Diary of Herbert Vincent Reynolds, 1914-1915 (second diary) - Part 8










May 1915
the enemys communications near the Olive Grove while the Canopus & a small gun boat were firing a number of shells also, we could see the shells
exploding from our point of observation & at the
height of the shelling the road marked by a row of
trees near the olive grove was covered with a huge
cloud of dust & smoke it was a mighty unhealthy
place for any one to be in while it lasted. After
about an hours bombardment the Albion managed
to case herself off the sand bank on which she
went aground & about 10 30 am the three boats
steamed off slowly seeming to be none the worse
for the enemys shelling which they had a little of.
Now that things have settled down to trench warfare in earnest here & the trenches are up to the mark, we are suffering very few casualties, the majority of which now are caused by shrapnell on our communications & the depots at about 11 am, or a little later an enemy plane flew over us & much to our disgust when
he appeared to be directly above us he let a bomb
go, we could see it coming like a little silver spec at
first, then the peculiar nerve racking noise as if it
appeared to be coming in rushes set us all diving like rabbits for the nearest hole, looking up at the thing coming it appeared to be coming fair on top of us & it was a great relief to hear the crash & realize that you are we were not in pieces. Anyhow it fell too close to be comfortable only 20 yds from our dressing station, & luckily where it hit there were no bivouacs, unfortunately there was one chap near enough to catch in the vicinity where it fell & he was killed instantly. Another meeting took place betwee the enemys officers & ours at the same place, as yesterday but after, a bit of a conference they returned to their own lines.
Mond 24th. We were turned out early this morning & told that an armistice would be observed between 8 am & 4 30 pm when hostilities would cease,to allow the dead to be
May 1915
buryied in no mans land. The day broke very dull
& about 7 am a thick misty rain began to fall which
continued till about 11 pm when it cleared up & helped to make the gruesome job of burying a little less offensive to those engaged in that work. I was
thankfull that we were not called upon to take part
in that work, what we seen of it was more than enough in most cases a grave was dug alongside the corpse which was then rolled into the hole & covered up, the whole affair was awfull to the extreme as some of the dead had been lying there from the landing & the number to be buried made it impossible to do little more that cover them with earth. The enemy worked on half of no mans land from their trenches & we done the same path from ours. Having nothing better to do my mate & I thought of having a look at our trenches at the top of Shrapnell Gully, but we were not permitted to go right into the trenches however we seen some of our position that we
have not much opportunity of seeing as we are located on our extreme right flank. We ascended probably with the exception of part of Walkers ridge on our extreme left flank, the steepest ridge in our positions that is at the top end of Shrapnell gully, where a gigantic stairway has been formed in the steep side of the gully from the now dry watercourse at the bottom to the top of the ridge up which all supplies & ammunition for the trenches has to be carried. Hundreds made the best of the opportunity of having a dip in the sea without fear of defying regulations concerning swimming during the day or running the risk of having a shower of shrapnell sent over by the enemy a thing that was always certain when any number went in during the day Brighton beach was simply crowded with bathers what a glorious time Beachy Bill would have had had he not been doomed to silence today.
About 4 pm everything had returned to the old
May 1915
order of things, except for the silence, but that
was soon broken when 4 30 pm came along & the
rifles began cracking away again, especially just
after sunset dark when the enemy made the air ring
with intense rifle fire. After dark our
Japanese bomb throwers began hurling their missiles into the air to fall directly into the enemy
trenches, they go well up into the air & fall
almost straight down leaving a trail of light
like a falling star on making the descent, they
make a fearfull tearing crash when they explode.
