Handwritten transcript of diaries of Apcar Leslie De Vine, 1 January 1915 - 6 October 1918, Part 10 of 26

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16/12/15 Easy day vey few fatigues, further preparations

made to evacuate Anzac. The firing line is absolutely

silent not a shot has been fired for two days, our

policy of silence has got the Turks thinking.

 

17/12/15 No fatigues during day, fatigues at night consist of

loading the 4^th Bn stores & carrying them to the beach and

transferring them to the punts where they are ferried to the

transports. Everything has greatly changed on the beach, huge piles

of stores have either been transported or destroyed, the water

front now is looking very bare. While on these fatigues groups

of men were destroying & pouring into holes huge quantities of

rum, food, and much amunition, everythg that we are

taking is ready for transportation. Am now detailed as

one of the last in the Bn to leave when the time comes

in a day or two. Col McNaughton evacuated today

 

18/12/15 All stores etc are now thrown open to the men

who take what thy like. large quantities of tinned fruits, milk,

fish, chicken, etc are freely partaken of and we have a huge

feast, the first good meal for several days, as we have been

living on a base living allowance of 5 biscuits, without bread

owing to a conservation of supplies, which have been hoarded

up for the winter as it will be impossible to land any

supplies during the rough winter, there has been great difficulty

even in such necessities as the evacuation of the sick and

wounded, who have been accumulating for a few days awaiting

a favourable opportunity to embark, when the wind & sea

have abaited. Large stacks of tobacco & cigarettes which

have been held for the same purpose & as hospital supplies

are all thrown open & can be had for the taking. We

now have more food & tobacco than we can consume

Gun limbers, shells, and SA amunition that we are not

transporting are destroyed or burried. Am included among

 

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the selected few whose duty it will be to "man" the

front line when the Bn holds its front for the last

time as we have been definitely informed that we will

be leaving tomorrow night. The Turks are vey quiet all

night, with us everything is packed up ready for leaving, all

our personal kit. packs, blankets, etc have already left, with

a large number of the men who have been under orders,

leaving at regular intervalls during the last two nights

the remainder will remain as the last garrison for

tomorrow night. Before dusk we spring a little joke

on "Jacko" for the last time. A Coy are under orders to

parade at Bn Hdqrs, with full equipment at 5pm,

after "falling in" we are being continually marched up and

down certain support lines & other parts which are exposed

positions & under observation from the OP on Gaba Tepe.

after making several circuits we of course grumble

about the "route march". especially on exposed positions

finally we are dismissed about 6.30 pm later the

reason for this manouvre was explained, we had been

bluffing them into believing that we are reinforcing

the line, when as a matter of fact we are preparing

to leave it. Early this morning our silence was broken,

a Turkish soldier crossed "no mans land" to try and

find the reason for such inactivity, one of our

sentries after allowing him to come quite close, shot

him, by that shot they must have realised that our

line despite its silence was still occupied, hence

the little bluf of the "route march" to make them

think that we are reinforcing prior to an attack

Everything is vey quiet tonight, deadly quiet not

a shot or any noise from either side, we are

however all on watch continuously, not knowing what

may happen, or whether they know our intentions, & are

awaiting their opportunity. Pass Word tonight "Chinatown" 

 

 

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19/12/15 Sunday Turks pretty active today with their

howitzer & 75 mm shells, we wonder if they know anything

everything now is finally completed for tonights evacuation

of the Anzac position. We hold the line for the last time

today & those who are selected are detailed to their posts

for tonight. The men who leave early in the evening take

the remainder of our packs & blankets in case the last

party have to make a fight for it, when it will be

necessary for us to be equipped as lightly as possible. Am

detailed for the rear guard which is again divided into

three posts A. B & C. Am in A party. Everything tonight is

to be done with absolute quietness not the slightest noise

is to be made. All spare blankets have been torn up to

make pads for our feet as a precaution against noise when

the time comes to leave. At midnight each party meets at

a selected spot. A party met at the cook house where we

tie ourselves together with lengths of rope, each man is

tied to the belt of the man on front of him as a

precaution that no man will go astray & get lost, should

a man get left behind by accident he would have no

chance of getting away as being an isolated figure attached 

to no post, he would be shot on sight, as we have strict

orders that we are the absolute last of the garrison

and that any body seen behind us after the last man has

passed is to be shot on sight, as it is thought likely

that an attack may be made, and that our plans

may not be a secret after all. Finally the command

is passed quietly, and we move off each party taking

its own speciall track, the guide along the track is

a lighted candle under a tin, in which small holes

have been punched arrow shape. indicating the route.

All other tracks, trenches, etc have been filled up with

barbed wire, and barred with sentries posted on

each. We attach the sentry to our party, block up the

 

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track through which we have just passed and

moove on, there is not a single member of the AIF

now left in the trenched, support or reserve lines.

