Diary of Trooper Ion Llewellyn Idriess-1915-Part 1

Transport Lutzow - Bremen

18^th May Cape Hellas 1915

Dardanelles

Evening. A shady line of cliffs,

the dime outline of ships, and the

faint Boom-oomm-oomm. Then

like bursting stars the shells hit

a distant hillside, here, there, over

there, here again, everywhere.

What intense excitement among us

of the Second Brigade as the big

transport came to an anchor. What

a roar of voices as an extra bright

flame crashed on the hillside. Then

dark night settled down, and the

bombardment ceased.  . . . . Through

the night a great outburst of rifle

and machine gun fire broke forth

from the land. But most of us were

asleep, and heard it not.  . . . . 

Next morning we woke to the

Boom - Boom - Boom - oom - mm of

big guns, and going on deck we

saw a medley of war - ships,

lot of cheering. There are glad hearts on this

ship to night. Seems a strange thing to say, 

but it is true. May we have a safe voyage, 

but above all may it be a swift one. I wish 

I could be one deck now while we are 

going out, they say there are many ships

anchored around us.

Egyptian Government

Hospital, Alexandria

28^th June 1915.

The last I remember of the final three or of

four days on the Franconia was lying in 

my bunk, and watching a great number of

wo stumps with long gnarled roots. come

2.

and supply ships of every kind all

around us. Facing us were the low-lying

hills rising sheer from the

sea. On one of the hills were

spread out the lines of tents, with

in one big square the orderly lines

of horses. It was the English and

French encampment. ... And

then came the aeroplanes circling

like perfect birds high in the 

brightening sky, right over the

enemy's position. Boom! A

beautiful little white puff, that

spreads out slowly into a

perfect little cloud, bursts

far below the aeroplane.

Another cloud, higher up this

th time. Another, another,

another, closer and closer.

What an excited jabber of

talk as the cloud bursts rise

nearer the climbing aeroplane.

Ah! Another cloud puff,

high above the 'plane

this time. Another, another,

tiny clouds are all around

the plane. And so the time

in through the cabin door and circle around

in a most graceful dance. The roots of the

stumps were clothed in a most beautiful

green silk, which was all of a sheen as

the electric light fell on the swishing stuff.

This nonsense is all I remember distinctly

until the day ^after we landed at Alexandria, coming

off the boat that night. What was wrong I'm

blessed if I know, so the poison was nearly all 

out of my leg. ... Anyway here I am, still

growling as usual and been in bed all

this time. I thought my leg was almost better

except for a most stubborn stiffness but

a few days ^ago it broke out again, much to my

chagrin. I have to wonder now whether

it will keep on like this, or will it 

heal up and that abominable stiffness

3

goes on, and another 'plane

comes, and the cloud puffs

follow her, and the great

birds circle and rise, and

seek out the position of the

enemies batteries, and they are

not hit.

And now a great French

cruiser comes ploughing

up the foam far behind us,

& while we drift further in

to land, and the faint

"boom" changes into a roar

and a shaking sound.  . . . . . 

Torpedo boat destroyers, mine

layers, little craft with machine

gun and anti aircraft gun

on them are constantly

cruising about as the day

wears on. Meanwhile a

lively bombardment proceeds,

and on one point of land is

smothered with the cloud

wreaths of exploding shells.