Tuesd 25th At about midday all the transports weighed their anchors & steamed off towards the island of Imbos & the battleships all got on the move while the JBD's repeated their performance of a few days ago & steamed here & there at top speed, we did not take very much notice of all this activity, knowing that it was caused by the presence of an enemy submarine & the movement of the vessels was necessary for their
safety however when all the JBDestroyers, & mine sweepers, & other small craft suddenly all headed in one direction that being from Anzac in the direction of Cape Helles, we realized that something unusual was happening in that direction & immediately climbed the few yards up ^on to the ridge of above, our bivouac where an excellent view of the whole sea could be obtained right from Cape Helles on our right to Suvla point on our left. Much to our dismay we found that about 1½ miles away towards Cape Helles lay the Battleship Triumph with a slight list to starboard, it was evident that she had been torpedoed by an enemy submarine & while we watched she rapidly listed more & more till she reached an angle of about 40% when she then
very suddenly went with a sweep & as her decks
reached the perpendicular her port torpedo nets which were out swung over with a crash a few seconds later all that was to be seen of the big vessel was amidst the swirl of disturbed water was her rusty
May 1915
upturned keel, only 8 minutes elapsed from the
time the torpedo struck to the time the vessel
turned, completely upside down & for 15 minutes
the exposed keel was visible before the vessel
made her final plunge to the bottom. On receiving
the signal for help boats of every description made
for the Triumph at full speed, one mine sweeper with 4 house boats with containing mule carts in tow cast them adrift & made off full speed with the rest. There were only two vessels a JB D & a mine sweeper reasonably close to the Triumph when she was hit, they picked up as many of the crew as they
could possibly do while the other boats were coming on the scene which they were doing at top speed & from every direction. From the direction of Cape Helles six JBDestroyers came tearing through the water at a terrible speed, the scene they presented is one never to be forgotten, their smoke stacks belching forth great columns of dense black smoke, their bows
cleaving the water causing her a great white bow wave to rise on either side of each vessel as high as the vessel itself & leaving a great white frothing trail
in their wake, they came along at the greatest
speed their engines could attain, & after collecting
around the Triumph for a very short time they all
set out from the vessel as she made the final plunge
in the form of spokes in a wheel to search for the
enemy craft, they were assisted by a sea plane but
as far as we know their search was fruitless.
We had witnessed the last incident in the life of the
Triumph a sad, & to all who seen it a terribly
weird ending to the glorious record of one of
Britians most notable warboats, sudden as the
disaster took place & the vessel went to her doom
it was one pleasant thing to know that most
of the crew got clear & were picked up safely.
The whole affair, though naturally what one
must expect to take place when the circumstances
May 1915
offer nevertheless caused an uneasy
feeling in our minds, the thoughts of our loss
& the enemys success were not so much the
cause of it as but the weird method of attack
so successfully launched against the Triumph
& the helplessness of the big vessel to
defend herself against an unseen enemy
lurking in wait beneath the waves,
gave us all who witnessed it, as no
description ever could the full realization
of what a hideous type of warfare
submarines have made in naval actions.
Much to our regret the assistance we had
grown so used to receiving from the Triumph
when she used to take up her usual position
off Kapa Tepe point & harrass the enemy
with her 10 inch & 7.5 guns, would no longer
be, obtained from her now she is lying on
the bed of the Agaean Sea where there is
no hope of ever recovering her. The Triumph
was a sister ship to the Swiftsure, both
being built for the Chilean Government but
later on were taken over & became units of
the British Fleet, she was launched in 1903.
& her armourment consisted of 4 10 in guns
& 14 7.5in guns, her tonage was 11 800 tons
& she carried a crew of 700. The Triumph
had taken part in more actions than any
other vessel in the navy, having won battle
honours at Tsing-Tau. About 1 pm an
extremely heavy rain storm passed over &
most of the dug outs & trenches were flooded
fortunately our dug out kept the water out.
& we were able to keep nice & dry.
Wed 26th. The enemys artillery has been very active today at about 2 pm they consentrated their fire on our trenches near our right centre & a number of
casualties were the result, we had a rather warm
May 1915
trip to the C C S with a LH Capt who was severely
wounded & were forced to take shelter at the No 2 A S C depot. One of our aeroplanes retaliated by dropping a couple of bombs on the enemys trenches today. The four horse boats cast adrift yesterday drifted on to the beach near Kapa Tepe
one was recovered during the night but the other three were left & the enemy removed the mule transport carts from them during the night. Three JBD's attempted to land a number of reinfs here this afternoon but had to give up the attempt through the enemys artillery fire being too sever, they landed them safely after sunset. There
have been no Battleships or cruisers in sight all day.
