Diary of Frederick Warren Muir, 1915 - Part 3

Lizzies opened fire upon the Turkish
positions. The noise was incredible

the roar of the guns & shells. We
screams of shrapnel, the rattle
of machine & rifle fire almost
deafened one. Man after man
dropped wounded or dead, but
so heavy was the fire was so severe
that they could not be attended to.
As night fell however the firing for
the first time in 15 hours dropped &
ceased. We immediately commenced
to entrench ourselves. The pause was
not for long however as the
enemy made an attack on our
left & soon the rifle fire did
opened all along the front, with
renewed vigour. Our machine guns
did some good work & we
inflicted considerable carnage. A
light rain came on which made things
cold wet & uncomfortable as we had
no overcoats. We had to dig the trenches
with our small entrenching tool as
our spades had been left behind.
The hills are scattered with rifles
kits & ammunition, both Australian
& Turkish. We went forward after dark
to bring in the wounded but were
much annoyed by snipers. We
found that most of the wounded had
been bayoneted by the Turks who
also shelled our hospitals through
the day. The ships searchlights
playing on the enemies positions
helped to direct our fire; the ships
fire was directed by aeroplanes &
a captive balloon. Towards 

morning sorely needed reinforcements
arrived in the shape of New Zealanders
& the 4^th A.I. Bde who helped us dig
trenches & reinforced the firing line.
The battleships on the right flank
kept up a bombardment nearly
all night. The net result of the
days work was that we gained about
1½ miles of country, were in good
position, had secured a safe
landing for the remainder & had
about 2000 casualties
Monday 25^th Fire broke out again early
this morning & things were soon
going merrily Was sent to the
rear for ammunition. A rather
risky job on account of snipers
who potted at us as we crossed
the ridges. Things have much
improved this morning as we
are entrenched & have plenty of reinforcements
in the rear. The engineers have
been working all night & have built
fresh roads improved the old ones
dug wells & built a couple of wharves
Signal stations have been erected
& communication established between
headquarters & the trenches, The A.S.C are
very busy on the beach landing
supplies & there are thousands cases
of ammunition & rations there as
well as a multitude of other supplies
The 14^th Batt are in reserve on the beach
& n zealanders. We have now got several
howitzer batteries in position & these
together with the fleet opened a terrific
bombardment this morning. There was
a fort on the left flank which they
 

blew to pieces with lyddite. The 15" ships
of the Queen Elizabeth did terrific execution
in the Turkish trenches. The Turks treated
us to a lot of shrapnel this morning
& kept up a heavy fire all day. I got
in a nasty patch of shrapnel in the morning
- had to shelter for an hour or so
Towards night I managed to get a brief
rest from the trenches after 36 hours
under fire. Foraged around & got a tin
of pears?]] some biscuits & bully beef &
had a good meal. Lit a small
fire & made some tea. The water was

thick & the tea tasted like bad soup
but it was a most refreshing drink.
The Turkish guns opened a shrapnel
fusillade while I was having tea, but
did no damage. We have been
holding our own all along this
front, but are having a very heavy time
of it. The 4^th advanced on the right
and reached the 3^rd line of trenches but were
driven back. The Queen Elizabeth [[?]]
landed a couple of shrapnel onto our
own men this afternoon. Right near our
left flank where the 3rd Brig. disembarked
lie 51 of our men who were killed while
disembarking. We have been unable to
get at this owing to snipers on the hill.
The enemy constantly trying to get down &
strip the bodies but the ships have
put a few shrapnel into them. Two
stretcher bearers of 2nd Batt went in under
the snipers fire & brought wounded
out of the boat. I believe they have been
recommended for the V.C. I saw a large
number of wounded being brought in
from the left flank. The Turks advanced
 

very close several times through the night
but we managed to beat them back. The
casualties have been much lighter
today as the trenches protect us a
good deal. The coolness & bravery of our
men is wonderful. They are quite
unmoved under fire & can hardly be
stopped from advancing.
Tuesday.  Still on right flank with 5^th Batt.
We are holding the enemy well
now. They have a battery on an
armored train which is very troublesome
as it keeps on moving & the ships
cannot locate it. It stops firing when
even our aeroplane goes up. We have
now got mule trains going which
carry water provisions etc to front
line. These Indians are fine fellows.
The Turkish big guns entered
into a duel with the ships this afternoon
but did no damage. They also sent
some high explosive shells into our
trenches which made us fell very uncomfortable.
Our artillery is however 