Then the guns ceased, and we

are told to clean up the ship,

for she is to steam back to

stop for a long time to come. I have a very 

great grudge against those accursed steps of

the "Franconia".  . . . . This place is splendidly 

comfortable, the nurses and doctors are very

kind and know their work. We are given a 

few cigarettes a week, some have got pipes

and tobacco. There is a slight deficiency, but

lady visitors make this up, though a bit 

spasmodically, I'll admit! The reason

being that we are an upstairs ward, and

only a few of our lady friends appear to face

the climb. We are getting very jealous 

of the bounteously supplied downstairs

ward; we heard that they got a big

basket full of grapes yesterday morning, so

now our enemy knows no bounds. But 

a soldiers hospital is the place to take

away the illusions of war. Hear some of the

4

Alexandria loaded with

wounded. It is a beautiful

morning, bright, breezy, and

calm. .. About dinner time a

Turkish fort set up a lively 

cannonade on the camp. A

shell dropped on a battery

just going out. The head

and tail end of the battery

went on, but the middle

was ended. A cruiser

steamed close to land and

after a lively fusillade

silenced the forts guns. From

our transport the camp is on

one little flat hill and the

Turks are on the left, right,

and behind it.  . . . . . .  The

afternoon we put in watching

aeroplanes circling over the

Turkish lines. One plane

circled high over the ship, 

and height of impudence, on

its front were painted two

glaring bullseyes, red, white

and blue. But we learnt

afterwards that this distinguishes

poor devils screaming (bad cases) daily, when their

wounds are getting dressed. And this for

weeks and weeks after being a shot. There

are many marvellous cases of extracting bullet

pieces of bombs etc, from all parts of the

body; but what the devil I'm writing of it 

for I don't know. It's bad enough to know

of it. 29^th June. There is one good thing happened

here for us hungry beggars, anyway. We are not

allowed to draw a penny of our long overdue

pay. This is hard for men who are passionately

fond of fruit and "chocolates". But the A YMCA

has made some arrangement or other, and

now every week a Sergeant comes around

and takes xxx our orders up to 5/-, for

tobacco, fruit or sweets, etc. So we all

have one great day in the week to look

5

the nationality of the

aeroplane. The Turks filled the

air with their shrapnel

clouds but the great birds

circled between and were

not hit.  . . . .  Just before

sundown a British four

funnelled cruiser. opened

fire but a few hundred yards

from us. As the crash of her

guns jumped through the

ship there was a great cheer,

and instantly the rigging

and high parts of the ship

were crowded with excited

men, who cheered at the big

guns talk, and cheered as

the big shells exploded on

the hidden Turkish position

throwing up a great cloud of

dust and smoke.  . . . . The

big French cruiser has

just passed us, ploughing

ahead full steam. Her band

has played Tipperary. How 

we cheered her. We are

moving. We have just

forward to, and as good luck will have

it today is a "delivery" day. I am by no

means a Y.M.C.A. man but without

doubt the Society looks after the interest

of the men in not a few kindly ways.

Egyptian Government Hospital

Alexandria July 2^nd 1915.

To Brigadier Commanding 2^nd L.H.Brigade:-

Sir,

While in Gallipoli, to my poor understanding

the case seemed to be two lines of opposing

trenches neither side giving way.

For us to advance successfully meant

6

passed the firing cruiser and

the men cheered her lustily. We

will go mad like the brave

9^th Battalion when we go into

action.  . . . No smoking and

"Lights out" tonight is the

order. We are going fourteen

miles further up, to where the

Australasian fo position is

. . . . . And so the day has passed.

And while the guns have boomed

some of us have watched, some

sharpened bayonets, a few

played cards, and some lay

down below and slept and

joked and laughed.  . . . . . . 

Next Morning. We steamed

here last night with all lights

out, and anchored several times

for fear of submarines. This is

the Australasian camp, which

has cost Australia and New

Zealand so dear. From the

shore all night came the

never ceasing, rattle rattle

rattle of rifle fire, mixed 

with the gruff Burr, r-rr

perhaps a lamentable loss of lives men. I have

been trying to think of an idea a way which

may help our side to advance successfully

and take all opposing trenches with the least

possible loss of life, and the least possible loss

of time. I trust you will take my suggestion

in the spirit in which it is intended even

though the idea may seem nonsensical to you,

in ab which case it can be dismissed with

no more than the momentary loss of your

time spent in reading it.

The idea first was an under ground

torpedo mine which would bore its own

way in quick time from a given point in

our trench to a given position below the 

enemy's trench, and then be exploded at will

by means of a fuse. As this idea would 

need the brains of an engineer to work out

7

of machine guns.

Now the rifle fire has

ceased and the deep "boom -

boom" from the warships

has taken their place. Facing 

us is a few feet yds wide of a

beach rising sheer into

big cliffs and the steep

face of hills, growing

behind into a range of

big dark hills. The mist

is over these hills, but on the

waters edge are bursting

more cloud puffs - shrapnel.