All are now making their way slowly towards the

beach blocking up all paths as thy go, in case of a

sudden rush if anything is found out, We all carry

extra bandioliers of amunition, and two bombs should

thy be necessary if not our instructions are that we

are to hang on to the SA Amunition & throw the bombs

into the sea when we arrive at the punts. The

Officer in command of A section is Mr Pierce. The Bn

now being under the command of Major Scott. We

all eventually arrive at the beach and take up a

specially prepared position for a defence in case of

attack while the last troops are embarking. Here we

wait for B & C sections who taking other paths arrive

after us. Everything has been vey carefully thought out

by the higher command & has passed off without a

hitch not a man being either missed or wounded

at least during the actual evacuation, the Bn

had one casualty about 5 pm, a man was wounded

by a shrapnel splinter nothg serious, the only case

all day. Here the arrangements are that in case

of trouble we are to stick to the job to the

last man. allowing those to whom we are acting as

rear guard to get away. A hospital has been

erected in a gully & a staff of RAMC & a few

doctors, have volunteered to remain with the

wounded & surrender with them if necessary.

Fortunately it was not. About 1 am orders received to

retire direct on to the beach and take up positions

for evacuation of the naval boats. Finally we

board a naval punt at Watsons Pier. after throwing 

our bombs in the water and are transhipped to the

 

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Sijalion Prince, after waiting for other units etc

we leave for Mudros at 2 am the next morning. Before

we leave we witness the last "stunt" on Anzac

Lone Pine and other posts have been heavily mined

and ready for the big blow up as the final act before

we leave, this "stunt" happens just as we leave the bay

and the food dumps that have been prepared with

tar, petrol, etc are set on fire, these have been well

 prepared in advanse during the day, being stacked

around with plenty of wood, barrels of tar, petroleum

etc, the fires are vy bright & large, blasing up vy

high illuminating the whole of the Anzac position

The Turks suspisions are now arroused & suspect that

there is something doing so they open fire on our evacuated

positions, at dawn when thy got no reply from us

thy sent out strong parties to see what is doing, the

naval guns catch them in the open & chop them up

very badly. They however arrive too late as the last

man has embarked before thy realise the position

We have managed to effect a clean get away without

even one casualty. Achi Baba again vey heavily

bombarded during the afternoon for several hours, thus

attracting their attention to Cape Helles while we

finalise our arrangements at Anzac.

 

20/12/15 Took my last look at Anzac as we mooved

off out of rifle fire at dawn, it is very much scarred

as the result of our occupation. Shells are now

bursting freely all over it & huge fires are burning

the war ships who are standing in much closer than

we are, are giving the Turks their last hurry up

before leaving, not a soul remains behind the dead

now only occupy the position. We arrived at Mudros

ealy in the morning and waited in the harbour untill

 

 

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9 o/c when we were taken off by the SS Waterwitch to the pier

from where we marched to the site of our old camp.

Other parties continually arriving during the day by other boats

everybody now is off the Peninsula & rejoining their units

here. The last to arrive tell us that there has not

been a single casualty in any of the units that left last

of all. We are all vey sory to have left Anzac without

gaining our objective after 9 months hard efforts, but

the position in front of us was impossible, and our

position untenable during the winter months, the 

whole business has been a vey sorry mess up and a 

sheer waste of men & material. After reaching our

camp & receiving a rousing welcome from the advance

guard, who have been in camp for a few days we

dismiss to our tents. Thus ends the Galipolli expedition

We have a complete rest for the remainder of the day

 

21/12/15 Fatigues all day & general clean up of camp

 

22/12/15 Two hours drill today 10 - 12 am. Christmas "Billys" 

& other presents issued today, the "Billys" have come

from all over Australia mine coming from a Melbourne

family. We are all issued with our winter clothing

1 sheep skin vest. 2 shirts. 2 socks etc. Easy day no fatigues

 

23/12/15 Short parade today for kit inspection, everything

is packed to moove off at a minutes notice. Christmas 

puddings issued today 1 tin between 3 men. just a good

slice each. Paid £ 2. Visited villages for stores

 

24/12/15 Christmas Eve. Under orders to move off this

morning at 9 o/c, everything packed up ready. It rained

heavily this morning, the ground is vey muddy, marched

to the pier and embarked on the paddle steamer "Hendon"

 

 

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being later transferred to the SS Simba waiting for us

in the harbour. We are not told where we are going

but unofficially we hear that it is Alexandria

Large concert given tonight on deck.

