings, when Britain took up the cause of the weak -and the wronged and gave them the chance to fight, and if need be die -beside her in so just a cause. No tocsin sounded in any dark hour of -attack ever called forth such myriads and such more than willing myriads -of defenders as have rallied from all quarters of the earth to the cry -that went up from those violated homes of Belgium. Australia and New -Zealand in generous rivalry made haste to subscribe funds for the relief -of the Belgian refugees, and to send them shipments of food, blankets, -and clothing. Meanwhile, military preparations went forward in New -Zealand with amazing rapidity. An expeditionary force of 10,000 was -raised, and by the time they were ready to sail for Egypt a further -3,000 were training in camp at Wellington, recruits were offering -themselves in undiminishing numbers, and arrangements were made to send -out reinforcements of at least 3,000 every two months–a figure which has -since been largely increased. There was a demand that the age limit -should be raised to fifty, such multitudes of older men were keen to go -on active service; but as this was not done, they organised themselves, -as our older men have done in the homeland and in every one of the -British dominions, into Citizen Armies for home defence. In less than -three weeks Christchurch alone had enrolled an army of this sort 1,200 -strong, made up, like the New Zealand army for the field, and like all -the new British armies, of men drawn from all classes of the community. -The Premier, and other leading men of the nation, declared in -unqualified terms that New Zealand was ready to give her all, and to -shrink from no sacrifice for the honour and the integrity of the Empire, -and she has ever since been fulfilling that pledge to the utmost. - -One has read many such stories as that of the college professor who -threw up his appointment at Dunedin in order to enlist as a private; and -as that of the prosperous farmer miles away across the lonely plains of -South Island, who had heard nothing of any crisis until news burst upon -him that war had been declared two days ago, then, fearing he might be -too late, left his farm to the care of his wife and whoever could be got -to look after it, hurried by horse and rail to Canterbury, took a few -years off his age, and got into the first expeditionary force. And one -could tell numerous similar stories of the Australians. There is that -record of Cormick, the young Queensland grazier, who, immediately the -call reached him, rode 460 miles to the nearest station at Hergott -Springs, then travelled 450 miles by rail to Adelaide, only to find that -the Light Horse regiment there had made up its full number. He -telegraphed to Tasmania, but the Light Horse section there had no -opening for him. He had made up his mind to go, however, and, though he -must have spent more than a year's pay in journeying from place to place -on his quest, he succeeded at last and sailed with the first overseas -contingent. - -But better than I can hope to express it you find the high, indomitable -soul of Australasia revealing itself in two letters from which I will -make some short extracts. One is written by Mr. Edward Grimwade, who -went out and settled in New Zealand some years ago, to his brother, Mr. -L. L. Grimwade, of Stoke-on-Trent, in England. "My boy, Len, went away -with his regiment yesterday," writes Mr. Grimwade. "All we can say is -'The Lord bless the lad.'... On this subject his mother is in -liquidation, and his dad not much better. None the less, if the -Motherland calls, Ted must go too.... I am prepared to give another son -(as I have given one) and I am prepared to get into the fighting line -myself. Further, I am prepared to suffer loss of fortune and see -starvation, rather than sacrifice the honour of our Empire." - -[Illustration: NEAR THE PYRAMIDS: THE CAMP OF THE AUSTRALIANS, AGAINST -WHOM NO GERMAN-TRAINED TURKISH ARMY CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.] - -[Illustration: "STRANGERS IN THE LAND OF EGYPT." - -The Australian Remounts Depot at Abassia near Cairo.] - -[Illustration: FOOTBALL IN CAMP AT ABASSIA.] - -And here is a letter written in these later days which will serve to -show the splendid spirit that lives in Australia's volunteers. It was -written by Second Lieutenant Meager, of the 3rd Australian Infantry. He -took part in that daring and triumphant landing at Gallipoli, and was -promoted from the ranks for bravery. Later, he was killed in action, -leaving a widow and child in Australia, and this last letter from him -was received by his mother on the same day as the announcement of his -death reached her: - -"During the next few days we shall be facing death every minute. If I am -taken off, do as the Roman matrons of old–keep your tears for privacy, -steel your heart, and get a dozen recruits to fill my place. Pray hard -for me, and if God wills it, I shall see it through. I shall go into -action with a clean heart, and if I emerge safely I hope I shall have -proved myself a man and a leader, and thereby have justified the -confidence of my commanders." - -This is the stuff of which our Australasian brothers are made; these are -the men upon whose degeneracy or disloyalty Treitschke, Bernhardi, and -that pitiful brood of Prussian wiseacres relied. Never was any royal -utterance more profoundly significant or more simply true than the -message that King George sent to his Overseas Dominions at the end of -the first month of the war: - -"During the past few weeks the peoples of my whole Empire at home and -overseas have moved with one mind and purpose to confront and overthrow -an unparalleled assault upon the continuity of civilisation and the -peace of mankind. The calamitous conflict is not of my seeking. My voice -has been cast throughout on the side of peace. My Ministers earnestly -strove to allay the causes of strife and appease differences with which -my Empire was not concerned. Had I stood aside when in defiance of -pledges to which my Kingdom was a party the soil of Belgium was violated -and her cities laid desolate, when the very life of the French nation -was threatened with extinction, I should have sacrificed my honour and -given to destruction the liberties of my Empire and of mankind. I -rejoice that every part of the Empire is with me in this decision. - -"My peoples in the Self-Governing Dominions have shown beyond all doubt -that they whole-heartedly endorse the grave decision which it was -necessary to take. My personal knowledge of the loyalty and devotion of -my Oversea Dominions had led me to expect that they would cheerfully -make the great efforts and bear the great sacrifices which the present -conflict entails. The full measure in which they have placed their -services and resources at my disposal fills me with gratitude, and I am -proud to be able to show to the world that my people overseas are as -determined as the people of the United Kingdom to prosecute a just cause -to a successful end. - -"The Dominion of Canada, the Commonwealth of Australia, and the Dominion -of New Zealand have placed at my disposal their naval forces, which have -already rendered good service to the Empire. Strong Expeditionary Forces -are being prepared in Canada, in Australia, and in New Zealand for -service at the front, and the Union of South Africa has released all -British troops and has undertaken important military responsibilities, -the discharge of which will be of the utmost value to the Empire. -Newfoundland has doubled the numbers of its branch of the Royal Naval -Reserve, and is sending a body of men to take part in the operations at -the front.... All parts of my Oversea Dominions have thus demonstrated -in the most unmistakable manner the fundamental unity of the Empire -amidst all its diversity of situation and circumstance." - - - - - 2 - PATROLLING THE PACIFIC - -[Illustration: WITH OUR COLONIAL TROOPS IN EGYPT.] - -[Illustration: AUSTRALIAN ARMY FIELD-KITCHENS MARCHING PAST AT A REVIEW -OF TROOPS IN EGYPT.] - - CHAPTER II - PATROLLING THE PACIFIC - - We can hold our own– - 'Gainst us in vain all envious shafts are hurled - If still we be - The Sons of Freedom, 'neath one flag unfurled, - Co-heirs of Fame and Wardens of the Sea, - One tongue, one race, one heart before the world. - - GEORGE ESSEX EVANS. - - -Whilst the new armies were still training, the fleet of Australia put to -sea, joined the New Zealand fleet, and together they proceeded to -co-operate with the British naval forces in sweeping the Pacific for -German merchantmen, and hunting down the few elusive German cruisers -that were prowling the seas thereabouts in search of prey. Three of -these cruisers in particular, the _Gneisenau_, the _Scharnhorst_, and -the _Emden_, were dodging all pursuit, successfully capturing and -sinking British and French trading and passenger ships, and bombarding -the coast towns of some of our South Sea Islands; and the _Emden_, -before it could be rounded up and destroyed, had gone as far afield as -India and shelled Madras. "The German cruisers are playing a game of -hide-and-seek on the broad expanse of the Pacific," an Australian naval -officer wrote home, "and are avoiding a trial of strength with the -vessels of the Australian fleet. We have been looking for them ever -since war was declared, and are more than anxious to have a go at them, -but they keep out of the way. The task of definitely locating them and -getting to grips is an enormous one. The Pacific is so wide, and there -are so many thousands of islets that we could pass within five minutes -of them and yet fail to be aware of their presence. Once they are -cornered, it will be a fine fight–a fight to a finish.... Once we -thought we had the German boats bottled up in Simpson Haven. Orders were -issued to the destroyers to ferret them out, and in the dead of night -the three little boats, with all lights out and crews at their stations, -crept into the harbour, which might have been mined. However, after -sweeping round the bay we found our quarry was not there. We landed a -small party which smashed up the telegraphic instruments, then dashed -out again." - -So for some weeks the warships of Australia and New Zealand were alertly -at work, chasing the nimble Germans in and out among those thousand -islands of the South Seas. British and French and Japanese vessels took -up the difficult hunt with them, but in that vast wilderness of waters, -with such innumerable creeks and bays and obscure hiding-places to skulk -in, it was far easier to lose the wily enemy than to find him. In due -course, however, the _Gneisenau_ and the _Scharnhorst_ were cornered and -accounted for; but the _Emden_ remained at large and ran a long and -brilliantly triumphant career before it was trapped and beaten at last -in a desperate fight with the Australian battle cruiser, the _Sydney_. - -Meanwhile, on the 30th August, 1914, the island of Samoa was captured -without opposition by the combined fleets of Australasia, Britain, and -France, under the command of Rear-Admiral Patey. When the fleets arrived -off the island, the Admiral sent an officer ashore with a letter to the -Acting Governor, Herr S. N. Rimburg, saying: - -"I have the honour to inform you that I am off the port of Apia with an -overwhelming force, and in order to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, I will -not open fire if you surrender immediately. I therefore summon you to -surrender to me forthwith the town of Apia and the Imperial possessions -under your control. An answer must be delivered within half an hour to -the bearer." - -To some of us now there seems a touch of unconscious humour in Herr -Rimburg's reply, when we remember how the ships of his own nation -bombarded unfortified English towns without giving them any preliminary -warning at all, for this is the letter that Admiral Patey's messenger -brought back: - -"According to the principles of the rights of nations, especially of the -agreements of the second Hague Peace Conference, the bombardment of our -harbours and protectorates is forbidden, as is the threat to do so. I -therefore respectfully protest against your Excellency's proposal. But -to avoid the military measures you propose, I have given orders for the -wireless telegraph station to be demolished and that no resistance shall -be offered." - -It always went against the grain with many Britishers that the last home -of Stevenson, the island that has his grave on one of its hill-tops, -should ever have been ceded to the Germans, and the news that it had -been recovered from them was an occasion for enthusiastic rejoicing on -that sentimental ground, as well as because it meant that a valuable -colony had been added to the Empire. One very pleasant circumstance in -connection with this bloodless victory was that the French and British -residents in the Samoan Islands bore testimony to the kindness with -which they had been treated by the German authorities and spontaneously -petitioned the conquerors to show special consideration to the German -ex-Governor and his officials, and the request was met at once in the -friendliest possible spirit. It almost seemed as if the gracious, humane -influence of Tusitala were still potent in the very atmosphere of the -place. Colonel Robert Logan, the new British Administrator of Samoa, -took up residence with his staff at Stevenson's own house "Vailima," -which had been occupied by the German Governor, Dr. Schultz, and says in -his report: - -"I conferred with the German heads of departments and their -subordinates, and, as they have given their parole to do nothing -inimical to British interests and to carry out their duties loyally, I -have retained them, with two exceptions, in their respective offices at -the same salaries as they were previously receiving." - -Equally pleasant, too, in connection with the capture of Samoa, were -certain details mentioned concerning the appointment of Mr. Williams to -the post of Deputy-Administrator of the island of Savali. "Mr. Williams -has been in the islands for over forty years," wrote Colonel Logan, "and -from the inception of German rule in Samoa until the declaration of war -acted in the capacity of Deputy Administrator of Savali, under the -German Government. On the declaration of war he was given the option of -resigning his British citizenship or being relieved of his office, and -he chose the latter alternative, although this entailed the loss of his -pension." - -The transfer of Samoa being arranged in this humane, reasonable fashion, -the allied fleets departed to continue their other business, leaving a -garrison of some 2,000 New Zealand troops at Apia in charge of the -islands. A fortnight later those roving ships of the German Pacific -squadron came round that way and shelled Apia, and were energetically -shelled in return; but the firing did not last long; there was no -attempt at a landing, very little damage was done, and ever since the -New Zealanders have remained in peaceable possession of their first -trophy. - -In the interval, on the 11th September, at 7 in the morning, the -Australian squadron occupied Herbertshohe, the principal town in the -island of New Pomerania, which is the largest island of the Bismarck -Archipelago. It was discovered by Captain Cook, who named it New -Britain, but the British Government never formally took possession of -it, and in 1884 Germany seized and rechristened it, and at the same time -annexed half of the neighbouring island of New Guinea and changed its -name to Kaiser Wilhelmsland. The remainder of New Guinea had long been -shared betwixt the Dutch and the British, and there was profound -dissatisfaction in Australia when the Germans were thus allowed to steal -a march on us. There was already a feeling abroad that they were -hankering after world-dominion and were dangerous neighbours. This -uneasiness had been lulled by the passing of years, but the aggressive -boastfulness of Germany and the outbreak of the war had naturally -revived it and sharpened it to more than its first acuteness, and the -knowledge that this menace to her peace had been finally removed was -received throughout Australia with a lively satisfaction that was echoed -from every quarter of the Empire. - -On that morning of the 11th September a party of fifty men of the -Australian Naval Reserve, under the command of Commander J. A. H. -Beresford, and accompanied by Lieutenant-Commander Elwell and Lieutenant -Bowen, landed at Herbertshohe. There was a small group of Germans -gathered on the wharf, and these, being hailed, replied that no -opposition would be offered. As soon as the landing party had fallen in -on the beach they set out to march through the forest to the wireless -station, which was about six miles inland, and luckily, in spite of the -Germans' assurance that they would meet with no resistance, Commander -Beresford was on the alert against treachery, had thrown out scouts, and -was prepared for any surprise attack that might be attempted. There was -no sign or sound of an enemy for a while, but when they had gone some -two miles into the forest the invaders suddenly realised that they had -walked into a trap. A volley fired from the bush and dense tropical -undergrowth which shut the road in on either side took them unawares. A -German force had entrenched themselves close ahead athwart the road, and -a number of blacks, hidden among the trees on both sides, started and -kept up a harassing enfilade. But the Australians took the half-expected -surprise with the most perfect sangfroid. They energetically returned -the enemy's fire with a raking volley or two, then hurled themselves on -the trenches, and, after a furious hand-to-hand struggle, carried them -at the point of the bayonet. They captured several prisoners, and -leaving these in a hut under a small guard the rest of the party pushed -on resolutely, taking what cover was possible by the way and maintaining -a continuous fight with snipers who kept pace with them, lurking in the -depths of the forest. The advance was necessarily slow, for, in addition -to the death that momentarily threatened them from among the trees, the -road was mined in many places, and nothing but the utmost caution and -coolness saved the indomitable little army from annihilation. As it was, -they suffered heavy losses. - -[Illustration: A SMALL PORTION OF THE ARMY IN EGYPT. - -A part of the camp at Menai.] - -[Illustration: THE AUSTRALIAN TROOPS IN EGYPT.] - -[Illustration: FROM DIFFERENT POINTS OF THE COMPASS. - -A meeting of sons of the Empire. This picture was taken about a mile -from the Pyramids in Egypt. It illustrates how Britannia's sons from -various parts of the Empire have rallied to the Flag. These four men are -in the same Australian regiment, but (left to right) they were born in -Canada, Australia, Scotland, and England respectively.] - -Within 500 yards of the wireless station they found themselves faced -with more entrenchments and came to a halt. A careful reconnaissance was -made, and the position discovered to be so powerfully fortified that a -dispatch-runner was sent back to ask for reinforcements from the fleet, -and as it was by now almost dark Commander Beresford decided to encamp -for the night. All night scouts were out keeping a close watch, and the -men slept beside their rifles, but nothing happened. Even the snipers -remained silent; many had been shot down, and the rest had either used -up their ammunition or withdrawn disheartened; and the entrenched -Germans lay low, apparently contented to wait till they were attacked. - -Before dawn a great cheer rang from the awakening camp as the expected -reinforcements, a detachment of Australian sailors, were seen -approaching along the forest road. They brought several quickfirers and -some 12-pounders with them, but no sooner were the guns in position and -a storming party in readiness to advance than the enemy blew up the -station and fled. Shots were sent after them, but they escaped into the -bush, and the pursuit was not continued, since the object of the -Australian expedition had been to destroy the wireless equipment there, -and this had been accomplished. - -Later in the day, however, the enemy reappeared behind the town and -indulged in some casual sniping, but a few well-placed shells from one -of the warships in the harbour discouraged them and drove them back into -the interior. - -The fighting for the wireless station had occupied eighteen hours, and -it fell into the hands of the Australians at 1 o'clock in the morning on -the 12th September. Between twenty and thirty Germans were killed; there -were many wounded, and the Commandant and one other officer, fifteen -German non-commissioned officers, and fifty-six native police were taken -prisoners. The Australian losses were Lieutenant-Commander B. Elwell, -Captain B. A. Bockley, R.A.M.C., and four seamen killed, and Lieutenant -Rowland B. Bowen and three seamen wounded. - -The Governor of New Pomerania (now restored to its earlier name of New -Britain) remained at large for a day or two, and then was captured with -his suite ten miles inland, and they were sent as prisoners to the port -of Rabaul. - -The capture of this port of Rabaul was one of the most daring and -successful episodes in the campaign on New Pomerania. It was thought -possible that the German cruisers were somewhere in the vicinity, and -the Australian Commander had no knowledge of Rabaul Harbour, and knew -nothing of its fortifications; nevertheless, with all lights out he -raided the port at night, caught the Germans napping, and landed a naval -force without opposition. They had taken possession of the post and -telegraph stations and destroyed the plant before the inhabitants were -roused and came out to find it was too late for them to attempt to do -anything. Some of the German residents subsequently refused to take the -oath of neutrality, and these, with two German officers, were sent as -prisoners to Sydney. There was also some little trouble with the -natives, who resorted to a sort of guerilla warfare, but it was not long -before these were reduced to order, and the Australian garrison remained -in peaceable control of the island, which had been the centre of the -German government in the Bismarck Archipelago. - -Whilst Rabaul was being raided, another Australian warship landed a -small squad of sailors under the command of Lieutenant-Commander -Bloomfield at Nauru, the capital of the Marshall Islands. With the party -were Lieutenant Cooper, Engineer-Lieutenant Creswell, and Staff-Surgeon -Brennard, to act as interpreter. The surf round the island is very -heavy, and there were difficulties in getting a boat through it, but -this once accomplished the rest was easy. There were no defences, and -the landing was unopposed. The Governor surrendered at discretion, and -the wireless station, one of the most powerful in the German Pacific -series, was demolished. - -Shortly after the fall of Rabaul, the Australian fleet captured a German -steamer that was making for the harbour there, and learned from two -Englishmen who were aboard that the elusive German cruisers had recently -been sighted off Kaweing, New Hanover. But though a warship was -dispatched forthwith to that quarter and toured all about the islands, -searching diligently, no enemy vessels were anywhere discoverable. They -had been seen thereabouts a few days previously, but had mysteriously -vanished again. - -The conquest of the German Pacific islands was completed on 24th -September, when Kaiser Wilhelmsland (German New Guinea) surrendered -without firing a shot, the British flag was hoisted at Friedrich Wilhelm -town, and a garrison established there. Most of the available German -soldiers had been sent thence a fortnight before to assist in the -defence of New Pomerania; but when they arrived it was already taken -over by the victorious Australians and they simply fell into their hands -as prisoners. The principal officials of Kaiser Wilhelmsland were also -absent; the four that remained, with some fourteen other Germans, took -the oath of neutrality. So, with every German wireless station in the -Pacific put out of action, and the British flag flying over all enemy -territory in those waters, the Australian fleet was free to render more -assistance to the New Zealand, the British, and French fleets in their -dogged hunt after the German commerce raiders, and presently added a new -glory to its name by overtaking, giving battle to, and sinking that most -dashing raider of them all, the _Emden_. - - - - - 3 - THE TRIUMPH OF THE _SYDNEY_ - - CHAPTER III - THE TRIUMPH OF THE _SYDNEY_ - - Nor wonder, nor fear, - When death stared us near, - Could you read in one face of all our crew, - Each to his post and orders true. - - JOHN LE GAY BRERETON. - - -When we are all at peace again–when the Great War is a thing of -yesterday and tales of its thousand fights have passed into the history -and folk-lore of the nations that took part in it–then, I think, perhaps -Germany may be glad to forget about the hundreds of women and children -slaughtered by her runaway warships in bombarding defenceless English -coast towns without warning, by her midnight Zeppelins with bombs that -were dropped on peaceful villages and unfortified towns, by the -torpedoes fired by her dishonoured submarines into helpless passenger -steamers; but she will find consolation and some healing for her pride -in remembering the brilliant exploits of the _Emden_, and the splendid -chivalry and heroism of the _Emden's_ commander. She will talk of Karl -von Müller, and rightly, much as we talk of Drake and Hawkins, or as the -Americans talk of that daring privateer Paul Jones, and of Captain -Semmes and the _Alabama_. But his enemies were the first to pay tribute -to his gallantry and welcome him into the glorious company of their -traditional sea-heroes; for such courage as his naturalises an alien -even in the land of his enemy, and, for all the harm he did us, we have -nothing but the friendliest admiration of von Müller, because he harried -and fought us with clean hands and was always a gracious and honourable -as well as a fearless foe. - -At the outbreak of the war, the German Admiral von Spee was at Kiao-Chau -with his China squadron of some half-dozen vessels. He lost no time in -putting to sea, bent on preying upon and, as far as might be, stopping -the ocean-trade of Britain and France and their Allies. Before long he -seems to have decided to set von Müller free to follow his own devices; -the _Emden_ parted company with the Admiral and thereafter, playing a -lone hand, proved a more resourceful and more dangerous marauder than -all the rest of von Spee's fleet put together. For three months it -cruised about the Pacific and the Indian Oceans and was the terror of -the seas. To-day it would be sighted off Borneo, and whilst the -Australian and New Zealand fleets, called by wireless, were scouring the -China Sea for it, it would unexpectedly appear off the Caroline Islands -or in the Bay of Bengal. It left its mark on the harbour works of -Madras, shelled the fort there and set the oil-tanks ablaze, and was -gone into the unknown again before any pursuer could be put on its -track. And all the while its gallant captain was making sudden dashes -into those ocean highways where the merchant traffic was thickest, -taking toll of our traders with the gayest good humour and always with -the strictest consideration for the lives of his victims. - -Our experts assured us that this game could not last; sooner or later -von Müller would have to put into port somewhere for coal and stores, -news of his whereabouts would be flashed to the ships in chase of him -and they would be waiting in readiness for him when he came out, and -there would be an end of him. It sounded so simple and true, but von -Müller knew a trick worth two of that. His practice was to bear down -upon his quarry, make her heave to by sending a shot across her bows, -then board her and help himself to what he needed in the way of coal and -other stores, transfer the crew and passengers to the _Emden_, and sink -his abandoned prize with a bomb or with a well-aimed shell or two. After -he had repeated this proceeding so many times that he had more prisoners -aboard than he could comfortably accommodate, he dumped them all on the -next merchantman he overhauled and allowed it to go free with them. He -was so good a sailor, and knew the sea and the ways of the sea so well, -that, instead of making his captures one by one, he occasionally -contrived to round up four or five at a time, shepherded them into -suitable proximity, went through them in succession, helped himself -liberally from their cargoes, collected all the passengers and crews on -one of them, which he politely set at liberty, and swiftly sunk the -remainder and was off again about his business. He had a sense of -humour, and that invariably goes with humanity. One of the ships he -stopped was a small affair with no particularly valuable cargo, so he -relinquished it intact, jestingly making a present of it to the wife of -the captain, who was making the voyage with her husband. History does -not say whether the owners subsequently confirmed the gift. He -discovered that there were women among the passengers on another ship, -and, genially apologising for causing them any discomfort, withdrew and -let his catch go again. Many such stories were rumoured about him, and -even if some were legendary the fact that it occurred to his enemies to -tell them sufficiently indicates the character of the man. His luck and -his daring and his courtesy made a sort of popular hero of him even in -the British Isles and Australasia, but the damage he was doing to our -shipping was so serious that it became more and more imperative that his -career should be ended. By an ingenious ruse he sunk a French destroyer -and a Russian cruiser at Penang; and, to say nothing else of our Allies' -losses, he had destroyed over 74,000 tons of British shipping, the total -value of which has been estimated at upwards of £2,000,000, before he -was brought to bay, and put up a good fight, but was beaten. - -[Illustration: THE HORSE LINES AT ABASSIA, EGYPT.] - -[Illustration: THE AUSTRALIAN REMOUNTS DEPOT AT ABASSIA. - -Over 1,000 horses are in lines here and about and also ready for -transport to any part of the world.] - -[Illustration: OUR TROOPS IN EGYPT. - -Cavalry galloping out into the desert.] - -His little cruiser could make a speed of twenty-four knots, and so long -as he kept out at sea he was able to show his pursuers a clean pair of -heels. Possibly his three months of immunity had rendered him a little -over-confident; anyhow, it occurred to him that he might increase the -difficulties of the chase by destroying the wireless plant on Keeling -Cocos Island, and at 6 o'clock on the morning of the 9th November he -carried out his intention. He sent an armed launch ashore, towing two -boats containing forty men, three officers, and four maxims. They -effected a landing without trouble in a quarter of an hour; the officers -behaved with the correctest courtesy towards the officials and damaged -nothing but the wireless installation, which they very efficiently -reduced to ruins. But it happened that an hour earlier the approach of -the _Emden_ had been detected, and the wireless operator had immediately -flung a warning into the air and an urgent appeal to the _Sydney_, which -was believed to be somewhere in the vicinity. This belief was so well -founded that as the expeditionary force from the _Emden_ were returning -to their boats, after completing their mission, a dense smoke was seen -on the horizon, and breaking through it the _Sydney_, coming under full -steam, hove rapidly into sight. - -Captain von Müller was as quick to observe it, recognised that there was -no escape, and instantly prepared for action. Leaving his landing party -to look after themselves, he steamed for the open sea, and his men on -shore with equal promptitude commandeered a schooner that lay at anchor -in the bay, hastily provisioned it, cut the cable, made a dash for -liberty and got away. - -As soon as she was clear of the island the _Emden_ opened fire on the -_Sydney_ and at first made excellent practice, but the _Sydney_ answered -by pouring in such an accurate and deadly fire that the enemy's three -funnels were shot away, some of his guns silenced, and all the -speaking-tubes smashed, so that the captain had difficulties in -transmitting his orders, and his firing began to fall off considerably. -If there were pluck and determination enough on the _Emden_, there was -at least as much of both on her antagonist. For three months the -_Sydney_ had been kept waiting for this hour, with her crew spoiling for -a fight, and now they had got what they had been waiting for, and -officers and men alike were keen to render a good account of themselves. -Before the _Sydney_ left the harbour she was named after, three boys -came aboard from the training ship _Tingua_ and offered themselves as -volunteers for service in any capacity. The captain thought they were -too young and did not want to take them, but they were so desperately -bent on going that he yielded and let them have their way. Two of them -were now attached to the officers of the gun crew, and throughout the -action with the _Emden_ they were as eager and as perfectly cool as the -hardiest seaman of them all. One of these youngsters was told off to -help in carrying ammunition to the guns, and he went briskly, capably to -and fro on his job, with the enemy's shells bursting around and -overhead, and never even seemed to think of attempting to take cover. -The fearful joy of battle possessed him as it possessed the rest of the -crew. The cheerfulness and reckless ardour of them all were amazing; -nobody thought of danger; nobody thought of anything except that they -were at grips with the enemy at long last and did not mean to let him -go. - -It was a short, sharp, heroic combat; there was no flinching on either -side; but the _Sydney's_ guns were the more powerful and her gunners the -better marksmen. She was very little damaged and her only loss was three -men killed and fifteen wounded; but the _Emden_ was so terribly punished -that her decks became a very shambles; there were over two hundred -killed and wounded, and the finish came when the whole after-part of the -vessel burst into flames. The _Sydney_ at once ceased firing, and von -Müller threw up the sponge and smartly beached his ship to save it from -sinking. The Britishers ashore and rescue parties in the _Sydney's_ -boats assisted to get the wounded out of the blazing wreck, and, -accepting the inevitable with his customary good grace, the German -captain surrendered. But Captain Glossop, the _Sydney's_ commander, knew -how to respect a brave enemy and refused to deprive his beaten foe of -his sword. It was characteristic of von Müller that when one of his -officers, smarting under the sense of defeat, accused the _Sydney_ of -continuing to fire after the white flag had been shown, he called the -remnant of his forces together and repeated the charge to them, only to -repudiate it indignantly, saying that no white flag had ever been -hoisted on his vessel. - -He and the Kaiser's kinsman, Prince Franz Joseph Hohenzollern, with the -rest of the captured German officers and men, were sent as prisoners of -war to Australia, and the most romantic and one of the most momentous -episodes in the war at sea came to a fitting conclusion when the vast -crowd which gathered at Sydney Harbour to welcome with storms of -cheering the triumphant Captain Glossop and his men, broke into a -generous ovation for the hero of the _Emden_ as his conquerors brought -him in. - -The Indian and Pacific Oceans were now swept completely clear of all -enemies, except for the small German fleet that was still groping about -precariously off Chili, and on the 8th December a British squadron drew -this fleet into an engagement and totally destroyed it; but the -significance of the _Sydney's_ dashing victory was not merely that it -removed the last serious menace from the ocean trade routes of the -Empire–it created the profoundest impression throughout India, and did -more to restore confidence among our Indian fellow-subjects in the -eventual triumph of British arms than the hurling back of the German -hordes from before the walls of Paris or the greater successes of our -Navy in the North Sea. - -[Illustration: WITH OUR TROOPS IN EGYPT. - -The 6th Hamakai (New Zealand) Regiment entrenching at Ismalin on the -banks of the Suez Canal.] - -[Illustration: AN AUSTRALIAN SCOUT IN THE EGYPTIAN DESERT.] - - - - - 4 - EN ROUTE FOR EGYPT - - CHAPTER IV - EN ROUTE FOR EGYPT - - We boast no more of our bloodless flag that rose from a nation's slime; - Better a shred of a deep-dyed rag from the storms of the olden time. - From grander clouds in our "peaceful skies" than ever were there before - I tell you the Star of the South shall rise–in the lurid clouds of war.... - - All creeds and trades will have soldiers there–give every class its due– - And there will be many a clerk to spare for the pride of the jackeroo.... - - But, oh! if the cavalry charge again as they did when the world was wide, - 'Twill be grand in the ranks of a thousand men in that glorious race to ride - And strike for all that is true and strong, for all that is grand and brave, - And all that ever shall be, so long as man has a soul to save. - - HENRY LAWSON. - - -With Australasia, as with the motherland, the first honours of war fell -to the fleet; and whilst the fleet was gathering them in, recruiting for -the armies continued briskly through August, September, October, with -intervals of suspension because the recruits kept offering themselves in -such numbers and so much faster than they could possibly be equipped. By -September the New Zealand Maoris refused to be left out of it any -longer, and applied for permission to raise and supply a separate corps -of volunteers for active service, and no sooner was the offer accepted -than the corps was ready, with a big overflow of applicants on a waiting -list, in case reinforcements were needed. At the same time the Urewara -Maoris, the tribe most recently in arms against the State, presented the -Government with 1,600 acres of land to be turned to account as a -contribution to the Empire Defence Fund. - -All Australia and New Zealand were roused as nothing had ever roused -them before; and the glowing enthusiasm and determination of their -peoples, instead of wearying a little with the passing of the days, rose -and intensified. In the beginning the thousands of soldiers to be sent -to the front were fixed at definite totals; but before the end of -September, New Zealand had made it clear that the size of her contingent -would be limited by nothing but the number of her men who were fit to -handle a gun; and Mr. Fisher had said for Australia, at a meeting in -connection with the Australian Expeditionary Force, "Not 1 per cent. of -the people of the Commonwealth are unfavourable to sending as many -contingents as may be necessary to ensure victory over Germany and -settle this matter once for all. Many Australians would rather be dead -than in the grip of the dominion of another people. We mean to leave an -honourable name behind us, even if we must perish to maintain it." And -that these were no idle words Gallipoli has borne and is bearing -witness. - -In that month of September, Melbourne and Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane, -all the great cities of the Commonwealth States, were filling their -streets to pay homage to the troops that marched through from the -training grounds in full war equipment, ready and eager for the order to -embark. To describe one such memorable spectacle is to describe them -all, for the same great spirit was abroad from end to end of the land. - -"For the first time since the war broke out," says _The Melbourne Age_ -for the 26th September, "Melbourne was afforded an opportunity of seeing -in force the troops who are to form Victoria's contingent at the front. -To the number of about 5,000 they marched through the city between 11 -a.m. and 1 p.m." It was a day of rain and sleet, but the weather was of -little consequence either to the soldiers or the onlookers. "From the -north, by train and by road the troops poured into the city, and while -they were mustering on the northern boundaries the people were -assembling in tens of thousands along the principal streets. For this -was to be the city's farewell to these men who were going out to take -their place in the fight for the integrity of the Empire, and it was -clear from the start that it was going to be no half-hearted affair. For -weeks past soldiers had been passing through Melbourne, sometimes in -small parties, sometimes in large squads, while ever and anon there had -been lines of ambulance wagons going by, or the houses had shaken to the -rumbling of big guns. But yesterday all these units were gathered into -an Army to be reviewed by the Commander-in-Chief of the Commonwealth -forces." The Light Horse rode in from camp through a pelting rain; hardy -bushmen, most of them, drawn from the remote back-lands of the State. -They and their horses were drenched, but their cheerfulness was not even -damped. They rode in and halted along King Street, between Collins and -Bourke Streets, to await the arrival of the infantry. Wild squalls of -wind and sleet drove the crowd to scatter and find temporary shelter -where they could, but as soon as the clamant call of the bugle sounded -and the infantry divisions were seen marching sturdily up through the -rain from Spencer Street Station the waiting myriads forgot everything -else and raced back into their places, till the long streets were -narrowed to a living, cheering lane from start to finish of the line of -route. - -[Illustration: CAMP OF THE AUSTRALIANS AT MUDROS BAY.] - -[Illustration: SULTAN OF EGYPT VISITS THE DARDANELLES WOUNDED.] - -[Illustration: SECOND DIVISION LEAVING MUDROS BAY WITH AUSTRALIANS -ON THE FORE DECK.] - -It was not more than five or six weeks since most of the soldiers in -these disciplined, perfectly ordered ranks had gone out of the city, -pallid, weedy, slack, slouching, from sedentary, cramping shop or office -or factory life: now they came back into it, from the training grounds, -bronzed, hardened, alertly alive. They went out straggling regiments of -raw recruits, shouting to passers-by, singing and laughing carelessly as -they went: they came back silent, steady men-at-arms, erect, soldierly, -and with the look and bearing of men who had dedicated themselves to a -great purpose, and meant to fulfil it. - -At the word of command, the Light Horse moved forward, and, preceded by -their field ambulances and service wagons, company after company of the -smartest, keenest infantry that ever stepped in khaki followed them. - -At intervals the rain stopped, the clouds blew apart, and the sun shone, -and under sun or rain, with swords and bayonets gleaming and regimental -bands crashing out lively marching tunes, these warrior sons of -Australia advanced into the city whose streets and shops and houses were -all a-flutter with flags and handkerchiefs and endlessly a-roar with -friendly voices of welcome. It was a day of high and great emotions; a -day to be remembered by all who shared in its stirring pageantry until -their last of days; and if there were tears in the eyes of hundreds who -were cheering in the dense-packed throng that lined the way, they were -tears of pride in these sons and brothers and sweethearts who had given -themselves so wholly and so gallantly to the service of their country. I -spoke of them just now as raw recruits, and most of them were; but 700 -of that 5,000 had war ribbons on their breasts, for they had fought in -the South African Campaign. One such was Colonel Elliott, who led the -7th Battalion; fifteen years before he had marched through these same -streets as a private in the contingent that was then leaving for South -Africa. - -The waiting mass of spectators ahead in Russell Street could look up the -long perspective of Collins Street and see the sinuous khaki line -flowing in from the hills beyond, between the dark banks of cheering -people, and they took up the cheering and passed it on to thousands -gathered farther in the city. As the troops came forward the multitude -closed in behind and followed, an ever-swelling, tumultuous, joyous sea -of humanity. Two flags marked the saluting base in front of the steps of -Parliament House, in Bourke Street, and in readiness on the steps were -the Prime Minister, Mr. Fisher, Senator Pearce, the Minister of Defence, -and Major-General Bridges, in command of the whole Australian -contingent, and they were presently joined by Colonel J. W. McCay, who -had led the march through the streets to this spot. Shortly before the -soldiers came in sight, the Governor-General and Lady Helen Ferguson -drove up; and standing at the foot of the steps under the united flags -of Great Britain and Australia the Governor took the salute as the long -procession of horse and foot went streaming past. - -"The immensely significant and important thing about yesterday's -demonstration," continues the reporter, "was that every man who took -part in it was a volunteer. No military despotism had driven them to -war. From many parts of Victoria, from the public schools, and the State -schools, from the cities and the back blocks, from homes of comparative -luxury, and from homes of poverty these men had volunteered. In the -march past yesterday all social distinctions were blotted out. They were -all Australians–Britons by blood and descent, by temperament and -tradition–and yet essentially Australians–the biggest contingent for the -biggest war ever taken part in by Australia"–or, indeed, by any nation -on the face of the earth since the beginning of time. - -Once well past the saluting point, the ceremonial march was practically -finished, and it came to an actual end at the top of Elizabeth Street. -Here, as everywhere, there were countless crowds to give the khakied -ranks a rousing reception; some swarmed after the cavalrymen, who rode -aside into the Hay Market and there dismounted to feed and water their -horses and take an interval of rest and refreshment. The infantry, -however, wheeled into Flemington Road and continued its march until it -arrived in Royal Park, where a halt was called, and directly the word to -"stand at ease" was given, arms were grounded, bayonets sheathed, the -ranks broke up, and the men drifted this way and that to find among the -thousands of civilians who were overflowing the Park the friends or -relatives who were there in search of them. - -There was an hour of impromptu picnicking, soldiers and civilians -clustering in little groups; for the sky had cleared by now, and the wet -grass was a matter of no account on such a day as this; then the bugles -sounded the "fall in," and in a few minutes the men had lined up in -ranks again, and in a few more minutes, with mounted officers before and -beside them and to the music of drums and brasses, the four battalions -swept out into Royal Park Road at the quick march and set forth on the -return journey to their camp at Broadmeadows. - -When the principal part of the town was left behind "march at ease" was -the order of the hour, and rifles were slung over shoulders, cigarettes -or pipes lighted, and presently the last of the