Sir John Monash, Personal Files Book 11, 1 December - 25 December 1915, Part 9

37
C.O 16^th Battalion
Please arrange for the fixing, tonight, in the Aghyl Dere
stream bed, between the Forward Barricade, & the Hotchkiss gun
new Barricade, of two or more wire entanglements, especially
under the new Bridge near the Hotchkiss gun x —  The object
is to check an enemy who may try to rush down the Dere.
BM 2102
JPMcG  
17.12.15 

"C" Form (Duplicate).  Army Form C. 2123.
MESSAGES AND SIGNALS.  No. of Message
SM C/O 16  
16^th
NZG
Charges to Pay.
£   s.   d.
Office Stamp.
17/12/15.
38
Service Instructions.
QE
Handed in at     Office      m. Received 1557 m.
TO  Bde Majr 11^th Inf
Sender's Number       Day of Month    In reply to Number     AAA
QE451                               17th                     BM2102 
Messages Received & Necessary
Action taken
FROM C/O 16th Btn
PLACE & TIME 1557
(24932).  M.R.Co.,Ltd.  Wt.W9668/1672.  50,000 Pads-1/15.  Forms/C.2123.

MESSAGES AND SIGNALS. No. of Message
Prefix SMF Code EA Words
Received
From QA
By Kerr
Sent or sent out
At       m.
To
By
Office Stamp.
39
Charges to Collect  £    s.    d.
Service Instructions.
Handed in at QA Office 0505m. Received 0510m.
TO 4^th Bde
*Sender's Number    Day of Month    In reply to Number    AAA
QA804                           18^th 
Report for 24 hrs ended 0500 18/12/15
(1)  Sniping tally aaa Nil
21 to date
[(2) Casualities Nil aaa
(3) No movement of enemy observed
quiet along our front by day
& night
(4) Patrols & listening posts
nothing to report.
FROM Durrants Post
PLACE & TIME
*This line should be erased if not required.
(24932).  M.R.Co.,Ltd.  Wt.W9668/1672.  50,000 Pads-1/15.  Forms/C.2123.
Div Bm 2121

No 2 SUB SECTION
AGHYL DERE
18/12/15     41
SPECIAL REPORT 40
G.O.C.
4^th Bde H Qrs
Progress of Works
(1) All works were proceeded with
as usual good progress is 
noted for the 24 hour
Snipers Report.
(2) All our snipers on duty today
The days work consisted of worrying.
the enemy is sniping into scrub
covered saps no targets were 
visible
Patrol Reports
(3) All patrols went out as per
dispositions & returned reporting that
but for digging on Hackney Wick
no evidence of enemy was heard,
a heavy mist lasting for a few
hours arose about 2000 but the
enemy did not seem to take any
advantage of it in extra working
New Chercaux des fuzis
(4)  Chercaux des Fuzis were fixed
across AGHYL DERE near New Barricade

40 
(2)
at the Hotchkiss Gun, further will
be established if necessary
(5) Shelling by enemy, The enemy 
directed about a dozen shells at
Hackney Wick FRANKLINS, no damage was done
Machine Gun
(6) No targets were to be seen a belt
of 250 was fired at a hostile aeroplane
no results
EA Margolin Major
O.C. No 2 Sub Sec
0530
DW
Bm 21 21 

"A" Form. Army Form C. 2121.
MESSAGES AND SIGNALS.    No. of Message
Prefix     Code     m.
Words
Charge
This message is on a/c of:
Service
(Signature of "Franking Officer.")
Recd. at     m.
Date
From
By
Office of Origin and Service Instructions.
Sent
At      m.
To
By
TO Gen Monach 18/12/15
4^th Aust Bde 
Sender's Number.      Day of Month.     In reply to Number.    AAA
Please inform me how many
machine guns you will have at
the following Posts up xxxx till 1800
now or later tomorrow evening aaa
Durrants Post aaa M Newberry's
Post aaa Beck's Bluff aaa Also
how many men will be
holding the line Durrants Post
inclusive to Aghyl Dere
enclusive after Dwights troops
leave aaa Troops of this Bgde
moving down Chailak this 
evening will join rear of
your column at road junction
below Durrants at 2100 and 
2300 respectively aaa Capt
Lampen new Bgde Major
From
Place
Time
The above may be forwarded as now corrected.
Censor.
(Z)
Signature of Addressor or person authorised to telegraph in his name
*This line should be erased if not required.
Supplied by FARQUHARSON BROS., Ltd., Glasgow.  The "Cyro" Book.

"A" Form. Army Form C. 2121.
MESSAGES AND SIGNALS.   No of Message
Prefix    Code   m.
Words
Charge
This message is on a/c of:
Service.
(Signature of "Franking Officer.")
Recd. at      m.
Date
From
By
Office of Origin and Service Instructions
Sent
At      m.
To
By
TO
Sender's Number.      Day of Month.    In reply to Number.     AAA
will be at road junction to
insure that head of this Bgde
joins up with rear of one
column in each case aaa
Kindly reply urgent
Col Braithwaite
From     NZ Inf Bde 
Place
Time  1527
The above may be forwarded as now corrected.
Censor.
(Z)  WG Braithwaite Col
Cmnd NZ Inf Bde
Signature of Addressor or person authorised to telegraph in his name
*This line should be erased if not required.
Supplied by FARQUHARSON BROS., Ltd., Glasgow.  The "Cyro" Book.