gaining the ascendancy & we will be
right as soon as we get some more guns.
The Turks have sunk a small trawler near
the beach. We were sorely in need of water
in the trenches for a time but there is a
good supply now. Saw Genl. Birdwood &
Bridge right in the firing line This afternoon
was sent to the rear for a spell
this afternoon & very welcome. Scooped
myself a position on the bank of a dry
watercourse. There was a mountain
battery in front & a couple of batteries
behind & the Turks shelled these for a
couple of hours. Had a couple of very
 

narrow escapes. The hills are now
scattered with hundred of empty
shrapnel cases. The snipers are very
troublesome. They come in the gullies
dressed in our uniforms & do lots of
damage. Sniper-hunting is a very
exciting pastime but dangerous. We are
getting a fair number of prisoners. The
enemy are up to all kinds of tricks.
German officers dressed in our uniforms
come into the lines & give wrong orders
& pass confusing messages but we are
weeding these out. They tried sounding
the "Retire" last night but as we do
not use bugles now the ruse failed.
The artillery have been pounding
away all day but the rifle fire has
not been so heavy. There were a
good number of casualties however
Had a good sleep for the first time since we
landed despite the storm of shrapnel kept
up by the enemy.
Wednesday.  Came down this morning & joined
the battalion who are in reserve on the
left front in a dry watercourse. The Col.
& Adj were there & about 50 men. We
were called up the hill a couple of
times but did not go into action. There
were not very many wounded today
The enemy have been rather quiet
especially their big guns. Their armored
train has been blown up & we have
had hardly any shrapnel all day.
Our men are rolling in one by one
but there are a large number of gaps
in our ranks. The brigadier is dead
& the Brigade Major wounded. Things
are going well with us now. We
 

have regular supplies of food &

ammunition & water is plentiful
Plenty of food up here bacon, cheese jam
biscuits & beef. Had a good meal. Plenty
of snipers about still.
Thursday 30  Came down to the beach today
with the rest of the battalion. We had a
muster on the beach. Rather a doleful
proceedings. Congratulations for those
who were still here & regrets for those
who were not. Brownie got killed on
Sunday shot dead. We have only about
6 officers left and about ½ a battalion
but the men still keep charging in. We
are to have a couple of days rest
now as we have been relieved
by the R M L. I. Have dug a nice
little shelter on the hillside. Cooked
a good meal to-day & had a shave
wash & swim. Feel very refreshed. The
water is very nice & cool. The bay & hills
look very green & picturesque. One
cannot get out of range even here &
our fellows are constantly falling
victims to snipers. When we part
company with any of our fellows we never know
whether we will see them again or
not. The Turks made a couple of fierce
charges last night blowing bugles
& shouting "allah" but were repulsed.
We are quite accustomed to taking
our meals etc under fire. It is wonderful
how cosy one can make even a
dug out on a hill side.
Friday 31.  A very peaceful night. Very
little firing although there was an
artillery duel as usual at night fall
The fleet fired a couple of broadsides
 

last night & set fire to a huge Turkish
army store. The enemies gun are
almost silenced & there is only an
occasional shell. we went across &
got our packs today found them
intact. Although many of the other
battalions had been looted. Kitchener
has wired us his congratulations on our
success. Spent a quiet peaceful day
in our little shelter. The days here are
nice & warm but the nights are cold.
Our troops are still holding their own
well The warships are putting in good
work we are getting quite accustomed
to active service now. The fleet shelled
the fort on the point here again tonight
Had a couple of muster parades today
our men are in the best of health &
spirits. Warfare breeds the spirit
of good will among the men. one chums
up with anyone now no matter what unit
he belongs to. The sunsets are very beautiful
over the bay. There is a huge fleet of
transports & war boats along the coast
now. A large number of graves are
springing up along the sea shore. The
dead in the trenches sometimes lie for
days unburied & often have to be buried
very unceremoniously, but we do the best
we can. A few stray shrapnel came
across this afternoon but did no damage
The hills here are now swarming with
our men who have dug outs every
where.
Satdy 1^st  Spent another quiet day by the sea
shore. Were prepared to move out this afternoon
but orders were cancelled for
24 hours. Very heavy fighting all along
 

