Letters from Wilbert Berg to his family, 1915-1918 - Part 4

(2)

told me that Johnny Gale had been up to see me & is coming

up again this week. Since writing to you last I have seen 

George Horan & Carl Colman they came up to see me & I took 

them down to the Martie & we had a good old time talking

about our different experiences. Well Dad & Mum I did not

think that they would keep us long here when we arrived

& I was was not far wrong as A & B. Coy left this morning

for some where along the Canal & we are going at any

minute now. You said in your last letter that M^rs Webb &

the girls had sent Mart & I a wallet but so far neither

of us has received it. You also mentioned the different ones

that had written to me, but I have received very few
letters from them I suppose I have only received about ten

letters not counting the ones I have got from you & Millie

I have only received one letter from Gladys Logan none from

Clayton one from Mrs Harvey two from M^rs Webb none from M^rs 

Boyd one from Jack Quoyle one from M^rs Wood two from Lyns Wood

& a couple of others that I cannot think of just now so you see

that we do not get all the letters that are sent to us. When

we were in Cairo we had a good look around at Places that

we did not have time to see when we were here before & there

is no doubt that they have some beautiful places here. Cairo

is full just at present of visitors over here to spend the

winter amongst them is a terrible lot of French women &

there is not doubt that some of them are the finest looking

(3)

women in the world. I am writing this note down in Marts

tent & one of the boys just came down for me to go up & take

what I wanted out of my black kit bag because we will

not see them again until we get to England what a rumour

I only wish it is true & what is more I think that you save

they should give us a trip over there after the four very

strenuous months we put in over at the Peninsula or else

a couple of months furlough to go back & have a another look

at Sunny New South again. In my little parcel that I sent

you Martie put in a few things including a belt with the

badges of the different regiments on it. When I was on the 

Peninsula he wrote over & asked me to get him some but by

the time the Tommies arrive on the Peninsula that they have

given all their badges away but I manged to bring him

about a dozen good one which he put on the belt, I also put

in a parcel my turkish ring & my diary also a clip of

Turkish ammunition I also put in a driving band off the

famous "Beachy Bill" these bands because very scarce the last

couple of days as everyone was taking them away to have

them made into bangles for their best girls. Dont forget to

let me know if Uncle Willie enlists & what he belongs to so I

can look him up when he comes over here. & I'll get him into our

Battalion I wrote you a letter from the Peninsula telling you

that I had been promoted to acting Grenadier Cpl well I am

going to be made permanent I have one stripe now & the other is

(4)

going through so you see I have made a start I would

sooner get one stripe on the battlefield than three others. I

saw by the last paper that you sent me that the soldiers were

still playing up in Sydney I suppose it is all the cold footed

ones that are ring leaders. Well Dad & Mum I have seen

some very funny things since we left home I will never forget

the morning after our second charge, we have a little fellow in

our Coy whom we call Titch well he was in the trenches (the ones

we had just taken off the Turks) just near me & the Turks were

firing at us for all they were worth but just after daybreak

they eased off the firing a lot & it appears that when we

drove the Turks out of their trenches one of the Turks got

wounded in the arm & he fell down just over the parapet & he

stopped there all night & when the firing eased off next morning

he jumped back into our trenches (to give himself up) right

alongside Titch, he came over that quick that none of us saw

him until he was in our trenches & when little Titch looked

up a saw this big Turk alongside of him he off down the

trench for the lick of his life & the Turk put his hands on his

hips & laughed like anything at Titch running away from

him. Well Dad & Mum I think that I will close now & keep

all the other tit bits until I come home. So I will say ta-ta

with heaps of love & kisses to all  XX

I am XXXX

Your loving Son X

Remember me to all old friends.

Will  XXX

(1)

Ismailia

27/2/16

My Dear Dad,

You have often written & asked me to give you

a full account of my experiences while on the Peninsula &

especially how the poor 18^th Batt got cut up. Well that I dont

like recalling it, as it only makes me downhearted when I

think xxxx of the terrible pitiful Sights that I saw on that memorable

day Sunday August 22^nd.  Well I will do my best to tell

you. Well we left Heliopolis at midnight on August 15^th

for the Dardanelles & arrived at Alexandria on the 16^th &

went on board the S.S. Simla with the 19^th Batt 20^th Batt

the 5^th A.M.C. we were the only Company of the 18^th Batt

on board as we could not get on the other boat with

the rest of the Batt. Well we arrived at Lemnos Island

some two days afterwards where we stopped for a day

when we transferred to a small Greek ship & set off

for on our last final trip before reaching the Peninsula.

Well this boat was very fast & was doing 25 knots an

hour. The Peninsula is about 100 miles from Lemns Isld

& we arrived off Anzac about midnight. We were about

two miles from shore & we could hear the sounds of a

(2)

few rifles going off. We were told before we left

Heliopolis that we were going to make a new landing

& we were still under that same impression when we

arrived off Anzac, we could see see some lights shining

on the shore & we thought that they were lights in the

Turks camp & while we were looking at them & thinking

that we were in for a warm time we were given orders

to keep as silent as we could we were told not to talk

not to strike matches & so on & then we were given

orders to disembark on to a punt that came alongside

of us which we did with out any mishap & when everyone

was aboard we were towed ashore & when we were getting

near the shore we could notice a small wharf & people

moving about & when we got nearer we found to our

great surprise that they were our chaps who were

all very pleased to see us, as we were the first big

batch to land after the original landing. After we all

got ashore we started walking along the shore & into

a gully which they call Reserve Gully where we camped for

the day. As daylight came on we could observe the terrible

high ridges all around us & wondered however our boys

got up them on that memorable landing April 25^th 1915.