following crowd, that -had thinned out and dropped away and was going back home, could scarcely -hear the playing of the band above the gay uproar of the hundreds of -voices singing "Who'll go a-fighting with the Kaiser and me?" and, when -they had had enough of that, joining as heartily in "It's a long way to -Tipperary"–the song that none of us can ever hear again unmoved, so many -thousands of our own people have gone singing it to death or glory on -the stricken fields of Flanders. - -In this wise Melbourne welcomed and said good-bye to that 2nd Brigade of -hers; and in similar fashion Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane honoured their -soldier sons; then, for certain weeks they continued their preparations -and waited impatiently in their camps for the signal from oversea that -should summon them into the battle-line; and it was hailed everywhere -with exultant enthusiasm when it came at last and they could strike -their tents and go. - -By this date, the third week in November of 1914, the effective Army of -Australia had grown to nearly 40,000 troops of all arms, and there were -not far short of 2,000 men in the Navy. In addition there was now a -Citizen Army of 56,298, fully armed and equipped; 51,153 members of -rifle clubs, and 67,153 reservists, making a grand total of 164,633. But -even these figures look small when compared with what they have risen to -in the year that has passed since then. - -It was on the 18th November that the combined Australian and New Zealand -Expeditionary Forces set out from Albany, Western Australia, for the -front. They filled thirty-six transports that steamed out of King -George's Sound in four stately columns, with the _Orverto_ as flagship. -All on the wharves and round about them a dense, innumerable throng -stood to watch the departure–stood and watched it in a strangely -impressive silence. Not until the last ship had its living freight -aboard and the tug was towing it out to take its place in the great -armada did the crowd seem to catch its heart up suddenly and shatter the -almost unbearable stillness with volley after volley of thunderous -cheers. And the men on the ships, clustering along the sides, or -climbing the rails, waved their hands and hats and sent back an -answering salvo that only dwindled and altogether ceased when the shore -had receded so far that the crowds that were watching the ships till -they had passed from sight could barely be distinguished. But the -emotions such a parting stirred were too painful, too harrowing, and -"There should be no farewells like that," said one of the troopers when -it was over. - -The destination of the troopships was unknown, except to the chief -officers; some had an idea that they were going to England, some that -they were making direct for France and the trenches in Flanders, but all -knew before the earlier half of their fortnight's voyage was done that -they were to land, in the first place, at Alexandria. None of them cared -particularly where it was, so long as they were brought, without too -much delay, within reach of the enemy. - -The navies of the Empire made a safe pathway over the thousands of miles -of sea, and the journey was as uneventfully peaceful as if there had -been no war in progress. It might even have been a little monotonous if -the men had not been so high-spirited and so fertile in inventing -amusements when they were not kept well occupied with drilling and -physical exercises. At six in the morning réveillé was sounded, and by -the time the bugle pealed for "lights out," at nine at night, everybody -was comfortably tired and ready enough to sleep. During the day, between -intervals of drilling, signalling practice, and general exercise, there -were rifle practice, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, racing, jumping matches, to -improve the fitness of the troops in all directions; and from time to -time, in quiet corners about the deck, small groups would gather to -listen while an officer read descriptions of past battles and expounded -military tactics; and on the vessels that carried the cavalry there was -a good deal of extra work to do in exercising and looking after the -horses. Every evening the band played, and after it had finished the men -got up free-and-easy sing-songs among themselves. But before 10 o'clock -the ships were all in darkness and no sounds were to be heard except the -surge and splash of the waters and perhaps a busy rattle of typewriters -from the cabins of the headquarters staff. The genial spirit of -comradeship between officers and men helped to make the wheels of the -whole organisation run smoothly as well as effectively; the most perfect -discipline was maintained without anything of that Prussian arrogance in -the higher commands which passes for military capacity; for your -Australasian private is an especially free man, and is rightly conscious -of no inferiority to his officers, but has the good sense to recognise -that they are appointed to lead him and that as a matter of simplest -common sense he must render them a strict and willing obedience whilst -he is on duty. And the officers are as democratic as their men and wear -their dignity easily, and as an official not as a personal superiority. -All which naturally tends to promote general harmony and good feeling, -and they tell me that this was the prevailing atmosphere on every one of -the transports, this and an unquenchable gaiety and cheerfulness that -made the long voyage as jolly as if it had been a holiday outing instead -of the grim, determined business that it really was. - -On the last day of November the transports entered the Red Sea and had -glimpses of Turkish territory on the starboard bow. They left the Gulf -of Suez behind, and as they were passing through the Canal had their -first welcome from some of the men who were to be their comrades in the -battles that lay before them. There was a camp of Indian troops a little -above Suez, and, says a _Melbourne Age_ correspondent who was on one of -the transports, "we saw a squad of them come running over the sand, -jumping over trenches, while others came pouring out from behind -fortifications down to the banks of the Canal, where they cheered in -answer to the cheers of the 5th Battalion on the flagship." - -About here, or when they sighted Port Said, the Australasians carefully -oiled their boots, for the first time since they left Albany, and began -to make ready for the end of the journey and going ashore; and by the -3rd December they had emerged into the Mediterranean and landed with all -their stores and equipment at Alexandria. - - - - - 5 - CHRISTMAS AT THE PYRAMIDS - -[Illustration: THE LAST SERVICE ON BOARD THE "LONDON" FOR THE AUSTRALIANS.] - -[Illustration: THE DARDANELLES–AUSTRALIANS AND BLUEJACKETS ON A TRANSPORT.] - - CHAPTER V - CHRISTMAS AT THE PYRAMIDS - - "From faithful lass and loving wife - I bring a wish divine - For Christmas blessings on your head." - "I wish you well," the sentry said, - "But here, alas! you may not pass - Without the countersign." - - He vanished–and the sentry's tramp - Re-echoed down the line. - It was not till the morning light - The soldiers knew that in the night - Old Santa Claus had come to camp - Without the countersign. - - A. B. PATERSON. - - -But there were to be another two months of waiting yet–of waiting and -tireless preparation, before any fighting was to come their way. And -this delay had the best of good reasons behind it. For one thing it -would not have been wise to bring the fighting men of Australia and New -Zealand straight out of their own summer to face the rigours of a -northern winter in England, or in France; and for another, Lord -Kitchener has a habit–a very disconcerting habit for his enemies and -some of his self-important critics–of looking ahead and providing for -to-morrow; he foresaw that things might soon be happening in the sunny -land of the Pharaohs and knew that when they did happen it would be good -to have such a hefty band of warriors ready there and waiting for them. - -"I am pleased to be able to announce," said Mr. Fisher in the Australian -House of Representatives on the 4th December, "that the Australian and -New Zealand contingents have safely arrived and have disembarked in -Egypt to assist in the defence of that country and to complete their -training there. They will go direct to the front to fight with other -British troops in Europe when their training is complete. Acting on the -strong recommendation and advice of Lord Kitchener, the Commonwealth -Government agreed to the Australian Imperial Force being landed in Egypt -for training instead of in England. It was pointed out that to house -Australians in tents in an English mid-winter after a long voyage in -troopships through the tropics and sub-tropics would be a very severe -trial and impose unnecessary hardships on our men. Lord Kitchener's -proposals were entirely due to his anxiety to secure the best possible -conditions for the success of our forces, in which he takes a very -special interest." - -A similar announcement was made by New Zealand's Premier, who said that -his Government also had readily acquiesced in Lord Kitchener's -suggestions. - -Some thousands of the troops went off almost at once to form part of the -Army of English Territorials and Egyptian regiments that were occupying -Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula; but the great majority of the -Australasians pitched their camps in the desert round about Cairo. The -Light Horse were at Maadi; the New Zealanders at Sertun, on the opposite -bank of the Nile; and the Australian infantry were at Menai, ten miles -outside Cairo at the foot of the hills, in the shadow of the Pyramids. -This which had been trackless waste before they came was transformed -within a fortnight after their arrival into a vast canvas city, with -long streets of white tents intersected here and there by wooden booths -that were used as shops and cafés. Men and stores were carried from -Alexandria by rail to the temporary station of Abu Ela, just beyond -Cairo, and thence by wagon, mule, camel, and afoot, or in the electric -trams that run from Cairo to the Pyramids. It was impossible by threats -or entreaties to hustle the leisurely natives who assisted in this -arduous transport work; nevertheless it was all accomplished, the camp -erected and organised, and by the middle of December the strangers from -oversea had made themselves comfortably at home in the desert. The -streets of white tents stretched for miles across the sands; -brown-visaged, white-robed natives would come and hover on the outskirts -of them hawking sweetmeats and fruit, or would squat patiently on the -alert to offer their services as guides to soldiers going off on leave, -or would gather in picturesque, chattering groups to gaze admiringly -whilst the troops went through their usual drill exercises or on some -days carried out more extensive military manœuvres. - -Every day the big camp hummed with miscellaneous activities; and every -day there were regiments busy at bayonet practice, at heavy trench -digging, at long route marches under the blazing sun across the -apparently interminable flats of sand; but almost every day, too, there -were hundreds set free to crowd into and on the electric trams and -descend upon Cairo to lounge through the bazaars and to fraternise with -their English comrades in arms who were to be met with there and who -joyously did the honours of the city and took them round to see the -wonders of it. And almost every day there were parties of such -holiday-going fighting men captured by vociferous Arab guides, and -driven furiously off on sturdy little mules, with their drivers tearing -and panting after them, to make a nearer acquaintance with the Sphinx, -or to explore the dim, mysterious chambers of the Pyramids. - -I like to think of those keen young Australians, men of the youngest of -nations, who have put their hands to the building of the happier world -of to-morrow which shall be a greater and more lasting monument to them -than any pyramid of brick and stone–I like to think of them, eager, -splendidly alive, on the threshold of a new day, turning aside to wander -in those dusty halls and passages haunted by ghosts of a wondrous -civilisation that has been dead these thousands of years. I like to -think, too, of those hoary pyramids, dark with long memories, towering -up into the bright sky on Sunday mornings when church service was being -held in the camp, and hearing the faint preludings of the military band -and then the swell of a myriad voices joining in some such nobly simple -hymn as "Rock of Ages"–an alien melody to them, but with all of home in -it for the singers. Strange hours they must have been when those voices -of the future broke the silence of the past. - -Another circumstance that appeals to the imagination is that amongst -this continuous coming and going of troops, the stir and noise of -warlike preparations, there was a small prohibited area where Dr. -Reisler, the American Egyptologist, was all the while making excavations -and reverently unearthing the ancient tombs at the base of one of the -pyramids, serenely undisturbed. But though that area was officially -forbidden to the soldiers, Dr. Reisler made them heartily welcome when -any happened to stray into his neighbourhood. The _Age_ correspondent -asked him whether the proximity of the troops inconvenienced him and -"Why, surely," said he with a pleasantly strong American intonation, "I -don't mind the troops coming down here. I welcome all you Australians. -And, believe me, the natives have taken a great fancy to your men. They -are tickled to death with them." - -There were two great days towards the end of December, when -Lieutenant-General Sir John Maxwell, Commander of the forces in Egypt, -rode into Menai camp, and, with General W. R. Birdwood, commanding the -Australian and New Zealand contingents, and Sir George Reid, the -Australian High Commissioner, held a review in which cavalry, infantry, -and all branches of the Australian service took part, one regiment, on -the second day, arriving back from a long desert march with their coats -off and shirt-sleeves turned up, hot and dusty, but in the highest -spirits, and falling into line immediately to parade past with the rest. -They say that the sight of these hardy fellows approaching in sensible -deshabille, but fresh as paint after miles of tramping under a broiling -sun, moved General Maxwell to ejaculate emphatically to the High -Commissioner, "This is a splendid sight, Sir George. They're a grand -lot!" - -But I have a notion that the most memorable event of those two months -was the Christmas which they all spent in the desert. From 3 o'clock in -the afternoon of Christmas Eve parades were dispensed with, and for two -days the homely spirit of Yule triumphed over the spirit of Mars on the -banks of the Nile. Instead of small tourist parties, thousands went -pouring out on camels and donkeys to the Sphinx and the pyramids, and -thousands went to crowd and enliven the bright streets of Cairo and -chaffer at the booths for gifts to send to the folk down south. The -adjacent palm groves were laid under contribution and the tents lavishly -decorated within and without; and after dark, when the revellers were -back, every tent was brilliantly lighted up, and Chinese lanterns hung -glowing at the entrances to many of them. Sentries along the moonlit -road that led from Cairo tried to maintain the usual punctilious -military formalities, but as often as not the returning groups would -have none of their challenges, in such a time as that, and answered with -insubordinate flippancies. "You can see who goes here right enough, -Joe–it's me." "Look here," the outraged sentry would protest, "if you -don't halt when I tell you to I'll call the guard out and put you under -arrest." "No, don't do that, Joe, it's chilly, and the poor chaps will -catch cold. Merry Christmas, old boy." And the rebel passed on with his -friends, and the sentry, since after all it was Christmas, grinned and -let them go. - -Though they returned to camp they were not going to bed; hardly anybody -thought of sleep until daybreak. Something after midnight a -cornet-player in one of the tents started a Christmas carol, and the -singing and laughter that had been coming from the other tents quieted -down; another cornet farther along the canvas street joined in; then -another farther off still, a street or two away. When they stopped, a -drum sounded and a string band somewhere took up the burden and filled -the blue dark with memories that did not belong to the desert. Towards 4 -o'clock, when all the other music had dwindled into silence, the band of -the 4th Sydney Battalion began a series of such carols–the old, old -familiar tunes that catch at the heart-strings with dear and sacred -associations–and so played the last of the night away and the first of -the morning in. And with the morning came the Christmas mails, and there -was scarcely a tent in all those miles of them at which the postmen did -not call with letters from home. - -Early in the day the camp kitchens were getting busy, but outside help -had been called in so as to give the regimental cooks a holiday. After -church parade the men laid themselves out to make the most of the day. -There were the wildest donkey races, and several attempts to organise a -camel race, but the camels could not be persuaded to run. Two scratch -teams were got together for a cricket match with make-shift bats and -wickets; and the New South Wales regiment carried through a successful -football tournament. Dinner was, of course, the crowning event of the -day. This was served in two miles of wooden huts, four of which were -allotted to each regiment. There was a turkey for every table, and a -supply of turkeys held in reserve in case any table demanded more than -one. There were Christmas puddings in plenty, and other seasonable fare, -and some of the tables had even succeeded in supplying themselves with -crackers. In spite of the time and the place, the old festival was -observed with all the good cheer and jollity that traditionally belong -to it; and not the least pleasant moment of the festivities came when -the Colonels of the different regiments looked in at hut after hut to -see that their men were well supplied and to wish them a Merry -Christmas; and you might track the way those Colonels went by the cheers -that followed them. - -One of the Australian officers sent home the following as the menu of -his Christmas dinner in the desert: - -BRIGADE HEADQUARTERS STAFF AND FIELD ARTILLERY BRIGADE - -TABLE D'HÔTE - - _Soup_: - Vegetable. - - _Joints_: - Roast Sirloin of beef. - Boiled pork. - Ham. - Poultry. - Roast turkey and savoury sauce. - - _Vegetables_: - Asparagus and butter sauce. - Baked and mashed potatoes. - Green peas. - - _Sweets_: - Plum pudding and brandy sauce. - Port wine jelly. - Blanc mange and jam. - Fruit salad. - - Almonds, mixed nuts, snapdragon, fruits in season. - - Port wine, whisky, brandy. - Aerated waters. Tea, coffee, cocoa. - -The festivities were continued to some extent through most of the -following day, then the suspended routine was resumed, the relaxed -discipline tightened up again; holiday-making was over, and officers and -men were presently heartened by a prospect of coming to grips with the -enemy at last. - - - - - 6 - THE FIGHT FOR THE SUEZ CANAL - -[Illustration: AN AUSTRALIAN LANDING PARTY FOR THE DARDANELLES.] - -[Illustration: AUSTRALIANS PREPARING TO DISEMBARK IN THE DARDANELLES.] - -[Illustration: AUSTRALIANS LANDING NORTH OF GABA TEPE.] - - CHAPTER VI - THE FIGHT FOR THE SUEZ CANAL - - Then against the black of night - Rose a form, with visage white, - Clad in steel, and crowned with flame, - "Duty" was her awful name. - - VICTOR J. DALEY. - - -The hotels and bazaars of Cairo buzzed through the last days of December -and the early half of January with portentous and growing rumours of a -powerful Turkish force that was making ready for an overwhelming attack -on Egypt. Men who went out on a day's leave from the camps at Maadi, at -Sertun, or Menai came back from the city and spread the glad tidings -that at last there was a possibility of their having something to do. It -was all the flying talk of more or less irresponsible gossipers, to -begin with, but before long definite statements were allowed to appear -in the local papers; official information was cautiously given out; -spies and scouts came flitting back from beyond the desert with detailed -news that was as momentous as it was welcome, and it was known that an -expedition of 20,000 Turks under German officers, and commanded by Major -von den Hagen, was being organised and elaborately equipped and was -coming to seize the Suez Canal–or to make an attempt to do so. - -Cairo talked about it and was keenly interested, but quite unperturbed. -The men in the camps would have felt no anxiety only it was said that -there would be no need for most of them to be taken into action, and -every regiment was anxious not to be one of those that were left out of -it. They cheered the lucky battalions, told off for active service, that -went singing down the long white road to the railway station in Cairo, -whence they were to entrain for the fighting line; then they drifted -back to their tents to discuss the hopeful possibility that the Turkish -forces might prove larger than was anticipated and so make room on the -war-path for all the reserves. - -The Canal forts bristled expectantly; English, Australian, New Zealand, -and Indian troops were entrenched all along the western bank; but the -slow days passed and the visitor still tarried, though they were willing -and eager to receive him and give him a warm reception. Every morning -when the darkness began to lift and the sentries could see across the -shining waterway, they peered expectantly into the dead sea of desert -that stretched for miles from the opposite side and, in the far -distance, billowed into rolling hills against the horizon–and there was -never an enemy in sight. Every day Australian scouts and scouting -parties of the camel corps were coming and going across that dreary, -sandy plain; and to watch their gradual disappearance among or over the -hills, or their gradual re-emergence from them, gave you a sense of -being asleep and looking at quietly moving figures in a dream. Aircraft -soared high into the dazzling blue and flew above the waste, and above -the hills, and vanished beyond them, but came back time after time only -to report that the Turks had not yet started from their base. - -The long wait was getting tedious; except for the cutting down and -clearing away of bush and scrub on the eastern shore, and the emptying -and levelling of a village so as to leave the enemy as little cover over -there as possible, there was nothing to relieve the monotony of things -but the customary routine drills and military exercises and some little -occasional work in further strengthening the fortifications. So that -when at length an airman came racing back with tidings that the Ottoman -Army was on the move a thrill of excitement and grim joy ran like a fire -from trench to trench in the vast chain of them. - -But the great hour was still some days away. The advance was slow and -methodical; it was encumbered with heavy rafts and steel or zinc -pontoons that were to be used in crossing the Canal, in addition to huge -stores of munitions and the enormous supplies of food that were needed -for a large army in a barren land where nobody lived. It was no easy -matter to drag baggage wagons and artillery through the shifting, -yielding sands, and in the teeth of intermittent whirling dust-storms; -and if the Turk had not been a doughty and doggedly determined foeman, -and one there was some credit in fighting and defeating, he never would -have held on and brought himself even within firing range of the goal he -was not destined to reach. Here and there he lingered for rest and -repairs; here and there he halted for a day by the wells to replenish -his stock of water; though he followed the charted caravan routes, he -was finding the desert as difficult to cross as Napoleon and his army -found it a hundred years ago. Presently our patrols were in touch with -him, sniping him from the hills and steadily retiring as he advanced. -But he plodded on, over the unstable flats, over line after line of -crumbling hills, until, with only one more series of hills to negotiate, -he set up his last camp at Katib-el-Kheil, some twelve miles from the -Canal. - -In the night of the 1st February and throughout most of the next day the -Turks were busy there completing their arrangements for the attack. -There were frequent small skirmishes between their patrols and ours, who -were tenaciously hovering on their line, and it was not till evening was -sending its swift shadows before that the last of our scouts came -hastening in and crossed the water with word that the offensive had -commenced. At about 6 o'clock the Turkish legions could be seen -streaming down the hills at numerous points on a front that extended for -eighty along the Canal's hundred miles of length, but they showed no -hurry to get their guns speaking. - -Most of these attacks seem to have been in the nature of feints to -discover whether there were any weak joints in the armour of the -defence, or to distract the attention of the defenders from the main -assault which was rapidly developing against the narrowest section of -the Canal, between Toussoum and Serapeum. Even here, however, the Canal -is over 200 ft. wide, and the problem for the invaders was how to span -that space, in face of gun and maxim and rifle fire, effect a landing on -the other side, dash up an embankment that rose to a height of 40 ft., -and drive out of their trenches at the point of the bayonet thousands of -the hardiest and most coolly determined troops in the British Army. More -impossible-looking attempts have succeeded before now, but the Turks, -after sticking to it heroically for forty-eight hours, found that it -could not be done. - -The nearest of the enemy forces were still several miles from the -farther shore of the Canal, and more and more of them could be seen -pouring over and down the hills in support of the advance-guard, when -the twilight gathered round them and then "at one stride came the dark," -and unseen in the cloudy, almost moonless night they made their -dispositions, and before dawn the covering troops to be held in reserve -had dug themselves into the sand and were formidably entrenched. All -through the night teams of bullocks were dragging forward the steel -pontoons that were to bridge the Canal; gangs of toiling men carried the -pontoons on their shoulders through a gap in the bank down to the edge -of the water, where the engineers got to work with them, swung them -round into position one beyond the other, and by three in the morning -had pushed out nearly as far as mid-stream. The defenders might all have -been asleep for any sign of life that came from them; but keen eyes were -unceasingly searching the gloom and were quick to notice the growing -black line that was creeping stealthily out towards them on the dull -gleam of the water. They waited patiently and silently till they -considered it had been allowed to come far enough, then the word was -passed along the line, the company officers' whistles shrilled -startlingly, and the next moment a blaze of fire from machine guns and -rifles swept the doomed beginning of the pontoon bridge and left it -strewn with dead and wounded, and kept such a hail of lead pelting over -it as to render it untenantable. - -Already the Turks had launched five boats and loaded them with picked -men, and as soon as they realised that they were discovered they flung -precautions to the wind, and made a rush across with these, purposing to -land and entrench them so as to establish a bridge-end in readiness for -the completed pontoon. Three of the boats were riddled and sunk, and of -the struggling, shouting mob that was flung into the water some swam -back and some swam pluckily on at the tail of the other two boats, which -dodged across desperately in the baffling darkness and were successfully -beached. As the first boat touched land, its occupants sprang out and -charged impetuously up the high embankment, but were shot down to a man -before they could reach the top. The second boatload, profiting by the -failure of their comrades, hastily dug themselves into the mud and sand -with hands and bayonets, and lay close in holes that sloped into the -ground and gave shelter against the relentless fire from the British -trenches. But the coming of daylight exposed their exact location and -made it so untenable that the few who had not been shot threw down their -arms and came out and were taken prisoners. - -Though the Turks had thus failed at the first onset, they were a long -way from beaten–there was plenty of fight in them yet. Boat after boat -was launched in forlorn attempts to scutter over and land a small force -that should cover the landing of others, and the completion of the -bridge; but what had been impracticable in the dark was hopelessly -impossible after the sun was up. Every boat that put forth on this -mission was deluged with shot and shell and sent to the bottom. There -was a wild attempt made to manufacture and push across a bridge of -planks on empty kerosine tins, but this promptly went the same way of -destruction as soon as it began to get afloat. - -All day the fighting continued along the whole front from Ismalia to -Suez. The Turks by now had brought their big guns into action and were -shelling the British posts and trenches; but one after the other these -guns were silenced by the accuracy of our gunfire, and when two or three -destroyers and a British cruiser steamed up the Canal from their -anchorage in Lake Timsah and, having casually shattered the remnants of -the pontoons, turned their guns on to the harassed lines of the enemy, -scattering and levelling the sandy hummocks and searching the holes and -trenches that were giving him shelter, he began to feel it was time to -go, and only waited for the dark to come and hide his doings before he -hastened to something of a rout the retreating movement he had -cautiously commenced by daylight. - -Sniping was kept up all through the night of the 3rd February on both -sides, whilst this confused and headlong retirement was in progress; and -when the morning of the 4th dawned all the Turks had departed, except a -strong detaining force that was left behind in the trenches to cover the -retreat. A detachment of Britishers was dispatched across the Canal to -clear them out, and after a fierce resistance, surrounded and almost -annihilated them, the firing only ceasing when the exhausted survivors, -after futile attempts to make a run for it, dropped their rifles and -surrendered at discretion. - -From the shore of the Canal to the distant hills, discarded stores and -baggage, broken carts and abandoned guns marked the tracks by which the -beaten army had fled. And all about the sands lay the Turkish dead. They -carried hundreds of wounded away with them, left hundreds of prisoners -in our hands, and had lost over a thousand slain, including their German -commander, Major von den Hagen. - -The shipping on the Canal had not been delayed for much more than -twenty-four hours; in forty-eight from the firing of the first shot the -Turks were in flight, and by the morning of the 5th February there were -none of them, but the prisoners, within twenty miles of the British -chain of defences. The Australian Light Horse and the New Zealanders, -with English and Indian troops, crossed and went in pursuit, and there -were rear-guard actions fought around the sand-hills, and here and there -straggling parties of the enemy rounded up and captured. The elaborately -appointed, German-officered army of Turks that had marched out into the -desert prepared for a mighty struggle, but confident of victory, escaped -from its pursuers and got back with difficulty to Beersheba, a -disheartened and disorganised rabble. - -For over a month they lay there inactive, and it was thought they had -abandoned their Egyptian enterprise for good; but about the 10th March a -flying column of 1,000 men made a twelve days' dash through the desert -again and put up a vigorous attempt to break the Canal defences at -Kubri. The bombardment of the Dardanelles had given rise to a notion -that troops had been sent from Egypt for the invasion of Gallipoli, and -that therefore the Canal defences had been weakened, but all the Turks -who were not shot or taken prisoners went back as hurriedly as they had -come, and must have been able to assure their German masters that the -Canal defences were as impregnable as ever. "Our officers told us," said -one of the prisoners (and their officers were mostly German), "that the -enemy here were not soldiers, but farmers and peace men from the British -Colonies, who had never been in battle and could not fight, but," he -looked his stalwart New Zealand interlocutor up and down, "they did not -know. Bismillah! if you are not fighting men, I do not want to meet the -others." - -From that day to this, the Suez Canal has seen no more of war. The -warships swing watchfully at anchor in the bitter lakes through which it -flows, and the hundred miles of posts and trenches on the western bank -are still peopled with vigilant men in khaki who have held their own -there triumphantly and may be trusted to go on holding it till the -war-drums throb no longer and the German menace is a tale of yesterday. - -In the first seven months of the war the sons of Australia and New -Zealand, fighting beside the soldiers of the homeland and of India, had -won a decisive victory and saved Egypt to the Empire; and before twelve -months were past they had crowned their names with a greater and more -terrible glory in the valleys of death and on the bloody heights of -Gallipoli. - - - - - 7 - THE EPIC OF THE DARDANELLES BEGINS - -[Illustration: THE DARDANELLES–AUSTRALIAN TROOPS AT THE LANDING.] - -[Illustration: AUSTRALIA'S SPLENDID CORPS OF MOUNTED AMBULANCE MEN. - -The Red Cross wagons have scarcely arrived, when the bearers are seen -approaching them with wounded in the emergency slings.] - -[Illustration: THE BRAVE AUSTRALIANS. - -The Australian troops have done magnificently in the land fighting in -the Dardanelles. Typical Australian members of the expedition.] - -[Illustration: AUSTRALIA'S SPLENDID CORPS OF MOUNTED AMBULANCE MEN. - -Transferring the wounded to the wagons.] - - CHAPTER VII - THE EPIC OF THE DARDANELLES BEGINS - - Closer yet, until the tightening - Strain of rapt excitement heightening - Grows oppressive. Ha! like lightning - On his enemy he launches. - - ADAM LINDSAY GORDON. - - With Death on the off-side lead, - And Duty stern at the limber, - The men of the British breed - Strain sinews, steel, and timber. - With jangling bar and trace, - And trail-eyes all a-rattle, - The guns rush thundering in the race, - Where "last gun in" is a sore disgrace: - For the drivers drive at a reckless pace - When the guns go into battle. - - WILL LAWSON. - - -When the full story of the Great War comes, at last, to be written, no -part of it will thrill our children or our children's children more, or -make them prouder of their race, than the chapters which shall tell of -how men of England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Australia, New Zealand, -and India fought stubbornly side by side, and side by side with our -gallant French allies, on those hills and plains of Gallipoli. - -All the country thereabouts has been dedicated to war and romance from -time immemorial. At its entrance, between Kum Kale and Sedd-el-Bahr, the -Dardanelles is only two miles wide; it broadens to five miles as you go -in, and contracts, when you reach the narrows, to the width of a single -mile. Here it was, nearly five hundred years before Christ, that Xerxes -threw a bridge of boats across for his conquering army to pass over; and -here it was that Leander nightly swam the mile of water that separates -Abydos from Sestos, where Hero lived. On the eastern shore, near the -mouth of the Dardanelles, and within sight and sound of the thunderous -battles of to-day, is the site of that ancient Troy whose long siege -rages for ever in Homer's Iliad; but the Greek and Trojan heroes he has -immortalised knew no such terrific fighting, did no such deeds of mighty -valour as have fallen to the share of the incomparable heroes who are -fighting there now. - -The powerful forts along either coast-line, the masked batteries among -the hills, the torpedo tubes cunningly concealed on the rocky beaches, -the sunken-mine fields that bar the channel, and the floating mines that -can be sent drifting down on the current to strike and blast an enemy's -ships to the bottom, make the forcing of the Dardanelles an infinitely -more difficult undertaking than it was when Admiral Duckworth made a -bold dash for it and got through with his fleet in 1807; and there are -not wanting amateur experts among our arm-chair critics who say -confidently that the dispatch of the British and French fleets to force -a passage there, last February, without the support of a military -expedition on shore, was a casual and wild blunder. It may have been; -but it were more rational not to pass judgment until we have all the -evidence before us. It was a sudden and vigorous attempt, and we should -have been loud in our praise of the daring initiative of whoever was -responsible for it if it had succeeded; but it failed, as even some of -our best-laid schemes are bound to do, for the age of miracles is past, -though the grumblers who expect us to win every time and the enemy to -lose every time do not appear to be aware of this. - -The most we can safely say is that the February attack by the allied -fleets was an unfortunate adventure, for it not only failed, it put the -Turks on the alert and spurred them to strengthen their defences and -hurry reinforcements to the Peninsula until they had some 200,000 men -garrisoning the forts and ready in mile behind mile of trenches to meet -the British and French troops that were presently to be sent against -them. - -On the 13th March General Sir Ian Hamilton left London with his staff to -take command of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Army, and a day or two -later landed at Tenedos in the Ægean Sea, where, in the dim past, the -Greeks had landed when they marched to besiege Troy. After consultations -with Vice-Admiral de Robeck, commanding the British Eastern -Mediterranean Fleet, with General d'Amade, commander of the French Corps -Expéditionnaire, and Contre-Amiral Guepratte, who commanded the French -squadron, Sir Ian made careful reconnaissances up the Gulf of Saros -along the outer coast of Gallipoli, and rapidly matured his plan of -campaign, using Malta as a base of operations, bringing troops thence -and from Egypt and concentrating his vast fleet of loaded transports in -Mudros Bay, off the Island of Lemnos, which lies out in the Ægean, some -twenty miles before the gates of the Dardanelles. Here, with new -regiments from the British Isles, from India, and from France, were -Australians and New Zealanders who had received their baptism of fire in -the Suez Canal campaign; and whilst they lingered for the transport -arrangements to be completed they improved the shining hours, or, rather -the hours that had no shine in them, by practising every evening the -work of rapidly disembarking and making a landing on the shores of -Mudros Bay, their genial comrades, the bluejackets, helping them with -tips in the art of climbing rope-ladders, in steering a boat and using a -boathook. - -"What can I say about the Army?" says Mr. Ashmead Bartlett, in his -"Dispatches from the Dardanelles." "It is no ordinary body of men. It is -essentially Imperial in its composition, and only the British Empire -could have brought together such a force from all corners of the earth. -Also the majority of the men are volunteers and Colonials. It is the -great counter-attack of Australia against the enemy in the east whilst -our regular armies are holding the line so gallantly in the west.... I -do not suppose that any country in its palmiest days ever sent forth to -the field of battle a finer body of men than these Australian, New -Zealand, and Tasmanian troops. Physically they are the finest lot of men -I have ever seen in any part of the world. In fact, I had no idea such a -race of giants existed in the twentieth century." Sir Ian Hamilton, too, -was full of praise for his troops from "down under," and considered them -"a magnificent lot of men, and as keen as mustard for the job." - -In the afternoon of 23rd April an impressive battle service was held -aboard the crowded transports, and soldiers and sailors stood -bare-headed and listened reverently whilst the chaplain prayed for them, -and that, fighting a clean fight for the rights of humanity, they might -be strengthened to go on unflinchingly in the face of every difficulty -and danger till their arms were crowned with victory. It was the last -consecration of those brave men to the high and perilous duty to which -they had given themselves. In the evening of the same day transports -carrying the troops who were to make the first landing on Gallipoli, and -act as a covering force for the main army, moved out of Mudros Bay, with -their convoy of warships, and the rest of the expedition followed in -their track–a mighty fleet of nearly a hundred transports in all, -guarded on every side by a wonderful array of gunboats, destroyers, -swift armoured-cruisers, and stately dreadnoughts, including the mammoth -_Queen Elizabeth_. - -On the morning of the 24th April the transports anchored off Tenedos. -The day was occupied in transferring the troops to a number of cutters -and smaller war vessels, and at midnight these were taken in tow by -certain of the larger ships, and, silently and without lights, moved -away through the darkness, stringing out into long, serpentine lines, -towards Gallipoli. - -The expedition was divided into two landing parties. Whilst the French -created a diversion by bombarding Kum Kale, on the eastern coast, strong -forces of English, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh were to land at five -points, on the beach below Krithia, above Cape Tekeh, at Cape Helles, at -Sedd-el-Bahr, and near Totts Battery, on the extreme end of the -Peninsula; and after a fierce half-hour's shelling of the forts and -defences by the fleet this landing was carried out with the most -brilliant success. Simultaneously the Australians and New Zealanders, -who had left Tenedos in advance of the rest, were to penetrate the Gulf -of Saros and land above Gaba Tepe, where the Peninsula narrows to a sort -of bottle-neck, to keep the Turks fully engaged there and prevent them -from dispatching reinforcements to oppose the landing farther south. It -is a rugged and difficult part of the coast, this above Gaba Tepe, and -had been selected for that reason, because the enemy was less likely to -anticipate an attack there and would be less prepared for it. - -"The beach on which the landing was actually effected," writes Sir Ian -Hamilton, in his vivid report, "is a very narrow strip of sand, about a -thousand yards in length, bounded on the north and south by two small -promontories. At its southern extremity a deep ravine, with exceedingly -steep, scrub-clad sides, runs inland in a north-easterly direction. Near -the northern end of the beach a small but steep gully runs up into the -hills at right angles to the shore. Between the ravine and the gully the -whole of the beach is backed by the seaward face of the spur which forms -the north-western side of the ravine. From the top of the spur the -ground falls almost sheer, except near the southern limit of the beach, -where gentler slopes give access to the mouth of the ravine behind. -Further inland lie in a tangled knot the under-features of Saribair, -separated by deep ravines which take a most confusing diversity of -direction. Sharp spurs, covered with dense scrub and falling away in -many places in precipitous sandy cliffs, radiate from the principal mass -of the mountain, from which they run north-west, south-west, and south -to the coast." - -Another description says that the strip of beach with the cliffs sloping -steeply up from it has resemblances to Folkestone; another compares it -with its wild hinterland to the grimness and barrenness of Dartmoor; and -yet another pictures the whole Peninsula as like a sea petrified in the -height of a storm, heaving to gaunt ridges and falling away into deep -troughs and hollows, to sweep up and over again in a wave-like -succession of tumultuous hills. - -This was the terribly inhospitable country that the Australasians -approached warily in the smallest dark hours of the morning. The land -lay almost invisible in the black depths of the night; no sound came out -to them, and no light glimmered anywhere. Silently and shrouded in the -shadows the warships took up their appointed positions in readiness, at -the right moment, to cover the landing with a hail of shell-fire; the -steam pinnaces, with their strings of boats loaded to the gunwale with -eager troops, glided past them towards the coast; and after a brief -interval a flotilla of destroyers crept on their track, packed with more -men to be rushed ashore as soon as the covering parties had obtained a -footing. - -At this stage happened one of the most daring of the many instances of -individual heroism with which the progress of the Gallipoli campaign has -been marked; a deed that was fittingly rewarded with the D.S.O. It had -been suggested that three boatloads of men should be sent ahead of the -rest to land and light a series of flares along the beach with the -two-fold object of enabling the invaders to get a glimpse of where they -were going, and of drawing the enemy's fire and so disclosing his -whereabouts for the benefit of the ships' gunners who were waiting to -begin the bombardment. Major Freyberg, a born New Zealander and in -command of the landing party at this point, had suggested to -Major-General Paris, his chief, that the men who went on such a -desperate mission would certainly be annihilated, and had offered to -swim ashore and light the flares himself; and Mr. Malcom Ross, who -accompanied the New Zealand forces as official war-correspondent, has -related the story of this plucky adventure in _The New Zealand Herald_. - -A destroyer was to have dropped the major into the sea within half a -mile of the beach, but the distance was misjudged in the darkness, and -he found he had to do a swim of nearer two miles, "with three oil flares -and two Holmes lights which he carried in a waterproof bag, with -sufficient air to support the weight in the water. He also carried, -attached to a belt round his waist, a small revolver and a sheath -knife." He calculated that he was swimming for an hour and a half before -the sea shallowed and he could feel the earth under his feet, and as the -usual landing-place was powerfully protected with barbed-wire -entanglements, he had to grope his way along till he found an accessible -spot where he could emerge from the sea. He was threatened with cramp, -for the water was bitterly cold, but without loss of time he cautiously -made his way inland to a place where on the