 

25/12/15 Christmas Day. Vey quiet day. Christmas

pudding issued at dinner a present from Adelaide Sth

Australia. Mooved from our anchorage this afternoon

and proceeded to the entrance of the harbour, but

did not go out. The Alarm was sounded this afternoon

for "Stations" in case of submarine attacks. Muster

parade at 10 am

 

26/12/15 Sunday Left Lemnos harbour at 4 am, orders

issued that life belts are to be worn continuousy all

day in case of submarine attack. The Mediteranean

is supposed to be a hot bed of enemy submarines, at night

we are to sleep with the belts under our heads, in fact

we are never to be seperated from them. Many ships have

already been lost. We have nothing to do but lie about the decks

and smoke all day

 

27/12/15 Muster parade 10 am. We are now well out to

sea, easy day, nothing doing

 

28/12/15 Drew into Alexandria at mid day and

anchored in the harbour all the afternoon. At 4 pm

we moove towards the wharf, towed by a tug, tied

up at 6 pm. we remain on board all night

 

29/12/15 Remained on board untill midday, when we

disembarked and marched to Mustapha about half

way to Alex camp where our transport are, we bivouacked

on a vacant piece of ground by the side of the railway

 

 

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Am warned for camp guard immediately on arriving

in camp. Mounted at 2.30 pm. leave granted to

the whole camp, completely deserted, everybody had left

& gone into Alexandria for the night except the guard.

 

30/12/15 Guard all day, dismounted at 5 pm. Afterwards

visited Alexandria. We are under orders to move off

tomorrow morning, & to hold ourselves ready to leave

at a moments notice for an unknown destination

if necessary

 

31/12/15 Revelle 4.30 am. Full marching order, at 6.30

we marched to the railway siding and entrain for

Tel-el-Kebir arriving there during the afternoon

The camp is situated on the edge of the desert

by the side of the railway line, this is a very

miserable & lonely spot, far away from any town

The General commanding the troops in Egypt has desided

that the AIF are not to be camped near Cairo or

any other large cities hence we are all condemned to

the desert. We all wonder how long we are to be

kept in this dismal place, many ex wounded men

and reinforcements are already there before us

and give us a welcome as we march into camp.

The camp extends about two miles along the railway line

and has unlimited space for extentions with the

tremendous area of the desert behind for a parade

and manouvre ground. Camp vy noisy tonight

on New Years eve

 

 

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1916

 

1/1/16 Two hours in desert this morning. The Xmas

mail arrived today for the Bn in 140 bags, got 6 letters

myself all the mail has been accumulating for some time

Concerts round the camp fires tonight

 

2/1/16 Sunday Attended church parade this morning

afterwards the Bn was given 1 hours ceremonial drill

by Col Macnaughton. free in the afternoon so I strolled over

the old battlefield of Tel-el-Kebir and Aribi Pasha's

trenches, the ground was still littered with rusty

tins, spent cartridges, bones, etc many of our boys found

interesting souvenirs

 

3/1/16 Off parade today detailed for digging fatigue for

Capt Fannings camp. Rained heavily during afternoon

everybody wet through, all blankets wet. day vey cold

and miserable

 

4/1/16 Fatigues all day, ground still damp. Very cold day

 

5/1/16 Fatigues no parade today. during afternoon visited

the military graves at Tel-el -Kebir where are buried

many of the men who fell in the battle, some very fine

regimental monuments are erected here

 

6/1/16 No parade today, rained all afternoon. vey cold day.

 

7/1/16 No parade today, raining heavily. Paid £ 5. 2. 7

later in dy drew a second pay £ 2.1.0

 

8/1/16 Rained vey heavily during the night, very damp

 

 

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all day, no early morning parade, rained all afternoon

parcell post arrived today

 

9/1/16 Sunday No church parade today, nothing doin, quiet

 

10/1/16 Heavy day. Four parades, early morning physical drill

6.30 - 7.30. Morning parade 9.30 - 11.30. Afternoon parade

3 - 4. Night parade 8 - 9. We feel very tired

 

11/1/16 Two parades only today. Was granted leave to visit

Cairo for 48 hours with several others of the Bn. We

left Tel-el-Kebir by the 9 pm train, after many

stops we arrive at Cairo 1 hour 20 minutes late,

arriving a 1.10 the next morning, managed to book a bed

at the Bristol Hotel. This is the first time I have

slept in a bed since I left home 15 months ago, got

very little sleep, not used to beds now, too

comfortable & soft

 

12/1/16 Spent the whole day driving around Cairo doing

my shopping. Spent the evening at the Kursal, vey good

show. Back to the Bristol very late at night

 

13/1/16 All day in Cairo. Left at 6.15 pm for Tel-el-Kebir

arriving in camp at 7.30 pm

 

14/1/16 Parades in morning & afternoon, rehearsing the 

march past for General Murrey who is to review us

tomorrow, this is being rehearsed by the whole of the 1st

Division before Brigadier Smyth. The camp now

extends continuously for two or three miles along the

railway line, both Divisions are here, with other technical

units, making the whole camp on huge city complete

with resteraunts, cafe's, shops, canteen etc, there is