Sir John Monash, Personal Files Book 3, 11 April - 26 April 1915, Part 3

INDEX. 
                                                           Page
General Description.                        3
Landing places.                              4 & 5
Roads and water.                           5 & 6
Camps and Fuel.                                7                 
  
(3) 
  
GALLIPOLI PENINSULA. 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 

The GALLIPOLI Peninsula from Cape HELLES to BULAIR has a length
of 52 miles, and a breadth varying from 12 miles near the centre to 6000 yards at
a point one and a half miles South West of BULAIR. Here it begins to broaden 
gradually and at its Northern extremity it attains a breadth of 10 miles. The
Northern shore is bordered by a range of hills, which fall steeply towards the sea,
and throw out spurs toward the Southern shore. These step slopes are covered
with brushwood. On the South side of the Peninsula the ground rises very steeply
along the shore from MORTO BAY to KILID BAHR.
From KILID BAHR to MAIDOS the shore is mostly low lying, backed by
steep hills, and landing could be effected at several points. Thence as far as GALLIPOLI
small Landing places could be found at the mouths of narrow valleys, but
otherwise the coast is very steep.
North of BULAIR the country becomes flatter and much of it is marshy.
The entrance to the DARDANELLES lies between SEDD-EL-BAHR and
KUM KALE, 4400 yards in width.
The Straits extend from here to GALLIPOLI forty four and a half miles,
with an average width from shore to shore of about 4000 yards, the minimum being
1400 yards between KILID BAHR and CHANAK.
  
INLAND
  
Inland the country is undulating, and considerable tracts of plateau and valley
are under cultivation.
The principal crops are cereals, cotton, and sesame.
There are no trees on the summit of the plateau, though the slopes of some hills
are covered with fir, pine, and oak. These rarely attain any size.
Practically no supplies are to be obtained locally, as the villagers have only sufficient
for their own subsistence. Water may be found on the farms, especially in
the villages. The roads for the most part are cart tracks, often impassable in
winter.
The ridges also are often difficult to traverse, as is the succession of valleys
which cross the Peninsula.
The streams present few obstacles, though the banks are often steep. Ramps
can however be made, as the soil is sandy. 

(4) 
The inhabitants of the larger villages are Greek and Jews. The former have
been sent away. Turks reside in the smaller villages.
A telegraph line runs along the whole length of the Peninsula, with four wires
from BULAIR to GALLIPOLl and two wires between GALLIPOLI and KILID
BAHR.
The coins and weights in use in the Peninsula and the inhabitants method of
reckoning distances are given in Appendix 1.
  
LANDING PLACES.
  
1. BAKLA BAY, 3 miles north of BULAIR, affords a good landing, but it
would be exposed to fire from the heights near BULAIR, as the intervening
country is quite flat. Easy cart tracks lead up to BULAIR.
2. At EJELMAR BAY, 6 miles North of Cape SUVLA, there are about
1200 yards available for landing, but the hills on either side of the track are high.
A road, passable for wheels, leads from here to KARNABILI.
3. SUVLA BAY offers fair landing facilities, but the lagoon renders access
inland difficult and limited.
4. Two landing places exist at KABA TEPE.
(a). North of KABA TEPE. It is inadvisable to land here except by day,
as there are indications of shoals close inland. The mainland consists of sandy
hillocks covered with coarse grass. Movement for any troops except Infantry
would be difficult. This landing place might be used to cover troops moving on
ESKI KEUI.
(b) South of KABA TEPE there is a beach stretching Southwards for about
a mile.
In consequence of the existence of shoals, only about 600 x due South of
KABA TEPE, as far as the mouth of the ASMAK DERE, affords a safe landing
place. Prevailing winds Northerly or Southerly. The beach here is shelving, of
firm sand, about 30 x in depth, there being deep water close inshore.
A thin fringe of sandy hillocks forms the boundary between the mainland and
the shore. These would offer little obstacle to the passage of guns or wheeled
vehicles. Inland, the soil is somewhat heavy.
  
POSITION TO COVER LANDING.
  
The left bank of the ASMAK DEKE affords a position to cover the landing
of a force at this point. The soil is sandy and easy to entrench.
In order to move guns inland it would be necessary to take a track which
  
(5) 
  
leaves the shore 150 x North of the mouth of ASMAK DERE. This track follows
the course of a small tributary of the ASMAK DERE for a short distance and
joins the ESKI KEUI-BUYUK ANAFARTA road about a mile from the landing
place. There is no obstacle to moving off the track.
There are some fishermen's huts at KABA TEPE.
  