previous day, when he had -reconnoitred the coast in a destroyer, he had seen what he had taken to -be a line of trenches. When he arrived at them, a quarter of a mile from -the sea, he discovered that they were dummies, intended for the ships to -waste their shells on, "and he could hear the Turks talking and see them -striking matches to light their cigarettes in the lines higher up." - -Crawling back to the beach, he lit his first flare, dived, and swam for -his life. Firing commenced immediately from the Turkish trenches, but -the major landed again safely farther along the beach, lit his second -flare, dived, and got away, and still farther along landed once more and -set his third blazing; then took to the water and was swimming for an -hour before the destroyer could find him and pick him up. - -Meanwhile the destroyer, guided by the Turkish fire, had opened on the -enemy's trenches with her guns and maxims, and the warships farther out -were not slow to take a hand in the proceedings. - -It was now towards five in the morning, and already the dawn was showing -a pale glimmer above the crests of the hills. The boats with their loads -of troops were nearing the shore, and squads of Turks could be dimly -seen scattering about the beach to intercept them. Their firing from -below and the fire of rifles and machine guns from the heights was -terribly effective, but, with their comrades falling dead or wounded -beside them, the men in the boats remained grimly, resolutely silent, -their coolness and steady discipline never for an instant shaken. - -"The moment the boats touched land the Australians' turn had come," in -Sir Ian Hamilton's glowing words. "Like lightning they leaped ashore, -and each man as he did so went straight as his bayonet at the enemy. So -vigorous was the onslaught that the Turks made no attempt to withstand -it and fled from ridge to ridge, pursued by the Australian infantry. - -"The attack was carried out by the 3rd Australian Brigade under Major -(temporary Colonel) Sinclair Maclagan, D.S.O. The 1st and 2nd Brigades -followed promptly, and were all disembarked by 2 p.m., by which time -12,000 men and two batteries of Indian Mountain Artillery had been -landed. The disembarkation of further artillery was delayed owing to the -fact that the enemy's heavy guns opened on the anchorage, and forced the -transports, which had been subjected to continuous shelling from the -field guns, to stand further out to sea." - -All day the fighting continued with unflagging determination and -ferocity on both sides. The Turks had been cleared out of their first -trench in a flash, and the Australians and New Zealanders went swarming -up the steep, scrub-covered cliff to the trench that was devastating -them from above; they wasted no time in firing back, and troubled little -about taking cover; they just swung and scrambled up as swiftly and -straightly as was practicable, hurled themselves into that second -trench, and brawny giants among them were literally pitching the Turks -out on the points of their bayonets before the enemy had fully realised -what was happening to him and made haste to climb out unassisted and -bolt headlong up the cliff and over the ridge with the Australasians in -hot pursuit. Officers and men were mixed indiscriminately. Here would be -a small group, unofficered, holding an advanced ridge and triumphantly -hurling back the desperate counter-attack of a force of thrice their -numbers; here and there a solitary sniper, snugly ensconced behind a -boulder, putting in some useful work entirely on his own; and here again -would be a detachment of Australians, New Zealanders and Maoris, -flitting nimbly from cover to cover through the brushwood to dash -suddenly into the open with fearsome war-cries and drive the Turks from -some post where they had rallied farther inland. - -To maintain anything like order in such an attack, over ground so broken -into hills and gullies, and so obscured with brushwood that you could -seldom see many yards before you, was impossible. Scattered groups, as -Sir Ian says, went on with such headlong valour that they pushed farther -across the Peninsula than had been intended, and, being unsupported, -were presently compelled to retire before the onrush of Turkish -reinforcements. But they fell back steadily; order was gradually evolved -out of the inevitable confusion; special detachments were sent to hold -critical stations, and soon the invaders were "solidified into a -semicircular position, with its right about a mile north of Gaba Tepe -and its left on the high ground over Fisherman's Hut." - -All that day and all the next night the fighting continued with little -intermission. The Turks brought up reinforcements and, before our -positions could be strengthened, made a furious drive along the whole -line with 20,000 men. This lasted from eleven in the morning to three in -the afternoon, but was crushingly repulsed, the ships out in the Gulf -helping vigorously with their guns. It was succeeded by a second attack, -and, between five and six-thirty in the afternoon, by a third, both of -which failed completely and left the victors in full possession of all -the ground they had taken. In the night the Turks attacked again and -again with increasing fury, the Australian 3rd Battalion at one point -heroically repelling a deadly bayonet charge; but the morning of the -26th found our line everywhere unbroken. Our casualties had been very -heavy, but the enemy had suffered far more. They had punished us with -shrapnel, but many times when they had come surging forward in close -formation our machine guns had decimated their ranks, and in the light -of morning all the surrounding country was seen to be strewn with their -dead. - -Throughout the 26th and 27th April the struggle was resumed -intermittently, day and night, but the enemy only shattered themselves -against the Australasian front as the sea shatters itself on a rock. By -now, our line had been securely entrenched, and arrangements completed -for systematically bringing ammunition, water, and supplies up the -difficult ground to the ridges; and on 28th-29th April the Australian -and New Zealand Army Corps was reinforced with four battalions of the -Royal Naval Division. - -Gaba Tepe itself proved to be so strongly fortified and so amazingly -well protected with barbed-wire entanglements that the notion of -carrying it by storm had to be abandoned, but divers dominating posts -and observation stations were wrested from the Turks and added to our -possessions, and by degrees the warfare settled down to occasional -attacks by one side or the other and everlasting sniping. No longer -daring to press an attack home, the Turks devoted much of their energy -to persistent firing from caves and sheltering holes on the hill-sides, -to crawling out into the scrub and, lying low in the plentiful cover of -that uneven country, sniping the Australians and New Zealanders in their -shelter trenches. The New Zealanders, at one section of the line, -stalked a party of this kind very neatly, were on them before they could -escape and gave them a lesson with the bayonet that the few survivors -were not likely to forget in a hurry. When this lesson had been several -times repeated, at various points, the Turks took it generally to heart, -and did their sniping from a more respectful distance, or more -cunningly. - -[Illustration: THE DARDANELLES–SOLDIERS TAKING THEIR HORSES FOR A BATHE.] - -[Illustration: GENERAL BIRDWOOD, IN COMMAND OF THE AUSTRALIANS AT THE -DARDANELLES.] - -One ingenious way of theirs was for a man to strip naked, paint himself -green and sit up in a convenient tree with a stock of provisions; and as -it was impossible to detect him among the leaves, and he only fired when -an incautious head appeared above the trenches, he would often have a -run of two or three days and do considerable damage before he could be -located and disposed of. Or he would tie umbrageous branches all about -his person and lie near-by in the open, looking like an innocent patch -of scrub, till somebody caught the flash of his gunfire or an incautious -movement betrayed him. The Australasians filled in a little time by -snaking forth to hunt for these pests, and frequently caught them -red-handed and shot them down, or caught them alive and brought them in -with all their greenery attached to them. More than once the snipers -proved to be women, who were more vicious and implacable even than the -men. All the while, on the other hand, the Australasians were doing a -great deal of thoroughly efficient sniping on their own account, for, as -Sir Ian bears witness, "the Turkish sniper is no match for the kangaroo -shooter, even at his own game." - -This was the state of affairs on the 5th May, by which date the homeland -troops and the French, with a Naval Brigade formed of the Plymouth and -Deake battalions, and a Composite Division of the 2nd Australian and New -Zealand Infantry Brigades withdrawn from the section up north, above -Gaba Tepe, had established themselves impregnably right across the -southern point of the Peninsula to a depth of 5,000 yards from their -landing-places. There was sterner and more terrible work ahead of them, -down south as well as in the north. So far they had triumphed gloriously -over what seemed almost insuperable difficulties; they had won a footing -on the shores of Gallipoli at two places, and had made that footing -sure. There was still before them the more tremendous task of advancing -on those valleys and ridges of death and attacking the powerful network -of trenches that stretched in bewildering involutions from end to end of -the fifty miles of the Peninsula. - -I am conscious that I have not done full justice to the unprecedented -story of this heroic landing; but nobody yet can describe it adequately, -for no one eye-witness can tell you more than of the events that -happened on the mile or so of ground where he was himself engaged, and -it is still too soon to gather all these stories into a clear and -detailed impression of the whole great event. Many who were in the thick -of it were too keenly absorbed in their own share of the action to take -notice of the doings of the men who were fighting around them. I met one -such, a wounded Australian, a few weeks ago, and tried to get from him -some account of what he had gone through, and here is as much as he -seemed to remember: - -"Oh, I dunno," he said–a big, genial, reticent giant, with a bandage on -his right hand. "It was just hell, but I tell you I am glad I was there. -I wouldn't have missed it for a good deal. I was along with the covering -force in the first boats, and though there was hardly any light I reckon -there was enough for the Turks to see whereabouts we were. They kept -quiet till we were pretty well in, then they let us have it. Some of our -boys were hit, and it was too hot. So we dropped overboard and started -wading ashore. Then we found ourselves tripping into barbed wire which -they'd fixed under the water for us. We got it bad there. But we worried -through or round it somehow; I scarcely know how we managed it, but we -did. Not all of us. A lot of good chaps went under there, and it was -nasty to hear the shots plunking into the water close around you. As -soon as any of us got on to the beach we made for cover. There wasn't -too much of it. I went hands and knees over a span of open, and got -behind a jagged little line of rock. Several of our fellows were there -already, firing up at the beggars in their trenches on the side of the -hill, or the cliff, if you like to call it that. Away along the beach -there was some sharp firing; other boats had landed and there was a bit -of a scrap on, and we guessed by the cheering that our chaps were doing -all right. But directly I crawled in among the boys behind those rocks -and went to start firing, I found I couldn't use my hand. I hadn't felt -anything. I'd been carrying my gun in my left hand, and when I passed it -to the other it just slipped through as if the hand was numbed. Then I -found it was all wet and in a mess. I'd had a shot through it. I was -done. One of the others helped me to bandage it up and I lay down out of -the way. It began to be painful, and I believe I must have fainted a -bit. Things got muddled and there was a queer singing in my head, and I -woke up, so to speak, to find the R.A.M.C. boys taking care of me, and -my company was gone from behind the rocks and tearing away up the cliff -at the Turkeys' trenches. It was hard luck on me, but plenty of others -lying around had got it worse. They took me with a boatload of wounded -out to the hospital ship. They'd chipped a bit out of my leg here, too. -I didn't know that till afterwards–never felt it at the time. That's all -better again; and the hand's pretty well right now. They had to amputate -the little finger, but the rest's nearly all healed up and I reckon I -shall be able to go back to the front in another few weeks. Do I want to -go? I do that! I've still got plenty of hand to manage a gun, and I want -to pay some of them for that finger. I only saw the landing, and only a -little bit of that, but it beat everything in the fighting way that I -have ever read about. These people at home who are grousing now and -saying the job ought never to have been started, and that we ought to -slope out and leave it alone–what do they know about it? Most of them -have never seen the place, I guess, and none of them saw that fight. If -they had they might know that the boys who could do that landing can put -the whole thing bang through, if they'll shut up and back them up -properly with all the ammunition and reinforcements they will need." - -A faith which is amply justified by Admiral de Robeck's reference to the -landing in his report on the operations. "At Gaba Tepe," he writes, "the -landing and the dash of the Australian Brigade for the cliffs was -magnificent; nothing could stop such men. The Australian and New Zealand -Army Corps in this, their first battle, set a standard as high as that -of any army in history, and one of which their countrymen have every -reason to be proud." - - - - - 8 - THE DARE-DEVIL ANZACS - - CHAPTER VIII - THE DARE-DEVIL ANZACS - - By the trouble that never will tame you, - By the toil that will never withhold, - Whatever the dull world name you, - I know you for Hearts of Gold. - - WILL OGILVIE. - - Here is no dread and no grieving; - Over us hurtles the fray: - Is yours a Heaven worth achieving, - If it be stormed in a day? - - ARTHUR H. ADAMS. - - -On that narrow strip of ground above Gaba Tepe, the Australians and New -Zealanders have been living, at this writing, for a full six months. -They have burrowed the rugged hill-sides into human warrens, and when -they are not on duty in the trenches return to a manner of life that was -natural to the ancient cave-dwellers before the dawn of civilisation. -Here and there, between the hills, great pits that have been excavated -by bursting shells are transformed into convenient bathing-places; but -it has been a common thing to see parties of men come joyously down, -released from the firing line, to wash the feel of dust and grime from -them in the cool waters of the adjacent sea; and they have grown so -accustomed to their environment that even if the enemy breaks into -sudden activity they go on enjoying themselves there, indifferent to the -splash of bullets round about them and the occasional whine and shriek -of a shell that bursts overhead and scatters a rain of shrapnel that -does not always fall harmlessly. From the tents and huts on the beach, -where the stores are kept, they have made good roads up the cliffs to -facilitate the labour of transport. Behind their first line of trenches -they have turned the bit of territory they have won and hold so -tenaciously into a queer little town of snug caverns and bomb-proof -shelters, and have made all the place so peculiarly their own that -somebody has been happily inspired to christen the district Anzac, a -name formed from the initials of the force, the Australian and New -Zealand Army Corps; and by that name it has become officially and -generally known. - -The marvel is that after living and fighting in such a dreary spot for -six months the men are still as high-spirited and as fertile in -contriving ways to amuse their leisure as if they had never known -anything better or fuller than the precarious, perilous existence on -this barren patch of land. They are not only indomitably cheerful, but -full of fight and enterprise, and indomitably determined to see this -terrible job right through, if only the homeland will back them as -efficiently as it ought to. - -The foe they are holding up outnumbers them by two or three to one; and -they were never sent there with any notion that they could do more than -they have accomplished. They were sent there to keep as many of the -Turks as possible thoroughly occupied whilst the larger part of the -expeditionary force landed at Cape Hellas and fought its way up the -Peninsula to join hands with them; and they have achieved this -successfully, and more than this. "Anzac, in fact," as Sir Ian Hamilton -has told us, "was cast to play second fiddle to Cape Hellas, a part out -of harmony with the dare-devil spirit animating these warriors from the -south. So it has come about that the defensive of the Australians and -New Zealanders has always tended to take on the character of an attack." - -Since the 28th April the French and British troops pushing in from -Hellas have hurled themselves again and again against the hills and -defences before the grim mountain of Achi Baba, whose great spurs, -stretching from Saros Gulf across to the Dardanelles, command the whole -southern section of the Peninsula; and again and again, after performing -prodigies of valour, strewing the soil with the enemy's dead and -capturing trenches over wide stretches of hard-fought ground, they have -been forced by the avalanche of shell and machine gun fire from the -mountain heights and the furious counter-attacks of irresistible numbers -to relinquish their winnings and fall back stubbornly to their own -positions. - -[Illustration: AUSTRALIA'S SPLENDID CORPS OF MOUNTED AMBULANCE MEN. - -A wounded man about to be transferred from an emergency blanket sling to -the regulation stretcher.] - -[Illustration: THE DARDANELLES–MEN BATHING AFTER RETURNING FROM AN ATTACK.] - -Between the 6th and 12th May a series of desperate attacks on the -powerful, scientifically prepared fortifications before Achi Baba were -repelled, but certain strategical points and some hundreds of yards of -front were taken and successfully held. One such attack, which saw some -of the most Homeric fighting that has been done even on this terrible -peninsula, lasted almost continuously for three days ending on 8th May. -The French and British forces all took part in it, and among the latter -were the 2nd Australian and the New Zealand Infantry Brigades. These -were at first kept in reserve, but on the evening of the 6th the -Lancashire Fusiliers, who had been trapped in a wood on the left wing of -the advance and suffered heavy losses from concealed machine guns, were -transferred to the base, and the New Zealand Brigade was sent to replace -them, with orders to go forward in the morning through the line held -during the night by the 88th Brigade, and develop the attack towards -Krithia. - -On the 7th, Sir Ian Hamilton reports, "at 10.15 a.m. heavy fire from -ships and batteries was opened on the whole front, and at 10.30 a.m. the -New Zealand Brigade began to move, meeting with strenuous opposition -from the enemy, who had received his reinforcements." They advanced -beyond the wood, or clump of fir trees, in which the Lancashires had -suffered so badly, and by 1.30 had gained about 200 yards beyond the -most advanced trenches that had been occupied by the 88th Brigade. Then -the French reported that they could not advance up the spur they were to -storm on the right till the British had made further progress. So at 4 -p.m. Sir Ian gave orders that "the whole line, reinforced by the 2nd -Australian Brigade, would fix bayonets, slope arms, and move on Krithia -precisely at 5.30." After a quarter of an hour of effective bombardment -by the heavy artillery and the guns of the ships, the movement was -promptly and vigorously carried out. It was characteristic of the alert, -self-reliant spirit of all the Australasians that "some of the companies -of the New Zealand regiments did not get their orders in time, but, -acting on their own initiative, they pushed on as soon as the heavy -howitzers ceased firing, thus making the whole advance simultaneous." -Then the French swept forward and stormed the first Turkish redoubt on -the ridge that faced them with a wonderful élan that was not to be -baulked of its object. Decimated by shrapnel and machine guns, they were -driven back, but rallied and returned to the charge with redoubled fury, -were beaten back, and re-formed and dashed ahead once more, and as the -darkness fell "a small supporting column of French soldiers was seen -silhouetted against the sky as they charged upwards along the crest of -the ridge of the Kereves Dere." Then the night closed down, and all the -battlefield and whatever was doing on it were hidden in blackest -darkness. - -"Not until next morning did any reliable detail come to hand of what had -happened. The New Zealanders' firing line had marched over the cunningly -concealed enemy's machine guns without seeing them, and these, reopening -on our supports as they came up, caused them heavy losses. But the first -line pressed on and arrived within a few yards of the Turkish trenches -which had been holding up our advance beyond the fir wood. There they -dug themselves in. The Australian Brigade had advanced through the -Composite Brigade and, in spite of heavy losses from shrapnel, machine -gun, and rifle fire, had progressed from 300 to 400 yards." - -The result of those three days of stubborn fighting was a net gain of -600 yards on the British right, and 400 on the left and centre; and the -French had captured the redoubt they had fought for so heroically as -well as a considerable area of ground. In the next two days the Turks -made repeated and costly efforts, harried on by their German leaders, to -regain their losses; but their prodigal cannonading and reckless -hand-to-hand combats were unavailing and they were everywhere repulsed. -The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps "strengthened their grip on -Turkish soil," and on the whole, says Sir Ian, "now for the first time I -felt that we had planted a fairly firm foothold upon the point of the -Gallipoli Peninsula. - -"The determined valour shown by these two brigades," he notes in -concluding this phase of his dispatch, "the New Zealand Brigade under -Brigadier-General F. E. Johnston, and the 2nd Australian Infantry -Brigade under Brigadier-General the Hon. J. W. McCay, are worthy of -particular praise. Their losses were correspondingly heavy, but, in -spite of fierce counter-attacks by numerous fresh troops, they stuck to -what they had won with admirable tenacity." - -All along the line they had dug themselves in securely, and remained -immovable. The Turks threw away thousands of men in fruitless assaults -on the new positions; occasionally the British or the French by sudden -rushes captured here and there an enemy trench and scored small local -successes, but more and more the fighting became a matter of -reconnaissance, of sapping and mining, till by the first week of June -both sides had settled down to the dogged conditions of siege warfare. - -During these same weeks the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at -Anzac, between Gaba Tepe and Saribair, had held their little half-moon -of conquered land with its 1,100 yards of diameter, and were not to be -ousted from any part of it by intrepid massed attacks or by a constant -shelling of their trenches and the beach beyond, often with as many as -over 1,000 shells in an hour. How many bayonet charges succeeded these -merciless bombardments, how many fierce night-attacks boiled over from -the enemy trenches, which were everywhere within twenty and thirty yards -of the Anzac front, to be unfailingly dammed all along the line and -hurled back broken, decimated, defeated, I have given up trying to -count. Over and over again, when the Anzacs hurled the Turks back in -this fashion they swarmed out of their defences, chased the flying foe, -leaped after him into his own trenches, drove him out of them and kept -him out till he brought up a continuous stream of reinforcements and by -sheer weight of numbers forced the Australians and New Zealanders to -give up their new possessions and withdraw once more to their old ones. - -The fiercest, most sanguinary fighting went on round about such advanced -positions as Pope's, Courtney's, and Quinn's Posts–especially about the -last, which was won and lost and went on changing hands at frequent -intervals until it was finally taken by the Anzacs, and strengthened and -strongly garrisoned and permanently retained. On 9th May the Turkish -trenches in front of Quinn's were carried at the point of the bayonet, -but at dawn next morning the enemy came hurtling back in such multitudes -that the Anzacs had to retire to the Post, and stubbornly repel a hot -attack upon that. Day after day the same sort of thing continued with -little cessation, here and at all sections of the line. Between the -attacks there were endless bomb-throwing, tempests of shells from big -guns and howitzers, sniping, withering outbursts of machine gun fire, -subtle sapping and mining, in which now one side, then the other -successfully blew up trenches, and, dashing for the breach, made grim -onslaughts that had to be held off and beaten and cleared out of the way -before the shattered defences could be repaired. In our second and third -and fourth line trenches the men might sit in dug-outs and bomb-proof -shelters and yarn and play cards or write letters or sleep as -comfortable under the roaring, whistling hail of shells and bullets and -almost as safe as if they were at home; but some of the foremost -trenches were little more than giant gullies on the verge of steep -precipices, and if they more or less commanded the enemy's positions in -the valley, they were in turn commanded more or less by the enemy's guns -and trenches on higher ridges farther in-shore. - -The stories of individual heroism and self-sacrifice–of the carrying of -wounded comrades in under fire, of scouts crawling out on exposed -heights and calmly completing their observations after they had been -discovered and become targets for hundreds of rifles, of the bringing of -supplies of food and ammunition to the firing line over hills and bare -plateaus that were swept by the enemy's guns–these are numberless. There -were bombing parties who went out unobtrusively at twilight or at dawn -to raid an apparently inaccessible trench on the opposite hill-side and -silence a troublesome gun, and as often as not they succeeded, though -few of them returned to tell the tale; there was a doughty little -remnant of Anzac heroes who fought and slew terribly and had to be shot -or bayoneted to the last man before the Turks could get back into a -trench that had been newly wrested from them. And there is a story of an -unnamed New Zealander that stands out even amidst the splendour of the -rest. This man, during an attack in force, found himself isolated and -cut off from his friends. He was on a high, bald promontory, and the -Turks were swarming on all sides of him. Escape was impossible; he had -been wounded and left behind, overlooked by his comrades when they were -compelled to retire; and there seemed nothing for it but surrender. The -full strength of the reinforced Turks was unknown to our commanders, but -from his lofty eminence the New Zealander could see the oncoming hordes -flooding the lower levels, and proceeded to take careful observations. -And a chief scout of the New Zealanders who, from the distance, had -detected the solitary figure aloft there was suddenly amazed to see the -man begin signalling with his arms; he was signalling information as to -the position and numbers of the Turks. How many shots reached their mark -in him nobody will know; twice he fell, but each time he regained his -feet to semaphore with his arms and continue his message. "The last shot -disabled one arm," says the scout, "yet the dying man raised himself and -completed the message before he dropped dead." If one started to repeat -such stories one would never know where to end, and there is the less -need for me to make the attempt since I hear that the best of them are -now being gathered into a book of their own by another hand. - -Through all that thunderous storm of conflict, the incessant attacking -and counter-attacking, our losses were appallingly heavy, but those of -the Turks exceeded them enormously. A diary found on a dead Turkish -officer showed that in the stern engagement on the 10th May alone, two -Ottoman regiments lost 3,000 in killed and wounded. They had been mown -down and bayoneted in tens of thousands round Anzac and in the titanic -struggle at the southern end of the Peninsula, but they had been so -reinforced that their power had increased rather than diminished; and so -by degrees at both places the opposing forces fought each other to -something of a standstill. All the Turkish boasts that they would fling -the invaders into the sea proved futile; all our attempts to advance -beyond the territory on which we were immovably established proved -equally unavailing; and by degrees things at Anzac as well as between -Cape Hellas and Achi Baba settled down to that condition of siege -warfare. - -It was not a condition that suited the temperaments of these active, -energetic fellows; they were not the sort to find much satisfaction in -systematically peppering the other side with lead and wearing them down -from behind the safe shelter of barricades; but they were practical -enough to see that for the time there was no other effective course open -to them, and, with occasional sudden sallies into the midst of the -enemy, when they killed a few and captured a few and gathered in some -guns, they grimly suited themselves to a state of things that did not -suit them, and made the best of it. - -The Turks knew enough of them by now to have a wholesome respect for -their fighting qualities, and seemed contented to shell them -occasionally from a distance or let them alone, so long as they did not -come out and make trouble. And the fact that this was the hottest period -of the year may have helped to reconcile the Anzacs to the necessity of -going slow for a while. The blazing heat, indeed, was more intolerable -than the fire of the Turks, and to cope with it they discarded one -garment after another until, at length, they were to be seen on duty or -amusing themselves, when they were not lying cool in holes and shelters, -dressed in nothing but a pair of breeches cut down to "shorts" which did -not nearly reach to their knees. Some, with a lingering sense of -propriety, or tender feet, retained their boots and socks, but others -abandoned even these. Mr. Ashmead Bartlett, who saw them, says, "I -suppose that since the dervishes made their last charge at Omdurman no -such naked army has ever been seen in the field." - -It must have puzzled the Turks considerably to find themselves -confronted by trenches filled with apparently naked warriors, and to -ascertain, when they came to the test, that these naked warriors were as -tough and as full of ginger as the men in khaki who had mysteriously -vanished. Possibly they suspected this was a new wild race of secretly -landed reinforcements from some remote end of the British Empire, -especially after a few weeks, when the skins of the Anzacs had become so -tanned and burnt by the sun that they were as dark as the Maoris. And of -the Maoris the Turks had all along had suspicions, even when that -contingent was clothed in full khaki. For they have weird war-cries and -a weird dance of their own, and to hear and see these mysteries in -operation is calculated to disquiet those who are not accustomed to -them. On special occasions, after the General had been addressing them -and complimenting them on their fighting ability, or when they had -caught a rumour of the joyous possibility that they would quit the -monotonous trenches and move out against the enemy to-morrow, they liked -to indulge in this dance by way of expressing the intensity of their -satisfaction. An officer of the New Zealand contingent described the -dance in _The Times_ in the following terms: - -"The Maoris, officers and privates, lined up. With protruding tongues -and a rhythmic slapping of hands on thighs and chests, with a deep -concerted 'a-a-ah,' ending abruptly, they began the Maori haka–the war -dance. Shrill and high the leader intoned the solo parts, and the chorus -crashed out. As the dancers became more animated the beat of their feet -echoed through the gullies of Gallipoli. The leader now declaimed -fiercely, now his voice sank to an eerie whisper, still perfectly -audible, and as he crouched low to the ground so the men behind him -posed. Suddenly, after a concerted crash of voices, the chant ended with -a sibilant hiss, a stamp of the right foot, and the detonation of palms -slapping the high ground." - -From their trenches, less than a hundred yards away, the Turks could not -see the dancers, for the dancers knew better than to show themselves, -but they must have heard the strange, rhythmic stamping of their feet -and their startling outcries, and you get a notion of what they must -have thought of them from a passage which the same New Zealand officer -quotes from a Constantinople newspaper of about that date in which the -Ottoman journalist remarks that he is still without information as to -the composition of the enemy's forces, but has reason to believe that -they consist of black men from Africa and Australia, and "thus the -Straits for the first time in history have had to endure attacks by -cannibals." So it is worth adding that though the Maoris delight, as -they should, in keeping up the old customs of their race, theirs is a -contingent of as gallant and chivalrous men as any in the British -millions, and the leader in that particular war dance was a highly -educated gentleman who has the distinction of being an M.A. and an LL.D. - -The state of siege lasted for some two months, and I have not spoken to -any man who endured it and was prepared to say that he wished it had -been longer. - -"I was fed up with it," said a bronzed giant, convalescing from his -wounds in London, with whom I foregathered by chance in a railway -carriage. "We were sick of sitting in our holes potting an odd Turk when -he bobbed his head up. We wanted to be getting ahead. The boys down by -Hellas had got a tough job, too, but we just prayed that they might make -a big push up and we might be ordered to go out and cut a way through to -meet them. It was no fun, living like rabbits and doing nothing, or next -to nothing, and when I was hit by accident while I was fooling around, -having a dip at Hell Spit, I wasn't sorry to get out of it for a change. -I should have been, though, if I'd known we were in for a real, good -scrap a few days later." - -That was a pretty general feeling, he said; the inactivity, the sameness -of the trench fighting, the sense of being cooped up within narrow -limits and not given a chance to do anything, was infinitely boring. -Everybody was impatient to be moving, and would sooner have gone on at -all risks than have stopped there strategically marking time. Moreover, -there was a shortage of tobacco and of the smaller luxuries of -civilisation that might have helped to make that dull period of waiting -endurable. You get a vivid glimpse of this in the report of Mr. W. -Jessop, who went out in charge of a mission from the Y.M.C.A., which has -done such magnificent service in looking after the welfare of the troops -in all the fighting areas, with comforts for the men at the Dardanelles. - -"It was pathetic," he says, "to see the eagerness with which the men -viewed our preparations and the way they came about the tent.... I -looked up two batteries of artillery I had been told about, and took -with me several pounds of Havelock tobacco and some pipes. To the first -of these men I came across I held up a tin of the tobacco and asked him -if it was a friend of his (Havelock is Australian tobacco, and very -popular in the Colonies). His eyes glistened, and then he said, 'It's -all I have' (holding up a sovereign), 'but if you will give me a pipe -with it I shall be glad to exchange, as I have not had a smoke for three -weeks.' When I told him the pipe and tobacco were his for nothing, he -was greatly touched. I went round to about fifty of these men and made -similar gifts." - -But such minor inconveniences would not have worried them if it had not -been for the wearisome waiting for something to happen; and when the -word went round that a new British force was to make a surprise landing -higher up the gulf at Suvla Bay, and that the Anzacs were to create a -diversion and keep the Turks fully occupied whilst it was done, there -was no more grousing; it was exactly what they wanted. - -The unquenchable ardour of the men was of a piece with the splendid -spirit of brotherhood and good comradeship that prevailed among all -ranks. It could not well have been otherwise, led by such officers as -they had and under a commander so gallant and so genially considerate of -them as General Birdwood, who from the outset, as Sir Ian Hamilton -testifies, "has been the soul of Anzac. Not for one single day has he -ever quitted his post. Cheery and full of human sympathy, he has spent -many hours of each twenty-four inspiring the defenders of the front -trenches, and if he does not know every soldier in his force, at least -every soldier believes he is known to his chief." He was invariably -under fire with his troops, and wounded in one engagement had his wound -dressed on the field and refused to retire. No wonder his men are -devoted to him, and that when you mention his name to any among those -who are here, invalided home, they answer you with the warmest -enthusiasm. - -In preparation for the new movement fresh British and Indian troops had -been landed at Anzac under cover of darkness two nights in succession. -The Turks were aware of this; they had shelled the transports and the -beach unstintedly, but so deftly were the landing parties handled by the -naval service that the landings were successfully carried out with only -two casualties. On the 6th August the British at Cape Helles commenced a -heavy and continuous bombardment of the Turkish positions round Krithia, -below the Achi Baba heights; at the same time the Anzacs got busy with -guns and howitzers along the whole of their front to discourage the -enemy from dispatching reinforcements in any direction. - -[Illustration: HEROES FROM THE DARDANELLES. - -Wounded from the Dardanelles, leaving the hospital train in Egypt.] - -[Illustration: HEROES OF THE DARDANELLES.] - -During the night of the 6th a vast array of transports, accompanied by -warships, destroyers, and smaller craft, passed quietly up the Gulf of -Saros and glided into Suvla Bay, six or seven miles north of Anzac Cove. -All along the other side of the Dardanelles, from Kum Kale to Chanak, -and at Anzac and in the southern extremity of Gallipoli, the Turks were -either under attack or on the alert and expecting it. But here, at Suvla -Bay, they were anticipating no danger, and hundreds of small boats had -rushed the invading force safely ashore before they were aware of their -coming. An observation post was taken by surprise; its garrison of fifty -surrendered, and the British had marched six miles inland and it was -getting on towards evening before an enemy force came into view -hastening forward to oppose the advance. The Turks had been warned of -what had happened, and before next morning had swiftly concentrated as -many as 70,000 men to bar the way. All night there were numerous -spasmodic and furious local fights for points of vantage, and all night -the two forces were rapidly throwing out barbed-wire entanglements and -digging themselves in, and as soon as the day came the battle developed -in deadliest earnest. - -Both sides were well supplied with artillery, and all day the merciless -struggle raged with growing fury; in repeated attacks and -counter-attacks first the Turkish, then the British lines swayed this -way and that, but always straightened out again and could at no point be -broken through. A dozen times the Turks flung themselves forward in -dense masses, and when they shattered and came thundering in over and -past the wire entanglements, the British leaped from their trenches to -meet them and fell upon them with spades and bayonets till they fled -panic-stricken, leaving their dead and wounded heaped about the ground. - -The enemy had the advantage in position; they were on the higher levels, -and they were superior in numbers; but when night fell again over the -field of carnage, if the British had made no further advance they still -held every inch of their line, and they passed the night in entrenching -it more firmly. - -The plan of campaign was for one section of the force to push on -straight across the Peninsula whilst another section moved to the -south-east towards Anzac, whence the Australians and New Zealanders were -to fight a way up and join them. - -The Anzacs carried out their part of this arrangement with a dash and -daring that were irresistible. They had been reinforced by a brigade of -Gurkhas and by regiments of our new armies, and it was resolved to make -a beginning by sending the First Australian Infantry Brigade to attack -the Lone Pine plateau. "The Third Brigade," writes Captain C. E. W. -Bean, the Official Press Representative with the Australian forces -there, "had immortalised itself on the day of the landing–they were the -miners' brigade from Broken Hill and the gold-fields and Queensland and -Tasmania. The Second Brigade–the Victorians–had made their wonderful -charge at Helles, when for a quarter of an hour they went straight as a -die for 1,000 yards across country as bare as the palm of your hand, in -the face of shrapnel and withering rifle fire. Now, at last, it was the -chance of the First Brigade–the men from New South Wales." - -The officers' whistles shrilled the signal, and in a moment the First -Brigade was out and making a bee line for the low, scrub-covered hill on -which the Turks were entrenched; but when they came to the trenches they -found them stoutly roofed with logs and timbers, and spread out -scattered along them looking for a way in, fired at through loopholes -and by machine guns, and pelted with shrapnel from a battery in the -rear. But they were not there to be beaten. Here and there along the -roof man-holes had been left; some of the Anzacs dropped recklessly down -these small openings ("like burglars through a sky-light," says Mr. -Bean) on to the Turks below; others by sheer force of muscle tore up -logs or planks to make an entry and flung themselves in and clubbed -their rifles or got to work with their bayonets, and after a short, -sharp fight the enemy either lay dead in their burrow or were in full -flight up their communication trenches. Other of the Australians had run -right on over the roof of logs and as swiftly captured the second trench -and thence poured on into the communication trenches to stop the fleeing -Turks or give chase and shoot them as they fled. - -In other parts of the field the battle was spreading mightily and the -Australians and New Zealanders, with the Gurkhas and their new comrades -from the homeland, were carrying all before them. The Maoris and New -Zealand Mounted Rifles, fighting afoot, cleared the foot-hills with the -bayonet, and soon over all the lower hills, in the rugged gullies and -ravines and up the sides of the Anafarta height, the fighting became -general, gathering tempestuously in sound and fury. - -For four days and nights it continued with little intermission–desperate -and bloody fighting, much of it, with bayonets and clubbed rifles; and -steadily the combined force of Anzacs, English, and Indians forced their -way up the steep slopes towards the ridge that was pouring a blasting -hail of lead and fire down upon them perpetually. Trench after trench on -the savagely contested ascent was taken and left behind, choked with -Turkish dead. Generals and colonels, armed with rifles, fought shoulder -to shoulder with their men, and many of them, including General Baldwin, -who through the nightmare of those four days of carnage fought -heroically beside his men, were killed; but by the evening of the 10th -August, though the formidable heights of Anafarta, which had been -stormed with almost incredible heroism by the Australians, the New -Zealanders, and some English regiments, for lack of support, could not -be held, all the lower ground on the western side was in our possession, -and the army from Anzac Cove had triumphantly linked up with the troops -that had landed at Suvla Bay. - -Here they dug themselves in; a lull of exhaustion fell over the -contending armies, and the British profited by the interval to -consolidate their greatly extended lines and secure their -communications. - -The original purpose of the Suvla Bay landing had been to strike right -across the Peninsula at that point, cut the Turks off from their -supplies, so that they would be compelled to abandon or weaken the -defences of Achi Baba and thus make it possible for the British and -French at Helles to drive a path over that impregnable mountain and -sweep up the length of Gallipoli and crush the enemy between our -northern and southern forces. The scheme is said to have failed through -the blundering of one officer at Suvla, who should have rushed his corps -promptly and straightway through and seized certain dominating heights -before the Turks were aware of the surprise attack and could rally to -make any effective resistance. - -We are still very much in the dark about the details of this enterprise. -All we know is that whatever blundering there may have been in the -higher command, the men of all ranks and all regiments met every demand -that was made upon them with the most unflinching steadiness and -acquitted themselves with a valour and efficiency that no troops in the -world could excel. "The Anzac Corps fought like lions," says Mr. Ashmead -Bartlett, "and accomplished a feat of arms, in climbing those heights, -almost without a parallel.... It was a combat of giants in a giant -country, and if one point stands out more than another it is the -marvellous hardihood, tenacity, and reckless courage shown by the -Australians and New Zealanders." - -This magnificent tribute is amply confirmed by the special order that -was issued by Sir Ian Hamilton whilst the great battle was still -unfinished: - -"The Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, desires -formally to record the fine feat of arms achieved by the troops under -the command of Lieutenant-General Sir W. R. Birdwood during the battle -of Sari Bair. The fervent desire of all ranks to close with the enemy, -the impetuosity of their onset, and the steadfast valour with which they -maintained the long struggle, these will surely make appeal to their -fellow-countrymen all over the world. The gallant capture of the almost -impregnable Lone Pine trenches by the Australian Division, and the -equally gallant defence of the position against repeated -counter-attacks, are exploits which will live in history. The determined -assaults carried out from other parts of the Australian Division's line -were also of inestimable service to the whole force, preventing as they -did the movement of large bodies of reinforcements to the northern -flank. - -"The troops under the command of Major-General Sir A. J. Godley, and -particularly the New Zealand and Australian Division, were called upon -to carry out one of the most difficult military operations that have -ever been attempted–a night march and assault by several columns in -intricate mountainous country, strongly entrenched, and held by a -numerous and determined enemy. Their brilliant conduct during this -operation and the success they achieved have won for them a reputation -as soldiers of whom any country must be proud. To the Australian and New -Zealand Army Corps, therefore, and to those who were associated with -that famous corps in the battle of Sari Bair–the Maoris, Sikhs, Gurkhas, -and the new troops of the Divisions from the Old Country–Sir Ian -Hamilton tenders his appreciation of their efforts, his admiration of -their gallantry, and his thanks for their achievements. It is an honour -to command a force which numbers such men as these in its ranks, and it -is the Commander-in-Chief's high privilege to acknowledge that honour." - -There was memorable fighting again above Helles on the 21st August, when -a Yeomanry corps, in action for the first time, delivered a determined -assault on the hill known as Hill 70, charging right up to the summit -without a halt, and chasing the Turks down the other side. But the enemy -clung on to one strongly fortified knoll, and in the night enfiladed the -victors with such a deadly fire from artillery and machine guns that -they were forced to abandon their hard-won position, and by daylight had -withdrawn to their own lines. - -Since then, there, as on the seven-mile front from Anzac to Suvla Bay, -the war has resolved itself again into steady trench fighting and a -state of siege. Since then, too, there has been a change in the command, -and General Sir C. C. Monro has succeeded Sir Ian Hamilton, who has -returned home, honoured with the goodwill and admiration of troops whose -confidence in him is unshakable; and in these latter days of October the -next step in the Dardanelles expedition is still a matter of rumour and -conjecture. - - - - - 9 - THE AUSTRALASIAN IDEAL - -[Illustration: THE DARDANELLES OPERATIONS. - -Ambulance wagons passing through gully.] - -[Illustration: THE DARDANELLES–AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND TROOPS -IN A RAVINE.] - - CHAPTER IX - THE AUSTRALASIAN IDEAL - - Knights-errant of the human race, - The Quixotes of to-day, - For man as man they claim a place, - Prepare the tedious way. - - BERNARD O'DOWD. - - Strong to defend our right, - Proud in all nations' sight, - Lowly in Thine– - One in all noble fame, - Still be our path the same: - Onward in Freedom's name, - Upward in Thine. - - BRUNTON STEPHENS. - - -It is so easy to be wise after the event that I don't suppose many of us -are much impressed by the aggressive wisdom of those critics in our -midst who are still noisily telling us of the naval and military -blunders made in the inception and development of the Dardanelles -campaign and with what beautiful simplicity they might all have been -avoided. One has no patience with such chatter and no use for such cheap -sagacity. You cannot remedy any errors by wasting time in learned talk -about them; there is only one way of atonement, and that is to put them -at once behind you and go resolutely on, seeing to it that they are not -committed again. Even Napoleon made his mistakes, for the ablest -commander is not infallible. And it is the most youthful folly to -belittle our own leaders and urge them to take lessons from the perfect -organisation and supreme military tactics of our enemy when we know that -Belgium, Calais, Paris, Riga, and a score of other places stand witness -to that enemy's crude blunderings and the failure of his arms. I -remember how in the early days of the war certain of our very clamorous -newspapers were filled with joy over the complete breakdown of German -diplomacy: German diplomacy, they said, had not had the skill to detach -Russia from France, so that they might have made easy war on France -alone; they had failed to keep Britain out of it; they had failed to -keep Italy out of it; they had failed to capture the sympathies of -America; and those journals poured scorn on the German diplomatic -service as a pompous and unintelligent futility. Yet when Turkey sided -with the Huns, when Bulgaria joined them, and when Greece insisted on -remaining neutral, these same sapient papers cried out lustily that -British diplomacy was fumbling and worthless, and broke into pious -wishes that we had diplomats as clever and triumphant as the Germans. -Which means, of course, that their failure with three of the smaller -Powers makes our diplomats inferior to those who failed with four of the -greatest. - -Let us have done with such pitiful nonsense, and get on with the work we -mean to do. Let us make up our minds that the Germans will have their -full share of incidental victories; no sensible person ever dreamt that -they would not. It is the big, inexperienced schoolboy idea, this, that -your side is losing if it is not winning all the time. The adult mind -knows that the way of conquest is never so smoothly paved; that the best -and bravest, coping with a powerful and subtle enemy, must needs be -often baffled, but what matters is that he is only baffled to fight -better, knowing that if he does so no check is a defeat, for in the long -run it is only the final victory that counts. - -There have been rumours that, because the Suvla Bay attempt did not -achieve its objective and, for the moment, a condition of stalemate -prevails there, the Dardanelles campaign is to be abandoned, but they -find no favour in Australia or New Zealand. There were indignant -protests against such a course in the Australasian press, protests that -the gallant fellows who had laid down their lives on that battle-torn -peninsula should not be allowed so to have died in vain; that the work -to which they and their dauntless comrades had set their hands should be -carried through determinedly and their high self-sacrifice justified. -Yet, they added, it was a question for the military authorities, and, at -the worst, they would loyally accept their decision. You may take it -that Mr. Hughes, the new Australian Premier, replying to questions in -the House of Representatives at the end of October, spoke for all -Australasia when he said, amidst tumultuous cheering, "Our business is -to carry out the instructions of the Imperial Government, and to give -the Government the enthusiastic support we owe it as a duty. We must -refrain from criticising the actions of men placed in a position of -frightful responsibility, and also from listening to the -thousand-and-one critics who have not the slightest authority to speak." -Obviously, if those critics are as expert as they would have us believe -they should be wearing khaki and utilising their transcendent ability in -doing things better, instead of dissipating it in unhelpful words. - -The fact that Canada has just completed arrangements to bring her forces -in the field up to a total of 250,000, and that Australia and New -Zealand are recruiting and training and enlarging their armies so -rapidly that they will soon have reached the same total, and do not mean -to stop there, is sufficient indication of the stern spirit of resolve -in which the Britains oversea are facing this great issue which no -half-measures can decide. And we of the homeland, who do not take our -opinions or all our information from our newspapers, know that the soul -of the old country marches with them, and will march with them -dauntlessly step by step to the end, however far off it may be. - -If it were otherwise–if we were the cravens that a few of our noisy, -irresponsible journalists would make us out to be–do you imagine that -the manhood of those new countries, sons of the great men who were our -fathers also, would have risen so spontaneously to save from destruction -the Empire of a generation so unworthy of their past, and the -civilisation for which we and our Allies stand? They are not out for -territory, they are not out for conquest; they are the vanguard of the -new democracy, and they are out in the place that is theirs, in the -forefront of the battle, fighting and dying for the highest ideals of -the human race, for the freedom and natural rights of our common -humanity. The German junkerdom, the Prussian militarism and out-of-date -war-lust that is abhorrent to us, is ten times more abhorrent to them, -for in their ideas of freedom and equal human brotherhood they have -outstripped us. They are less shackled than we are by old use and wont, -by conventions and precedents that hamper our onward movement; but they -know their ideal is ours, for they lit their torch at our fire, and they -are breasting the onslaught beside us at this hour because they know it, -and could by no means stand aside and see that fire trampled out under -the hoofs of a race in whom the brute savagery and primitive ideals of -war and domination are so damnably renascent. - -All the blasphemous and discredited formulas and political doctrines -that oppressed our peoples in a past whose ancient tyrannies and -legalised inhumanities we have long repented, still survive with more -degenerate and diabolical manifestations in twentieth century Germany. -The gospel of the divine right of kings flourishes there, and the whole -nation would seem to have been so dehumanised in their training that, in -the main, they have accepted the dicta of their most modern professors -that the State is above morality and can do no wrong; that war is a -beautiful and a glorious thing; that a country clothes itself in dignity -and honour by crushing and pillaging its neighbours and reducing them to -subjection, and to that god-like end is justified in violating treaties, -and outraging and massacring the innocent and the helpless. They are so -incapable of realising the shame of these things that the horror of the -civilised world at the Belgian martyrdoms, the sinking of unprotected -passenger ships laden with civilian men and women, the wanton slaughter -by bombs and shells of non-combatants in unfortified towns, and the -callous assassination of Edith Cavell, genuinely surprises them: they -are so wholly brutalised that they are not even sensible of their -brutality. The growing demand among the humaner races which are perforce -in arms against them that, before peace is made, strict justice should -be done upon the barbarous breakers of international law, as it is done -on those minor criminals that break national laws, strikes them as -purely fantastic. They would sanctify murder when a king or his -ministers commit it, and make it accursed only when it is done by lesser -men. They have not yet advanced far enough in the path of reason to have -a glimmering suspicion that the man, crowned or uncrowned, who -deliberately plans a war of aggression for the aggrandisement of his own -State and, after years of cunning and dastardly preparation, falls with -fire and slaughter on his victim, is an outlaw and a criminal against -the common laws of decent nations. We realise, in these days, that, -except when it is in self-defence and for the freedom not of one race -but of all, war is plain murder, and the wholesale murderer should and -must be amenable on that count at the bar of civilisation. The surest -way to end war is to strip it of its glamour, treat it as the -blackguardly crime it is, and punish the criminals. The German savages -have not even stopped short at murder on the field of battle, and I for -one shall lose some faith in the democracies of the world if, in due -season, von Bissing does not take his stand in the dock of an -international police-court and undergo his trial and sentence for the -assassination of Edith Cavell, as any common butcher would for any -common murder; and there are those as high and higher than von Bissing -who must, unless we would make the name of justice a byword, take their -turn in the same dock and answer in the same fashion for the hundreds of -unarmed men and blameless women and children who have been -systematically done to death in cold blood away from the fighting line. - -It is our duty to make it clear, in this enlightened age, that no State -is above morality; that there are natural, human laws which cannot be -broken with impunity, and are not to be set aside by any the most -self-important State that ever reared itself under heaven. This feeling -is growing in intensity in the hearts and minds of Britain and her -Allies, and nowhere is it held with a more passionate conviction than -among the great democratic peoples of Canada, New Zealand, and -Australia. - -"I am one of those," said Mr. W. A. Holman, the Premier of New South -Wales, speaking the other day at Sydney, "who hope that when victory is -achieved there will be no weakness on the part of the Allied -Governments. I hope, when we have gained peace, the Allied Governments, -acting in the interests of civilisation, will avail themselves of so -unprecedented an opportunity to declare that the public law of Europe is -no longer a law without sanction and without punishment, but that those -who break the public law of Europe are to be treated like criminals who -break any other law. I hope we shall have the pleasure of seeing some of -the members of the German Ministry placed upon their trial for wilful -murder and brought to account for the various acts committed at their -instigation. I am as confident about the ultimate result of this -struggle as is any one here. I have no fear and no doubt. I have never -wavered. But if there are those who doubt, let me say this: it is better -that we should perish in the trenches than contemplate the possibility -of succumbing in the struggle that is now before us." - -That is the authentic voice of Australia–of all the young democracies -who are joint heirs and will more than ever in the future be joint -sharers with us of the destinies of the British Empire. They have some -sentimental regard for the old country, but they are not drawn to us in -this business merely by that; their motives are higher, their ideals -rooted in a deeper emotion. They have turned their backs on the night -and set their faces towards the morning, and they are not fighting so -much to save the British Empire as the hopes of human progress that -would go down with it if it fell. Germany, who is leprous with iniquity, -declares herself pure and noble in God's sight. Great Britain is faulty -enough, as all human institutions are; she has done many grievous wrongs -in the past, has been unjust to smaller nations and tyrannous to the -weak, but she has become conscious of this, has the grace to acknowledge -it, and has endeavoured and is endeavouring to atone for some of her -unrighteousness. In this frank self-knowledge lies her hope of -salvation. We no longer live for the crude aims and glories that -inspired us three or four centuries ago; we have, as a nation, grown -beyond them a little, have climbed by painful degrees a little higher -out of the primal slime. We have blundered into dirty ways, but have not -been contented to wallow in them. Through all our divagations we have, -in some short-sighted fashion, followed the gleam; we are still far from -arriving at a realisation of the later ideal that has subdued us, but we -are still moving towards it, and the chief reason why our great -self-governing Colonies are with us in this crisis is that they are -travelling the same road, towards the same goal. - -But I despair of saying clearly in words of my own just what it is that -has secured to us the glorious loyalty of our kindred of Greater -Britain. Members of the same family, they are under no illusions about -us; they are familiar with our weaknesses, our hypocrisies, our -injustices; but it is our pride that knowing the worst as well as the -best of us, as those of a family circle must, they still have faith in -our ultimate right-mindedness, and can give reason for their faith. -There are hints of that reason scattered about their literature, but I -don't think it has ever been more fearlessly, more fully, or more -poignantly revealed than it is by John Farrel in his "Australia to -England"–one of the greatest things in Australian poetry: - - ... By lust of flesh and lust of gold, - And depth of loins and hairy breadth - Of breast, and hands to take and hold, - And boastful scorn of pain and death, - And something more of manliness - Than tamer men, and growing shame - Of shameful things, and something less - Of final faith in sword and flame; - - By many a battle fought for wrong, - And many a battle fought for right, - So have you grown august and strong, - Magnificent in all men's sight– - A voice for which the kings have ears, - A face the craftiest statesmen scan, - A mind to mould the after years, - And mint the destinies of man. - - Red sins were yours: the avid greed - Of pirate fathers, smocked as Grace, - Sent Judas missionaries to read - Christ's word to many a feebler race– - False priests of Truth who made their tryst - At Mammon's shrine and reft and slew– - Some hands you taught to pray to Christ - Have prayed His curse to rest on you.... - - But praise to you, and more than praise - And thankfulness, for some things done, - And blessedness and length of days - As long as earth shall last, or sun! - You first among the peoples spoke - Sharp words and angry questionings - Which burst the bonds and shed the yoke - That made your men the slaves of kings! - - You set and showed the whole world's school - The lesson it will surely read, - That each one ruled has right to rule– - The alphabet of Freedom's creed - Which slowly wins its proselytes - And makes uneasier many a throne; - You taught them all to prate of Rights - In language growing like your own. - - And now your holiest and best - And wisest dream of such a tie - As, holding hearts from East to West, - Shall strengthen while the years go by; - And of a time when every man - For every fellow-man will do - His kindliest, working by the plan - God set him. May the dream come true! - - And greater dreams! O Englishmen, - Be sure the safest time of all - For even the mightiest State is when - Not even the least desires its fall! - Make England stand supreme for aye - Because supreme for peace and good, - Warned well by wrecks of yesterday - That strongest feet may slip in blood! - - -_Printed by Hazell, Watson & Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury._ - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AUSTRALASIA TRIUMPHANT! *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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St. John Adcock - </title> - - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - - body { - margin-left: 6%; - margin-right: 7%; - font-size: 100%; - } - - p { - margin-top: .5em; - text-indent: 1em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .5em; - line-height: 120%; - } - -h1 { - text-align: center; - clear: both; - font-weight: normal; - font-variant: small-caps; - font-size: 125%; - line-height: 125%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 1em; - } - - h2 { - text-align: center; - clear: both; - font-weight: normal; - font-style: normal; - font-size: 115%; - line-height: 115%; - margin-top: 1.5em; - margin-bottom: 0.75em; - page-break-before: avoid; - } - - hr { - margin-left: 30%; - margin-right: 30%; - margin-top: 0.5em; - margin-bottom: 0.5em; - } - - /* styles for Transcriber's Note */ - #tnote { - background-color: #EEE; - color: inherit; - margin: 1em 30%; - padding: 0.5em 1em; - border: 0.1em solid gray; - font-size: small; - } - #tnote p { - text-indent: 0; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .75em; - margin-top: .25em; - } - - /* styles for front matter */ - .front { - margin: 2em 15%; - } - .front p { - margin-top: 1em; - margin-bottom: 1em; - text-indent: 0; - text-align: center; - line-height: 120%; - } - - /* styles for ToC */ - .toc { - border-collapse: separate; - border-spacing: 5px; - width: 80%; - max-width: 35em; - line-height: 100%; - font-size: 100%; - font-variant: small-caps; - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; - margin-bottom: 2em; - } - .toc td.chapnum { - width: 2em; - vertical-align: top; - text-align: right; - } - .toc td.title { - vertical-align: top; - text-align: left; - text-indent: -1em; - padding-left: 1em; - } - .toc td.pag { - width: 2em; - text-align: right; - vertical-align: bottom; - } - - /* styles for ToIll */ - .toill { - border-collapse: separate; - border-spacing: 5px; - width: 80%; - max-width: 35em; - line-height: 100%; - font-size: 100%; - font-variant: small-caps; - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; - margin-bottom: 2em; - } - .toill td.title { - vertical-align: top; - text-align: left; - text-indent: -1em; - padding-left: 1em; - } - .toill td.pag { - width: 2em; - text-align: right; - vertical-align: top; - } - - /* style for chapter heads */ - .chaphd { - border-collapse: separate; - border-spacing: 5px; - width: 20%; - max-width: 20em; - line-height: 100%; - font-size: 175%; - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: 0; - margin-top: 3em; - margin-bottom: 1em; - } - - /* styles for illustrations */ - .image-center { - margin: 1em auto; - text-align: center; - } - .caption { - font-size: 90%; - margin: 0.25em 0; - } - .caption p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0; - } - - /* styles for letters etc */ - .foot { - margin-top: 0.25em; - margin-bottom: 1.5em; - } - div.right1 { - padding-right: 3%; - text-align: right; - } - - /* styles for poetry */ - .poetry-container { - text-align: center; - } - .poetry { - display: inline-block; - text-align: left; - } - .poetry .stanza { - margin: 0.5em auto; - } - .poetry .verse { - font-size: 90%; - text-indent: -3em; - padding-left: 3em; - } - .poetry .indent2 { - text-indent: -2em; - } - .poetry .indent6 { - text-indent: 0; - } - .poetry .indent16 { - text-indent: 5em; - } - .poetry .indent26 { - text-indent: 10em; - } - - /* style for page numbers */ - .pagenum { - position: absolute; - right: 1.5%; - font-size: small; - font-style: normal; - font-weight: normal; - text-align: right; - } - - /* styles for menu */ - .menu { - margin: 1em 15%; - } - .menu p { - margin-top: 0.5em; - margin-bottom: 0.5em; - text-indent: 0; - text-align: center; - line-height: 90%; - font-size: 90%; - } - - /* style for page-breaks */ - div.chapter { page-break-before: always; } - h2.nobreak { page-break-before: avoid; } - - /* other styles */ - .center { text-indent: 0; text-align: center; } - .nodent { text-indent: 0; } - .smc { font-variant: small-caps; } - .small { font-size: small; } - .x-small { font-size: x-small; } - .gap-above2 { margin-top: 2em; } - - </style> - </head> -<body> -<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Australasia Triumphant!, by A. St. John Adcock</p> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Australasia Triumphant!</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em;'>With the Australians and New Zealanders in the Great War on Land and Sea</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: A. St. John Adcock</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: November 2, 2021 [eBook #66658]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Tim Lindell, Chris Pinfield, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries)</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AUSTRALASIA TRIUMPHANT! ***</div> - -<div id="tnote"> - -<p>Transcriber's Note:</p> - -<p>Obvious printer errors have been corrected. Hyphenation has been -rationalised.</p> - -<p>The flagship of the Expeditionary Forces, here identified as the Orverto, -is elsewhere identified as the Orvieto.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="image-center gap-above2" id="frontispiece"> - <img src="images/frontis.jpg" width="750" height="583" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>Frontispiece: THE BATTERED "EMDEN" AFTER GOING ASHORE ON COCOS ISLAND.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="front"> - -<h1 style="font-size:200%">Australasia Triumphant!</h1> - -<p>WITH THE AUSTRALIANS AND<br /> -NEW ZEALANDERS IN THE<br /> -GREAT WAR ON LAND AND SEA</p> - -<p><span class="small">BY</span><br /> -A. ST. JOHN ADCOCK</p> - -<p class="small">WITH 36 ILLUSTRATIONS</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> - -<div class="verse">Strong Mother of a Lion line,</div> -<div class="verse">Be proud of these strong sons of thine.</div> -<div class="smc verse indent26">Tennyson</div> - -</div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>LONDON: SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON,<br /> -KENT & CO., LTD., 4 STATIONERS' HALL CT., E.C.</p> - -<p class="small"><i>Copyright<br /> -First published, January 1916</i></p> - -</div> - -<h2>AUTHOR'S NOTE</h2> - -<p class="nodent"><span class="smc">It</span> -is too soon to attempt the telling at large and in detail of all -that has been done by Australia and New Zealand in the Great -War. There is much that has, for military reasons, not yet been -revealed; and what has been told has come to us from various -sources in more or less fragmentary fashion, so that one must read -several accounts of the same event in order to get anything of an -adequate idea of it. All I have done here is to collate such documents -as are available and gather together a connected narrative, -not only of the actual campaigning, but of the spiritual and mental -experiences the Australasians have passed through since August -1914, the way they have faced this crisis in their history, and the -effect the war has had on their national life. I have drawn on -official documents, on the dispatches of Sir Ian Hamilton, the -reports of the various correspondents of our English and the chief -Australian and New Zealand newspapers, on the speeches of public -men and letters of private citizens, and on a few conversations I -have had with some of the wounded Anzacs whom I have met in -these latter days about London. In all which I have been little -more than an enthusiastic and, I hope, faithful compiler, endeavouring -to set down as vividly as I could the impressions I formed from -my reading and hearing of these things, and trying occasionally to -guess, according to my lights, at the spirit and inner significance -of this wonderful uprising of our Australasian kinsfolk–at the ideal -for which they are fighting with such glorious heroism and for -which so many of them have ungrudgingly laid down their lives. -Some, who have had no hand in the fighting, have very confidently -criticised both the Commander-in-Chief who has led these gallant -soldiers in the sternest of their battles and the Government that -has been responsible for the campaigns they have undertaken; -but I have not ventured to compete with such critics, chiefly -because I accept the judgment of the sturdy New Zealander who -said to me, discussing the nagging diatribes of a certain newspaper: -"It's all fluff. If these fellows knew a little more they wouldn't -have so much to say."</p> - -<div class="foot"> -<div class="right1"><span class="smc">A. St. J. A.</span></div> -</div> - -<h2>CONTENTS</h2> - -<table class="toc" summary="ToC"> - -<tr> - <td class="pag x-small" colspan="3">page</td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td></td> - <td class="title">Britons All</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="chapnum x-small">chapter</td> - <td class="title"></td> - <td></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="chapnum">I.</td> - <td class="title">Making Ready</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_3">3</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="chapnum">II.</td> - <td class="title">Patrolling the Pacific</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_15">15</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="chapnum">III.</td> - <td class="title">The Triumph of the "Sydney"</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_25">25</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="chapnum">IV.</td> - <td class="title">En Route for Egypt</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_33">33</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="chapnum">V.</td> - <td class="title">Christmas at the Pyramids</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_43">43</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="chapnum">VI.</td> - <td class="title">The Fight for the Suez Canal</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_51">51</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="chapnum">VII.</td> - <td class="title">The Epic of the Dardanelles Begins</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_59">59</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="chapnum">VIII.</td> - <td class="title">The Dare-devil Anzacs</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_73">73</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="chapnum">IX.</td> - <td class="title">The Australasian Ideal</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_91">91</a></td> -</tr> - -</table> - -<h2>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> - -<table class="toill" summary="ToIll"> - -<tr> - <td class="title">The Battered "Emden" after going ashore on Cocos Island</td> - <td class="pag" style="font-variant:normal"><i><small><a href="#frontispiece">Frontispiece</a></small></i></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td colspan="2" class="pag" style="font-variant:normal"><i><small>Facing page</small></i></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">French Men-of-War and Australian Troopships in Suez Canal, Port Said</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_4-i">4</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">Men of the Australian Light Horse in Cairo</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_5-i">5</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">Near the Pyramids: The Camp of the Australians, against whom no - German-trained Turkish Army can be successful</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_12-i">12</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">"Strangers in the Land of Egypt"</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_13a-i">13</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">Football in Camp at Abassia</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_13b-i">13</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">With our Colonial Troops in Egypt</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_16-i">16</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">Australian Army Field-kitchens marching past at a Review of Troops - in Egypt</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_17-i">17</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">A Small Portion of the Army in Egypt</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_20-i">20</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">The Australian Troops in Egypt</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_21a-i">21</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">From Different Points of the Compass</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_21b-i">21</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">The Horse Lines at Abassia, Egypt</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_28a-i">28</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">The Australian Remounts Depot at Abassia</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_28b-i">28</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">Our Troops in Egypt</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_29-i">29</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">With our Troops in Egypt</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_32-i">32</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">An Australian Scout in the Egyptian Desert</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_33-i">33</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">Camp of the Australians at Mudros Bay</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_36a-i">36</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">Sultan of Egypt visits the Dardanelles Wounded</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_36b-i">36</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">Second Division leaving Mudros Bay with Australians on the Fore Deck</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_37-i">37</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">The Last Service on board the "London" for the Australians</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_44-i">44</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">The Dardanelles–Australians and Bluejackets on a Transport</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_45-i">45</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">An Australian Landing Party for the Dardanelles</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_52-i">52</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">Australians preparing to Disembark at the Dardanelles</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_53a-i">53</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">Australians landing North of Gaba Tepe</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_53b-i">53</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">The Dardanelles–Australian Troops at the Landing</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_60a-i">60</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">Australia's Splendid Corps of Mounted Ambulance Men (1)</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_60b-i">60</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">The Brave Australians</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_61a-i">61</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">Australia's Mounted Ambulance Men (2)</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_61b-i">61</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">The Dardanelles–Soldiers taking their Horses for a Bathe</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_68-i">68</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">General Birdwood, in command of the Australians at the Dardanelles</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_69-i">69</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">Australia's Mounted Ambulance Men (3)</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_76-i">76</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">The Dardanelles–Men bathing after returning from an Attack</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_77-i">77</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">Heroes from the Dardanelles</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_84-i">84</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">Heroes of the Dardanelles</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_85-i">85</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">The Dardanelles Operations</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_92-i">92</a></td> -</tr> - -<tr> - <td class="title">The Dardanelles–Australian and New Zealand Troops in a - Ravine</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_93-i">93</a></td> -</tr> - -</table> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">{1}</a></div> - -<h2><i>Britons All!</i></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry" style="font-style:italic"> - -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">In times of peace, when every wind blows fortune to them still,</div> -<div class="verse">John Bull and all his kindred disagree, as families will:</div> -<div class="verse">With wrath and hate in wild debate they shout each other down,</div> -<div class="verse">And split up into parties for the People and the Crown;</div> -<div class="verse">But if a foe would part them, he is never long in doubt–</div> -<div class="verse">It's "Rule Britannia!" only, and they join to throw him out.</div> -</div> - -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse indent6">When the struggle's once begun</div> -<div class="verse indent6">And the flag aloft is run,</div> -<div class="verse">We're Britons then and brothers all until that fight is won.</div> -</div> - -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">Beyond the Cheviots Sandy guards the Scotsman's separate fame:</div> -<div class="verse">He won't be called an Englishman–he scorns the very name!</div> -<div class="verse">And Pat across the Channel, in an island of his own,</div> -<div class="verse">And Taffy, who's a Welshman, would as nations walk alone;</div> -<div class="verse">Yet all the four shall stand four-square–one party and no more,</div> -<div class="verse">And that a family party, when a foe is at the door.</div> -</div> - -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse indent6">Scot and Irish there is none,</div> -<div class="verse indent6">Welsh and English count as one,</div> -<div class="verse">We're Britons then and brothers all when once the fight's begun.</div> -</div> - -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">Let Britain in an hour of need her rallying bugle sound–</div> -<div class="verse">Her sons 'neath Australasian skies, on far Canadian ground,</div> -<div class="verse">By India's streams or Africa's, shall hear, where'er they roam,</div> -<div class="verse">And, drawn from all the ends of earth with kindling thoughts of home,</div> -<div class="verse">Shall arm and answer to the call and come where danger lours</div> -<div class="verse">To stand beside us in the name that's theirs as well as ours.</div> -</div> - -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse indent6">Side by side shall sire and son</div> -<div class="verse indent6">Hold the Empire they have won:</div> -<div class="verse">We're brothers now and Britons all until the fight is done.</div> -</div> - -</div> -</div> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">{3}</a></div> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<table class="chaphd" summary=""> - -<tr><td>1</td></tr> -<tr><td>MAKING</td></tr> -<tr><td>READY</td></tr> - -</table> - -</div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_4-i"> - <img src="images/i_004.jpg" width="750" height="566" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>FRENCH MEN-OF-WAR AND AUSTRALIAN TROOPSHIPS IN SUEZ - CANAL, PORT SAID.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">{4}</a></div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_5-i"> - <img src="images/i_005.jpg" width="750" height="429" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>MEN OF THE AUSTRALIAN LIGHT HORSE IN CAIRO.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">{5}</a></div> - -<div class="front"> - -<p style="font-size:150%">AUSTRALASIA TRIUMPHANT!</p> - -<p>WITH THE AUSTRALIANS AND NEW ZEALANDERS<br />IN THE GREAT WAR</p> - -</div> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER I<br /> -<small>MAKING READY</small></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - -<div class="verse">Lord, in this lull before the break</div> -<div class="verse">Of Thy wide tempest, let us make</div> -<div class="verse indent2">Our ramparts round complete,</div> -<div class="verse">With noise of rivets, whirr of wheels,</div> -<div class="verse">And waters hissing 'neath the keels</div> -<div class="verse indent2">Of our star-guerdoned fleet!</div> -<div class="verse">With workshops fashioning our might</div> -<div class="verse">With bugles singing through the night</div> -<div class="verse indent2">In city and in farm;</div> -<div class="verse">The steady drill, the hammered din,</div> -<div class="verse">The quiet heart of discipline–</div> -<div class="verse indent2">Grant us our hour–to arm!</div> -<div class="verse indent16"><span class="smc">Arthur H. Adams.</span></div> - -</div> -</div> - -<p class="nodent"><span class="smc">All</span> things considered, -you cannot help sympathising a little with -Germany's outcry against the deceptive character of the British -Empire. When an eminent physician has carefully diagnosed a -patient's complaint and pronounced, quite emphatically, that he -cannot possibly survive for more than a very brief period, it is up -to that patient to fade away within the time limit prescribed for -him. Otherwise, he must not expect his doctor to be pleased, -or to express any but uncomplimentary opinions concerning -his behaviour and the general defects of his system. Well, as -everybody knows, Treitschke, Bernhardi, and other accomplished -German professors devoted many years of their valuable lives to -feeling the pulse of John Bull, and they found that, by all the known -laws of science, he was on his last legs. They assured the world -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">{6}</a></span> -at large, with the portentous cocksureness so peculiarly German, -that he was so far gone that a properly administered shock was -certain to bring about his immediate dissolution. The shock was -administered all right; Germany saw to that; but instead of -keeping to his part of the programme and dying, John promptly -woke up, got out of bed, developed a lot more legs than anybody -had credited him with, and has ever since been firmly standing on -them all.</p> - -<p>And Germany is naturally indignant at this. What is the use -of scientific laws if they can thus be disregarded with impunity? -Bernhardi praised the British for some things, but he was sure he -knew what he was talking about, and most of the things they had -done were much too foolish to obtain his approbation. He explained -how we had neglected to train up our Colonies in the way -they should go; we had never sternly imposed our own <i>kultur</i> -on any of our "subject peoples"; we exercised no control over -Australasia, Canada, South Africa: we had failed to hold them in -subjection, and they were rapidly losing all trace of the British -spirit and would not remain permanently within the Empire. -Moreover, India and Egypt were seething with disaffection, he -said, and if a beneficent Germany only gave them half a chance -they would break into open revolt and throw off the hated British -yoke. He had studied the whole position most thoroughly and -foresaw hopeful possibilities of great Colonial rebellions–Australasia, -Canada, South Africa would decide before long to become -independent States, and the old country would have to go out -and fight them in order to reduce them to submission, and then -would come Germany's golden opportunity. But it might not be -necessary to wait for those rebellions. If ever England were involved -in a big war nearer home, the shrewd Bernhardi was quite -convinced that the self-governing Colonies would naturally consult -their own interests and decline to take any part in it. He laid it -down emphatically that, at all events (to quote from Mr. Allen H. -Powles's translation of his "Germany and the Next War"), "the -Colonies can be completely ignored so far as concerns any European -theatre of war."</p> - -<p>All which indicates what a strange gulf there must be between -the fossilised Prussian mind and the mind of a modern civilisation. -These pretentious speculations looked so profound, and were -actually so shallow; yet, simply by taking themselves seriously, the -German professors and militarists bluffed most of the world into -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">{7}</a></span> -accepting them as masterly students of psychology. There is -something amusing in the essentially Prussian idea that we were -ignorant of the art of Empire-building because we had not held -our Colonies firmly in subjection and forced our own <i>kultur</i> upon -our "subject peoples" and thus have made them indissolubly one -with us. We have not done so for two reasons. For one, they -would never have allowed us to do it; the men of British blood -are not so docile as that, thank heaven! And for another, as a -nation we have no such stupid, swaggering desire to lord it over our -fellows. We had once, but have outgrown it. As for sending our -armies out to make war on the great free Colonies if they resolved -to set up as independent States–they are independent already, -and if ever they decided to sever the formal, natural tie that links -them easily with ourselves in a federated Empire, no Government -in Great Britain would be so foolish as to do anything but -reluctantly acquiesce in their decision.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - -<div class="verse">Britain fought her sons of yore–</div> -<div class="verse">Britain failed; and nevermore,</div> -<div class="verse">Careless of our growing kin,</div> -<div class="verse">Shall we sin our fathers' sin.</div> - -</div> -</div> - -<p>The fact is, and it is now revealing itself, Germany does not -understand what freedom means. She does not know the difference -between slavery and brotherhood, and, with all her owlish -wisdom, has never realised that love is a mightier bond than fear. -She has learnt nothing from her failures in Poland, in Alsace, in -her own Colonies. So immature is her conception of Empire that -she took it as a sign of weakness in us when, after spending blood -and treasure in the South African War, we withdrew and left the -Boers and our own people living there to join hands and make -their own laws and govern themselves. "The low-Dutch are in -the ascendant in South Africa now," wrote the egregious Bernhardi, -and he pronounced that when Germany launched her legions -against England the South Africans would be quick to seize the -occasion and rise and strike for freedom.</p> - -<p>But people do not strike to obtain what they possess. The -long-premeditated blow has fallen, and instead of shattering the -British Empire past repair has merely tightened any loose rivets -in it and welded it more firmly together than ever. German psychology -has proved a vain thing; not a single one of the solemn -prophecies of her professors has come true. South Africa has -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">{8}</a></span> -crushed the enemy at her gates, has added German West Africa -to the Empire, and is sending troops over to fight in the British -battle-line in France. The Princes of India have rallied eagerly -to the flag, and France and the Dardanelles have undying stories -to tell of the loyalty and courage of those sons of hers who have -fought and died for its honour. The moment the word of alarm -flashed over the seas, Canada, Australia, New Zealand leaped to -arms and were ready, and sent their thousands forth and are sending -them still to hold inviolate the Empire that is theirs no less -than ours.</p> - -<p>But this is to be the story of the boys from Down Under; the -equally glorious stories of Canada, South Africa, India I leave to -other tellers.