Soon after 6 o'clock the Company was fallen in & some of

us had to go & carry ammunition from the wharf to where

(3)

we were camped & the others had to carry water. It was

broad daylight now & some of our artillery was firing

away while the warships etc were patrolling up & down

some two miles out from Anzac. The beach at Anzac

was all amove now with Indian Transport carts,

mules carrying water & the soldiers moving about

carrying out their different duties. It was near dinner

time now & we were having a few minutes rest when

three of us decided to climb up one of the hills & have

a look at the trenches after about a quarter of an hours

good climbing we reached the summit of the hill Known

as Walkers Ridge  we then went into the trenches, the

9^th & 10^th Light Horse were here holding the trenches & we

soon had them telling us their experiences. After they

had finished they took the three of us into the firing

trench to have a look through the Periscope, the

first thing that struck me when we entered the firing

line was how contented all these boys looked Our 

guide told us to wait until he got a periscope for us

he soon returned with the periscope & gave it to me

to have a look at the Turks trenches, the first thing

I saw was a big heap of our dead boys that were

lying half way between our trenches & the Turks, our

guide told me that they were killed when our boys

(4)

tried to take the Turks trenches on August 6th 1915 & the

next thing our guide came along with was a periscope 

rifle so we amused ourselves for a while firing at the

Turks loopholes As time was getting near dinner time

we decided to make back after thanking all the boys

for their kindness we set sail for the camp where

we arrived just in time for dinner after having a

drink of tea & some of our famous bully beef we lied

down to have a rest but I did not lie down for long

as I was too excited About half past two the warships

began to gather off Anzac at at three o'clock they

started a terrible bombardment on the left of Anzac

the Artillery joining in the bombardment we all went

on to a ridge to view the bombardment in about

half an hours time all the hills & the town of Anafarta

were all afire, the sound of big guns going off, the

bursting of the shells, & the crack of the rifles was

deafening At three four o'clock the ships stopped firing,

but the crack of the rifles was still the same, we

could now see long strings of our stretcher bearers

bringing in our wounded to the dressing station where

their wounds were dressed & then they were taken on

small boats out to the Hospital Ship, we were all

wondering if we would be called out but we heard

(5)

nothing until after tea when Capt Fitzpatrick came

along & said to us Well boys I suppose you will be

downhearted to hear that you are not going into it

to-night we are only going into reserve trenches but

we were satisfied to know that much. Spoon after

dark we started to move off towards Suvla Bay, we

entered a big sap which was about a mile in length

& when we got about half way through we came

onto two Gurkhas who had a Turkish prisoner

they had a big stick across his back with his

arms tied full length on it & they had their knives

out & were arguing the point as to which on of

them was to chop him up, this did not put too

good a taste in my mouth. At last we came out

of the sap & along the beach where we were given a

rest, continuing our march then until we came to

S.W.B. Gully where we dropped our packs, xxx ∧ we were told

to make ourselves comfortable as we were going to stop

there for the night but we no sooner sat down than

he had to get up & move on again, we came to a piece

of level country which was under fire, we advanced over

it in short rushes but a couple of our chaps were xxx hit

then we entered another gully where a halt was

again called on account of A & B Company getting lost

(6)

Continuing again with C Company in the lead & D 

Company following we now had to double a couple

of hundred yards across another piece of level country

& into gullies again, it was now half past six

& the boys xxx were all beginning to feel the strain of

the march. We were now nearing the firing line

as the sound of the cracking bullets was getting

very close, we now passed a couple of Survey

Camps & a New Zealand camp but as it was early

there were very few about. We again entered into

the saps until we found ourselves at the bottom

of a big hill where the New Zealand & English troops

were entrenched, we entered a support trench

now which had big shrubs growing on each side

of it the order was now passed along to fix

bayonets we already had our rifles charged

we were now marching along two deep when the

order came to charge I kept on following the ones

in front until we came to a break in the bushes

& here an officer was standing singing out run

for your lives boys I ran through the break & into

a clear patch of land which was about 70 yards

long & about 35 yards wide, the Turkish machine

guns were playing all over it, About half way

(7)

over the paddock was a trench & as I jumped

over it I glanced down into it & here were the

Sikhs sitting on the bottom of the trench with

a smile all over their faces I kept on going until

I reached the shrubs where all the other boys

were under cover of the bushes & I fell down

with them You could now heard the constant

singing out of our boys for the stretcher bearers &

the ones who were only slightly wounded were

passing by in scores to the dressing station. We

were now passing orders along to ascertain what which

machine gun was firing on our left etc Now came

the Coy of reinforcements on the left & out Shot

Lt. M^cLachlan at the head of the 2^nd Bttn of the

18^th, but not many of the poor boys ever reached

the bushes as the Turks were playing with

deadly effect on this open patch. I was still

in the same place quietly smoking a cigarette (the

first thing xxxx all of the boys did was to pull out a

cigarette & have a smoke. Major Lane now came

running into the bushes now where we were & he laid

down for a while & then he said come on boys & we all

up again yelling like mad & when we had gone about

15 yards down again & so on until we got a few yards