"At a mile distant their thousand hooves were stuttering thunder, coming at a rate that frightened a man - they were an awe inspiring sight, galloping through the red haze - knee to knee and horse to horse - the dying sun glinting on bayonet points..." Trooper Ion Idriess
The Australian Light Horse Studies Centre aims to present an accurate history as chroniclers of early Australian military developments from 1899 to 1920.
The Australian Light Horse Studies Centre site holds over 12,000 entries and is growing daily.
Contact:Australian Light Horse Studies CentreLet us hear your story:
You can tell your story, make a comment or ask for help on our Australian Light Horse Studies Centre Forum called:
WARNING: This site contains: names, information and images of deceased people; and, language which may be considered inappropriate today.
Sunday, 3 January 2010
The Battle of Anzac Cove, Gallipoli, 25 April 1915, 2nd Infantry Brigade Signals - No. 29 Topic: BatzG - Anzac
The Battle of Anzac Cove
Gallipoli, 25 April 1915
2nd Infantry Brigade Signals - No. 29
2nd Infantry Brigade, AIF, Signals - No. 29
The following is a transcription of the Signal No. 29 of the 2nd Infantry Brigade, AIF, which forms part of a series which illustrates the chaos and problems experienced in executing their role in the landings at Anzac on 25 April 1915.
Aust Div
KB37 25/4/15 AAA
Begins:
Major Bennett Sixth Bn states enemy guns are in position on the saddle 224 B 7 ends AAA I do not vouch for it
The Battle of Anzac Cove, Gallipoli, 25 April 1915, 3rd Field Ambulance, Roll of Honour Topic: BatzG - Anzac
The Battle of Anzac Cove
Gallipoli, 25 April 1915
Roll of Honour
3rd Field Ambulance, AIF
Poppies on the Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial, Canberra
The Roll of Honour contains the names of all the men from the 3rd Field Ambulance known to have served and lost their lives during the Battle of Anzac, 25 April 1915.
The Battle of Anzac Cove, Gallipoli, 25 April 1915, 3rd Field Ambulance War Diary Topic: BatzG - Anzac
The Battle of Anzac Cove
Gallipoli, 25 April 1915
3rd Field Ambulance War Diary
War Diary account of the 3rd Field Ambulance, AIF.
The following is a transcription of the War Diary of the 3rd Field Ambulance, AIF, of their role in the landings at Anzac on 25 April 1915.
Anzac Cove, Gallipoli, April 24th - May 1st, 1915
This is a copy of the report furnished direct to the Assistant Director Medical Services by Captain Fry the senior officer of the Bearer Division, No. 3 Field Ambulance.
Report of 3rd Field Ambulance Bearer Division April 24th 1915 - May 1st 1915
24 April 1915
On April 24th 1915 at 10.30 pm the Bearer Division of the 3rd Field Ambulance - 3 Officers, Captain DMW White Commanding, and 114 men transhipped from HMT Devanha to Torpedo Boat HMS Ribble together with a company of the 12th Infantry Battalion.
25 April 1915
HMS Ribble on the left flank of flotilla approached the coast, where landing was made about 4.30 am. The disembarkation into the tows was made under rifle fire and two men were wounded on the Torpedo Boat and left behind. Section was in one boat and Captains Fry and Buchanan with "A" and "B" Sections in the other. Landing was effected under heavy shrapnel from direct fire under the sand banks at back of the beach and were shortly after enfiladed by a party of Turks along the curve of the beach. Fortunately their hits were not many and about twenty minutes later the enfilading party was driven back by a further landing party. For another hour it was impossible to more than attend to seriously wounded as heavy sniping was still coming down on our position. The coast being then moderately clear the men are set to work improving shelter to make collection with squads not needed at collecting posts scoured the country along the shore and up over the hills as far as possible. Our fighting forces were largely composed of scattered groups at the time, so thorough and systematic search was impracticable. Wounded were dressed and taken back to the collecting posts. By midday when the Officers returned to the station, about 100 cases had been collected. About 1.30 the left flank was retiring and it appeared that the position of our collecting post was in danger. The wounded were quickly evacuated to the main beach, the final patients being embarked on a boat sent by the Assistant Director Medical Services for the purpose. On the main beach till late in the evening Officers and men were assisting the 1st Clearing Hospital in dressing and evacuating wounded to the Hospital Ships. At the end of the day our casualties were reported 2 killed, 18 wounded and 4 missing.
26 April 1915
At 3 am the Ambulance was roused under orders to re-embark, and two stretcher squads went out and brought two wounded patiens who were reported. The re-embarkation order was countermanded short after. At 4 am Captain Buchanan went out with four stretcher squads near the head of Long Valley, rendering first aid at the firing line and sending back wounded. At 5 am Captain Fry followed up with four more squads, established a dressing station and worked further up the valley. When parties returned later in the morning the dressing station was handed over to Captain Thomson. Captain McWhae then went out with the majority of the squads of "B" and "C" Sections. They were detained for a short time in the valley by heavy shrapnel and then went on to 3rd Infantry Brigade Headquarters, where they worked that day and through the night. Captain Fry went out shortly after with sixteen stretchers and collected wounded from the left flank of the 3rd Infantry Brigade and from Captain Thomsons station. In the meantime Captain Buchanan received a call to 1st Infantry Brigade Headquarters and went up with two stretcher parties and brought back wounded. Our men were now worked to a stand still and a message asking for assistance was received from 1st Infantry Brigade headquarters. Application was made to Major Stokes of the 1st Field Ambulance and Captain Wassel went out with a section of stretcher bearers accompanied by Captain Buchanan as guide and Captain Fry. On the way a call to the 3rd Infantry Brigade headquarters was intercepted by the party and Captain Fry went up with two stretcher squads and brought back a wounded Officer. On return a further call to 2nd Infantry Battalion Headquarters was responded to and wounded evacuated. Our three Officers returned about 4 am. During the day our casualties were 1 killed and 1 wounded. 1 man missing on 25th turned up.