LANDING PLACES 

5. Just south of TEKKE BURNO is a sandy bay which offers a favorable
landing place from which to attack ERTROGHROL Battery.
North west of the Lighthouse there is an excellent landing place on a stretch
of beach 150 yards long.
The distance from this landing to ERTROGHRUL Fort is about 1000 yards,
the country rising gently from the shore.
There are no obstructions to the movement of field guns.
6. A landing, for small boats only, exists just inside SEDD- EL- BAHR itself.
7. At MORTO BAY is a good sandy beach, with easy approaches, where a
landing could be made.
8. KILIA BAY, 2 miles North of MAIDOS.
There is a Pier 11 yards or 10 metres wide, and about 22 yards or 20 metres
long with water deep enough for large ships.
9. MAIDOS. Here there are two small piers, with a depth of from one to
two fathoms, and a small breakwater. Ten boats from 80 to 100 tons, can go
alongside the Piers simultaneously.
Close to the piers are several storehouses, marked "Mills" on the operations
map. 
To the S.W. side of the Port there are two large Greek schools.
There are no cranes for unloading at KILIA or MAIDOS.
On the Asiatic side, at YUKYEN BAY, 10 miles South of KUM KALL is deep
water, with good landing, and a good road leading from it
  
ROADS. 

There is a good metalled road, fit for all arms from SEDD- EL-BAHR via
KRITIA to MAIDOS. Two carts can go abreast.
From PEREN OVASI a road branches to KILID BAHR. Guns and carts are
not necessarily confined to the road.
From PEREN OVASI there is also a footpath through KOJADERE,
BUYUK and KUCHUK ANAFARTA to EJELMAR BAY. From MAIDOS to
KILID BAHR, a metalled road in bad condition (Sept. 1910) but this is probably 

(6) 
  
now in good order, as at that date tenders were being asked for its repair.
From KABA TEPE to MAIDOS via ESKI KEUI. This road is in good
condition, unmetalled, of hard sand, passable everywhere for wheeled vehicles in
summer and autumn. A good track passable for wheels branches off this road at
ESKI KEUL and runs through KOJADERE to BOGHALL, where it joins the
MAIDOS-KUM KEUI-KARNABILI-BAIR KEUL-GALLIPOLI road.
This latter road is passable for guns only from BAIK KEUI to GALLIPOLI.
The villages of BUYUK and KUCHUK ANAFARTA, YALOVA
BOGHALI and SEVILI in the neighbourhood of all of which there is good
grazing, are connected by tracks passable for wheels.
The GALLIPOLI BULAIR road isa chaussée ft for all arms, though the
bridges on it will not permit the passage of heavier guns than those described as
being 8-horse guns.
The BULAIR-KAVAK road is in fair condition. The stone bridge at
KAVAK was blown up in the late war, but was repairable without much difficulty.
At SEDD- EL- BAHR and KRITHIA water is to be found, but at the latter
place it is not fit to drink unless boiled.
Between SEDD- EL-BAHR and MAIDOS are two large farms with
numerous springs.
At MAIDOS, during the late war, 60,000 men and 2000 horses were sup-
plied wich water chiedy from springs.
Near the landing place previously mentioned at KABA TEPE there is a portion
of the ASMAK DERE 200 x long, 7 x wide and 2' deep, suitable for watering ani-
mals. Just above this place troops can be watered.
At HARALAMBOS-CHIBOUKJI-CHIFLIK is a well, and three-quarters
of a mile south of this place, at a Greek Chapel, is a cistern fed by a good spring.
On the SEDD-EL-BAHR-KRITHIA road, half a mile East of the point
where the road across the KILID BAHR Plateau meets it, there is a fountain
with two troughs.
At SHAITAN KEUI there are fve fountains in the neighbourhood.
At BERGAZ the supply is very scanty.
At TAIFUR KEUI excelent water is found both from the spring
"PLATANOS" in the village itself, and at the spring "AGIOS YANNI" ten
minutes distant.
GALLIPOLI possesses a good water supply just north of the town.
Pipe lines from YENIDJE CHIFTLIK supply the town of BULAIR and
forts. There is no other supply except one well in BULAIR. These pipes run
through a cistern close to and visible from the Gulf of XEROS.
  