</p> - -<p>In those August days of 1914 when war and peace were still in -the balance, and we of the British Isles were waiting in tensest -anxiety, not fearing that war was to come, but dreading lest the -diplomatists should arrive at a compromise that would justify us -in standing meanly aside and leaving France to her fate; all through -Australia and New Zealand men waited as anxiously, torn with -the self-same fear. And on the morning of the 5th, when the -cable told them that Great Britain had declared war upon Germany -they felt the same deep sense of relief that the same news had -brought to us at midnight on the 4th–relief, and even thankfulness -that, with Belgium's neutrality ruthlessly broken, the Empire -had done the only right and honourable thing. When the storm -burst, the Federal Parliament of Australia had been dissolved and -electioneering was in full swing. Nevertheless, in two days, with -the whole-hearted approval of all parties in the country, the Prime -Minister had offered to send 20,000 men to the front, as a -first contingent, and our Government had gladly accepted the -offer. The Australian Commissioner in London called at the War -Office in connection with this proposal, and wrote home to say -that Lord Kitchener told him, "I know the Australian soldier, -and know he will give a good account of himself"; and that his -final words were, "Roll up! Roll up!"</p> - -<p>And no sooner was the call made for volunteers for foreign -service than they did roll up–they went swarming in thousands -to the recruiting stations at Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, -Hobart, Perth, and other great centres, and in a very short -time more than the required number had been enrolled and were -rapidly gathered into vast camps at Broadmeadows, at Helena Vale, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">{9}</a></span> -and elsewhere, and all the States of the Commonwealth were -humming with warlike preparations. The militia were called out; -Rifle Clubs were formed; the women organised for Red Cross work -and to look after the needs of the soldiers and their families; troops -slept by their guns in the forts round the coast, for German cruisers -were prowling then in the Pacific and the Indian Ocean and there -were possibilities of raids and bombardments. Negotiations were -opened with the Imperial Government, which readily granted a -War Loan of £18,000,000. There was prompt seizure of German -and Austrian ships lying in Australian ports; there was a drastic -hunting down of German spies and rounding up of alien enemies. -Word that war had been declared was received on the morning of -the 5th August, and at noon of the same day Australia's first shot -was fired from the fort at Point Nepean, when a German cargo -steamer, the <i>Pfatz</i>, was held up and captured. The first expeditionary -force was raised within two or three days; and before the -end of August a second large contingent had been formed and had -gone into camp for training, this second contingent including a -Light Horse Brigade; and "the Australian Light Horse," as Lord -Denman, sometime Governor-General of the Commonwealth, has -said, "is the finest Light Horse in the world."</p> - -<p>A goodly percentage of these volunteer armies–for the compulsory -service in Australia and New Zealand is for home defence -only–were bushmen, farm-hands, clerks, miners, many of whom -had thrown up lucrative appointments and journeyed long distances, -hot-foot to be in time. A writer in <i>The Melbourne Age</i> -spent an hour at one of the depots in Melbourne and gave the -following list of the recruits who presented themselves whilst he -was there: "jeweller–1; cricketer–1; actor–1; collar-maker–1; -musicians–3; hairdressers–3; cooks–7; journalists–5; -teachers–8; draper's assistant, 'private means,' hotel porter, -military officer, chemist, wool classer, tailor, axeman, rubber -planter, investor, insurance agent, signwriter, and student–1 -each. There were two or three storekeepers, ten motor mechanics, -and half a dozen travellers. This list," the reporter continues, -"is a typical one, though of course in some States particular occupations -would be differently represented. Generally speaking, it -would be correct to say that at least 80 per cent. of the men–eight -in every ten–have in some way earned their livings with their -hands. The remaining 20 per cent. would be made up of clerks, -accountants, shopkeepers, professional men, and others who were -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">{10}</a></span> -not manual labourers. In the great field entered for the greatest -of all races, 'private means' shows up rather badly."</p> - -<p>But we must not forget that "private means" represents the -smallest section of the community. What is infinitely more significant -is that before the end of November 1914 more than the -20,000 men offered had been raised, had finished their preliminary -training and sailed for Egypt; and a second force of -16,500 was then in training to follow them. There was also a -force of some 7,000 mobilised for home defence. Something -of what Australia was doing, of the ardour and spirit and spontaneous -patriotism that animated her people may be gathered -from a communication which Sir Charles Lucas made to <i>The Times</i>. -Sir Charles, who used to be head of the Dominions Department of -the Colonial Office, was on a visit to Australia in those early days -of the war, and what impressed him greatly was the prevailing -common sense and patriotic enthusiasm with which public bodies -and private citizens worked, the promptitude and swiftness with -which they prepared themselves, as if the war had been at -their very doors instead of thousands of miles away. He saw no -violent anti-German outbreak; no bombast nor boastfulness; -nothing but a sober, willing, resolute desire to participate to the -utmost in the great fight for freedom that was not to be the motherland's -only, but the Empire's. "Political parties, the churches, -and all classes spoke with one voice," says Sir Charles. "War -funds seemed to be almost unduly multiplied; young men everywhere -were eager to go to the front, and all were making sacrifices -in time, and money, and work"; and he expresses the keenest -admiration of the men he saw at the military camps, and the zeal, -cheerfulness, and efficiency with which all ranks were fitting themselves -for the task to which they had put their hands. "Australia -will support the cause of the Empire in this war to the last man -and the last shilling"–Mr. Fisher knew the hearts of his people -before he drew that limitless bill upon their loyalty, and this is the -glorious story of how they are meeting it.</p> - -<p>As it was in Australia, so it was in New Zealand. There was the -same intense suspense in those first days of August 1914, the same -nameless fear lest the old country should be lulled into accepting -German pledges or otherwise induced to remain neutral and leave -France to her fate, the same fierce indignation against the unprovoked -attack upon Belgium, and the same immeasurable sense -of relief and thankfulness when the word came that Britain had -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">{11}</a></span> -declared war. There was, too, the same spontaneous uprising, the -same sinking of party differences, the same swift, passionate gathering -up of all the energies, all the resources of the nation and placing -them at the service of the Empire–not with any lust for glory or -conquest, but with a high realisation that in so doing New Zealand -was devoting herself also to the higher service of humanity. For, -as you may hear on all hands, it was the terrible story of Belgium's -martyrdom that stirred such a passion of sympathy and blazing -wrath throughout New Zealand as in Australia–the thought of -that gallant little people so brutally wronged and battling with -such desperate heroism to drive back the barbaric hordes of a -mighty invader: it was this that so tore at the hearts of people -there that they rejoiced, as at the best of good tidings, when Britain -took up the cause of the weak and the wronged and gave them the -chance to fight, and if need be die beside her in so just a cause. -No tocsin sounded in any dark hour of attack ever called forth -such myriads and such more than willing myriads of defenders -as have rallied from all quarters of the earth to the cry that went -up from those violated homes of Belgium. Australia and New -Zealand in generous rivalry made haste to subscribe funds for the -relief of the Belgian refugees, and to send them shipments of food, -blankets, and clothing. Meanwhile, military preparations went -forward in New Zealand with amazing rapidity. An expeditionary -force of 10,000 was raised, and by the time they were ready to sail -for Egypt a further 3,000 were training in camp at Wellington, -recruits were offering themselves in undiminishing numbers, and -arrangements were made to send out reinforcements of at least -3,000 every two months–a figure which has since been largely -increased. There was a demand that the age limit should be raised -to fifty, such multitudes of older men were keen to go on active -service; but as this was not done, they organised themselves, as -our older men have done in the homeland and in every one of the -British dominions, into Citizen Armies for home defence. In less -than three weeks Christchurch alone had enrolled an army of this -sort 1,200 strong, made up, like the New Zealand army for the field, -and like all the new British armies, of men drawn from all classes -of the community. The Premier, and other leading men of the -nation, declared in unqualified terms that New Zealand was ready -to give her all, and to shrink from no sacrifice for the honour and -the integrity of the Empire, and she has ever since been fulfilling -that pledge to the utmost.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">{12}</a></span> -One has read many such stories as that of the college professor -who threw up his appointment at Dunedin in order to enlist as a -private; and as that of the prosperous farmer miles away across -the lonely plains of South Island, who had heard nothing of any -crisis until news burst upon him that war had been declared two -days ago, then, fearing he might be too late, left his farm to the -care of his wife and whoever could be got to look after it, hurried -by horse and rail to Canterbury, took a few years off his age, and -got into the first expeditionary force. And one could tell numerous -similar stories of the Australians. There is that record of Cormick, -the young Queensland grazier, who, immediately the call reached -him, rode 460 miles to the nearest station at Hergott Springs, -then travelled 450 miles by rail to Adelaide, only to find that the -Light Horse regiment there had made up its full number. He -telegraphed to Tasmania, but the Light Horse section there had no -opening for him. He had made up his mind to go, however, and, -though he must have spent more than a year's pay in journeying -from place to place on his quest, he succeeded at last and sailed -with the first overseas contingent.</p> - -<p>But better than I can hope to express it you find the high, -indomitable soul of Australasia revealing itself in two letters from -which I will make some short extracts. One is written by Mr. -Edward Grimwade, who went out and settled in New Zealand some -years ago, to his brother, Mr. L. L. Grimwade, of Stoke-on-Trent, -in England. "My boy, Len, went away with his regiment yesterday," -writes Mr. Grimwade. "All we can say is 'The Lord bless -the lad.'... On this subject his mother is in liquidation, and his -dad not much better. None the less, if the Motherland calls, Ted -must go too.... I am prepared to give another son (as I have -given one) and I am prepared to get into the fighting line myself. -Further, I am prepared to suffer loss of fortune and see starvation, -rather than sacrifice the honour of our Empire."</p> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_12-i"> - <img src="images/i_012.jpg" width="750" height="444" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>NEAR THE PYRAMIDS: THE CAMP OF THE AUSTRALIANS, AGAINST<br /> - WHOM NO GERMAN-TRAINED TURKISH ARMY CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_13a-i"> - <img src="images/i_013a.jpg" width="750" height="354" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>"STRANGERS IN THE LAND OF EGYPT."<br /> - The Australian Remounts Depot at Abassia near Cairo.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_13b-i"> - <img src="images/i_013b.jpg" width="750" height="414" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>FOOTBALL IN CAMP AT ABASSIA.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<p>And here is a letter written in these later days which will serve -to show the splendid spirit that lives in Australia's volunteers. -It was written by Second Lieutenant Meager, of the 3rd Australian -Infantry. He took part in that daring and triumphant landing at -Gallipoli, and was promoted from the ranks for bravery. Later, -he was killed in action, leaving a widow and child in Australia, -and this last letter from him was received by his mother on the -same day as the announcement of his death reached her:</p> - -<p>"During the next few days we shall be facing death every -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">{13}</a></span> -minute. If I am taken off, do as the Roman matrons of old–keep -your tears for privacy, steel your heart, and get a dozen recruits -to fill my place. Pray hard for me, and if God wills it, I -shall see it through. I shall go into action with a clean heart, and -if I emerge safely I hope I shall have proved myself a man and a -leader, and thereby have justified the confidence of my commanders."</p> - -<p>This is the stuff of which our Australasian brothers are made; -these are the men upon whose degeneracy or disloyalty Treitschke, -Bernhardi, and that pitiful brood of Prussian wiseacres relied. -Never was any royal utterance more profoundly significant or more -simply true than the message that King George sent to his Overseas -Dominions at the end of the first month of the war:</p> - -<p>"During the past few weeks the peoples of my whole Empire -at home and overseas have moved with one mind and purpose to -confront and overthrow an unparalleled assault upon the continuity -of civilisation and the peace of mankind. The calamitous conflict -is not of my seeking. My voice has been cast throughout on the -side of peace. My Ministers earnestly strove to allay the causes -of strife and appease differences with which my Empire was -not concerned. Had I stood aside when in defiance of pledges -to which my Kingdom was a party the soil of Belgium was -violated and her cities laid desolate, when the very life of the -French nation was threatened with extinction, I should have -sacrificed my honour and given to destruction the liberties of my -Empire and of mankind. I rejoice that every part of the Empire -is with me in this decision.</p> - -<p>"My peoples in the Self-Governing Dominions have shown -beyond all doubt that they whole-heartedly endorse the grave -decision which it was necessary to take. My personal knowledge -of the loyalty and devotion of my Oversea Dominions had led me -to expect that they would cheerfully make the great efforts and -bear the great sacrifices which the present conflict entails. The -full measure in which they have placed their services and resources -at my disposal fills me with gratitude, and I am proud to be able -to show to the world that my people overseas are as determined as -the people of the United Kingdom to prosecute a just cause to a -successful end.</p> - -<p>"The Dominion of Canada, the Commonwealth of Australia, -and the Dominion of New Zealand have placed at my disposal their -naval forces, which have already rendered good service to the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">{14}</a></span> -Empire. Strong Expeditionary Forces are being prepared in -Canada, in Australia, and in New Zealand for service at the front, -and the Union of South Africa has released all British troops and -has undertaken important military responsibilities, the discharge of -which will be of the utmost value to the Empire. Newfoundland -has doubled the numbers of its branch of the Royal Naval Reserve, -and is sending a body of men to take part in the operations at the -front.... All parts of my Oversea Dominions have thus demonstrated -in the most unmistakable manner the fundamental unity -of the Empire amidst all its diversity of situation and circumstance."</p> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">{15}</a></div> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<table class="chaphd" summary=""> - -<tr><td>2</td></tr> -<tr><td>PATROLLING</td></tr> -<tr><td>THE</td></tr> -<tr><td>PACIFIC</td></tr> - -</table> - -</div> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">{16}</a></div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_16-i"> - <img src="images/i_016.jpg" width="750" height="448" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>WITH OUR COLONIAL TROOPS IN EGYPT.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_17-i"> - <img src="images/i_017.jpg" width="750" height="427" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>AUSTRALIAN ARMY FIELD-KITCHENS MARCHING PAST AT A REVIEW - OF TROOPS IN EGYPT.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">{17}</a></div> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER II<br /> -<small>PATROLLING THE PACIFIC</small></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - -<div class="verse indent6">We can hold our own–</div> -<div class="verse">'Gainst us in vain all envious shafts are hurled</div> -<div class="verse indent6">If still we be</div> -<div class="verse">The Sons of Freedom, 'neath one flag unfurled,</div> -<div class="verse indent2">Co-heirs of Fame and Wardens of the Sea,</div> -<div class="verse">One tongue, one race, one heart before the world.</div> -<div class="verse indent16"><span class="smc">George Essex Evans.</span></div> - -</div> -</div> - -<p class="nodent"><span class="smc">Whilst</span> the new armies were still training, -the fleet of Australia -put to sea, joined the New Zealand fleet, and together they proceeded -to co-operate with the British naval forces in sweeping the -Pacific for German merchantmen, and hunting down the few -elusive German cruisers that were prowling the seas thereabouts in -search of prey. Three of these cruisers in particular, the <i>Gneisenau</i>, -the <i>Scharnhorst</i>, and the <i>Emden</i>, were dodging all pursuit, successfully -capturing and sinking British and French trading and -passenger ships, and bombarding the coast towns of some of our -South Sea Islands; and the <i>Emden</i>, before it could be rounded up -and destroyed, had gone as far afield as India and shelled Madras. -"The German cruisers are playing a game of hide-and-seek on the -broad expanse of the Pacific," an Australian naval officer wrote -home, "and are avoiding a trial of strength with the vessels of the -Australian fleet. We have been looking for them ever since war -was declared, and are more than anxious to have a go at them, -but they keep out of the way. The task of definitely locating them -and getting to grips is an enormous one. The Pacific is so wide, -and there are so many thousands of islets that we could pass within -five minutes of them and yet fail to be aware of their presence. -Once they are cornered, it will be a fine fight–a fight to a finish.... -Once we thought we had the German boats bottled up in -Simpson Haven. Orders were issued to the destroyers to ferret -them out, and in the dead of night the three little boats, with all -lights out and crews at their stations, crept into the harbour, which -might have been mined. However, after sweeping round the bay -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">{18}</a></span> -we found our quarry was not there. We landed a small party -which smashed up the telegraphic instruments, then dashed out -again."</p> - -<p>So for some weeks the warships of Australia and New Zealand -were alertly at work, chasing the nimble Germans in and out among -those thousand islands of the South Seas. British and French and -Japanese vessels took up the difficult hunt with them, but in that -vast wilderness of waters, with such innumerable creeks and bays -and obscure hiding-places to skulk in, it was far easier to lose the -wily enemy than to find him. In due course, however, the <i>Gneisenau</i> -and the <i>Scharnhorst</i> were cornered and accounted for; but the -<i>Emden</i> remained at large and ran a long and brilliantly triumphant -career before it was trapped and beaten at last in a desperate fight -with the Australian battle cruiser, the <i>Sydney</i>.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, on the 30th August, 1914, the island of Samoa was -captured without opposition by the combined fleets of Australasia, -Britain, and France, under the command of Rear-Admiral Patey. -When the fleets arrived off the island, the Admiral sent an officer -ashore with a letter to the Acting Governor, Herr S. N. Rimburg, -saying:</p> - -<p>"I have the honour to inform you that I am off the port of -Apia with an overwhelming force, and in order to avoid unnecessary -bloodshed, I will not open fire if you surrender immediately. I -therefore summon you to surrender to me forthwith the town of -Apia and the Imperial possessions under your control. An answer -must be delivered within half an hour to the bearer."</p> - -<p>To some of us now there seems a touch of unconscious humour -in Herr Rimburg's reply, when we remember how the ships of his -own nation bombarded unfortified English towns without giving -them any preliminary warning at all, for this is the letter that -Admiral Patey's messenger brought back:</p> - -<p>"According to the principles of the rights of nations, especially -of the agreements of the second Hague Peace Conference, the -bombardment of our harbours and protectorates is forbidden, as -is the threat to do so. I therefore respectfully protest against -your Excellency's proposal. But to avoid the military measures -you propose, I have given orders for the wireless telegraph station -to be demolished and that no resistance shall be offered."</p> - -<p>It always went against the grain with many Britishers that the -last home of Stevenson, the island that has his grave on one of -its hill-tops, should ever have been ceded to the Germans, and the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">{19}</a></span> -news that it had been recovered from them was an occasion for -enthusiastic rejoicing on that sentimental ground, as well as because -it meant that a valuable colony had been added to the Empire. -One very pleasant circumstance in connection with this bloodless -victory was that the French and British residents in the Samoan -Islands bore testimony to the kindness with which they had been -treated by the German authorities and spontaneously petitioned -the conquerors to show special consideration to the German ex-Governor -and his officials, and the request was met at once in the -friendliest possible spirit. It almost seemed as if the gracious, -humane influence of Tusitala were still potent in the very atmosphere -of the place. Colonel Robert Logan, the new British Administrator -of Samoa, took up residence with his staff at Stevenson's own house -"Vailima," which had been occupied by the German Governor, -Dr. Schultz, and says in his report:</p> - -<p>"I conferred with the German heads of departments and their -subordinates, and, as they have given their parole to do nothing -inimical to British interests and to carry out their duties loyally, -I have retained them, with two exceptions, in their respective -offices at the same salaries as they were previously receiving."</p> - -<p>Equally pleasant, too, in connection with the capture of Samoa, -were certain details mentioned concerning the appointment of -Mr. Williams to the post of Deputy-Administrator of the island -of Savali. "Mr. Williams has been in the islands for over forty -years," wrote Colonel Logan, "and from the inception of German -rule in Samoa until the declaration of war acted in the capacity of -Deputy Administrator of Savali, under the German Government. -On the declaration of war he was given the option of resigning his -British citizenship or being relieved of his office, and he chose the -latter alternative, although this entailed the loss of his pension."</p> - -<p>The transfer of Samoa being arranged in this humane, reasonable -fashion, the allied fleets departed to continue their other -business, leaving a garrison of some 2,000 New Zealand troops at -Apia in charge of the islands. A fortnight later those roving ships -of the German Pacific squadron came round that way and shelled -Apia, and were energetically shelled in return; but the firing did -not last long; there was no attempt at a landing, very little damage -was done, and ever since the New Zealanders have remained in -peaceable possession of their first trophy.</p> - -<p>In the interval, on the 11th September, at 7 in the morning, -the Australian squadron occupied Herbertshohe, the principal -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">{20}</a></span> -town in the island of New Pomerania, which is the largest island -of the Bismarck Archipelago. It was discovered by Captain Cook, -who named it New Britain, but the British Government never -formally took possession of it, and in 1884 Germany seized and rechristened -it, and at the same time annexed half of the neighbouring -island of New Guinea and changed its name to Kaiser -Wilhelmsland. The remainder of New Guinea had long been shared -betwixt the Dutch and the British, and there was profound dissatisfaction -in Australia when the Germans were thus allowed to steal -a march on us. There was already a feeling abroad that they were -hankering after world-dominion and were dangerous neighbours. -This uneasiness had been lulled by the passing of years, but the -aggressive boastfulness of Germany and the outbreak of the war -had naturally revived it and sharpened it to more than its first -acuteness, and the knowledge that this menace to her peace had -been finally removed was received throughout Australia with a -lively satisfaction that was echoed from every quarter of the -Empire.</p> - -<p>On that morning of the 11th September a party of fifty men of -the Australian Naval Reserve, under the command of Commander -J. A. H. Beresford, and accompanied by Lieutenant-Commander -Elwell and Lieutenant Bowen, landed at Herbertshohe. There was -a small group of Germans gathered on the wharf, and these, being -hailed, replied that no opposition would be offered. As soon as -the landing party had fallen in on the beach they set out to march -through the forest to the wireless station, which was about six -miles inland, and luckily, in spite of the Germans' assurance that -they would meet with no resistance, Commander Beresford was on -the alert against treachery, had thrown out scouts, and was prepared -for any surprise attack that might be attempted. There -was no sign or sound of an enemy for a while, but when they had -gone some two miles into the forest the invaders suddenly realised -that they had walked into a trap. A volley fired from the bush -and dense tropical undergrowth which shut the road in on either -side took them unawares. A German force had entrenched themselves -close ahead athwart the road, and a number of blacks, hidden -among the trees on both sides, started and kept up a harassing -enfilade. But the Australians took the half-expected surprise with -the most perfect sangfroid. They energetically returned the enemy's -fire with a raking volley or two, then hurled themselves on the -trenches, and, after a furious hand-to-hand struggle, carried them -at the point of the bayonet. They captured several prisoners, and -leaving these in a hut under a small guard the rest of the party -pushed on resolutely, taking what cover was possible by the way -and maintaining a continuous fight with snipers who kept pace -with them, lurking in the depths of the forest. The advance was -necessarily slow, for, in addition to the death that momentarily -threatened them from among the trees, the road was mined in -many places, and nothing but the utmost caution and coolness -saved the indomitable little army from annihilation. As it was, -they suffered heavy losses.</p> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_20-i"> - <img src="images/i_020.jpg" width="750" height="447" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>A SMALL PORTION OF THE ARMY IN EGYPT.<br /> - A part of the camp at Menai.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_21a-i"> - <img src="images/i_021a.jpg" width="750" height="394" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>THE AUSTRALIAN TROOPS IN EGYPT.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_21b-i"> - <img src="images/i_021b.jpg" width="750" height="415" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>FROM DIFFERENT POINTS OF THE COMPASS.<br /> - A meeting of sons of the Empire. This picture was taken about a mile<br /> - from the Pyramids in Egypt. It illustrates how Britannia's sons from<br /> - various parts of the Empire have rallied to the Flag. These four men are<br /> - in the same Australian regiment, but (left to right) they were born in<br /> - Canada, Australia, Scotland, and England respectively.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">{21}</a></span> -Within 500 yards of the wireless station they found themselves -faced with more entrenchments and came to a halt. A -careful reconnaissance was made, and the position discovered to be -so powerfully fortified that a dispatch-runner was sent back to ask -for reinforcements from the fleet, and as it was by now almost -dark Commander Beresford decided to encamp for the night. All -night scouts were out keeping a close watch, and the men slept -beside their rifles, but nothing happened. Even the snipers remained -silent; many had been shot down, and the rest had either -used up their ammunition or withdrawn disheartened; and the -entrenched Germans lay low, apparently contented to wait till they -were attacked.</p> - -<p>Before dawn a great cheer rang from the awakening camp as -the expected reinforcements, a detachment of Australian sailors, -were seen approaching along the forest road. They brought several -quickfirers and some 12-pounders with them, but no sooner were the -guns in position and a storming party in readiness to advance than -the enemy blew up the station and fled. Shots were sent after -them, but they escaped into the bush, and the pursuit was not -continued, since the object of the Australian expedition had been -to destroy the wireless equipment there, and this had been accomplished.</p> - -<p>Later in the day, however, the enemy reappeared behind the -town and indulged in some casual sniping, but a few well-placed -shells from one of the warships in the harbour discouraged them and -drove them back into the interior.</p> - -<p>The fighting for the wireless station had occupied eighteen -hours, and it fell into the hands of the Australians at 1 o'clock -in the morning on the 12th September. Between twenty and thirty -Germans were killed; there were many wounded, and the Commandant -and one other officer, fifteen German non-commissioned -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">{22}</a></span> -officers, and fifty-six native police were taken prisoners. The -Australian losses were Lieutenant-Commander B. Elwell, Captain -B. A. Bockley, R.A.M.C., and four seamen killed, and Lieutenant -Rowland B. Bowen and three seamen wounded.</p> - -<p>The Governor of New Pomerania (now restored to its earlier -name of New Britain) remained at large for a day or two, and then -was captured with his suite ten miles inland, and they were sent as -prisoners to the port of Rabaul.</p> - -<p>The capture of this port of Rabaul was one of the most daring -and successful episodes in the campaign on New Pomerania. It -was thought possible that the German cruisers were somewhere in -the vicinity, and the Australian Commander had no knowledge of -Rabaul Harbour, and knew nothing of its fortifications; nevertheless, -with all lights out he raided the port at night, caught the -Germans napping, and landed a naval force without opposition. -They had taken possession of the post and telegraph stations and -destroyed the plant before the inhabitants were roused and came -out to find it was too late for them to attempt to do anything. -Some of the German residents subsequently refused to take the -oath of neutrality, and these, with two German officers, were sent -as prisoners to Sydney. There was also some little trouble with -the natives, who resorted to a sort of guerilla warfare, but it was -not long before these were reduced to order, and the Australian -garrison remained in peaceable control of the island, which had -been the centre of the German government in the Bismarck -Archipelago.</p> - -<p>Whilst Rabaul was being raided, another Australian warship -landed a small squad of sailors under the command of Lieutenant-Commander -Bloomfield at Nauru, the capital of the Marshall -Islands. With the party were Lieutenant Cooper, Engineer-Lieutenant -Creswell, and Staff-Surgeon Brennard, to act as interpreter. -The surf round the island is very heavy, and there were difficulties -in getting a boat through it, but this once accomplished the rest -was easy. There were no defences, and the landing was unopposed. -The Governor surrendered at discretion, and the wireless station, -one of the most powerful in the German Pacific series, was demolished.</p> - -<p>Shortly after the fall of Rabaul, the Australian fleet captured a -German steamer that was making for the harbour there, and learned -from two Englishmen who were aboard that the elusive German -cruisers had recently been sighted off Kaweing, New Hanover. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">{23}</a></span> -But though a warship was dispatched forthwith to that quarter and -toured all about the islands, searching diligently, no enemy vessels -were anywhere discoverable. They had been seen thereabouts a -few days previously, but had mysteriously vanished again.</p> - -<p>The conquest of the German Pacific islands was completed on -24th September, when Kaiser Wilhelmsland (German New Guinea) -surrendered without firing a shot, the British flag was hoisted at -Friedrich Wilhelm town, and a garrison established there. Most of -the available German soldiers had been sent thence a fortnight -before to assist in the defence of New Pomerania; but when they -arrived it was already taken over by the victorious Australians -and they simply fell into their hands as prisoners. The principal -officials of Kaiser Wilhelmsland were also absent; the four that -remained, with some fourteen other Germans, took the oath of -neutrality. So, with every German wireless station in the Pacific -put out of action, and the British flag flying over all enemy territory -in those waters, the Australian fleet was free to render more assistance -to the New Zealand, the British, and French fleets in their -dogged hunt after the German commerce raiders, and presently -added a new glory to its name by overtaking, giving battle to, and -sinking that most dashing raider of them all, the <i>Emden</i>.</p> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">{25}</a></div> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<table class="chaphd" summary=""> - -<tr><td>3</td></tr> -<tr><td>THE</td></tr> -<tr><td>TRIUMPH</td></tr> -<tr><td>OF</td></tr> -<tr><td>THE</td></tr> -<tr><td><i>SYDNEY</i></td></tr> - -</table> - -</div> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">{27}</a></div> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER III<br /> -<small>THE TRIUMPH OF THE <i>SYDNEY</i></small></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - -<div class="verse indent2">Nor wonder, nor fear,</div> -<div class="verse indent2">When death stared us near,</div> -<div class="verse">Could you read in one face of all our crew,</div> -<div class="verse">Each to his post and orders true.</div> -<div class="verse indent16"><span class="smc">John Le Gay Brereton.</span></div> - -</div> -</div> - -<p class="nodent"><span class="smc">When</span> we are all at peace -again–when the Great War is a thing -of yesterday and tales of its thousand fights have passed into the -history and folk-lore of the nations that took part in it–then, I -think, perhaps Germany may be glad to forget about the hundreds -of women and children slaughtered by her runaway warships in -bombarding defenceless English coast towns without warning, by -her midnight Zeppelins with bombs that were dropped on peaceful -villages and unfortified towns, by the torpedoes fired by her dishonoured -submarines into helpless passenger steamers; but she -will find consolation and some healing for her pride in remembering -the brilliant exploits of the <i>Emden</i>, and the splendid chivalry and -heroism of the <i>Emden's</i> commander. She will talk of Karl von -Müller, and rightly, much as we talk of Drake and Hawkins, or as -the Americans talk of that daring privateer Paul Jones, and of -Captain Semmes and the <i>Alabama</i>. But his enemies were the first -to pay tribute to his gallantry and welcome him into the glorious -company of their traditional sea-heroes; for such courage as his -naturalises an alien even in the land of his enemy, and, for all the -harm he did us, we have nothing but the friendliest admiration of -von Müller, because he harried and fought us with clean hands -and was always a gracious and honourable as well as a fearless foe.</p> - -<p>At the outbreak of the war, the German Admiral von Spee was -at Kiao-Chau with his China squadron of some half-dozen vessels. -He lost no time in putting to sea, bent on preying upon and, as -far as might be, stopping the ocean-trade of Britain and France and -their Allies. Before long he seems to have decided to set von -Müller free to follow his own devices; the <i>Emden</i> parted company -with the Admiral and thereafter, playing a lone hand, proved a -more resourceful and more dangerous marauder than all the rest -of von Spee's fleet put together. For three months it cruised about -the Pacific and the Indian Oceans and was the terror of the seas. -To-day it would be sighted off Borneo, and whilst the Australian -and New Zealand fleets, called by wireless, were scouring the China -Sea for it, it would unexpectedly appear off the Caroline Islands -or in the Bay of Bengal. It left its mark on the harbour works of -Madras, shelled the fort there and set the oil-tanks ablaze, and -was gone into the unknown again before any pursuer could be put -on its track. And all the while its gallant captain was making sudden -dashes into those ocean highways where the merchant traffic was -thickest, taking toll of our traders with the gayest good humour and -always with the strictest consideration for the lives of his victims.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">{28}</a></span> -Our experts assured us that this game could not last; sooner -or later von Müller would have to put into port somewhere for coal -and stores, news of his whereabouts would be flashed to the ships -in chase of him and they would be waiting in readiness for him -when he came out, and there would be an end of him. It sounded -so simple and true, but von Müller knew a trick worth two of that. -His practice was to bear down upon his quarry, make her heave -to by sending a shot across her bows, then board her and help -himself to what he needed in the way of coal and other stores, -transfer the crew and passengers to the <i>Emden</i>, and sink his abandoned -prize with a bomb or with a well-aimed shell or two. After -he had repeated this proceeding so many times that he had more -prisoners aboard than he could comfortably accommodate, he -dumped them all on the next merchantman he overhauled and -allowed it to go free with them. He was so good a sailor, and -knew the sea and the ways of the sea so well, that, instead of making -his captures one by one, he occasionally contrived to round up -four or five at a time, shepherded them into suitable proximity, -went through them in succession, helped himself liberally from -their cargoes, collected all the passengers and crews on one of them, -which he politely set at liberty, and swiftly sunk the remainder and -was off again about his business. He had a sense of humour, and -that invariably goes with humanity. One of the ships he stopped -was a small affair with no particularly valuable cargo, so he relinquished -it intact, jestingly making a present of it to the wife of the -captain, who was making the voyage with her husband. History -does not say whether the owners subsequently confirmed the gift. -He discovered that there were women among the passengers on -another ship, and, genially apologising for causing them any discomfort, -withdrew and let his catch go again. Many such stories -were rumoured about him, and even if some were legendary the -fact that it occurred to his enemies to tell them sufficiently indicates -the character of the man. His luck and his daring and his courtesy -made a sort of popular hero of him even in the British Isles and -Australasia, but the damage he was doing to our shipping was so -serious that it became more and more imperative that his career -should be ended. By an ingenious ruse he sunk a French destroyer -and a Russian cruiser at Penang; and, to say nothing else of our -Allies' losses, he had destroyed over 74,000 tons of British shipping, -the total value of which has been estimated at upwards of -£2,000,000, before he was brought to bay, and put up a good fight, -but was beaten.</p> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_28a-i"> - <img src="images/i_028a.jpg" width="750" height="342" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>THE HORSE LINES AT ABASSIA, EGYPT.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_28b-i"> - <img src="images/i_028b.jpg" width="750" height="395" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>THE AUSTRALIAN REMOUNTS DEPOT AT ABASSIA.<br /> - Over 1,000 horses are in lines here and about and<br /> - also ready for transport to any part of the world.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_29-i"> - <img src="images/i_029.jpg" width="750" height="455" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>OUR TROOPS IN EGYPT.<br /> - Cavalry galloping out into the desert.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">{29}</a></span> -His little cruiser could make a speed of twenty-four knots, and -so long as he kept out at sea he was able to show his pursuers a -clean pair of heels. Possibly his three months of immunity had -rendered him a little over-confident; anyhow, it occurred to him -that he might increase the difficulties of the chase by destroying -the wireless plant on Keeling Cocos Island, and at 6 o'clock on the -morning of the 9th November he carried out his intention. He -sent an armed launch ashore, towing two boats containing forty -men, three officers, and four maxims. They effected a landing -without trouble in a quarter of an hour; the officers behaved -with the correctest courtesy towards the officials and damaged -nothing but the wireless installation, which they very efficiently -reduced to ruins. But it happened that an hour earlier the approach -of the <i>Emden</i> had been detected, and the wireless operator -had immediately flung a warning into the air and an urgent appeal -to the <i>Sydney</i>, which was believed to be somewhere in the vicinity. -This belief was so well founded that as the expeditionary force -from the <i>Emden</i> were returning to their boats, after completing -their mission, a dense smoke was seen on the horizon, and breaking -through it the <i>Sydney</i>, coming under full steam, hove rapidly into -sight.</p> - -<p>Captain von Müller was as quick to observe it, recognised that -there was no escape, and instantly prepared for action. Leaving -his landing party to look after themselves, he steamed for the -open sea, and his men on shore with equal promptitude commandeered -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">{30}</a></span> -a schooner that lay at anchor in the bay, hastily provisioned -it, cut the cable, made a dash for liberty and got away.</p> - -<p>As soon as she was clear of the island the <i>Emden</i> opened fire -on the <i>Sydney</i> and at first made excellent practice, but the -<i>Sydney</i> answered by pouring in such an accurate and deadly -fire that the enemy's three funnels were shot away, some of his -guns silenced, and all the speaking-tubes smashed, so that the -captain had difficulties in transmitting his orders, and his firing -began to fall off considerably. If there were pluck and determination -enough on the <i>Emden</i>, there was at least as much of both on -her antagonist. For three months the <i>Sydney</i> had been kept -waiting for this hour, with her crew spoiling for a fight, and now -they had got what they had been waiting for, and officers and men -alike were keen to render a good account of themselves. Before -the <i>Sydney</i> left the harbour she was named after, three boys came -aboard from the training ship <i>Tingua</i> and offered themselves as -volunteers for service in any capacity. The captain thought they -were too young and did not want to take them, but they were so -desperately bent on going that he yielded and let them have their -way. Two of them were now attached to the officers of the gun -crew, and throughout the action with the <i>Emden</i> they were as eager -and as perfectly cool as the hardiest seaman of them all. One of -these youngsters was told off to help in carrying ammunition to -the guns, and he went briskly, capably to and fro on his job, with -the enemy's shells bursting around and overhead, and never even -seemed to think of attempting to take cover. The fearful joy of battle -possessed him as it possessed the rest of the crew. The cheerfulness -and reckless ardour of them all were amazing; nobody thought of -danger; nobody thought of anything except that they were at -grips with the enemy at long last and did not mean to let him go.</p> - -<p>It was a short, sharp, heroic combat; there was no flinching -on either side; but the <i>Sydney's</i> guns were the more powerful and -her gunners the better marksmen. She was very little damaged -and her only loss was three men killed and fifteen wounded; but -the <i>Emden</i> was so terribly punished that her decks became a very -shambles; there were over two hundred killed and wounded, and -the finish came when the whole after-part of the vessel burst into -flames. The <i>Sydney</i> at once ceased firing, and von Müller threw -up the sponge and smartly beached his ship to save it from sinking. -The Britishers ashore and rescue parties in the <i>Sydney's</i> boats -assisted to get the wounded out of the blazing wreck, and, accepting -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">{31}</a></span> -the inevitable with his customary good grace, the German captain -surrendered. But Captain Glossop, the <i>Sydney's</i> commander, knew -how to respect a brave enemy and refused to deprive his beaten -foe of his sword. It was characteristic of von Müller that when -one of his officers, smarting under the sense of defeat, accused the -<i>Sydney</i> of continuing to fire after the white flag had been shown, -he called the remnant of his forces together and repeated the charge -to them, only to repudiate it indignantly, saying that no white -flag had ever been hoisted on his vessel.