Thurs 27th Things have been rather quiet. The inftry reinfs are being put through a period of training in rifle drill etc in the rest. gullys when the enemys artillery is quiet. With the exception of a few mine sweepers the JBD's are the only vessels we have seen since the Triumph was sunk, the Battleships & transports are sheltering in the harbours of Imbros & Lemnos out of reach of the
submarines. We heard today that the Majestic was
sunk by the same submarine shortly after it had
sunk the Triumph. A French submarine aeroplane
bombed the enemys lines today.
Frid 28th The enemy only fired over a few shells today & everything has been extremely quiet. An old type of light crusier has been steaming around Imbros & off Suvla point today but she done no firing. At about 10 pm a JBD steamed in close to Kapa Tepe & shelled the enemy in the Twin trenches
on our right flank. We could hear heavy rifle
fire from at Cape Helles very distinctly tonight.
A French aeroplane flew over our line again
today.
Sat 29th. One of our mates C Abbot was killed at 5pm he was wounded by shrapnell & died almost immediately. He was buried in the Hell Spit Burial ground at 7 pm. The enemy mined our trenches at Courtneys post & exploded it early this morning, they followed it up with an infty attack, but it was an absolute
May 1915
failure as far as they were concerned, for they suffered rather heavy casualties & I seen one batch of 16 prisoners being brought down after it was over
our casualties were not very heavy. Our planes
have been very active all day.
Sund 30th After being extremely quiet all the morning, the enemy made things very warm for us shortly after midday when his artillery got busy, two mates were wounded by shrapnell though not badly. Our aeroplanes have been active again today.
Mond 31st. All the JBDestroyers spent the morning patrolling the sea area between Imbros Cape Helles & Suvla. evidently in search of an enemy submarine. A new type of aeroplane made its appearance here this morning it is easily the largest we have seen up to date. For about an hour & a half it circled overhead giving us a wonderfull exhibition of aerial stunts in diving twisting & turning in every direction. An old type of light cruiser put in an appearance today but she done no firing.
June 1915
Tuesd 1st. Things have been very quiet for the past few days but today it has been hard to realize that there is actually a war on, as the silence at time became impressive & weird.
Wed 2nd. The enemy sighted a barge of fodder being towed into the No 2 A S C depot pier this morning & immediately shelled it with a battery of field guns from the direction of Kapa Tepe, fortunately he missed his mark on every occasion & no damage was done. Our casualties have been extremely few during the past few days most of them are caused by shell fire in the back areas & on the beach. One of our aeroplanes bombed the enemy trenches again today.
Thurs 3rd. A mine sweeper was hit today by a small shell but it did not suffer much damage. An old type
of light cruiser escorted by JBDestroyers took
up a position off Cape Suvla this afternoon &
fired a great number of shells at something away
inland. A premature explosion from one of our
June 1915
own field guns killed 38 wounded 12 of our own
infantry at about 7 pm. The enemy made a very
weak effort to attack at about 9pm.
Frid 4th. Our Battleships put in an appearance again off Cape Helles where they have been keeping up a terrific bombardment of the enemys positions. A big infty action has been in progress at Cape Helles all day. I commenced early this morning. Things have been extremely quiet here all day, the enemy have hardly fired a shot. The 2nd Fld Amb releed us of the Victoria Gully station today, we now have the 3 stations on the extreme right flank to work, so things will be a bit easier for us now, though lately there has been fortunately very little work for us. At about 10pm a JBD went in close to the point & shelled the enemys positions behind Kapa Tepe & about an hour later the Indian mountain batteries kept up a constant fire, on the enemys trenches. xxx xxx
Sat 5th. The mountain batteries kept firing all night &
at midnight our infty attacked for the purpose of
keeping all the enemy engaged here, while the heavy fighting is going on down south. A large party were in evening along Brighton beach this afternoon, when Beachy Bill opened fire on them with shrapnell, with the result one chap was killed & a number of others wounded. An official report today gave us the information that the French on Thursday captured the remains of the Goebens machine gun section along with 400 prisoners
including 10 officers of which 5 were Germans.