the front last night. The ships kept their
searchlights playing all night & the big
guns fired at intervals. The enemies
big guns have come to light again
to day & they have been throwing shrapnel
over our heads all day. We had
some narrow escapes but no harm done.
it seems as soon as we sit down to
a meal the shrapnel starts. A few landed
right on the beach. The ships & our batteries
replied heavily this afternoon. One of the
cruisers shelled the Lookout point again
very severely. We are getting expert
cooks now making dishes out of beef
onions bacon. beef tea etc.
Sunday 2  Moved suddenly last night
into the reserves. Wound our way
along the gully to the left front.
Slept in the gully for the night
Today we climbed to the top of the hill
into the supports. The hill is so steep
one needs a rope to climb it. Have
not had much to eat. Things
rather quiet all day. Very little
fighting on our front. Went into the
trenches for 6 hours from 1 till 7a.m.
Nothing doing here. Fierce fighting
on the left. We captured a trench. Many
casualties. Our men retired a
little this morning but recaptured
the position. Many casualties. Had
a few pot shots at the Turks. The Goeben
put a couple of holes in a transport
today. Our artillery gave the enemy
a very severe pounding this
afternoon. The trenches here smell
abominably on account of the dead
in front.
 

Monday 3  Spent another quiet day. Things
just the same as yesterday. We are
holding the enemy well & inflicting
considerable damage with our guns
in the meantime we are improving
our communications etc & landing
supplies. Did not go into trenches
to-day but kept handy as an
attack was expected. There was some
heavy firing during the night.
Thursday 4  Six hours in trenches to day.
Sapping communication trenches to
right & left & also constructing a trench
to enfilade enemy left flank. Some big
gun firing going on. The Turks have
shelled these trenches several times
but done no damage. Every time
we throw a shovelful of earth up it
is fired at. One shovel has six
holes in it. Have lost track of the day
time & date. The Tommies are filled
with a great admiration for the Aust.
They cannot understand how we captured
this position. They say we must
all be mad as no sane troops
could have done it. The Tommies &
also the sailors are now wearing our
discarded felthats which they think
just the thing. We on the other hand
are getting their helmets. They are
simply mad about mementos & pick
up all kinds of things to take home as
trophies. The Tommies are fine workers
at trenches etc. Our men dig a few shovel
fulls & then sit down for a smoke.
Wednesday .  Went into the trenches at 7 o'clock
this morning. Sapping towards the 4^th
Battalion. Slow work. The shells are
 

whistling over us & bursting uncomfortably
close. The trench reeks like a charnel
house on account of the dead marines.
on top. This sapping is very slow
work & monotonous. Only one can work at
the face at a time. There was an issue of
cigarettes & tobacco to-day. I think our
men woud to without anything rather
than his smoke & his billy of tea. They
smoke & light fires at all times & in all
places regardless of shots. The thing the
wounded crave most is a cigarette &
when they get this they are content. I saw
one chap horribly wounded in the jaw
puffing away at his cigarette. The enemys
shrapnel has been very lively to-day
but otherwise things are quiet. We
were issued with maconochies
rations to-day. They are very tasty.
The Indian & Zion Transport Columns are
doing very good work here. We have
a base depot in the gully now which is
well supplied. A number of little donkeys
from Limnos come in very handy for carrying
down the wounded. Some have a red cross
badge on their head & seem quite at home
wandering up the gully quite alone. Our
position here is at the top of a steep
slope rising sheer from the gully. We
have to pull ourselves up by a rope. We
are dug into the side of the hill like
rabbits. There is no shade & we get the
full force of the heat & cold. The sky
effects are glorious at sunrise & sun
set.