In the distance we can

just see the masts of other

battle ships, and from there

come the deep echo of many

guns.  . . . We have just had

the strength of last nights

fighting. Our Brigadier was

on shore and this is what our

officers have told us from him.

Two divisions of Turks,

numbering 15 000 each, reinforced

the Turkish position

yesterday, and last night

successfully, and moreover need a little

time for experiments, I have thought of a

way which I believe would achieve the

same results though the manner of working

would be much more clumsy.

If a series of mines could be placed 

quickly under any desired position beneath

the enemies trenches, without the danger, the

big chance of discovery, and above all the

loss of time and labour, of sapping, I thought

that would be a big step in the quicker

winning of the peninsula.

That is the germ of the idea, though it takes

me a long time to explain it.

Say the mine is in the shape of a six

inch shell then a hole of over six inches

in diameter would have to be bored 

from one trench to the other. The method to be

8

attacked the trenches with the

intention of driving the

Australians into the sea.

This is what happened. The

Australians and New Zealanders

waited until the Turkish rush

was fifty yards away, and

then every man fired,

the machine guns firing

with awful effect. The Turks

came again, then again.

This morning there were 5000

Turks lying before the Australasian

trenches. There were

127 men and four officers of

the first Light Horse Brigade

killed, but what casualties

among the Infantry we do

not know.  . . . . The guns

are booming continuously

now, and we are soon to

land. After breakfast.  . . A big

grey boat has come in, loaded

with khaki men. A torpedo

boat destroyer has just

taken a crowded load

ashore. They must be   

followed would be that of the 

diamond drill, which drills a six inch

hole through the hardest rocks of the earth.

What I saw of the trenches they were

of soft loam, and I think a rough 

adaption of a diamond drill would bore

six inch holes for practically any distance

through the loose soil, and do it very

quickly.

"The face" of the diamond drill 

which does the cutting, is of rough black

diamonds. Naturally, the face of the "Peninsula"

drill would be of tough iron. The driving

power of the latest diamond drill is

compressed air. The Peninsula drill for

a short distance could almost be 

worked by hand, but to be a success, a

9

Australians, they are too hard

faced a lot to be anyone else.

The shrapnel is bursting

right in front of them now,

above the hill. Looks as if the

Turkish guns cannot get the

range. What HO! She bumps.

What a hot time is waiting

for us. Our landing party is

ready. What oiling of rifles,

excitement, laughing, and

swearing.  . . . . Here come

the destroyers back for more

loads. After Dinner.  . . The

last boatload of men from

the other ship has just

passed us. They are New

Zealanders. As they passed

we yelled at one another the

old Cairo sayings "Si-eda,"

"Have you got a Piastre?,"

and the sayings of the

Tommies, which sounded

very funny with Australian

voices imitating the English

accents. "Has your mother

got a Baby?" "Have you

small easily moved motor would be used.

This looks awkward, but if the idea was 

a success it would be worth far more 

than the cost of many motors.

Below is a sketch of the main part 

of the drill, drawn as best my memory

will allow. The first pipe is drawn as

if it had been sawn straight down the

middle.

Diagram - see original document 

A. Outside covering pipe, six feet in length 

end grooved so as to screw into end of

following pipe. Made of any sort of 

10

been to Cairo?" etc  . . . . We are

not to land until to-morrow

All are thoroughly disgusted,

but I suppose the "Heads" know

best. The mists have long since

shifted. It is a bright, beautiful

day, and we can see the
landing place very plainly,

the landing place where our

first contingent accomplished

their seemingly impossible

task. It is simply a sheer

line of great rocky cliffs,

mostly covered with

dense prickly undergrowth.

And these cliffs were alive

with Turks, with innumerable

machine guns and

snipers and the beach covered

with shrapnel and

our men rushed it with

the bayonet only, scaled

the big cliffs and cleared

them of Turks in a space

that is counted by almost

by minutes. Glorious, - and

marvellous.  . . .  And above