Letters of Athol Cluny McPherson, April - August 1915 - Part 9

Gabatepe Tuesday June 8th 05
My Dear Father
As we are able to write about our landing
here & our first test of fire where we got to this shore I 
must do so now to give you some idea what we had to put
up with. Well to begin with we came ashore in Pontoons
& boats off the ships drawn by Pinnaces from the men of
War, of course there was no pier & we had to jump into the water
over our knees to get ashore, we (the C Coy) were lucky enough to
get ashore without getting a few showers of schrapnel as some
of them did, as soon as we landed we were taken straight
up into the firing line & I can tell you it wasn't "sham
fighting" this time, the bullets were whizzing round us out of
the machine guns just like hail (Only Id rather be out in hail).
& all the time the Schrapnel was bursting over us in all directions
the Schrapnel is awful stuff, it the shell bursts & little xxx led 
balls go all over the place, but we managed to drive them
back although the country is very rough, the Cliffs are as high as
they are at Portland & besides that they are very scrubby
its very hard to see the Enemy Camp "Bulldogs" did bark
the morning we landed, the shore was lined as far as one
could see with Warships including "the Lizzie" when she fires
a broadside she seems to make the whole earth tremble.
The big guns must have played terrible havoc with the Turks
The Triumph put in fine work while she was here I was
talking to a Sth African & he said the fire here was equal to anything
he saw in S.A. he even reckoned it was as hot as Spion Kap.
We were shifted from here on the 6th of May for Port Helles
& as the Tommies & French had made a landing beforehand we landed
without opposition, the Enemy were back about four miles & we made
another charge there over open ground & gained about 600 yds
of ground against a murderous fire. You should see the
way the Naval Guns smashed up the guns in Sedd El Bahr
fort two 9.5 guns had their mountings blown to atoms & also
three smaller ones had their muzzles blown right off.
I saw Roth Burschaell yesterday, he got wounded in
the leg the first day, but is alright again now. I was
pleased to see him again. Well Father as we can only 
use one side of the paper I must close
with heaps of love to all at home
I remain your loving son 
Athol.

M B McPherson
Clyne Milton
Horsham
Victoria
Australia 

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Thursday June 17th 5
My Dearest Mother
As the mail is likely to leave any day of the week & this is getting
on towards the end I must send you a few lines to let you know
that I am well, & hope you are all likewise. I sent Jesse a P.C a few
days ago it was cut out of a cigarette box, nearly all of us have to
use them now as we cant get any other. Im looking out for the
next mail it should be in in a few days now. I sent a cable
yesterday & hope you receive it alright. Ill try & send one every
now & again as we send them to be paid for out of cigarette
pay - I sent it this month as I knew it was about your the 
Anniversary of your wedding day, I would have been mentioned it
in the cable but it takes such a lot of words & I I know one of the
best presents you could get would be a cable to know that I am
well. I hope you both spend the day well & only hope Ill be back
before the next comes round. I am writing this letter in the firing
line, its a fairly safe place to be, so long as the artillery
is quiet, but it knocks odd ones out at times. Talking 
of artillery reminds me of one night we were up at Cape Helles
where the French started to bombard the Turkish position to
some time The Turks are entrenched there in a big hill
& the French guns were simply bursting all over it, it seemed
to be bursting of shells from one side to the other all at the
same time they have great Artillery. The Tommies were

thunderstruck at the way we went forward down there, we
went right past them & gained about six hundred yards
of ground for them, dug trenches & then came back here
It was only the XX Brigade & xxxxxxx that went up
there, so as far as we have gone we have done more fighting
than any other of the Australian Brigades I was pleased
to receive so many letters from home last week also one from Mr Bens & 
Mr Smith. Please give my kind regards to them, & tell them Ill write
if ever I get the chance. I was sorry to hear about old J H Jackson
he must have been a very ripe age though as last time I was
in Casterton he xxx was 82 as far as I remember & that must
have been six or seven years ago. Please again give my love to xxx
Will Tot, Murray, & all the Gippsland lot. With Kind regards to all
Horsham Friends including the Millars. I was glad my name was
put to the roll in the C of E. I received those two Hymns my last mail
they must sound grand sung by a good choir. Please congratulate
Alby on his fine horse. Must close now with Heaps of love to all
at home, kind regards to Miss Jenkins
I remain always
your loving son
Athol

Mrs M. B McPherson
Clyne Milton
Horsham  Horsham
Victoria
Australia  

Gallipoli
30/6/15
My dearest Mother,
I was pleased to receive letters from both you
& "Jook" by the last mail letters arrived here on the 19th May & very
glad to hear that there had been a good fall of rain again
& hope this turns out a good season. You will notice
by the reading of this letter that we are still at the
same place. One of my best mates was killed the day before
yesterday at the beach, he was in swimming when a shell burst
right over him, he was killed on the spot, his name was
Jack King & his mother is a widow, he & I have been together
ever since the force was formed, in the same tent at both
Mena & Broadmeadows, he was wounded at xxxx & was
only back from the Hospital about ten days. I'm sending
this letter in an envelope addressed to Jook, its the only one Ive got
its one I addressed at Mena. I sometimes think of getting you to
send some from home, but I expect by the time they could reach
here, we would be in a place where we could buy some let
us hope so anyway. Its about two months since we landed here & we
have been under fire for nearly the whole time, but we are

quite used to it now. The weather out here to is getting
very hot & the flies are just awful. I never saw anything

like there them. I dont know if I told you in any
of my letters home that we stopped three or four weeks

at Lemnos before coming here, it is a bonzer harbour,
almost closed right in. The country around is hilly
The people who live on it are Turks Greeks,  we went
ashore there two or three times, all We can see
Embros & Tenedos Islands from here, some of the
Sunsets here are magnificent Marion should be
here to take paintings. Please give my love to Will

& Tot when next you write also Dick & the Hidley lot.
Will try & hunt Frank Webb up if we drop across the next
country but I wish I had Clarie Gillies's address

but I may be able to find him as I expect there will

be xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx from Victoria. Please

Remember me to the Grays, Bevs, Rennisons, & all
Horsham friends including Millars Kind Regards to

Miss Jenkins & Heaps of love to all at home

including Marion. I remain always

Yr loving son

Athol.
 

JW
Miss Jean McPherson
Clyne Milton
Horsham
Victoria
Australia