Letter from Fred Biddle to Norman Griffiths Ellsworth, 1916

12.2.16
Dear Ellsworth.
Yours of Jan 1st duly
to hand a week or so ago.
I am sorry to find you have
had such a rough passage, but hope
you are now very nearly, if not quite, OK.
We are now reforming & reorganising; &
as you can guess re-equipping which is a
slow process.
Capt Harris (late Agt Dac) has been
promoted Tempy Major is in command of
this battery.
I hear Major Phillips is likely to
be back any day, & he may possibly take
this battery again.
However two more divisions of guns are
to be formed here, out of what we have
in Egypt. We will go into the new establishment
which practically wipes out the Dac & cuts
down the BA.C. considerably.
Perhaps Major Phillips will get a brigade
I expect to get a step when the new divisions

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are formed.
No doubt you have heard all the
details of the evacuation by now.
The battery left on the night of 17th &
I was left behind for special duty controlling 
the embarkation of the troops from Anzac
Beach. It was quite a good job, but very
easily could have been a dirty one, if the 
Turks had found out what was going on.
However everything went OK. we were
putting 430 men on a motor lighter in an
average of 20 minutes (from mouth of Anzac
Gully to last man aboard.)
The men were splendid & there was not
a sound from them or a check of any sort
We made [[5 1/2 ?]] hours in the time allowed on
the second last night, & could easily have
done the same on, the 20th /21st.
Lone Pine  was held by 18 men for nearly
4 hours at the finish & the Turks were
Bluffed all the way.
Right up to the last the show was
just like an ordinary night, with the
usual amount of trench sniping simulated

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by men walking up & down potting from
various loopholes.
In fact by an ingenious arrangement
first thought out by a corporal of Light Horse
rifles were firing at odd times up to 30
minutes after the last man was out of
the front line.
The blowing up of the Nek was a
great sight, & even then the Turks thought
we were about to attack.
I embarked when the last of the Australians
were on the beach & everything OK.
It was a great experience but the
waiting during the last 4 hours was somewhat 
trying as so much could result from
a "fool" act of a single man.
However alls well that ends well.
It hurt a bit leaving Lieuts Wolfenden &
Siddell & all the old boys behind; but we
managed to make a triumph out of what
might easily have been a disaster, & so
were able to hope we hadn’t caused them
to turn in their graves.
I hear Turner  has received a commission

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in the R.F.C. Hope he doesn't talk them
to death. If he can only learn to talk less
he ought to do well, as he undoubtedly has
brains.
I hear young Arrowsmith has also
received a commission in the R.F.A.
We are well rid of him, but I’m sorry
for the R.F.A.
Tell any of the men you see that I
hope they are getting fit, but for any
sake not to chase after cold footed jobs
in England. There are plenty of B class
to fill them & “Australians”  don’t do it.
Well as I said early in this letter,
hope you are now O.K.
Thanks for writing
Yours  sincerely
Fred. L Biddle