</p> - -<p>He and the Kaiser's kinsman, Prince Franz Joseph Hohenzollern, -with the rest of the captured German officers and men, -were sent as prisoners of war to Australia, and the most romantic -and one of the most momentous episodes in the war at sea came -to a fitting conclusion when the vast crowd which gathered at -Sydney Harbour to welcome with storms of cheering the triumphant -Captain Glossop and his men, broke into a generous ovation for -the hero of the <i>Emden</i> as his conquerors brought him in.</p> - -<p>The Indian and Pacific Oceans were now swept completely clear -of all enemies, except for the small German fleet that was still -groping about precariously off Chili, and on the 8th December a -British squadron drew this fleet into an engagement and totally -destroyed it; but the significance of the <i>Sydney's</i> dashing victory -was not merely that it removed the last serious menace from the -ocean trade routes of the Empire–it created the profoundest impression -throughout India, and did more to restore confidence -among our Indian fellow-subjects in the eventual triumph of -British arms than the hurling back of the German hordes from -before the walls of Paris or the greater successes of our Navy in -the North Sea.</p> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">{32}</a></div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_32-i"> - <img src="images/i_032.jpg" width="568" height="750" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>WITH OUR TROOPS IN EGYPT.<br /> - The 6th Hamakai (New Zealand) Regiment entrenching<br /> - at Ismalin on the banks of the Suez Canal.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_33-i"> - <img src="images/i_033.jpg" width="750" height="590" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>AN AUSTRALIAN SCOUT IN THE EGYPTIAN DESERT.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">{33}</a></div> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<table class="chaphd" summary=""> - -<tr><td>4</td></tr> -<tr><td>EN</td></tr> -<tr><td>ROUTE</td></tr> -<tr><td>FOR</td></tr> -<tr><td>EGYPT</td></tr> - -</table> - -</div> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">{35}</a></div> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER IV<br /> -<small>EN ROUTE FOR EGYPT</small></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">We boast no more of our bloodless flag that rose from a nation's slime;</div> -<div class="verse">Better a shred of a deep-dyed rag from the storms of the olden time.</div> -<div class="verse">From grander clouds in our "peaceful skies" than ever were there before</div> -<div class="verse">I tell you the Star of the South shall rise–in the lurid clouds of war....</div> -</div> - -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">All creeds and trades will have soldiers there–give every class its due–</div> -<div class="verse">And there will be many a clerk to spare for the pride of the jackeroo....</div> -</div> - -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">But, oh! if the cavalry charge again as they did when the world was wide,</div> -<div class="verse">'Twill be grand in the ranks of a thousand men in that glorious race to ride</div> -<div class="verse">And strike for all that is true and strong, for all that is grand and brave,</div> -<div class="verse">And all that ever shall be, so long as man has a soul to save.</div> -<div class="verse indent26"><span class="smc">Henry Lawson.</span></div> -</div> - -</div> -</div> - -<p class="nodent"><span class="smc">With</span> Australasia, -as with the motherland, the first honours of -war fell to the fleet; and whilst the fleet was gathering them in, -recruiting for the armies continued briskly through August, September, -October, with intervals of suspension because the recruits -kept offering themselves in such numbers and so much faster than -they could possibly be equipped. By September the New Zealand -Maoris refused to be left out of it any longer, and applied for permission -to raise and supply a separate corps of volunteers for -active service, and no sooner was the offer accepted than the corps -was ready, with a big overflow of applicants on a waiting list, in -case reinforcements were needed. At the same time the Urewara -Maoris, the tribe most recently in arms against the State, presented -the Government with 1,600 acres of land to be turned to account -as a contribution to the Empire Defence Fund.</p> - -<p>All Australia and New Zealand were roused as nothing had ever -roused them before; and the glowing enthusiasm and determination -of their peoples, instead of wearying a little with the passing -of the days, rose and intensified. In the beginning the thousands of -soldiers to be sent to the front were fixed at definite totals; but -before the end of September, New Zealand had made it clear that -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">{36}</a></span> -the size of her contingent would be limited by nothing but the -number of her men who were fit to handle a gun; and Mr. Fisher -had said for Australia, at a meeting in connection with the -Australian Expeditionary Force, "Not 1 per cent. of the people of -the Commonwealth are unfavourable to sending as many contingents -as may be necessary to ensure victory over Germany -and settle this matter once for all. Many Australians would rather -be dead than in the grip of the dominion of another people. We -mean to leave an honourable name behind us, even if we must -perish to maintain it." And that these were no idle words Gallipoli -has borne and is bearing witness.</p> - -<p>In that month of September, Melbourne and Adelaide, Sydney -and Brisbane, all the great cities of the Commonwealth States, were -filling their streets to pay homage to the troops that marched -through from the training grounds in full war equipment, ready -and eager for the order to embark. To describe one such memorable -spectacle is to describe them all, for the same great spirit was -abroad from end to end of the land.</p> - -<p>"For the first time since the war broke out," says <i>The Melbourne -Age</i> for the 26th September, "Melbourne was afforded an opportunity -of seeing in force the troops who are to form Victoria's -contingent at the front. To the number of about 5,000 they -marched through the city between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m." It was a -day of rain and sleet, but the weather was of little consequence -either to the soldiers or the onlookers. "From the north, by train -and by road the troops poured into the city, and while they were -mustering on the northern boundaries the people were assembling -in tens of thousands along the principal streets. For this was to -be the city's farewell to these men who were going out to take -their place in the fight for the integrity of the Empire, and it was -clear from the start that it was going to be no half-hearted affair. -For weeks past soldiers had been passing through Melbourne, -sometimes in small parties, sometimes in large squads, while ever -and anon there had been lines of ambulance wagons going by, or -the houses had shaken to the rumbling of big guns. But yesterday -all these units were gathered into an Army to be reviewed by the -Commander-in-Chief of the Commonwealth forces." The Light -Horse rode in from camp through a pelting rain; hardy bushmen, -most of them, drawn from the remote back-lands of the State. -They and their horses were drenched, but their cheerfulness was -not even damped. They rode in and halted along King Street, -between Collins and Bourke Streets, to await the arrival of the -infantry. Wild squalls of wind and sleet drove the crowd to scatter -and find temporary shelter where they could, but as soon as the -clamant call of the bugle sounded and the infantry divisions were -seen marching sturdily up through the rain from Spencer Street -Station the waiting myriads forgot everything else and raced back -into their places, till the long streets were narrowed to a living, -cheering lane from start to finish of the line of route.</p> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_36a-i"> - <img src="images/i_036a.jpg" width="750" height="369" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>CAMP OF THE AUSTRALIANS AT MUDROS BAY.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_36b-i"> - <img src="images/i_036b.jpg" width="750" height="448" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>SULTAN OF EGYPT VISITS THE DARDANELLES WOUNDED.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_37-i"> - <img src="images/i_037.jpg" width="460" height="750" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>SECOND DIVISION LEAVING MUDROS BAY WITH AUSTRALIANS - ON THE FORE DECK.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">{37}</a></span> -It was not more than five or six weeks since most of the soldiers -in these disciplined, perfectly ordered ranks had gone out of the -city, pallid, weedy, slack, slouching, from sedentary, cramping -shop or office or factory life: now they came back into it, from the -training grounds, bronzed, hardened, alertly alive. They went out -straggling regiments of raw recruits, shouting to passers-by, singing -and laughing carelessly as they went: they came back silent, -steady men-at-arms, erect, soldierly, and with the look and bearing -of men who had dedicated themselves to a great purpose, and -meant to fulfil it.</p> - -<p>At the word of command, the Light Horse moved forward, and, -preceded by their field ambulances and service wagons, company -after company of the smartest, keenest infantry that ever stepped -in khaki followed them.</p> - -<p>At intervals the rain stopped, the clouds blew apart, and the -sun shone, and under sun or rain, with swords and bayonets gleaming -and regimental bands crashing out lively marching tunes, these -warrior sons of Australia advanced into the city whose streets and -shops and houses were all a-flutter with flags and handkerchiefs -and endlessly a-roar with friendly voices of welcome. It was a -day of high and great emotions; a day to be remembered by all -who shared in its stirring pageantry until their last of days; and -if there were tears in the eyes of hundreds who were cheering in -the dense-packed throng that lined the way, they were tears of -pride in these sons and brothers and sweethearts who had given -themselves so wholly and so gallantly to the service of their country. -I spoke of them just now as raw recruits, and most of them were; -but 700 of that 5,000 had war ribbons on their breasts, for they -had fought in the South African Campaign. One such was Colonel -Elliott, who led the 7th Battalion; fifteen years before he had -marched through these same streets as a private in the contingent -that was then leaving for South Africa.</p> - -<p>The waiting mass of spectators ahead in Russell Street could -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">{38}</a></span> -look up the long perspective of Collins Street and see the sinuous -khaki line flowing in from the hills beyond, between the dark banks -of cheering people, and they took up the cheering and passed it -on to thousands gathered farther in the city. As the troops came -forward the multitude closed in behind and followed, an ever-swelling, -tumultuous, joyous sea of humanity. Two flags marked -the saluting base in front of the steps of Parliament House, in -Bourke Street, and in readiness on the steps were the Prime -Minister, Mr. Fisher, Senator Pearce, the Minister of Defence, and -Major-General Bridges, in command of the whole Australian contingent, -and they were presently joined by Colonel J. W. McCay, -who had led the march through the streets to this spot. Shortly -before the soldiers came in sight, the Governor-General and Lady -Helen Ferguson drove up; and standing at the foot of the steps -under the united flags of Great Britain and Australia the Governor -took the salute as the long procession of horse and foot went -streaming past.</p> - -<p>"The immensely significant and important thing about yesterday's -demonstration," continues the reporter, "was that every -man who took part in it was a volunteer. No military despotism -had driven them to war. From many parts of Victoria, from the -public schools, and the State schools, from the cities and the back -blocks, from homes of comparative luxury, and from homes of -poverty these men had volunteered. In the march past yesterday -all social distinctions were blotted out. They were all Australians–Britons -by blood and descent, by temperament and tradition–and -yet essentially Australians–the biggest contingent for the -biggest war ever taken part in by Australia"–or, indeed, by any -nation on the face of the earth since the beginning of time.</p> - -<p>Once well past the saluting point, the ceremonial march was -practically finished, and it came to an actual end at the top of -Elizabeth Street. Here, as everywhere, there were countless -crowds to give the khakied ranks a rousing reception; some -swarmed after the cavalrymen, who rode aside into the Hay Market -and there dismounted to feed and water their horses and take an -interval of rest and refreshment. The infantry, however, wheeled -into Flemington Road and continued its march until it arrived in -Royal Park, where a halt was called, and directly the word to -"stand at ease" was given, arms were grounded, bayonets -sheathed, the ranks broke up, and the men drifted this way and -that to find among the thousands of civilians who were overflowing -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">{39}</a></span> -the Park the friends or relatives who were there in search -of them.</p> - -<p>There was an hour of impromptu picnicking, soldiers and -civilians clustering in little groups; for the sky had cleared by -now, and the wet grass was a matter of no account on such a day -as this; then the bugles sounded the "fall in," and in a few -minutes the men had lined up in ranks again, and in a few more -minutes, with mounted officers before and beside them and to the -music of drums and brasses, the four battalions swept out into -Royal Park Road at the quick march and set forth on the return -journey to their camp at Broadmeadows.</p> - -<p>When the principal part of the town was left behind "march -at ease" was the order of the hour, and rifles were slung over -shoulders, cigarettes or pipes lighted, and presently the last of the -following crowd, that had thinned out and dropped away and -was going back home, could scarcely hear the playing of the band -above the gay uproar of the hundreds of voices singing "Who'll -go a-fighting with the Kaiser and me?" and, when they had had -enough of that, joining as heartily in "It's a long way to Tipperary"–the -song that none of us can ever hear again unmoved, so many -thousands of our own people have gone singing it to death or glory -on the stricken fields of Flanders.</p> - -<p>In this wise Melbourne welcomed and said good-bye to that -2nd Brigade of hers; and in similar fashion Sydney, Adelaide, -Brisbane honoured their soldier sons; then, for certain weeks they -continued their preparations and waited impatiently in their camps -for the signal from oversea that should summon them into the -battle-line; and it was hailed everywhere with exultant enthusiasm -when it came at last and they could strike their tents and go.</p> - -<p>By this date, the third week in November of 1914, the effective -Army of Australia had grown to nearly 40,000 troops of all arms, -and there were not far short of 2,000 men in the Navy. In addition -there was now a Citizen Army of 56,298, fully armed and -equipped; 51,153 members of rifle clubs, and 67,153 reservists, -making a grand total of 164,633. But even these figures look -small when compared with what they have risen to in the year -that has passed since then.</p> - -<p>It was on the 18th November that the combined Australian -and New Zealand Expeditionary Forces set out from Albany, -Western Australia, for the front. They filled thirty-six transports -that steamed out of King George's Sound in four stately columns, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">{40}</a></span> -with the <i>Orverto</i> as flagship. All on the wharves and round about -them a dense, innumerable throng stood to watch the departure–stood -and watched it in a strangely impressive silence. Not until -the last ship had its living freight aboard and the tug was towing -it out to take its place in the great armada did the crowd seem -to catch its heart up suddenly and shatter the almost unbearable -stillness with volley after volley of thunderous cheers. And the -men on the ships, clustering along the sides, or climbing the rails, -waved their hands and hats and sent back an answering salvo -that only dwindled and altogether ceased when the shore had -receded so far that the crowds that were watching the ships till -they had passed from sight could barely be distinguished. But -the emotions such a parting stirred were too painful, too harrowing, -and "There should be no farewells like that," said one of the -troopers when it was over.</p> - -<p>The destination of the troopships was unknown, except to the -chief officers; some had an idea that they were going to England, -some that they were making direct for France and the trenches in -Flanders, but all knew before the earlier half of their fortnight's -voyage was done that they were to land, in the first place, at Alexandria. -None of them cared particularly where it was, so long as -they were brought, without too much delay, within reach of the -enemy.</p> - -<p>The navies of the Empire made a safe pathway over the thousands -of miles of sea, and the journey was as uneventfully peaceful -as if there had been no war in progress. It might even have been -a little monotonous if the men had not been so high-spirited and -so fertile in inventing amusements when they were not kept well -occupied with drilling and physical exercises. At six in the morning -réveillé was sounded, and by the time the bugle pealed for "lights -out," at nine at night, everybody was comfortably tired and ready -enough to sleep. During the day, between intervals of drilling, -signalling practice, and general exercise, there were rifle practice, -wrestling, jiu-jitsu, racing, jumping matches, to improve the fitness -of the troops in all directions; and from time to time, in quiet -corners about the deck, small groups would gather to listen while -an officer read descriptions of past battles and expounded military -tactics; and on the vessels that carried the cavalry there was a -good deal of extra work to do in exercising and looking after the -horses. Every evening the band played, and after it had finished -the men got up free-and-easy sing-songs among themselves. But -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">{41}</a></span> -before 10 o'clock the ships were all in darkness and no sounds -were to be heard except the surge and splash of the waters and -perhaps a busy rattle of typewriters from the cabins of the headquarters -staff. The genial spirit of comradeship between officers -and men helped to make the wheels of the whole organisation run -smoothly as well as effectively; the most perfect discipline was -maintained without anything of that Prussian arrogance in the -higher commands which passes for military capacity; for your -Australasian private is an especially free man, and is rightly conscious -of no inferiority to his officers, but has the good sense to -recognise that they are appointed to lead him and that as a matter -of simplest common sense he must render them a strict and willing -obedience whilst he is on duty. And the officers are as democratic -as their men and wear their dignity easily, and as an official not as -a personal superiority. All which naturally tends to promote -general harmony and good feeling, and they tell me that this was -the prevailing atmosphere on every one of the transports, this and -an unquenchable gaiety and cheerfulness that made the long voyage -as jolly as if it had been a holiday outing instead of the grim, determined -business that it really was.</p> - -<p>On the last day of November the transports entered the Red -Sea and had glimpses of Turkish territory on the starboard bow. -They left the Gulf of Suez behind, and as they were passing through -the Canal had their first welcome from some of the men who were -to be their comrades in the battles that lay before them. There -was a camp of Indian troops a little above Suez, and, says a <i>Melbourne -Age</i> correspondent who was on one of the transports, "we -saw a squad of them come running over the sand, jumping over -trenches, while others came pouring out from behind fortifications -down to the banks of the Canal, where they cheered in answer to -the cheers of the 5th Battalion on the flagship."</p> - -<p>About here, or when they sighted Port Said, the Australasians -carefully oiled their boots, for the first time since they left Albany, -and began to make ready for the end of the journey and going -ashore; and by the 3rd December they had emerged into the -Mediterranean and landed with all their stores and equipment at -Alexandria.</p> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">{43}</a></div> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<table class="chaphd" summary=""> - -<tr><td>5</td></tr> -<tr><td>CHRISTMAS</td></tr> -<tr><td>AT</td></tr> -<tr><td>THE</td></tr> -<tr><td>PYRAMIDS</td></tr> - -</table> - -</div> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">{44}</a></div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_44-i"> - <img src="images/i_044.jpg" width="750" height="567" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>THE LAST SERVICE ON BOARD THE "LONDON" FOR THE AUSTRALIANS.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_45-i"> - <img src="images/i_045.jpg" width="750" height="580" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>THE DARDANELLES–AUSTRALIANS AND BLUEJACKETS ON A TRANSPORT.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">{45}</a></div> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER V<br /> -<small>CHRISTMAS AT THE PYRAMIDS</small></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">"From faithful lass and loving wife</div> -<div class="verse">I bring a wish divine</div> -<div class="verse">For Christmas blessings on your head."</div> -<div class="verse">"I wish you well," the sentry said,</div> -<div class="verse">"But here, alas! you may not pass</div> -<div class="verse">Without the countersign."</div> -</div> - -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">He vanished–and the sentry's tramp</div> -<div class="verse">Re-echoed down the line.</div> -<div class="verse">It was not till the morning light</div> -<div class="verse">The soldiers knew that in the night</div> -<div class="verse">Old Santa Claus had come to camp</div> -<div class="verse">Without the countersign.</div> -<div class="verse indent16"><span class="smc">A. B. Paterson.</span></div> -</div> - -</div> -</div> - -<p class="nodent"><span class="smc">But</span> there were to be -another two months of waiting yet–of waiting -and tireless preparation, before any fighting was to come their -way. And this delay had the best of good reasons behind it. For -one thing it would not have been wise to bring the fighting men -of Australia and New Zealand straight out of their own summer to -face the rigours of a northern winter in England, or in France; and -for another, Lord Kitchener has a habit–a very disconcerting habit -for his enemies and some of his self-important critics–of looking -ahead and providing for to-morrow; he foresaw that things might -soon be happening in the sunny land of the Pharaohs and knew -that when they did happen it would be good to have such a hefty -band of warriors ready there and waiting for them.</p> - -<p>"I am pleased to be able to announce," said Mr. Fisher in the -Australian House of Representatives on the 4th December, "that -the Australian and New Zealand contingents have safely arrived -and have disembarked in Egypt to assist in the defence of that -country and to complete their training there. They will go direct -to the front to fight with other British troops in Europe when their -training is complete. Acting on the strong recommendation and -advice of Lord Kitchener, the Commonwealth Government agreed -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">{46}</a></span> -to the Australian Imperial Force being landed in Egypt for training -instead of in England. It was pointed out that to house Australians -in tents in an English mid-winter after a long voyage in troopships -through the tropics and sub-tropics would be a very severe trial -and impose unnecessary hardships on our men. Lord Kitchener's -proposals were entirely due to his anxiety to secure the best possible -conditions for the success of our forces, in which he takes a very -special interest."</p> - -<p>A similar announcement was made by New Zealand's Premier, -who said that his Government also had readily acquiesced in Lord -Kitchener's suggestions.</p> - -<p>Some thousands of the troops went off almost at once to form -part of the Army of English Territorials and Egyptian regiments -that were occupying Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula; but the great -majority of the Australasians pitched their camps in the desert -round about Cairo. The Light Horse were at Maadi; the New -Zealanders at Sertun, on the opposite bank of the Nile; and the -Australian infantry were at Menai, ten miles outside Cairo at the -foot of the hills, in the shadow of the Pyramids. This which had -been trackless waste before they came was transformed within a -fortnight after their arrival into a vast canvas city, with long -streets of white tents intersected here and there by wooden booths -that were used as shops and cafés. Men and stores were carried -from Alexandria by rail to the temporary station of Abu Ela, just -beyond Cairo, and thence by wagon, mule, camel, and afoot, or in -the electric trams that run from Cairo to the Pyramids. It was -impossible by threats or entreaties to hustle the leisurely natives -who assisted in this arduous transport work; nevertheless it was -all accomplished, the camp erected and organised, and by the -middle of December the strangers from oversea had made themselves -comfortably at home in the desert. The streets of white -tents stretched for miles across the sands; brown-visaged, white-robed -natives would come and hover on the outskirts of them -hawking sweetmeats and fruit, or would squat patiently on the -alert to offer their services as guides to soldiers going off on leave, -or would gather in picturesque, chattering groups to gaze admiringly -whilst the troops went through their usual drill exercises or on some -days carried out more extensive military manœuvres.</p> - -<p>Every day the big camp hummed with miscellaneous activities; -and every day there were regiments busy at bayonet practice, at -heavy trench digging, at long route marches under the blazing sun -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">{47}</a></span> -across the apparently interminable flats of sand; but almost every -day, too, there were hundreds set free to crowd into and on the -electric trams and descend upon Cairo to lounge through the bazaars -and to fraternise with their English comrades in arms who were to -be met with there and who joyously did the honours of the city -and took them round to see the wonders of it. And almost every -day there were parties of such holiday-going fighting men captured -by vociferous Arab guides, and driven furiously off on sturdy little -mules, with their drivers tearing and panting after them, to make -a nearer acquaintance with the Sphinx, or to explore the dim, -mysterious chambers of the Pyramids.</p> - -<p>I like to think of those keen young Australians, men of the -youngest of nations, who have put their hands to the building of -the happier world of to-morrow which shall be a greater and more -lasting monument to them than any pyramid of brick and stone–I -like to think of them, eager, splendidly alive, on the threshold -of a new day, turning aside to wander in those dusty halls and -passages haunted by ghosts of a wondrous civilisation that has -been dead these thousands of years. I like to think, too, of those -hoary pyramids, dark with long memories, towering up into the -bright sky on Sunday mornings when church service was being -held in the camp, and hearing the faint preludings of the military -band and then the swell of a myriad voices joining in some such -nobly simple hymn as "Rock of Ages"–an alien melody to them, -but with all of home in it for the singers. Strange hours they -must have been when those voices of the future broke the silence -of the past.</p> - -<p>Another circumstance that appeals to the imagination is that -amongst this continuous coming and going of troops, the stir and -noise of warlike preparations, there was a small prohibited area -where Dr. Reisler, the American Egyptologist, was all the while -making excavations and reverently unearthing the ancient tombs -at the base of one of the pyramids, serenely undisturbed. But -though that area was officially forbidden to the soldiers, Dr. Reisler -made them heartily welcome when any happened to stray into -his neighbourhood. The <i>Age</i> correspondent asked him whether -the proximity of the troops inconvenienced him and "Why, surely," -said he with a pleasantly strong American intonation, "I don't -mind the troops coming down here. I welcome all you Australians. -And, believe me, the natives have taken a great fancy to your -men. They are tickled to death with them."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">{48}</a></span> -There were two great days towards the end of December, when -Lieutenant-General Sir John Maxwell, Commander of the forces in -Egypt, rode into Menai camp, and, with General W. R. Birdwood, -commanding the Australian and New Zealand contingents, and -Sir George Reid, the Australian High Commissioner, held a review -in which cavalry, infantry, and all branches of the Australian service -took part, one regiment, on the second day, arriving back from a -long desert march with their coats off and shirt-sleeves turned up, -hot and dusty, but in the highest spirits, and falling into line immediately -to parade past with the rest. They say that the sight -of these hardy fellows approaching in sensible deshabille, but fresh -as paint after miles of tramping under a broiling sun, moved General -Maxwell to ejaculate emphatically to the High Commissioner, "This -is a splendid sight, Sir George. They're a grand lot!"</p> - -<p>But I have a notion that the most memorable event of those -two months was the Christmas which they all spent in the desert. -From 3 o'clock in the afternoon of Christmas Eve parades were -dispensed with, and for two days the homely spirit of Yule triumphed -over the spirit of Mars on the banks of the Nile. Instead of small -tourist parties, thousands went pouring out on camels and donkeys -to the Sphinx and the pyramids, and thousands went to crowd and -enliven the bright streets of Cairo and chaffer at the booths for gifts -to send to the folk down south. The adjacent palm groves were -laid under contribution and the tents lavishly decorated within -and without; and after dark, when the revellers were back, every -tent was brilliantly lighted up, and Chinese lanterns hung glowing -at the entrances to many of them. Sentries along the moonlit road -that led from Cairo tried to maintain the usual punctilious military -formalities, but as often as not the returning groups would have -none of their challenges, in such a time as that, and answered with -insubordinate flippancies. "You can see who goes here right -enough, Joe–it's me." "Look here," the outraged sentry would -protest, "if you don't halt when I tell you to I'll call the guard -out and put you under arrest." "No, don't do that, Joe, it's -chilly, and the poor chaps will catch cold. Merry Christmas, old -boy." And the rebel passed on with his friends, and the sentry, -since after all it was Christmas, grinned and let them go.</p> - -<p>Though they returned to camp they were not going to bed; -hardly anybody thought of sleep until daybreak. Something after -midnight a cornet-player in one of the tents started a Christmas -carol, and the singing and laughter that had been coming from the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">{49}</a></span> -other tents quieted down; another cornet farther along the canvas -street joined in; then another farther off still, a street or two -away. When they stopped, a drum sounded and a string band -somewhere took up the burden and filled the blue dark with -memories that did not belong to the desert. Towards 4 o'clock, -when all the other music had dwindled into silence, the band of the -4th Sydney Battalion began a series of such carols–the old, old -familiar tunes that catch at the heart-strings with dear and sacred -associations–and so played the last of the night away and the first -of the morning in. And with the morning came the Christmas -mails, and there was scarcely a tent in all those miles of them at -which the postmen did not call with letters from home.</p> - -<p>Early in the day the camp kitchens were getting busy, but -outside help had been called in so as to give the regimental cooks -a holiday. After church parade the men laid themselves out to -make the most of the day. There were the wildest donkey races, -and several attempts to organise a camel race, but the camels -could not be persuaded to run. Two scratch teams were got -together for a cricket match with make-shift bats and wickets; -and the New South Wales regiment carried through a successful -football tournament. Dinner was, of course, the crowning event -of the day. This was served in two miles of wooden huts, four of -which were allotted to each regiment. There was a turkey for -every table, and a supply of turkeys held in reserve in case any -table demanded more than one. There were Christmas puddings -in plenty, and other seasonable fare, and some of the tables had -even succeeded in supplying themselves with crackers. In spite -of the time and the place, the old festival was observed with all the -good cheer and jollity that traditionally belong to it; and not the -least pleasant moment of the festivities came when the Colonels of -the different regiments looked in at hut after hut to see that their -men were well supplied and to wish them a Merry Christmas; -and you might track the way those Colonels went by the cheers -that followed them.</p> - -<p>One of the Australian officers sent home the following as the -menu of his Christmas dinner in the desert:</p> - -<div class="menu"> - -<p>BRIGADE HEADQUARTERS STAFF AND FIELD ARTILLERY BRIGADE</p> - -<p class="smc">Table d'Hôte</p> - -<p><i>Soup</i>:<br /> -Vegetable.</p> - -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">{50}</a></span> - -<p><i>Joints</i>:<br /> -Roast Sirloin of beef.<br /> -Boiled pork.<br /> -Ham.<br /> -Poultry.<br /> -Roast turkey and savoury sauce.</p> - -<p><i>Vegetables</i>:<br /> -Asparagus and butter sauce.<br /> -Baked and mashed potatoes.<br /> -Green peas.</p> - -<p><i>Sweets</i>:<br /> -Plum pudding and brandy sauce.<br /> -Port wine jelly.<br /> -Blanc mange and jam.<br /> -Fruit salad.</p> - -<p>Almonds, mixed nuts, snapdragon, fruits in season.</p> - -<p>Port wine, whisky, brandy.<br /> -Aerated waters. Tea, coffee, cocoa.</p> - -</div> - -<p>The festivities were continued to some extent through most of -the following day, then the suspended routine was resumed, the -relaxed discipline tightened up again; holiday-making was over, -and officers and men were presently heartened by a prospect of -coming to grips with the enemy at last.</p> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">{51}</a></div> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<table class="chaphd" summary=""> - -<tr><td>6</td></tr> -<tr><td>THE</td></tr> -<tr><td>FIGHT</td></tr> -<tr><td>FOR</td></tr> -<tr><td>THE</td></tr> -<tr><td>SUEZ CANAL</td></tr> - -</table> - -</div> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">{52}</a></div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_52-i"> - <img src="images/i_052.jpg" width="750" height="349" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>AN AUSTRALIAN LANDING PARTY FOR THE DARDANELLES.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_53a-i"> - <img src="images/i_053a.jpg" width="750" height="443" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>AUSTRALIANS PREPARING TO DISEMBARK IN THE DARDANELLES.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_53b-i"> - <img src="images/i_053b.jpg" width="750" height="424" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>AUSTRALIANS LANDING NORTH OF GABA TEPE.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">{53}</a></div> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER VI<br /> -<small>THE FIGHT FOR THE SUEZ CANAL</small></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - -<div class="verse">Then against the black of night</div> -<div class="verse">Rose a form, with visage white,</div> -<div class="verse">Clad in steel, and crowned with flame,</div> -<div class="verse">"Duty" was her awful name.</div> -<div class="verse indent16"><span class="smc">Victor J. Daley.</span></div> - -</div> -</div> - -<p class="nodent"><span class="smc">The</span> hotels and bazaars -of Cairo buzzed through the last days of -December and the early half of January with portentous and -growing rumours of a powerful Turkish force that was making ready -for an overwhelming attack on Egypt. Men who went out on a -day's leave from the camps at Maadi, at Sertun, or Menai came -back from the city and spread the glad tidings that at last there -was a possibility of their having something to do. It was all the -flying talk of more or less irresponsible gossipers, to begin with, but -before long definite statements were allowed to appear in the local -papers; official information was cautiously given out; spies and -scouts came flitting back from beyond the desert with detailed -news that was as momentous as it was welcome, and it was known -that an expedition of 20,000 Turks under German officers, and commanded -by Major von den Hagen, was being organised and elaborately -equipped and was coming to seize the Suez Canal–or to make -an attempt to do so.</p> - -<p>Cairo talked about it and was keenly interested, but quite unperturbed. -The men in the camps would have felt no anxiety only -it was said that there would be no need for most of them to be -taken into action, and every regiment was anxious not to be one -of those that were left out of it. They cheered the lucky battalions, -told off for active service, that went singing down the long white -road to the railway station in Cairo, whence they were to entrain -for the fighting line; then they drifted back to their tents to discuss -the hopeful possibility that the Turkish forces might prove larger -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">{54}</a></span> -than was anticipated and so make room on the war-path for all the -reserves.</p> - -<p>The Canal forts bristled expectantly; English, Australian, New -Zealand, and Indian troops were entrenched all along the western -bank; but the slow days passed and the visitor still tarried, though -they were willing and eager to receive him and give him a warm -reception. Every morning when the darkness began to lift and -the sentries could see across the shining waterway, they peered -expectantly into the dead sea of desert that stretched for miles -from the opposite side and, in the far distance, billowed into rolling -hills against the horizon–and there was never an enemy in sight. -Every day Australian scouts and scouting parties of the camel -corps were coming and going across that dreary, sandy plain; and -to watch their gradual disappearance among or over the hills, or -their gradual re-emergence from them, gave you a sense of being -asleep and looking at quietly moving figures in a dream. Aircraft -soared high into the dazzling blue and flew above the waste, and -above the hills, and vanished beyond them, but came back time -after time only to report that the Turks had not yet started from -their base.</p> - -<p>The long wait was getting tedious; except for the cutting down -and clearing away of bush and scrub on the eastern shore, and the -emptying and levelling of a village so as to leave the enemy as -little cover over there as possible, there was nothing to relieve the -monotony of things but the customary routine drills and military -exercises and some little occasional work in further strengthening -the fortifications. So that when at length an airman came racing -back with tidings that the Ottoman Army was on the move a thrill -of excitement and grim joy ran like a fire from trench to trench -in the vast chain of them.</p> - -<p>But the great hour was still some days away. The advance -was slow and methodical; it was encumbered with heavy rafts and -steel or zinc pontoons that were to be used in crossing the Canal, -in addition to huge stores of munitions and the enormous supplies -of food that were needed for a large army in a barren land where -nobody lived. It was no easy matter to drag baggage wagons -and artillery through the shifting, yielding sands, and in the teeth -of intermittent whirling dust-storms; and if the Turk had not been -a doughty and doggedly determined foeman, and one there was -some credit in fighting and defeating, he never would have held on -and brought himself even within firing range of the goal he was -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">{55}</a></span> -not destined to reach. Here and there he lingered for rest and -repairs; here and there he halted for a day by the wells to replenish -his stock of water; though he followed the charted caravan routes, -he was finding the desert as difficult to cross as Napoleon and his -army found it a hundred years ago. Presently our patrols were in -touch with him, sniping him from the hills and steadily retiring as -he advanced. But he plodded on, over the unstable flats, over -line after line of crumbling hills, until, with only one more series -of hills to negotiate, he set up his last camp at Katib-el-Kheil, -some twelve miles from the Canal.</p> - -<p>In the night of the 1st February and throughout most of the -next day the Turks were busy there completing their arrangements -for the attack. There were frequent small skirmishes between their -patrols and ours, who were tenaciously hovering on their line, -and it was not till evening was sending its swift shadows before -that the last of our scouts came hastening in and crossed the water -with word that the offensive had commenced. At about 6 o'clock -the Turkish legions could be seen streaming down the hills at -numerous points on a front that extended for eighty along the -Canal's hundred miles of length, but they showed no hurry to get -their guns speaking.</p> - -<p>Most of these attacks seem to have been in the nature of feints -to discover whether there were any weak joints in the armour -of the defence, or to distract the attention of the defenders from -the main assault which was rapidly developing against the narrowest -section of the Canal, between Toussoum and Serapeum. Even -here, however, the Canal is over 200 ft. wide, and the problem -for the invaders was how to span that space, in face of gun and -maxim and rifle fire, effect a landing on the other side, dash up -an embankment that rose to a height of 40 ft., and drive out of -their trenches at the point of the bayonet thousands of the hardiest -and most coolly determined troops in the British Army. More -impossible-looking attempts have succeeded before now, but the -Turks, after sticking to it heroically for forty-eight hours, found -that it could not be done.</p> - -<p>The nearest of the enemy forces were still several miles from -the farther shore of the Canal, and more and more of them could -be seen pouring over and down the hills in support of the advance-guard, -when the twilight gathered round them and then "at one -stride came the dark," and unseen in the cloudy, almost moonless -night they made their dispositions, and before dawn the covering -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">{56}</a></span> -troops to be held in reserve had dug themselves into the sand -and were formidably entrenched. All through the night teams of -bullocks were dragging forward the steel pontoons that were to -bridge the Canal; gangs of toiling men carried the pontoons on their -shoulders through a gap in the bank down to the edge of the water, -where the engineers got to work with them, swung them round -into position one beyond the other, and by three in the morning -had pushed out nearly as far as mid-stream. The defenders might -all have been asleep for any sign of life that came from them; but -keen eyes were unceasingly searching the gloom and were quick -to notice the growing black line that was creeping stealthily out -towards them on the dull gleam of the water. They waited patiently -and silently till they considered it had been allowed to come far -enough, then the word was passed along the line, the company -officers' whistles shrilled startlingly, and the next moment a blaze -of fire from machine guns and rifles swept the doomed beginning of -the pontoon bridge and left it strewn with dead and wounded, and -kept such a hail of lead pelting over it as to render it untenantable.</p> - -<p>Already the Turks had launched five boats and loaded them -with picked men, and as soon as they realised that they were discovered -they flung precautions to the wind, and made a rush across -with these, purposing to land and entrench them so as to establish -a bridge-end in readiness for the completed pontoon. Three of the -boats were riddled and sunk, and of the struggling, shouting mob -that was flung into the water some swam back and some swam -pluckily on at the tail of the other two boats, which dodged across -desperately in the baffling darkness and were successfully beached. -As the first boat touched land, its occupants sprang out and charged -impetuously up the high embankment, but were shot down to a -man before they could reach the top. The second boatload, profiting -by the failure of their comrades, hastily dug themselves into -the mud and sand with hands and bayonets, and lay close in holes -that sloped into the ground and gave shelter against the relentless -fire from the British trenches. But the coming of daylight exposed -their exact location and made it so untenable that the few who -had not been shot threw down their arms and came out and were -taken prisoners.</p> - -<p>Though the Turks had thus failed at the first onset, they were -a long way from beaten–there was plenty of fight in them yet. -Boat after boat was launched in forlorn attempts to scutter over -and land a small force that should cover the landing of others, and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">{57}</a></span> -the completion of the bridge; but what had been impracticable in -the dark was hopelessly impossible after the sun was up. Every -boat that put forth on this mission was deluged with shot and -shell and sent to the bottom. There was a wild attempt made to -manufacture and push across a bridge of planks on empty kerosine -tins, but this promptly went the same way of destruction as soon -as it began to get afloat.