Sund 6th. The enemys batteries of artillery in the Olive Grove have been very active & have been troubling us a great deal especially, Beachy Bill who has kept his attention on Brighton beach & those who ventured in for a swim. Orders were posted up today, to the effect that no troops were in future to swim & bathe along Brighton Beach between the hours of sunrise & sunset, as lately large numbers of casualties have resulted through men swimming in full view of the enemy. Having the
June 1915
afternoon off I spent it with W.Mitchell & other
oldmates in the 4th Fld Amb we had a good game
of cards & they invited me to dinner, a real swell
affair in two ways at any rate, it was quite a
change to not have to worry about preparing a meal
& besides I tasted the first piece of bread since we
landed. Our diet here has been ample though it has
not consisted of the main essential that we have been used to, bread has been a missing factor & we have been forced to learn to do without it, coarse hard wholemeal biscuits have been a poor substitute, but like many other things we have had to adapt ourselves to circumstances & realize too well that this affair in no picnic in any way you like to look at it. At about 6 pm one of the Burgess's No 9 Battery guns just above our camp opened fire on Beachy Bill which was shelling the beach at the time, it soon turned its attention towards our gun, & made things pretty warm for a while, one well directed
shrapnell burst right over our gun but the crew
were under cover & no one was injured, they replied shot for shot for some time then the enemy failed to
reply, & things got quiet for about an hour, when
the enemy again opened fire on the beach, where
we had to attend to & removed 3 casualties.
A suspected spy was brought down to Headquarters from our front lines today.
Mond 7th. Things have been very quiet, one of ^our aeroplanes has been flying around a great deal today. A canteen boat has put in an appearance from which we can obtain groceries etc by leaving a
list of articals required with the Quartermaster.
Tuesd. 8th. Feeling a bit off colour & did not turn out
till midday. Things very quiet again today.
A new Monitor type of Battleship made its
appearance here today, & created a deal of
interest through her peculiar appearance.
At a distance she looks like an half submerged
June 1915
battleships as here ^boco & stern & the are not
visible above the water
Wed 9th A very strong wind has been blowing the
dust, about all day in great clouds. Met
Ken Walker this afternoon & got what news he had
of Ellis also his address. The monitor Humber
fired a few shells this afternoon from a position
off Cape Suvla. A canteen barge this afternoon
done a great business with aereated drinks
which it brought in to Anzac Cove from the Canteen
boat & sold to the troops. We heard today that
the germans have captured Premzyl, very little
news from other centres reaches us untill it is
weeks old. The enemys guns have not fired from
the direction of Kapa Tepe today.
Thurs 10th. The wind has been blowing a gale all day. We have not been troubled with the enemys
artillery from Kapa Tepe again today, there
may be some truth in something we heard
about a JBD going in close to Kapa Tepe point
on Tuesd night & throwing her searchlight on to
the enemys positions caught them moving a gun
to a new position behind Kapa Tepe. The destroyer
immediately opened fire on it & according to accounts destroyed it. The enemys artillery from the direction of our centre has been fairly active a number of shells fell in & around our camp, but done no damage.
Frid.11th. We have been troubled with a very strong wind again& between the flys flies & the dust we have had an uncomfortable time today. The enemy brought an Howitzer into action on our right flank today. At about 4pm our artillery livened things up for a while a position for an artillery workshop is
being dug in the bank of the gully below our camp.
Sat 12th. Spent an extremely cold night on duty at Capt Goldsmiths station. The enemy opened fire with his artillery from Kapa Tepe to which our artillery quickly replied.

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