(7) 
  
CAMPS.
The only camps that have been used are near KRITHIA VILLAGE and
at MAIDOS both North-West and South-West of the town.
FUEL.
Fuel for burning is brought from woods East of BAKALI for the inhabit-
ants of MAIDOS.
About 12 miles below GALLIPOLl are small fir woods at UNGARDERE
and YALOVA.
The KILLIAOVASSI valley, between ESKI KEUI and KABA TEPE,
holds a number of oak trees of considerable size, which would take some time to fell.
The trees on the Western slopes of the KILID BAHR plateau are suitable
for fuel. 

(8) 
  
APPENDIX I.
                                                                          s        d.
MONEY.          GOLD.     Turkish Lira     -  18        2
                        SILVER.     Medjaieh         -   3        4  
                                            Half                  -    1        8
                                            Quarter           -            10
                     BRONZE.     Beshlik            -             5
                                            5 paras            -              1 farthing.
  
WEIGHTS.  OKE        -   1 kilogramme or 2.828 lbs.
                     KANTAR.    44 Okes or 100 Kilos.
  
DISTANCE. Distances are usually measured by time, and
vary according to localities and personal
equation.
The farsang - 10 kilometres or six and a
quarter miles. 

PASSED 
7.6.15 
[[?]] 
D.C.C. AUST. 
not for publication 
  
  

H.M.S "Queen Elizabeth" in Lemnos Harbor
Sketch taken through porthole of my cabin 
J.M.
 

E/C 8038
THOS. COOK & SON (Egypt), Ltd.
Shipping and forwarding Dept..
CAIRO. 

April 16^th 1915
Col. John Monash 
Abrodrome Camp 
Heleopolis

Sir, 
In reference to your instructions respecting the shipment 
of one packages to Surry, we have pleasure  
in enclosing herewith Receipt No. 371 showing conditions 
under which the package is forwarded.  We also enclose insurance 
certificate showing the conditions of the insurance effected on this 
consignment, which please sign and keep in you possession in the 
event of a claim arising. 

Yours faithfully,
For THOS. COOK & SON (Egypt), Ltd. 
G. Mann.
Enclos/

(E.L. 79/I4.) 

No. 371  
Issued from the Shipping & Forwarding Dept., Cairo Office of 
THOS. COOK & SON (EGYPT), Ltd.,
Shipping & Forwarding Agents,
Chief Office: LUDGATE CIRCUS,
LONDON, E.C.
X/C 8038 
April 16^th 1915 
Received from M Col. John Monash 
one packages, to be forwarded to Surry 
England by rails & steamer 
subject to the conditions on the back of this receipt. 
Keys _____________ To be insured for ______________
THOS. COOK & SON (EGYPT), LTD.
DM 

The property mentioned on front of this receipt is entrusted to and accepted by THOS. COOK & SON (Egypt, Ltd.)
on the Conditions set out below, but also on the condition that all liability on the part of THOS. COOK & SON (Egypt, Ltd.) absolutely ceases and determines on the property passing out of their possession.
CONDITIONS.

IMPORTANT. - Passengers who require their baggage immediately on arrival at destination should note Condition No 7. To

avoid delay notice should also be sent to the Hotel or Pension to receive the packages and pay the charges due. 
 

A.F.A [[?2]] 
114/Gen. No./5248

FIELD SERVICE 

POST CARD 
PASSED BY  
No [[?31]] 
CENSOR 
The address 
only to be writ- 
ten on this side. 
If anything else 
is added, the 
post card will be 
destroyed. 
  
Mrs Monash 
    Iona 
St. George's Rd Toorak 
Melbourne, Australia
 

NOTHING Is to be written on this side except the
date and signature of the sender. Sentences
not required may be erased. If anything
else ls added the post card will be destroyed.
============================================ 
                                                       recd 24th May/15 

I am quite well.
I have been admitted into hospital
{sick           } and am going on well. 
{wounded} and hope to be discharged soon. 

I am being sent down to the base. 
  
                                          {letter dated ____________ 
I have received your    {telegram,, ______________ 
                                          {parcel      ,, ______________ 
  
Letters follows at first opportunity.,
  
I have received no letter from you 
{lately. 
{for a long time. 
  
Signature  } 
   only         }   John Monash 
Date April 16/15

[Postage must be prepaid on any letter or post card
addressed to the sender of this card.)
(6464)   Wt. W3497-293   1,000m   12/14   F.T. & Co., Ltd.