</p> - -<p>All day the fighting continued along the whole front from -Ismalia to Suez. The Turks by now had brought their big guns -into action and were shelling the British posts and trenches; but -one after the other these guns were silenced by the accuracy of -our gunfire, and when two or three destroyers and a British cruiser -steamed up the Canal from their anchorage in Lake Timsah and, -having casually shattered the remnants of the pontoons, turned -their guns on to the harassed lines of the enemy, scattering and -levelling the sandy hummocks and searching the holes and trenches -that were giving him shelter, he began to feel it was time to go, and -only waited for the dark to come and hide his doings before he -hastened to something of a rout the retreating movement he had -cautiously commenced by daylight.</p> - -<p>Sniping was kept up all through the night of the 3rd February -on both sides, whilst this confused and headlong retirement was in -progress; and when the morning of the 4th dawned all the Turks -had departed, except a strong detaining force that was left behind -in the trenches to cover the retreat. A detachment of Britishers -was dispatched across the Canal to clear them out, and after a fierce -resistance, surrounded and almost annihilated them, the firing only -ceasing when the exhausted survivors, after futile attempts to make -a run for it, dropped their rifles and surrendered at discretion.</p> - -<p>From the shore of the Canal to the distant hills, discarded stores -and baggage, broken carts and abandoned guns marked the tracks -by which the beaten army had fled. And all about the sands lay -the Turkish dead. They carried hundreds of wounded away with -them, left hundreds of prisoners in our hands, and had lost over -a thousand slain, including their German commander, Major von -den Hagen.</p> - -<p>The shipping on the Canal had not been delayed for much more -than twenty-four hours; in forty-eight from the firing of the first -shot the Turks were in flight, and by the morning of the 5th February -there were none of them, but the prisoners, within twenty miles of -the British chain of defences. The Australian Light Horse and the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">{58}</a></span> -New Zealanders, with English and Indian troops, crossed and went -in pursuit, and there were rear-guard actions fought around the -sand-hills, and here and there straggling parties of the enemy -rounded up and captured. The elaborately appointed, German-officered -army of Turks that had marched out into the desert prepared -for a mighty struggle, but confident of victory, escaped from -its pursuers and got back with difficulty to Beersheba, a disheartened -and disorganised rabble.</p> - -<p>For over a month they lay there inactive, and it was thought -they had abandoned their Egyptian enterprise for good; but -about the 10th March a flying column of 1,000 men made a twelve -days' dash through the desert again and put up a vigorous attempt -to break the Canal defences at Kubri. The bombardment of the -Dardanelles had given rise to a notion that troops had been sent -from Egypt for the invasion of Gallipoli, and that therefore the -Canal defences had been weakened, but all the Turks who were -not shot or taken prisoners went back as hurriedly as they had -come, and must have been able to assure their German masters -that the Canal defences were as impregnable as ever. "Our officers -told us," said one of the prisoners (and their officers were mostly -German), "that the enemy here were not soldiers, but farmers -and peace men from the British Colonies, who had never been in -battle and could not fight, but," he looked his stalwart New Zealand -interlocutor up and down, "they did not know. Bismillah! -if you are not fighting men, I do not want to meet the others."</p> - -<p>From that day to this, the Suez Canal has seen no more of war. -The warships swing watchfully at anchor in the bitter lakes through -which it flows, and the hundred miles of posts and trenches on the -western bank are still peopled with vigilant men in khaki who -have held their own there triumphantly and may be trusted to go -on holding it till the war-drums throb no longer and the German -menace is a tale of yesterday.</p> - -<p>In the first seven months of the war the sons of Australia and -New Zealand, fighting beside the soldiers of the homeland and of -India, had won a decisive victory and saved Egypt to the Empire; -and before twelve months were past they had crowned their names -with a greater and more terrible glory in the valleys of death and -on the bloody heights of Gallipoli.</p> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">{59}</a></div> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<table class="chaphd" summary=""> - -<tr><td>7</td></tr> -<tr><td>THE</td></tr> -<tr><td>EPIC</td></tr> -<tr><td>OF THE</td></tr> -<tr><td>DARDANELLES</td></tr> -<tr><td>BEGINS</td></tr> - -</table> - -</div> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">{60}</a></div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_60a-i"> - <img src="images/i_060a.jpg" width="750" height="403" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>THE DARDANELLES–AUSTRALIAN TROOPS AT THE LANDING.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_60b-i"> - <img src="images/i_060b.jpg" width="750" height="512" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>AUSTRALIA'S SPLENDID CORPS OF MOUNTED AMBULANCE MEN.<br /> - The Red Cross wagons have scarcely arrived, when the bearers<br /> - are seen approaching them with wounded in the emergency slings.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_61a-i"> - <img src="images/i_061a.jpg" width="750" height="439" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>THE BRAVE AUSTRALIANS.<br /> - The Australian troops have done magnificently in the land fighting<br /> - in the Dardanelles. Typical Australian members of the expedition.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_61b-i"> - <img src="images/i_061b.jpg" width="750" height="453" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>AUSTRALIA'S SPLENDID CORPS OF MOUNTED AMBULANCE MEN.<br /> - Transferring the wounded to the wagons.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">{61}</a></div> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER VII<br /> -<small>THE EPIC OF THE DARDANELLES BEGINS</small></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">Closer yet, until the tightening</div> -<div class="verse">Strain of rapt excitement heightening</div> -<div class="verse">Grows oppressive. Ha! like lightning</div> -<div class="verse">On his enemy he launches.</div> -<div class="verse indent16"><span class="smc">Adam Lindsay Gordon.</span></div> -</div> - -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">With Death on the off-side lead,</div> -<div class="verse indent2">And Duty stern at the limber,</div> -<div class="verse">The men of the British breed</div> -<div class="verse indent2">Strain sinews, steel, and timber.</div> -<div class="verse">With jangling bar and trace,</div> -<div class="verse indent2">And trail-eyes all a-rattle,</div> -<div class="verse">The guns rush thundering in the race,</div> -<div class="verse">Where "last gun in" is a sore disgrace:</div> -<div class="verse">For the drivers drive at a reckless pace</div> -<div class="verse indent2">When the guns go into battle.</div> -<div class="verse indent16"><span class="smc">Will Lawson.</span></div> -</div> - -</div> -</div> - -<p class="nodent"><span class="smc">When</span> the full story -of the Great War comes, at last, to be written, -no part of it will thrill our children or our children's children more, -or make them prouder of their race, than the chapters which shall -tell of how men of England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Australia, -New Zealand, and India fought stubbornly side by side, and side -by side with our gallant French allies, on those hills and plains -of Gallipoli.</p> - -<p>All the country thereabouts has been dedicated to war and -romance from time immemorial. At its entrance, between Kum -Kale and Sedd-el-Bahr, the Dardanelles is only two miles wide; -it broadens to five miles as you go in, and contracts, when you -reach the narrows, to the width of a single mile. Here it was, -nearly five hundred years before Christ, that Xerxes threw a bridge -of boats across for his conquering army to pass over; and here it -was that Leander nightly swam the mile of water that separates -Abydos from Sestos, where Hero lived. On the eastern shore, -near the mouth of the Dardanelles, and within sight and sound of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">{62}</a></span> -the thunderous battles of to-day, is the site of that ancient Troy -whose long siege rages for ever in Homer's Iliad; but the Greek -and Trojan heroes he has immortalised knew no such terrific fighting, -did no such deeds of mighty valour as have fallen to the share of the -incomparable heroes who are fighting there now.</p> - -<p>The powerful forts along either coast-line, the masked batteries -among the hills, the torpedo tubes cunningly concealed on the -rocky beaches, the sunken-mine fields that bar the channel, and -the floating mines that can be sent drifting down on the current -to strike and blast an enemy's ships to the bottom, make the forcing -of the Dardanelles an infinitely more difficult undertaking than it -was when Admiral Duckworth made a bold dash for it and got -through with his fleet in 1807; and there are not wanting amateur -experts among our arm-chair critics who say confidently that the -dispatch of the British and French fleets to force a passage there, -last February, without the support of a military expedition on shore, -was a casual and wild blunder. It may have been; but it were -more rational not to pass judgment until we have all the evidence -before us. It was a sudden and vigorous attempt, and we should -have been loud in our praise of the daring initiative of whoever was -responsible for it if it had succeeded; but it failed, as even some -of our best-laid schemes are bound to do, for the age of miracles -is past, though the grumblers who expect us to win every time and -the enemy to lose every time do not appear to be aware of this.</p> - -<p>The most we can safely say is that the February attack by the -allied fleets was an unfortunate adventure, for it not only failed, it put -the Turks on the alert and spurred them to strengthen their defences -and hurry reinforcements to the Peninsula until they had some -200,000 men garrisoning the forts and ready in mile behind mile -of trenches to meet the British and French troops that were presently -to be sent against them.</p> - -<p>On the 13th March General Sir Ian Hamilton left London with -his staff to take command of the Mediterranean Expeditionary -Army, and a day or two later landed at Tenedos in the Ægean Sea, -where, in the dim past, the Greeks had landed when they marched -to besiege Troy. After consultations with Vice-Admiral de Robeck, -commanding the British Eastern Mediterranean Fleet, with General -d'Amade, commander of the French Corps Expéditionnaire, and -Contre-Amiral Guepratte, who commanded the French squadron, -Sir Ian made careful reconnaissances up the Gulf of Saros along -the outer coast of Gallipoli, and rapidly matured his plan of campaign, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">{63}</a></span> -using Malta as a base of operations, bringing troops thence -and from Egypt and concentrating his vast fleet of loaded transports -in Mudros Bay, off the Island of Lemnos, which lies out in -the Ægean, some twenty miles before the gates of the Dardanelles. -Here, with new regiments from the British Isles, from India, and -from France, were Australians and New Zealanders who had -received their baptism of fire in the Suez Canal campaign; and -whilst they lingered for the transport arrangements to be completed -they improved the shining hours, or, rather the hours that -had no shine in them, by practising every evening the work of -rapidly disembarking and making a landing on the shores of Mudros -Bay, their genial comrades, the bluejackets, helping them with tips -in the art of climbing rope-ladders, in steering a boat and using a -boathook.</p> - -<p>"What can I say about the Army?" says Mr. Ashmead -Bartlett, in his "Dispatches from the Dardanelles." "It is no -ordinary body of men. It is essentially Imperial in its composition, -and only the British Empire could have brought together such a -force from all corners of the earth. Also the majority of the men -are volunteers and Colonials. It is the great counter-attack of -Australia against the enemy in the east whilst our regular armies -are holding the line so gallantly in the west.... I do not suppose -that any country in its palmiest days ever sent forth to the field -of battle a finer body of men than these Australian, New Zealand, -and Tasmanian troops. Physically they are the finest lot of men -I have ever seen in any part of the world. In fact, I had no idea -such a race of giants existed in the twentieth century." Sir Ian -Hamilton, too, was full of praise for his troops from "down under," -and considered them "a magnificent lot of men, and as keen as -mustard for the job."</p> - -<p>In the afternoon of 23rd April an impressive battle service -was held aboard the crowded transports, and soldiers and sailors -stood bare-headed and listened reverently whilst the chaplain -prayed for them, and that, fighting a clean fight for the rights -of humanity, they might be strengthened to go on unflinchingly -in the face of every difficulty and danger till their arms were crowned -with victory. It was the last consecration of those brave men -to the high and perilous duty to which they had given themselves. -In the evening of the same day transports carrying the troops -who were to make the first landing on Gallipoli, and act as a covering -force for the main army, moved out of Mudros Bay, with their -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">{64}</a></span> -convoy of warships, and the rest of the expedition followed in their -track–a mighty fleet of nearly a hundred transports in all, guarded -on every side by a wonderful array of gunboats, destroyers, swift -armoured-cruisers, and stately dreadnoughts, including the mammoth -<i>Queen Elizabeth</i>.</p> - -<p>On the morning of the 24th April the transports anchored off -Tenedos. The day was occupied in transferring the troops to a -number of cutters and smaller war vessels, and at midnight these -were taken in tow by certain of the larger ships, and, silently -and without lights, moved away through the darkness, stringing -out into long, serpentine lines, towards Gallipoli.</p> - -<p>The expedition was divided into two landing parties. Whilst -the French created a diversion by bombarding Kum Kale, on the -eastern coast, strong forces of English, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh -were to land at five points, on the beach below Krithia, above Cape -Tekeh, at Cape Helles, at Sedd-el-Bahr, and near Totts Battery, -on the extreme end of the Peninsula; and after a fierce half-hour's -shelling of the forts and defences by the fleet this landing was -carried out with the most brilliant success. Simultaneously the -Australians and New Zealanders, who had left Tenedos in advance -of the rest, were to penetrate the Gulf of Saros and land above -Gaba Tepe, where the Peninsula narrows to a sort of bottle-neck, -to keep the Turks fully engaged there and prevent them from -dispatching reinforcements to oppose the landing farther south. -It is a rugged and difficult part of the coast, this above Gaba -Tepe, and had been selected for that reason, because the enemy -was less likely to anticipate an attack there and would be less -prepared for it.</p> - -<p>"The beach on which the landing was actually effected," writes -Sir Ian Hamilton, in his vivid report, "is a very narrow strip of -sand, about a thousand yards in length, bounded on the north -and south by two small promontories. At its southern extremity -a deep ravine, with exceedingly steep, scrub-clad sides, runs inland -in a north-easterly direction. Near the northern end of the beach -a small but steep gully runs up into the hills at right angles to the -shore. Between the ravine and the gully the whole of the beach -is backed by the seaward face of the spur which forms the north-western -side of the ravine. From the top of the spur the ground -falls almost sheer, except near the southern limit of the beach, -where gentler slopes give access to the mouth of the ravine behind. -Further inland lie in a tangled knot the under-features of Saribair, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">{65}</a></span> -separated by deep ravines which take a most confusing diversity -of direction. Sharp spurs, covered with dense scrub and falling -away in many places in precipitous sandy cliffs, radiate from the -principal mass of the mountain, from which they run north-west, -south-west, and south to the coast."</p> - -<p>Another description says that the strip of beach with the cliffs -sloping steeply up from it has resemblances to Folkestone; another -compares it with its wild hinterland to the grimness and barrenness -of Dartmoor; and yet another pictures the whole Peninsula as -like a sea petrified in the height of a storm, heaving to gaunt ridges -and falling away into deep troughs and hollows, to sweep up and -over again in a wave-like succession of tumultuous hills.</p> - -<p>This was the terribly inhospitable country that the Australasians -approached warily in the smallest dark hours of the morning. -The land lay almost invisible in the black depths of the night; -no sound came out to them, and no light glimmered anywhere. -Silently and shrouded in the shadows the warships took up their -appointed positions in readiness, at the right moment, to cover -the landing with a hail of shell-fire; the steam pinnaces, with -their strings of boats loaded to the gunwale with eager troops, glided -past them towards the coast; and after a brief interval a flotilla -of destroyers crept on their track, packed with more men to be -rushed ashore as soon as the covering parties had obtained a footing.</p> - -<p>At this stage happened one of the most daring of the many -instances of individual heroism with which the progress of the -Gallipoli campaign has been marked; a deed that was fittingly -rewarded with the D.S.O. It had been suggested that three boatloads -of men should be sent ahead of the rest to land and light a -series of flares along the beach with the two-fold object of enabling -the invaders to get a glimpse of where they were going, and of -drawing the enemy's fire and so disclosing his whereabouts for the -benefit of the ships' gunners who were waiting to begin the -bombardment. Major Freyberg, a born New Zealander and in -command of the landing party at this point, had suggested to Major-General -Paris, his chief, that the men who went on such a desperate -mission would certainly be annihilated, and had offered to swim -ashore and light the flares himself; and Mr. Malcom Ross, who -accompanied the New Zealand forces as official war-correspondent, -has related the story of this plucky adventure in <i>The New Zealand -Herald</i>.</p> - -<p>A destroyer was to have dropped the major into the sea within -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">{66}</a></span> -half a mile of the beach, but the distance was misjudged in the -darkness, and he found he had to do a swim of nearer two miles, -"with three oil flares and two Holmes lights which he carried in a -waterproof bag, with sufficient air to support the weight in the -water. He also carried, attached to a belt round his waist, a small -revolver and a sheath knife." He calculated that he was swimming -for an hour and a half before the sea shallowed and he could feel the -earth under his feet, and as the usual landing-place was powerfully -protected with barbed-wire entanglements, he had to grope his -way along till he found an accessible spot where he could emerge -from the sea. He was threatened with cramp, for the water was -bitterly cold, but without loss of time he cautiously made his way -inland to a place where on the previous day, when he had reconnoitred -the coast in a destroyer, he had seen what he had taken -to be a line of trenches. When he arrived at them, a quarter of a -mile from the sea, he discovered that they were dummies, intended -for the ships to waste their shells on, "and he could hear the Turks -talking and see them striking matches to light their cigarettes in -the lines higher up."</p> - -<p>Crawling back to the beach, he lit his first flare, dived, and -swam for his life. Firing commenced immediately from the Turkish -trenches, but the major landed again safely farther along the -beach, lit his second flare, dived, and got away, and still farther -along landed once more and set his third blazing; then took to -the water and was swimming for an hour before the destroyer could -find him and pick him up.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the destroyer, guided by the Turkish fire, had -opened on the enemy's trenches with her guns and maxims, and -the warships farther out were not slow to take a hand in the proceedings.</p> - -<p>It was now towards five in the morning, and already the dawn was -showing a pale glimmer above the crests of the hills. The boats -with their loads of troops were nearing the shore, and squads of -Turks could be dimly seen scattering about the beach to intercept -them. Their firing from below and the fire of rifles and machine -guns from the heights was terribly effective, but, with their comrades -falling dead or wounded beside them, the men in the boats -remained grimly, resolutely silent, their coolness and steady discipline -never for an instant shaken.</p> - -<p>"The moment the boats touched land the Australians' turn -had come," in Sir Ian Hamilton's glowing words. "Like lightning -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">{67}</a></span> -they leaped ashore, and each man as he did so went straight as his -bayonet at the enemy. So vigorous was the onslaught that the -Turks made no attempt to withstand it and fled from ridge to ridge, -pursued by the Australian infantry.</p> - -<p>"The attack was carried out by the 3rd Australian Brigade -under Major (temporary Colonel) Sinclair Maclagan, D.S.O. The -1st and 2nd Brigades followed promptly, and were all disembarked -by 2 p.m., by which time 12,000 men and two batteries of Indian -Mountain Artillery had been landed. The disembarkation of -further artillery was delayed owing to the fact that the enemy's -heavy guns opened on the anchorage, and forced the transports, -which had been subjected to continuous shelling from the field -guns, to stand further out to sea."</p> - -<p>All day the fighting continued with unflagging determination -and ferocity on both sides. The Turks had been cleared out of -their first trench in a flash, and the Australians and New Zealanders -went swarming up the steep, scrub-covered cliff to the trench that -was devastating them from above; they wasted no time in firing -back, and troubled little about taking cover; they just swung and -scrambled up as swiftly and straightly as was practicable, hurled -themselves into that second trench, and brawny giants among them -were literally pitching the Turks out on the points of their bayonets -before the enemy had fully realised what was happening to him -and made haste to climb out unassisted and bolt headlong up the -cliff and over the ridge with the Australasians in hot pursuit. -Officers and men were mixed indiscriminately. Here would be a -small group, unofficered, holding an advanced ridge and triumphantly -hurling back the desperate counter-attack of a force of thrice their -numbers; here and there a solitary sniper, snugly ensconced behind -a boulder, putting in some useful work entirely on his own; and -here again would be a detachment of Australians, New Zealanders -and Maoris, flitting nimbly from cover to cover through the brushwood -to dash suddenly into the open with fearsome war-cries and -drive the Turks from some post where they had rallied farther -inland.</p> - -<p>To maintain anything like order in such an attack, over ground -so broken into hills and gullies, and so obscured with brushwood -that you could seldom see many yards before you, was impossible. -Scattered groups, as Sir Ian says, went on with such headlong -valour that they pushed farther across the Peninsula than had -been intended, and, being unsupported, were presently compelled -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">{68}</a></span> -to retire before the onrush of Turkish reinforcements. But they -fell back steadily; order was gradually evolved out of the inevitable -confusion; special detachments were sent to hold critical stations, -and soon the invaders were "solidified into a semicircular position, -with its right about a mile north of Gaba Tepe and its left on the -high ground over Fisherman's Hut."</p> - -<p>All that day and all the next night the fighting continued with -little intermission. The Turks brought up reinforcements and, -before our positions could be strengthened, made a furious drive -along the whole line with 20,000 men. This lasted from eleven in -the morning to three in the afternoon, but was crushingly repulsed, -the ships out in the Gulf helping vigorously with their guns. It -was succeeded by a second attack, and, between five and six-thirty -in the afternoon, by a third, both of which failed completely and -left the victors in full possession of all the ground they had taken. -In the night the Turks attacked again and again with increasing -fury, the Australian 3rd Battalion at one point heroically repelling -a deadly bayonet charge; but the morning of the 26th found our -line everywhere unbroken. Our casualties had been very heavy, -but the enemy had suffered far more. They had punished us with -shrapnel, but many times when they had come surging forward in -close formation our machine guns had decimated their ranks, and -in the light of morning all the surrounding country was seen to be -strewn with their dead.</p> - -<p>Throughout the 26th and 27th April the struggle was resumed -intermittently, day and night, but the enemy only shattered themselves -against the Australasian front as the sea shatters itself on -a rock. By now, our line had been securely entrenched, and -arrangements completed for systematically bringing ammunition, -water, and supplies up the difficult ground to the ridges; and on -28th-29th April the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was -reinforced with four battalions of the Royal Naval Division.</p> - -<p>Gaba Tepe itself proved to be so strongly fortified and so -amazingly well protected with barbed-wire entanglements that the -notion of carrying it by storm had to be abandoned, but divers -dominating posts and observation stations were wrested from the -Turks and added to our possessions, and by degrees the warfare -settled down to occasional attacks by one side or the other and -everlasting sniping. No longer daring to press an attack home, the -Turks devoted much of their energy to persistent firing from caves -and sheltering holes on the hill-sides, to crawling out into the scrub -and, lying low in the plentiful cover of that uneven country, sniping -the Australians and New Zealanders in their shelter trenches. -The New Zealanders, at one section of the line, stalked a party of -this kind very neatly, were on them before they could escape and -gave them a lesson with the bayonet that the few survivors were -not likely to forget in a hurry. When this lesson had been several -times repeated, at various points, the Turks took it generally to -heart, and did their sniping from a more respectful distance, or more -cunningly.</p> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_68-i"> - <img src="images/i_068.jpg" width="750" height="433" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>THE DARDANELLES–SOLDIERS TAKING THEIR HORSES FOR A BATHE.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_69-i"> - <img src="images/i_069.jpg" width="441" height="750" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>GENERAL BIRDWOOD, IN COMMAND OF THE AUSTRALIANS AT THE DARDANELLES.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">{69}</a></span> -One ingenious way of theirs was for a man to strip naked, paint -himself green and sit up in a convenient tree with a stock of provisions; -and as it was impossible to detect him among the leaves, -and he only fired when an incautious head appeared above the -trenches, he would often have a run of two or three days and do -considerable damage before he could be located and disposed of. -Or he would tie umbrageous branches all about his person and lie -near-by in the open, looking like an innocent patch of scrub, till -somebody caught the flash of his gunfire or an incautious movement -betrayed him. The Australasians filled in a little time by snaking -forth to hunt for these pests, and frequently caught them red-handed -and shot them down, or caught them alive and brought -them in with all their greenery attached to them. More than once -the snipers proved to be women, who were more vicious and implacable -even than the men. All the while, on the other hand, the -Australasians were doing a great deal of thoroughly efficient sniping -on their own account, for, as Sir Ian bears witness, "the Turkish -sniper is no match for the kangaroo shooter, even at his own -game."</p> - -<p>This was the state of affairs on the 5th May, by which date -the homeland troops and the French, with a Naval Brigade formed -of the Plymouth and Deake battalions, and a Composite Division -of the 2nd Australian and New Zealand Infantry Brigades withdrawn -from the section up north, above Gaba Tepe, had established -themselves impregnably right across the southern point of the -Peninsula to a depth of 5,000 yards from their landing-places. -There was sterner and more terrible work ahead of them, down -south as well as in the north. So far they had triumphed gloriously -over what seemed almost insuperable difficulties; they had won -a footing on the shores of Gallipoli at two places, and had made -that footing sure. There was still before them the more tremendous -task of advancing on those valleys and ridges of death and attacking -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">{70}</a></span> -the powerful network of trenches that stretched in bewildering -involutions from end to end of the fifty miles of the Peninsula.</p> - -<p>I am conscious that I have not done full justice to the unprecedented -story of this heroic landing; but nobody yet can describe -it adequately, for no one eye-witness can tell you more than of the -events that happened on the mile or so of ground where he was -himself engaged, and it is still too soon to gather all these stories -into a clear and detailed impression of the whole great event. -Many who were in the thick of it were too keenly absorbed in their -own share of the action to take notice of the doings of the men -who were fighting around them. I met one such, a wounded -Australian, a few weeks ago, and tried to get from him some account -of what he had gone through, and here is as much as he seemed -to remember:</p> - -<p>"Oh, I dunno," he said–a big, genial, reticent giant, with a -bandage on his right hand. "It was just hell, but I tell you I am -glad I was there. I wouldn't have missed it for a good deal. I -was along with the covering force in the first boats, and though there -was hardly any light I reckon there was enough for the Turks to -see whereabouts we were. They kept quiet till we were pretty well -in, then they let us have it. Some of our boys were hit, and it was -too hot. So we dropped overboard and started wading ashore. -Then we found ourselves tripping into barbed wire which they'd -fixed under the water for us. We got it bad there. But we worried -through or round it somehow; I scarcely know how we managed -it, but we did. Not all of us. A lot of good chaps went under -there, and it was nasty to hear the shots plunking into the water -close around you. As soon as any of us got on to the beach we -made for cover. There wasn't too much of it. I went hands and -knees over a span of open, and got behind a jagged little line of -rock. Several of our fellows were there already, firing up at the -beggars in their trenches on the side of the hill, or the cliff, if you -like to call it that. Away along the beach there was some sharp -firing; other boats had landed and there was a bit of a scrap on, and -we guessed by the cheering that our chaps were doing all right. -But directly I crawled in among the boys behind those rocks and -went to start firing, I found I couldn't use my hand. I hadn't -felt anything. I'd been carrying my gun in my left hand, and -when I passed it to the other it just slipped through as if the hand -was numbed. Then I found it was all wet and in a mess. I'd -had a shot through it. I was done. One of the others helped me -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">{71}</a></span> -to bandage it up and I lay down out of the way. It began to be -painful, and I believe I must have fainted a bit. Things got -muddled and there was a queer singing in my head, and I woke -up, so to speak, to find the R.A.M.C. boys taking care of me, and -my company was gone from behind the rocks and tearing away -up the cliff at the Turkeys' trenches. It was hard luck on me, -but plenty of others lying around had got it worse. They took me -with a boatload of wounded out to the hospital ship. They'd -chipped a bit out of my leg here, too. I didn't know that till -afterwards–never felt it at the time. That's all better again; -and the hand's pretty well right now. They had to amputate the -little finger, but the rest's nearly all healed up and I reckon I shall -be able to go back to the front in another few weeks. Do I want -to go? I do that! I've still got plenty of hand to manage a gun, -and I want to pay some of them for that finger. I only saw the -landing, and only a little bit of that, but it beat everything in the -fighting way that I have ever read about. These people at home -who are grousing now and saying the job ought never to have been -started, and that we ought to slope out and leave it alone–what -do they know about it? Most of them have never seen the place, -I guess, and none of them saw that fight. If they had they might -know that the boys who could do that landing can put the whole -thing bang through, if they'll shut up and back them up properly -with all the ammunition and reinforcements they will need."</p> - -<p>A faith which is amply justified by Admiral de Robeck's reference -to the landing in his report on the operations. "At Gaba Tepe," -he writes, "the landing and the dash of the Australian Brigade for -the cliffs was magnificent; nothing could stop such men. The -Australian and New Zealand Army Corps in this, their first battle, -set a standard as high as that of any army in history, and one -of which their countrymen have every reason to be proud."</p> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">{73}</a></div> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<table class="chaphd" summary=""> - -<tr><td>8</td></tr> -<tr><td>THE</td></tr> -<tr><td>DARE-DEVIL</td></tr> -<tr><td>ANZACS</td></tr> - -</table> - -</div> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">{75}</a></div> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER VIII<br /> -<small>THE DARE-DEVIL ANZACS</small></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">By the trouble that never will tame you,</div> -<div class="verse indent2">By the toil that will never withhold,</div> -<div class="verse">Whatever the dull world name you,</div> -<div class="verse indent2">I know you for Hearts of Gold.</div> -<div class="verse indent16"><span class="smc">Will Ogilvie.</span></div> -</div> - -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">Here is no dread and no grieving;</div> -<div class="verse indent2">Over us hurtles the fray:</div> -<div class="verse">Is yours a Heaven worth achieving,</div> -<div class="verse indent2">If it be stormed in a day?</div> -<div class="verse indent16"><span class="smc">Arthur H. Adams.</span></div> -</div> - -</div> -</div> - -<p class="nodent"><span class="smc">On</span> that narrow strip -of ground above Gaba Tepe, the Australians -and New Zealanders have been living, at this writing, for a full -six months. They have burrowed the rugged hill-sides into human -warrens, and when they are not on duty in the trenches return -to a manner of life that was natural to the ancient cave-dwellers -before the dawn of civilisation. Here and there, between the -hills, great pits that have been excavated by bursting shells are -transformed into convenient bathing-places; but it has been a -common thing to see parties of men come joyously down, released -from the firing line, to wash the feel of dust and grime from them -in the cool waters of the adjacent sea; and they have grown so -accustomed to their environment that even if the enemy breaks -into sudden activity they go on enjoying themselves there, indifferent -to the splash of bullets round about them and the occasional -whine and shriek of a shell that bursts overhead and scatters -a rain of shrapnel that does not always fall harmlessly. From -the tents and huts on the beach, where the stores are kept, they -have made good roads up the cliffs to facilitate the labour of transport. -Behind their first line of trenches they have turned the bit -of territory they have won and hold so tenaciously into a queer -little town of snug caverns and bomb-proof shelters, and have -made all the place so peculiarly their own that somebody has been -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">{76}</a></span> -happily inspired to christen the district Anzac, a name formed -from the initials of the force, the Australian and New Zealand -Army Corps; and by that name it has become officially and generally -known.</p> - -<p>The marvel is that after living and fighting in such a dreary -spot for six months the men are still as high-spirited and as fertile -in contriving ways to amuse their leisure as if they had never -known anything better or fuller than the precarious, perilous existence -on this barren patch of land. They are not only indomitably -cheerful, but full of fight and enterprise, and indomitably determined -to see this terrible job right through, if only the homeland will back -them as efficiently as it ought to.</p> - -<p>The foe they are holding up outnumbers them by two or three -to one; and they were never sent there with any notion that they -could do more than they have accomplished. They were sent there -to keep as many of the Turks as possible thoroughly occupied -whilst the larger part of the expeditionary force landed at Cape -Hellas and fought its way up the Peninsula to join hands with -them; and they have achieved this successfully, and more than -this. "Anzac, in fact," as Sir Ian Hamilton has told us, "was -cast to play second fiddle to Cape Hellas, a part out of harmony -with the dare-devil spirit animating these warriors from the south. -So it has come about that the defensive of the Australians and New -Zealanders has always tended to take on the character of an -attack."</p> - -<p>Since the 28th April the French and British troops pushing -in from Hellas have hurled themselves again and again against -the hills and defences before the grim mountain of Achi Baba, whose -great spurs, stretching from Saros Gulf across to the Dardanelles, -command the whole southern section of the Peninsula; and -again and again, after performing prodigies of valour, strewing the -soil with the enemy's dead and capturing trenches over wide -stretches of hard-fought ground, they have been forced by the -avalanche of shell and machine gun fire from the mountain heights -and the furious counter-attacks of irresistible numbers to relinquish -their winnings and fall back stubbornly to their own -positions.</p> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_76-i"> - <img src="images/i_076.jpg" width="750" height="599" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>AUSTRALIA'S SPLENDID CORPS OF MOUNTED AMBULANCE MEN.<br /> - A wounded man about to be transferred from an emergency - blanket sling to the regulation stretcher.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_77-i"> - <img src="images/i_077.jpg" width="750" height="606" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>THE DARDANELLES–MEN BATHING AFTER RETURNING FROM AN ATTACK.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">{77}</a></span> -Between the 6th and 12th May a series of desperate attacks -on the powerful, scientifically prepared fortifications before Achi Baba -were repelled, but certain strategical points and some hundreds -of yards of front were taken and successfully held. One such -attack, which saw some of the most Homeric fighting that has -been done even on this terrible peninsula, lasted almost continuously -for three days ending on 8th May. The French and British forces -all took part in it, and among the latter were the 2nd Australian -and the New Zealand Infantry Brigades. These were at first kept -in reserve, but on the evening of the 6th the Lancashire Fusiliers, -who had been trapped in a wood on the left wing of the advance -and suffered heavy losses from concealed machine guns, were -transferred to the base, and the New Zealand Brigade was sent to -replace them, with orders to go forward in the morning through the -line held during the night by the 88th Brigade, and develop the -attack towards Krithia.</p> - -<p>On the 7th, Sir Ian Hamilton reports, "at 10.15 a.m. heavy -fire from ships and batteries was opened on the whole front, and -at 10.30 a.m. the New Zealand Brigade began to move, meeting -with strenuous opposition from the enemy, who had received his -reinforcements." They advanced beyond the wood, or clump of -fir trees, in which the Lancashires had suffered so badly, and by -1.30 had gained about 200 yards beyond the most advanced trenches -that had been occupied by the 88th Brigade. Then the French -reported that they could not advance up the spur they were to -storm on the right till the British had made further progress. So -at 4 p.m. Sir Ian gave orders that "the whole line, reinforced -by the 2nd Australian Brigade, would fix bayonets, slope arms, -and move on Krithia precisely at 5.30." After a quarter of an hour -of effective bombardment by the heavy artillery and the guns of -the ships, the movement was promptly and vigorously carried -out. It was characteristic of the alert, self-reliant spirit of all the -Australasians that "some of the companies of the New Zealand -regiments did not get their orders in time, but, acting on their -own initiative, they pushed on as soon as the heavy howitzers -ceased firing, thus making the whole advance simultaneous." -Then the French swept forward and stormed the first Turkish -redoubt on the ridge that faced them with a wonderful élan that -was not to be baulked of its object. Decimated by shrapnel and -machine guns, they were driven back, but rallied and returned to -the charge with redoubled fury, were beaten back, and re-formed -and dashed ahead once more, and as the darkness fell "a small -supporting column of French soldiers was seen silhouetted against -the sky as they charged upwards along the crest of the ridge of -the Kereves Dere." Then the night closed down, and all the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">{78}</a></span> -battlefield and whatever was doing on it were hidden in blackest -darkness.</p> - -<p>"Not until next morning did any reliable detail come to hand -of what had happened. The New Zealanders' firing line had -marched over the cunningly concealed enemy's machine guns -without seeing them, and these, reopening on our supports as they -came up, caused them heavy losses. But the first line pressed -on and arrived within a few yards of the Turkish trenches which -had been holding up our advance beyond the fir wood. There -they dug themselves in. The Australian Brigade had advanced -through the Composite Brigade and, in spite of heavy losses from -shrapnel, machine gun, and rifle fire, had progressed from 300 to -400 yards."</p> - -<p>The result of those three days of stubborn fighting was a net -gain of 600 yards on the British right, and 400 on the left and -centre; and the French had captured the redoubt they had fought -for so heroically as well as a considerable area of ground. In the -next two days the Turks made repeated and costly efforts, harried -on by their German leaders, to regain their losses; but their prodigal -cannonading and reckless hand-to-hand combats were unavailing -and they were everywhere repulsed. The Australian and -New Zealand Army Corps "strengthened their grip on Turkish -soil," and on the whole, says Sir Ian, "now for the first time I -felt that we had planted a fairly firm foothold upon the point of -the Gallipoli Peninsula.</p> - -<p>"The determined valour shown by these two brigades," he -notes in concluding this phase of his dispatch, "the New Zealand -Brigade under Brigadier-General F. E. Johnston, and the 2nd -Australian Infantry Brigade under Brigadier-General the Hon. -J. W. McCay, are worthy of particular praise. Their losses were -correspondingly heavy, but, in spite of fierce counter-attacks by -numerous fresh troops, they stuck to what they had won with -admirable tenacity."</p> - -<p>All along the line they had dug themselves in securely, and -remained immovable. The Turks threw away thousands of men -in fruitless assaults on the new positions; occasionally the British -or the French by sudden rushes captured here and there an enemy -trench and scored small local successes, but more and more the -fighting became a matter of reconnaissance, of sapping and mining, -till by the first week of June both sides had settled down to the -dogged conditions of siege warfare.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">{79}</a></span> -During these same weeks the Australian and New Zealand -Army Corps at Anzac, between Gaba Tepe and Saribair, had held -their little half-moon of conquered land with its 1,100 yards of -diameter, and were not to be ousted from any part of it by intrepid -massed attacks or by a constant shelling of their trenches and the -beach beyond, often with as many as over 1,000 shells in an hour. -How many bayonet charges succeeded these merciless bombardments, -how many fierce night-attacks boiled over from the enemy -trenches, which were everywhere within twenty and thirty yards of -the Anzac front, to be unfailingly dammed all along the line and -hurled back broken, decimated, defeated, I have given up trying -to count. Over and over again, when the Anzacs hurled the -Turks back in this fashion they swarmed out of their defences, -chased the flying foe, leaped after him into his own trenches, drove -him out of them and kept him out till he brought up a continuous -stream of reinforcements and by sheer weight of numbers forced -the Australians and New Zealanders to give up their new possessions -and withdraw once more to their old ones.