19/12/15 
at 1330
Lt Col. Herring
Please read this, memorise the principal
points & return to me under secret cover
John Monash 
Brig Genl.
Order Complied with
Sydney CE Herring Lt Col
19/12/15
1355

GA 100
19/12/15
N.Z. & A Division
Instructions to Brigadiers issued by
GOG NZ & A Division
Action to be taken in event of an attack
being made by the enemy either before
or during the embarkation:
1. Any attack delivered before the withdrawal
of the second night has commenced, will
be met by holding the front line of
trenches.
2. Should an attack be delivered just before
the withdrawal of 'B' Parties, these then should
stand fast till the attack slackens – this
does not apply to 'A' Parties
Should an attack be delivered after the 'B'
Parties have actually left for the beach, they
will not be recalled.
The principal to be kept in mind is that the
withdrawal is to proceed in spite of the enemy,
and no deviation from schedule is permitted
without reference to the Rear Guard Commander,
should such reference be possible.
3. The officer commanding a party moving to the
beach will not halt or delay his movement
without orders from the Rearguard commander
unless his party is actually attacked by
the enemy, & he has to discontinue his
movement to save the troops.
Any party which has been cut off will
make its way to the beach and move
along it towards North Beach.
4. In the event of the embarkation being
seriously checked after the withdrawal
of B parties, or the of the line being badly
penetrated, the GOC intends to occupy the
line WALKERS RIDGE - No 1 Post - Old No 3 Post-
No 2 Post- CHAILAK DERE to the Sea
5. In the event of a hostile attack down the SAZLI
BEIT DERE, it may be necessary to order
parties moving to the Beach to assist in
repelling the attack. Orders for an operation
of this nature will be sent out to parties by
the Div Representative at OTAGO GULLY, who
will make himself acquainted with the
appropriate position of all parties during
their move to the beach

6.  The contents of this memo are to
be treated as SECRET and are to be
communicated only to such officers as
is necessary.
Please acknowledge receipt and destroy the
memo by 1500 or sooner should the
enemy attack.
Sr W. R. Pinwell Major
Gen Staff
NZADiv
19 Dec 1915 

Anzac - Gallipoli
Dec. 12th 1915.
Like a thunderbolt from a clear blue sky has come the
stupendous and paralysing news that, after all, the Allied War Council
has decided that the best and wisest course is to evacuate the Peninsula,
and secret orders to carry out that operation have just reached us here.-
The secret is known so far to only a small handful of men, but there is
no harm in my writing about it to-day, because it will be very many days
before this letter can be posted, and where it will be posted I do not yet
quite know.- Already we have stopped the further arrival of stores,
mails, reinforcements, munitions, etc., etc., -  It would be impossible
later on to remember all the details, so I am going to write a short note
in diary form, each day, or at a few days interval.- The first thing to
do is to secure as great a measure of secrecy as possible. This operation
of withdrawal is going to be every bit as critical and dangerous an enterprise
as the first landing, and if the Turks were to get the slightest inkling
of what was intended, it would mean the sacrifice of at least half our 
men.- As it is it will mean the sacrifice of some men and of vast
quantities of munitions and stores.-
At a Conference of the Commanders it was decided to put
up the bluff that, owing to the severe winter conditions, it is intended
to form a winter rest Camp at Imbros, and take the Brigades and Battalions
there by turns.- In this way, we shall be able in two or three stages
to remove about 2/3rds of the total Army, leaving the remaining third to
man the defence very lightly, and then finally to make a bolt for the beach,
in the dead of night, and into boats which will be in waiting. It is of
course an absolutely critical scheme, which may come off quite successfully
or may end in a frightful disaster. But orders are orders.- I need not 
say I feel very unhappy. Being bound to secrecy, I can take none of my
staff or C.Os into my confidence. I am almost frightened to contemplate 
the howl of rage and disappointment there will be when the men find out 
what is afoot, and how they have been fooled.- And I am wondering what
Australia will think at the desertion of her 6,000 dead, and her 2,000
other casualties.
Dec 13th 1915.
The move has already commenced. To night the whole of
my 15th Battalion, and about 100 of odds and ends are being taken off in
barges. I am sending with them all the invaluable Brigade records and a
portion of my own baggage. I am wondering when and where I shall ever
see the latter again. Owing to withdrawals in other parts of the line,
I have also had to take over an extended length of front, so that I have
now three battalions in the front line, and no Brigade reserve at all.
Yet I feel the utmost confidence in the men sticking it out no matter what
happens. Of course it is my intention if left a free hand, to be the last
man of the Brigade ashore, and to see everybody safely off, but Sir A.H.
Russell has told me to-day that, as I am second in command of the division,
he will very likely decide for me to get away with the second last quotas,
so that I can supervise the concentration of the Division at whatever place
we are going to, which I presume is Imbros, for the time being. It is
very gratifying to find how very smoothly the move of the 15th Brigade Battalion was
carried out. They packed up the whole of their belongings and impediments