</p> - -<p>The fiercest, most sanguinary fighting went on round about -such advanced positions as Pope's, Courtney's, and Quinn's Posts–especially -about the last, which was won and lost and went on -changing hands at frequent intervals until it was finally taken -by the Anzacs, and strengthened and strongly garrisoned and -permanently retained. On 9th May the Turkish trenches in front -of Quinn's were carried at the point of the bayonet, but at dawn -next morning the enemy came hurtling back in such multitudes -that the Anzacs had to retire to the Post, and stubbornly repel a -hot attack upon that. Day after day the same sort of thing continued -with little cessation, here and at all sections of the line. -Between the attacks there were endless bomb-throwing, tempests of -shells from big guns and howitzers, sniping, withering outbursts -of machine gun fire, subtle sapping and mining, in which now one -side, then the other successfully blew up trenches, and, dashing for -the breach, made grim onslaughts that had to be held off and -beaten and cleared out of the way before the shattered defences -could be repaired. In our second and third and fourth line trenches -the men might sit in dug-outs and bomb-proof shelters and yarn -and play cards or write letters or sleep as comfortable under the -roaring, whistling hail of shells and bullets and almost as safe -as if they were at home; but some of the foremost trenches were -little more than giant gullies on the verge of steep precipices, and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">{80}</a></span> -if they more or less commanded the enemy's positions in the valley, -they were in turn commanded more or less by the enemy's guns -and trenches on higher ridges farther in-shore.</p> - -<p>The stories of individual heroism and self-sacrifice–of the -carrying of wounded comrades in under fire, of scouts crawling out -on exposed heights and calmly completing their observations -after they had been discovered and become targets for hundreds -of rifles, of the bringing of supplies of food and ammunition to the -firing line over hills and bare plateaus that were swept by the -enemy's guns–these are numberless. There were bombing parties -who went out unobtrusively at twilight or at dawn to raid an -apparently inaccessible trench on the opposite hill-side and silence -a troublesome gun, and as often as not they succeeded, though -few of them returned to tell the tale; there was a doughty little -remnant of Anzac heroes who fought and slew terribly and had to -be shot or bayoneted to the last man before the Turks could get -back into a trench that had been newly wrested from them. And -there is a story of an unnamed New Zealander that stands out even -amidst the splendour of the rest. This man, during an attack -in force, found himself isolated and cut off from his friends. He was -on a high, bald promontory, and the Turks were swarming on all -sides of him. Escape was impossible; he had been wounded and -left behind, overlooked by his comrades when they were compelled -to retire; and there seemed nothing for it but surrender. The -full strength of the reinforced Turks was unknown to our commanders, -but from his lofty eminence the New Zealander could -see the oncoming hordes flooding the lower levels, and proceeded -to take careful observations. And a chief scout of the New Zealanders -who, from the distance, had detected the solitary figure -aloft there was suddenly amazed to see the man begin signalling -with his arms; he was signalling information as to the position -and numbers of the Turks. How many shots reached their mark -in him nobody will know; twice he fell, but each time he regained -his feet to semaphore with his arms and continue his message. -"The last shot disabled one arm," says the scout, "yet the dying -man raised himself and completed the message before he dropped -dead." If one started to repeat such stories one would never know -where to end, and there is the less need for me to make the attempt -since I hear that the best of them are now being gathered into a -book of their own by another hand.</p> - -<p>Through all that thunderous storm of conflict, the incessant -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">{81}</a></span> -attacking and counter-attacking, our losses were appallingly heavy, -but those of the Turks exceeded them enormously. A diary found -on a dead Turkish officer showed that in the stern engagement -on the 10th May alone, two Ottoman regiments lost 3,000 in killed -and wounded. They had been mown down and bayoneted in -tens of thousands round Anzac and in the titanic struggle at the -southern end of the Peninsula, but they had been so reinforced -that their power had increased rather than diminished; and so -by degrees at both places the opposing forces fought each other -to something of a standstill. All the Turkish boasts that they -would fling the invaders into the sea proved futile; all our attempts -to advance beyond the territory on which we were immovably -established proved equally unavailing; and by degrees things at -Anzac as well as between Cape Hellas and Achi Baba settled -down to that condition of siege warfare.</p> - -<p>It was not a condition that suited the temperaments of these -active, energetic fellows; they were not the sort to find much -satisfaction in systematically peppering the other side with lead -and wearing them down from behind the safe shelter of barricades; -but they were practical enough to see that for the time there was -no other effective course open to them, and, with occasional sudden -sallies into the midst of the enemy, when they killed a few and -captured a few and gathered in some guns, they grimly suited -themselves to a state of things that did not suit them, and made -the best of it.</p> - -<p>The Turks knew enough of them by now to have a wholesome -respect for their fighting qualities, and seemed contented to shell -them occasionally from a distance or let them alone, so long as -they did not come out and make trouble. And the fact that this -was the hottest period of the year may have helped to reconcile -the Anzacs to the necessity of going slow for a while. The blazing -heat, indeed, was more intolerable than the fire of the Turks, and -to cope with it they discarded one garment after another until, -at length, they were to be seen on duty or amusing themselves, -when they were not lying cool in holes and shelters, dressed in -nothing but a pair of breeches cut down to "shorts" which did -not nearly reach to their knees. Some, with a lingering sense of -propriety, or tender feet, retained their boots and socks, but others -abandoned even these. Mr. Ashmead Bartlett, who saw them, -says, "I suppose that since the dervishes made their last charge -at Omdurman no such naked army has ever been seen in the field." -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">{82}</a></span></p> - -<p>It must have puzzled the Turks considerably to find themselves -confronted by trenches filled with apparently naked warriors, and -to ascertain, when they came to the test, that these naked warriors -were as tough and as full of ginger as the men in khaki who had -mysteriously vanished. Possibly they suspected this was a new -wild race of secretly landed reinforcements from some remote -end of the British Empire, especially after a few weeks, when the -skins of the Anzacs had become so tanned and burnt by the sun -that they were as dark as the Maoris. And of the Maoris the -Turks had all along had suspicions, even when that contingent -was clothed in full khaki. For they have weird war-cries and a -weird dance of their own, and to hear and see these mysteries in -operation is calculated to disquiet those who are not accustomed -to them. On special occasions, after the General had been addressing -them and complimenting them on their fighting ability, or when -they had caught a rumour of the joyous possibility that they would -quit the monotonous trenches and move out against the enemy -to-morrow, they liked to indulge in this dance by way of expressing -the intensity of their satisfaction. An officer of the New Zealand -contingent described the dance in <i>The Times</i> in the following -terms:</p> - -<p>"The Maoris, officers and privates, lined up. With protruding -tongues and a rhythmic slapping of hands on thighs and chests, -with a deep concerted 'a-a-ah,' ending abruptly, they began the -Maori haka–the war dance. Shrill and high the leader intoned -the solo parts, and the chorus crashed out. As the dancers became -more animated the beat of their feet echoed through the gullies -of Gallipoli. The leader now declaimed fiercely, now his voice sank -to an eerie whisper, still perfectly audible, and as he crouched -low to the ground so the men behind him posed. Suddenly, after -a concerted crash of voices, the chant ended with a sibilant hiss, -a stamp of the right foot, and the detonation of palms slapping -the high ground."</p> - -<p>From their trenches, less than a hundred yards away, the -Turks could not see the dancers, for the dancers knew better than -to show themselves, but they must have heard the strange, rhythmic -stamping of their feet and their startling outcries, and you get a -notion of what they must have thought of them from a passage -which the same New Zealand officer quotes from a Constantinople -newspaper of about that date in which the Ottoman journalist -remarks that he is still without information as to the composition -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">{83}</a></span> -of the enemy's forces, but has reason to believe that they consist -of black men from Africa and Australia, and "thus the Straits for -the first time in history have had to endure attacks by cannibals." -So it is worth adding that though the Maoris delight, as they should, -in keeping up the old customs of their race, theirs is a contingent -of as gallant and chivalrous men as any in the British millions, -and the leader in that particular war dance was a highly educated -gentleman who has the distinction of being an M.A. and an LL.D.</p> - -<p>The state of siege lasted for some two months, and I have not -spoken to any man who endured it and was prepared to say that he -wished it had been longer.</p> - -<p>"I was fed up with it," said a bronzed giant, convalescing -from his wounds in London, with whom I foregathered by chance -in a railway carriage. "We were sick of sitting in our holes potting -an odd Turk when he bobbed his head up. We wanted to be -getting ahead. The boys down by Hellas had got a tough job, -too, but we just prayed that they might make a big push up and -we might be ordered to go out and cut a way through to meet -them. It was no fun, living like rabbits and doing nothing, or -next to nothing, and when I was hit by accident while I was fooling -around, having a dip at Hell Spit, I wasn't sorry to get out of it -for a change. I should have been, though, if I'd known we were in -for a real, good scrap a few days later."</p> - -<p>That was a pretty general feeling, he said; the inactivity, the -sameness of the trench fighting, the sense of being cooped up -within narrow limits and not given a chance to do anything, was -infinitely boring. Everybody was impatient to be moving, and -would sooner have gone on at all risks than have stopped there -strategically marking time. Moreover, there was a shortage of -tobacco and of the smaller luxuries of civilisation that might have -helped to make that dull period of waiting endurable. You get a -vivid glimpse of this in the report of Mr. W. Jessop, who went out -in charge of a mission from the Y.M.C.A., which has done such -magnificent service in looking after the welfare of the troops in -all the fighting areas, with comforts for the men at the Dardanelles.</p> - -<p>"It was pathetic," he says, "to see the eagerness with which -the men viewed our preparations and the way they came about -the tent.... I looked up two batteries of artillery I had been -told about, and took with me several pounds of Havelock tobacco -and some pipes. To the first of these men I came across I held -up a tin of the tobacco and asked him if it was a friend of his -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">{84}</a></span> -(Havelock is Australian tobacco, and very popular in the Colonies). -His eyes glistened, and then he said, 'It's all I have' (holding up -a sovereign), 'but if you will give me a pipe with it I shall be glad -to exchange, as I have not had a smoke for three weeks.' When -I told him the pipe and tobacco were his for nothing, he was greatly -touched. I went round to about fifty of these men and made -similar gifts."</p> - -<p>But such minor inconveniences would not have worried them if -it had not been for the wearisome waiting for something to happen; -and when the word went round that a new British force was to -make a surprise landing higher up the gulf at Suvla Bay, and that -the Anzacs were to create a diversion and keep the Turks fully -occupied whilst it was done, there was no more grousing; it was -exactly what they wanted.</p> - -<p>The unquenchable ardour of the men was of a piece with the -splendid spirit of brotherhood and good comradeship that prevailed -among all ranks. It could not well have been otherwise, led by -such officers as they had and under a commander so gallant and -so genially considerate of them as General Birdwood, who from the -outset, as Sir Ian Hamilton testifies, "has been the soul of Anzac. -Not for one single day has he ever quitted his post. Cheery and -full of human sympathy, he has spent many hours of each twenty-four -inspiring the defenders of the front trenches, and if he does -not know every soldier in his force, at least every soldier believes -he is known to his chief." He was invariably under fire with his -troops, and wounded in one engagement had his wound dressed on -the field and refused to retire. No wonder his men are devoted -to him, and that when you mention his name to any among those -who are here, invalided home, they answer you with the warmest -enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>In preparation for the new movement fresh British and Indian -troops had been landed at Anzac under cover of darkness two nights -in succession. The Turks were aware of this; they had shelled -the transports and the beach unstintedly, but so deftly were the -landing parties handled by the naval service that the landings were -successfully carried out with only two casualties. On the 6th August -the British at Cape Helles commenced a heavy and continuous -bombardment of the Turkish positions round Krithia, below the -Achi Baba heights; at the same time the Anzacs got busy with -guns and howitzers along the whole of their front to discourage the -enemy from dispatching reinforcements in any direction.</p> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_84-i"> - <img src="images/i_084.jpg" width="750" height="555" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>HEROES FROM THE DARDANELLES. - Wounded from the Dardanelles, leaving the hospital train in Egypt.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_85-i"> - <img src="images/i_085.jpg" width="750" height="510" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>HEROES OF THE DARDANELLES.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">{85}</a></div> - -<p>During the night of the 6th a vast array of transports, accompanied -by warships, destroyers, and smaller craft, passed quietly -up the Gulf of Saros and glided into Suvla Bay, six or seven miles -north of Anzac Cove. All along the other side of the Dardanelles, -from Kum Kale to Chanak, and at Anzac and in the southern -extremity of Gallipoli, the Turks were either under attack or on -the alert and expecting it. But here, at Suvla Bay, they were -anticipating no danger, and hundreds of small boats had rushed -the invading force safely ashore before they were aware of their -coming. An observation post was taken by surprise; its garrison of -fifty surrendered, and the British had marched six miles inland -and it was getting on towards evening before an enemy force came -into view hastening forward to oppose the advance. The Turks -had been warned of what had happened, and before next morning -had swiftly concentrated as many as 70,000 men to bar the way. -All night there were numerous spasmodic and furious local fights -for points of vantage, and all night the two forces were rapidly -throwing out barbed-wire entanglements and digging themselves -in, and as soon as the day came the battle developed in deadliest -earnest.</p> - -<p>Both sides were well supplied with artillery, and all day the merciless -struggle raged with growing fury; in repeated attacks and -counter-attacks first the Turkish, then the British lines swayed this -way and that, but always straightened out again and could at no -point be broken through. A dozen times the Turks flung themselves -forward in dense masses, and when they shattered and came -thundering in over and past the wire entanglements, the British -leaped from their trenches to meet them and fell upon them with -spades and bayonets till they fled panic-stricken, leaving their dead -and wounded heaped about the ground.</p> - -<p>The enemy had the advantage in position; they were on the -higher levels, and they were superior in numbers; but when night -fell again over the field of carnage, if the British had made no further -advance they still held every inch of their line, and they passed -the night in entrenching it more firmly.</p> - -<p>The plan of campaign was for one section of the force to push -on straight across the Peninsula whilst another section moved to -the south-east towards Anzac, whence the Australians and New -Zealanders were to fight a way up and join them.</p> - -<p>The Anzacs carried out their part of this arrangement with -a dash and daring that were irresistible. They had been reinforced -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">{86}</a></span> -by a brigade of Gurkhas and by regiments of our new armies, -and it was resolved to make a beginning by sending the First -Australian Infantry Brigade to attack the Lone Pine plateau. -"The Third Brigade," writes Captain C. E. W. Bean, the Official -Press Representative with the Australian forces there, "had -immortalised itself on the day of the landing–they were the miners' -brigade from Broken Hill and the gold-fields and Queensland and -Tasmania. The Second Brigade–the Victorians–had made their -wonderful charge at Helles, when for a quarter of an hour they -went straight as a die for 1,000 yards across country as bare as -the palm of your hand, in the face of shrapnel and withering rifle -fire. Now, at last, it was the chance of the First Brigade–the men -from New South Wales."</p> - -<p>The officers' whistles shrilled the signal, and in a moment the -First Brigade was out and making a bee line for the low, scrub-covered -hill on which the Turks were entrenched; but when they -came to the trenches they found them stoutly roofed with logs and -timbers, and spread out scattered along them looking for a way in, -fired at through loopholes and by machine guns, and pelted with -shrapnel from a battery in the rear. But they were not there to -be beaten. Here and there along the roof man-holes had been -left; some of the Anzacs dropped recklessly down these small -openings ("like burglars through a sky-light," says Mr. Bean) on -to the Turks below; others by sheer force of muscle tore up logs or -planks to make an entry and flung themselves in and clubbed -their rifles or got to work with their bayonets, and after a short, -sharp fight the enemy either lay dead in their burrow or were in -full flight up their communication trenches. Other of the Australians -had run right on over the roof of logs and as swiftly captured -the second trench and thence poured on into the communication -trenches to stop the fleeing Turks or give chase and shoot them as -they fled.</p> - -<p>In other parts of the field the battle was spreading mightily -and the Australians and New Zealanders, with the Gurkhas and -their new comrades from the homeland, were carrying all before -them. The Maoris and New Zealand Mounted Rifles, fighting -afoot, cleared the foot-hills with the bayonet, and soon over all the -lower hills, in the rugged gullies and ravines and up the sides of the -Anafarta height, the fighting became general, gathering tempestuously -in sound and fury.</p> - -<p>For four days and nights it continued with little intermission–desperate -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">{87}</a></span> -and bloody fighting, much of it, with bayonets and -clubbed rifles; and steadily the combined force of Anzacs, English, -and Indians forced their way up the steep slopes towards the -ridge that was pouring a blasting hail of lead and fire down upon -them perpetually. Trench after trench on the savagely contested -ascent was taken and left behind, choked with Turkish dead. -Generals and colonels, armed with rifles, fought shoulder to shoulder -with their men, and many of them, including General Baldwin, -who through the nightmare of those four days of carnage fought -heroically beside his men, were killed; but by the evening of the -10th August, though the formidable heights of Anafarta, which had -been stormed with almost incredible heroism by the Australians, the -New Zealanders, and some English regiments, for lack of support, -could not be held, all the lower ground on the western side was in -our possession, and the army from Anzac Cove had triumphantly -linked up with the troops that had landed at Suvla Bay.</p> - -<p>Here they dug themselves in; a lull of exhaustion fell over -the contending armies, and the British profited by the interval -to consolidate their greatly extended lines and secure their communications.</p> - -<p>The original purpose of the Suvla Bay landing had been to strike -right across the Peninsula at that point, cut the Turks off from -their supplies, so that they would be compelled to abandon or -weaken the defences of Achi Baba and thus make it possible for the -British and French at Helles to drive a path over that impregnable -mountain and sweep up the length of Gallipoli and crush the enemy -between our northern and southern forces. The scheme is said to -have failed through the blundering of one officer at Suvla, who -should have rushed his corps promptly and straightway through -and seized certain dominating heights before the Turks were aware -of the surprise attack and could rally to make any effective resistance.</p> - -<p>We are still very much in the dark about the details of this -enterprise. All we know is that whatever blundering there may -have been in the higher command, the men of all ranks and all -regiments met every demand that was made upon them with the -most unflinching steadiness and acquitted themselves with a valour -and efficiency that no troops in the world could excel. "The -Anzac Corps fought like lions," says Mr. Ashmead Bartlett, "and -accomplished a feat of arms, in climbing those heights, almost -without a parallel.... It was a combat of giants in a giant country, -and if one point stands out more than another it is the marvellous -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">{88}</a></span> -hardihood, tenacity, and reckless courage shown by the Australians -and New Zealanders."</p> - -<p>This magnificent tribute is amply confirmed by the special order -that was issued by Sir Ian Hamilton whilst the great battle was still -unfinished:</p> - -<p>"The Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, -desires formally to record the fine feat of arms achieved by the troops -under the command of Lieutenant-General Sir W. R. Birdwood -during the battle of Sari Bair. The fervent desire of all ranks to -close with the enemy, the impetuosity of their onset, and the steadfast -valour with which they maintained the long struggle, these -will surely make appeal to their fellow-countrymen all over the -world. The gallant capture of the almost impregnable Lone Pine -trenches by the Australian Division, and the equally gallant defence -of the position against repeated counter-attacks, are exploits which -will live in history. The determined assaults carried out from -other parts of the Australian Division's line were also of inestimable -service to the whole force, preventing as they did the movement -of large bodies of reinforcements to the northern flank.</p> - -<p>"The troops under the command of Major-General Sir A. J. -Godley, and particularly the New Zealand and Australian Division, -were called upon to carry out one of the most difficult military -operations that have ever been attempted–a night march and -assault by several columns in intricate mountainous country, -strongly entrenched, and held by a numerous and determined -enemy. Their brilliant conduct during this operation and the -success they achieved have won for them a reputation as soldiers -of whom any country must be proud. To the Australian and New -Zealand Army Corps, therefore, and to those who were associated -with that famous corps in the battle of Sari Bair–the Maoris, -Sikhs, Gurkhas, and the new troops of the Divisions from the Old -Country–Sir Ian Hamilton tenders his appreciation of their efforts, -his admiration of their gallantry, and his thanks for their achievements. -It is an honour to command a force which numbers such -men as these in its ranks, and it is the Commander-in-Chief's high -privilege to acknowledge that honour."</p> - -<p>There was memorable fighting again above Helles on the -21st August, when a Yeomanry corps, in action for the first time, -delivered a determined assault on the hill known as Hill 70, -charging right up to the summit without a halt, and chasing the -Turks down the other side. But the enemy clung on to one -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">{89}</a></span> -strongly fortified knoll, and in the night enfiladed the victors with -such a deadly fire from artillery and machine guns that they were -forced to abandon their hard-won position, and by daylight had -withdrawn to their own lines.</p> - -<p>Since then, there, as on the seven-mile front from Anzac to -Suvla Bay, the war has resolved itself again into steady trench -fighting and a state of siege. Since then, too, there has been a -change in the command, and General Sir C. C. Monro has succeeded -Sir Ian Hamilton, who has returned home, honoured with the -goodwill and admiration of troops whose confidence in him is unshakable; -and in these latter days of October the next step in -the Dardanelles expedition is still a matter of rumour and conjecture.</p> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">{91}</a></div> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<table class="chaphd" summary=""> - -<tr><td>9</td></tr> -<tr><td>THE</td></tr> -<tr><td>AUSTRALASIAN</td></tr> -<tr><td>IDEAL</td></tr> - -</table> - -</div> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">{92}</a></div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_92-i"> - <img src="images/i_092.jpg" width="750" height="600" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>THE DARDANELLES OPERATIONS.<br /> - Ambulance wagons passing through gully.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="image-center" id="Page_93-i"> - <img src="images/i_093.jpg" width="750" height="585" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"> - <p>THE DARDANELLES–AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND TROOPS IN A RAVINE.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">{93}</a></div> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER IX<br /> -<small>THE AUSTRALASIAN IDEAL</small></h2> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">Knights-errant of the human race,</div> -<div class="verse indent2">The Quixotes of to-day,</div> -<div class="verse">For man as man they claim a place,</div> -<div class="verse indent2">Prepare the tedious way.</div> -<div class="verse indent16"><span class="smc">Bernard O'Dowd.</span></div> -</div> - -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">Strong to defend our right,</div> -<div class="verse">Proud in all nations' sight,</div> -<div class="verse indent6">Lowly in Thine–</div> -<div class="verse">One in all noble fame,</div> -<div class="verse">Still be our path the same:</div> -<div class="verse">Onward in Freedom's name,</div> -<div class="verse indent6">Upward in Thine.</div> -<div class="verse indent16"><span class="smc">Brunton Stephens.</span></div> -</div> - -</div> -</div> - -<p class="nodent"><span class="smc">It</span> is so easy to be wise -after the event that I don't suppose many -of us are much impressed by the aggressive wisdom of those critics -in our midst who are still noisily telling us of the naval and military -blunders made in the inception and development of the Dardanelles -campaign and with what beautiful simplicity they might all have -been avoided. One has no patience with such chatter and no use -for such cheap sagacity. You cannot remedy any errors by wasting -time in learned talk about them; there is only one way of atonement, -and that is to put them at once behind you and go resolutely -on, seeing to it that they are not committed again. Even Napoleon -made his mistakes, for the ablest commander is not infallible. -And it is the most youthful folly to belittle our own leaders and -urge them to take lessons from the perfect organisation and supreme -military tactics of our enemy when we know that Belgium, Calais, -Paris, Riga, and a score of other places stand witness to that enemy's -crude blunderings and the failure of his arms. I remember how in -the early days of the war certain of our very clamorous newspapers -were filled with joy over the complete breakdown of German -diplomacy: German diplomacy, they said, had not had the skill -to detach Russia from France, so that they might have made easy -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">{94}</a></span> -war on France alone; they had failed to keep Britain out of it; -they had failed to keep Italy out of it; they had failed to capture -the sympathies of America; and those journals poured scorn on -the German diplomatic service as a pompous and unintelligent -futility. Yet when Turkey sided with the Huns, when Bulgaria -joined them, and when Greece insisted on remaining neutral, these -same sapient papers cried out lustily that British diplomacy was fumbling -and worthless, and broke into pious wishes that we had diplomats -as clever and triumphant as the Germans. Which means, of course, -that their failure with three of the smaller Powers makes our -diplomats inferior to those who failed with four of the greatest.</p> - -<p>Let us have done with such pitiful nonsense, and get on with -the work we mean to do. Let us make up our minds that the -Germans will have their full share of incidental victories; no -sensible person ever dreamt that they would not. It is the big, -inexperienced schoolboy idea, this, that your side is losing if it is -not winning all the time. The adult mind knows that the way of -conquest is never so smoothly paved; that the best and bravest, -coping with a powerful and subtle enemy, must needs be often -baffled, but what matters is that he is only baffled to fight better, -knowing that if he does so no check is a defeat, for in the long -run it is only the final victory that counts.</p> - -<p>There have been rumours that, because the Suvla Bay attempt -did not achieve its objective and, for the moment, a condition of -stalemate prevails there, the Dardanelles campaign is to be abandoned, -but they find no favour in Australia or New Zealand. There -were indignant protests against such a course in the Australasian -press, protests that the gallant fellows who had laid down their -lives on that battle-torn peninsula should not be allowed so to -have died in vain; that the work to which they and their dauntless -comrades had set their hands should be carried through determinedly -and their high self-sacrifice justified. Yet, they added, it -was a question for the military authorities, and, at the worst, they -would loyally accept their decision. You may take it that Mr. -Hughes, the new Australian Premier, replying to questions in the -House of Representatives at the end of October, spoke for all -Australasia when he said, amidst tumultuous cheering, "Our -business is to carry out the instructions of the Imperial Government, -and to give the Government the enthusiastic support we owe it -as a duty. We must refrain from criticising the actions of men -placed in a position of frightful responsibility, and also from -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">{95}</a></span> -listening to the thousand-and-one critics who have not the slightest -authority to speak." Obviously, if those critics are as expert as -they would have us believe they should be wearing khaki and -utilising their transcendent ability in doing things better, instead -of dissipating it in unhelpful words.</p> - -<p>The fact that Canada has just completed arrangements to bring -her forces in the field up to a total of 250,000, and that Australia -and New Zealand are recruiting and training and enlarging their -armies so rapidly that they will soon have reached the same total, -and do not mean to stop there, is sufficient indication of the stern -spirit of resolve in which the Britains oversea are facing this great -issue which no half-measures can decide. And we of the homeland, -who do not take our opinions or all our information from our newspapers, -know that the soul of the old country marches with them, -and will march with them dauntlessly step by step to the end, however -far off it may be.</p> - -<p>If it were otherwise–if we were the cravens that a few of our -noisy, irresponsible journalists would make us out to be–do you -imagine that the manhood of those new countries, sons of the -great men who were our fathers also, would have risen so spontaneously -to save from destruction the Empire of a generation so -unworthy of their past, and the civilisation for which we and our -Allies stand? They are not out for territory, they are not out for -conquest; they are the vanguard of the new democracy, and they -are out in the place that is theirs, in the forefront of the battle, -fighting and dying for the highest ideals of the human race, for the -freedom and natural rights of our common humanity. The German -junkerdom, the Prussian militarism and out-of-date war-lust that -is abhorrent to us, is ten times more abhorrent to them, for in -their ideas of freedom and equal human brotherhood they have -outstripped us. They are less shackled than we are by old use -and wont, by conventions and precedents that hamper our onward -movement; but they know their ideal is ours, for they lit their -torch at our fire, and they are breasting the onslaught beside us -at this hour because they know it, and could by no means stand -aside and see that fire trampled out under the hoofs of a race in -whom the brute savagery and primitive ideals of war and domination -are so damnably renascent.</p> - -<p>All the blasphemous and discredited formulas and political -doctrines that oppressed our peoples in a past whose ancient -tyrannies and legalised inhumanities we have long repented, still -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">{96}</a></span> -survive with more degenerate and diabolical manifestations in -twentieth century Germany. The gospel of the divine right of -kings flourishes there, and the whole nation would seem to have -been so dehumanised in their training that, in the main, they have -accepted the dicta of their most modern professors that the State -is above morality and can do no wrong; that war is a beautiful -and a glorious thing; that a country clothes itself in dignity and -honour by crushing and pillaging its neighbours and reducing them to -subjection, and to that god-like end is justified in violating treaties, -and outraging and massacring the innocent and the helpless. They -are so incapable of realising the shame of these things that the horror -of the civilised world at the Belgian martyrdoms, the sinking of -unprotected passenger ships laden with civilian men and women, -the wanton slaughter by bombs and shells of non-combatants in -unfortified towns, and the callous assassination of Edith Cavell, -genuinely surprises them: they are so wholly brutalised that they -are not even sensible of their brutality. The growing demand -among the humaner races which are perforce in arms against them -that, before peace is made, strict justice should be done upon the -barbarous breakers of international law, as it is done on those -minor criminals that break national laws, strikes them as purely -fantastic. They would sanctify murder when a king or his ministers -commit it, and make it accursed only when it is done by lesser -men. They have not yet advanced far enough in the path of reason -to have a glimmering suspicion that the man, crowned or uncrowned, -who deliberately plans a war of aggression for the -aggrandisement of his own State and, after years of cunning and -dastardly preparation, falls with fire and slaughter on his victim, is -an outlaw and a criminal against the common laws of decent nations. -We realise, in these days, that, except when it is in self-defence -and for the freedom not of one race but of all, war is plain murder, -and the wholesale murderer should and must be amenable on that -count at the bar of civilisation. The surest way to end war is to -strip it of its glamour, treat it as the blackguardly crime it is, and -punish the criminals. The German savages have not even stopped -short at murder on the field of battle, and I for one shall lose some -faith in the democracies of the world if, in due season, von Bissing -does not take his stand in the dock of an international police-court -and undergo his trial and sentence for the assassination of Edith -Cavell, as any common butcher would for any common murder; -and there are those as high and higher than von Bissing who must, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">{97}</a></span> -unless we would make the name of justice a byword, take their -turn in the same dock and answer in the same fashion for the -hundreds of unarmed men and blameless women and children who -have been systematically done to death in cold blood away from -the fighting line.</p> - -<p>It is our duty to make it clear, in this enlightened age, that no -State is above morality; that there are natural, human laws which -cannot be broken with impunity, and are not to be set aside by -any the most self-important State that ever reared itself under -heaven. This feeling is growing in intensity in the hearts and -minds of Britain and her Allies, and nowhere is it held with a more -passionate conviction than among the great democratic peoples -of Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.</p> - -<p>"I am one of those," said Mr. W. A. Holman, the Premier of -New South Wales, speaking the other day at Sydney, "who hope -that when victory is achieved there will be no weakness on the -part of the Allied Governments. I hope, when we have gained -peace, the Allied Governments, acting in the interests of civilisation, -will avail themselves of so unprecedented an opportunity to declare -that the public law of Europe is no longer a law without sanction -and without punishment, but that those who break the public law -of Europe are to be treated like criminals who break any other -law. I hope we shall have the pleasure of seeing some of the -members of the German Ministry placed upon their trial for wilful -murder and brought to account for the various acts committed -at their instigation. I am as confident about the ultimate result -of this struggle as is any one here. I have no fear and no doubt. -I have never wavered. But if there are those who doubt, let me -say this: it is better that we should perish in the trenches than -contemplate the possibility of succumbing in the struggle that is -now before us."</p> - -<p>That is the authentic voice of Australia–of all the young -democracies who are joint heirs and will more than ever in the -future be joint sharers with us of the destinies of the British Empire. -They have some sentimental regard for the old country, but they -are not drawn to us in this business merely by that; their motives -are higher, their ideals rooted in a deeper emotion. They have -turned their backs on the night and set their faces towards the -morning, and they are not fighting so much to save the British -Empire as the hopes of human progress that would go down with -it if it fell. Germany, who is leprous with iniquity, declares herself -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">{98}</a></span> -pure and noble in God's sight. Great Britain is faulty enough, -as all human institutions are; she has done many grievous wrongs -in the past, has been unjust to smaller nations and tyrannous to -the weak, but she has become conscious of this, has the grace to -acknowledge it, and has endeavoured and is endeavouring to atone -for some of her unrighteousness. In this frank self-knowledge -lies her hope of salvation. We no longer live for the crude aims -and glories that inspired us three or four centuries ago; we have, -as a nation, grown beyond them a little, have climbed by painful -degrees a little higher out of the primal slime. We have blundered -into dirty ways, but have not been contented to wallow in them. -Through all our divagations we have, in some short-sighted fashion, -followed the gleam; we are still far from arriving at a realisation -of the later ideal that has subdued us, but we are still moving -towards it, and the chief reason why our great self-governing -Colonies are with us in this crisis is that they are travelling the -same road, towards the same goal.</p> - -<p>But I despair of saying clearly in words of my own just what -it is that has secured to us the glorious loyalty of our kindred of -Greater Britain. Members of the same family, they are under no -illusions about us; they are familiar with our weaknesses, our -hypocrisies, our injustices; but it is our pride that knowing the -worst as well as the best of us, as those of a family circle must, -they still have faith in our ultimate right-mindedness, and can give -reason for their faith. There are hints of that reason scattered -about their literature, but I don't think it has ever been -more fearlessly, more fully, or more poignantly revealed than it -is by John Farrel in his "Australia to England"–one of the -greatest things in Australian poetry:</p> - -<div class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">{99}</a></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">... By lust of flesh and lust of gold,</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> And depth of loins and hairy breadth</div> -<div class="verse">Of breast, and hands to take and hold,</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> And boastful scorn of pain and death,</div> -<div class="verse">And something more of manliness</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> Than tamer men, and growing shame</div> -<div class="verse">Of shameful things, and something less</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> Of final faith in sword and flame;</div> -</div> - -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">By many a battle fought for wrong,</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> And many a battle fought for right,</div> -<div class="verse">So have you grown august and strong,</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> Magnificent in all men's sight–</div> -<div class="verse">A voice for which the kings have ears,</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> A face the craftiest statesmen scan,</div> -<div class="verse">A mind to mould the after years,</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> And mint the destinies of man.</div> -</div> - -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">Red sins were yours: the avid greed</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> Of pirate fathers, smocked as Grace,</div> -<div class="verse">Sent Judas missionaries to read</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> Christ's word to many a feebler race–</div> -<div class="verse">False priests of Truth who made their tryst</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> At Mammon's shrine and reft and slew–</div> -<div class="verse">Some hands you taught to pray to Christ</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> Have prayed His curse to rest on you....</div> -</div> - -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">But praise to you, and more than praise</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> And thankfulness, for some things done,</div> -<div class="verse">And blessedness and length of days</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> As long as earth shall last, or sun!</div> -<div class="verse">You first among the peoples spoke</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> Sharp words and angry questionings</div> -<div class="verse">Which burst the bonds and shed the yoke</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> That made your men the slaves of kings!</div> -</div> - -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">You set and showed the whole world's school</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> The lesson it will surely read,</div> -<div class="verse">That each one ruled has right to rule–</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> The alphabet of Freedom's creed</div> -<div class="verse">Which slowly wins its proselytes</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> And makes uneasier many a throne;</div> -<div class="verse">You taught them all to prate of Rights</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> In language growing like your own.</div> -</div> - -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">And now your holiest and best</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> And wisest dream of such a tie</div> -<div class="verse">As, holding hearts from East to West,</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> Shall strengthen while the years go by;</div> -<div class="verse">And of a time when every man</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> For every fellow-man will do</div> -<div class="verse">His kindliest, working by the plan</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> God set him. May the dream come true!</div> -</div> - -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">And greater dreams! O Englishmen,</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> Be sure the safest time of all</div> -<div class="verse">For even the mightiest State is when</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> Not even the least desires its fall!</div> -<div class="verse">Make England stand supreme for aye</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> Because supreme for peace and good,</div> -<div class="verse">Warned well by wrecks of yesterday</div> -<div class="verse indent2"> That strongest feet may slip in blood!</div> -</div> - -</div> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<p class="small center"><i>Printed by Hazell, Watson & Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury.</i></p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AUSTRALASIA TRIUMPHANT! ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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