War Diaries
All War Diaries cited on this site should be read in conjunction with the Australian Light Horse Studies Centre, AIF War Diaries of the Great War, Site Transcription Policy which may be accessed at:
The Battle of Anzac Cove, Gallipoli, 25 April 1915, 2nd Infantry Brigade Signals - No. 30 Topic: BatzG - Anzac
The Battle of Anzac Cove
Gallipoli, 25 April 1915
2nd Infantry Brigade Signals - No. 30
2nd Infantry Brigade, AIF, Signals - No. 30
The following is a transcription of the Signal No. 30 of the 2nd Infantry Brigade, AIF, which forms part of a series which illustrates the chaos and problems experienced in executing their role in the landings at Anzac on 25 April 1915.
Aust Div
KB36 25/4/15 AAA
Begins:
Your instructions re entrenching 224 R n I received AAA Am issuing orders accordingly AAA Fear Bde very much weakend and I will not be holding the line in satisfactory strength
The Battle of Broken Hill, New South Wales, 1 January 1915, Outline Topic: BatzA - Broken Hill
Australian Battles
The Battle of Broken Hill, New South Wales, 1 January 1915
Outline
The train during the attack.
[From: The Australasian, 16 January 1915, Picture Supplement p. I]
Broken Hill, an affray on 1 January 1915 caused by two Moslem men who raised the Turkish flag and began shooting at residents of this mining centre in western New South Wales. The men - both long-time residents of the district - were actually Afghans not Turks, though one (an ice-cream vendor) had at one time served in the Sultan's army and reportedly remained fanatically devoted to Turkey's cause in the First World War. The other was a former camel-driver who acted as the mullah (religious leader) of the local Moslem community.
The first target attacked was a train of 40 open ore-trucks crowded with 1,000 people on a holiday picnic to Silverton. Shortly after 10 a.m., as the train was heading west about three kilometres from the town, the two Afghans opened a heavy fire into the exposed passengers from a bank close beside the tramway The three people killed and six wounded were of all ages, and both sexes.
Miss Alma Cowie, killed.
[From: The Australasian, 16 January 1915, Picture Supplement p. I]
The train was not stopped until out of range, then the alarm was raised by telephone. Police and available troops, as well as some members of the local rifle club, were hurriedly assembled to begin a pursuit. In the meantime the two riflemen had gone to a cottage on the town's outskirts and shot its elderly male resident, before retreating to a low rocky hill north of the town. A policeman who stumbled upon them here was wounded, but the two fugitives were now promptly surrounded. In the fire fight which followed, lasting until after midday, one of the Afghans was killed and the other seriously wounded before capture.
That night, a large group of outraged citizens gathered in the town centre. In the belief that local residents of German origin had instigated the attack and supplied the weapons used, this mob marched on the nearby German Club and burned the building down. Members of the crowd also decided on a similar demonstration against the Afghan camel camp situated beyond the town limits, but police prohibited a march en masse. When smaller parties eventually reached the camp they found it guarded by ten police and 50 armed soldiers. Rather than take on the inhabitants' protectors (who were, in any event, the same men who had earlier subdued the two murderers), the crowd of intending avengers dispersed without any further disturbance.
German Club after being burnt down
[From: Sydney Mail, 13 January 1915, p. 13.]
Extracted from the book produced by Chris Coulthard-Clark, Where Australians Fought - The Encyclopaedia of Australia's Battles, Allen and Unwin, Sydney, 1998, pp. 97-100.
Additional References cited by Chris Coulthard-Clark:
E. Scott (1938), Australia during the War, Sydney: Angus & Robertson.
Brian Kennedy (1978), Silver, Sin, and Sixpenny ale, Carlton, Vic.: Melbourne University Press.
The Australian Light Horse Studies Centre is a not for profit and non profit group whose sole aim is to write the early history of the Australian Light Horse from 1900
- 1920. It is privately funded and the information is provided by the individuals within the group and while permission for the use of the material has been given for this
site for these items by various donors, the residual and actual copyright for these items, should there be any, resides exclusively with the donors. The information on
this site is freely available for private research use only and if used as such, should be appropriately acknowledged. To assist in this process, each item has a citation
attached at the bottom for referencing purposes.
Please Note: No express or implied permission is given for commercial use of the information contained within this site.
A note to copyright holders
The Australian Light Horse Studies Centre has made every endeavour to contact copyright holders of material digitised for this blog and website and where
appropriate, permission is still being sought for these items. Where replies were not received, or where the copyright owner has not been able to be traced, or where
the permission is still being sought, the Australian Light Horse Studies Centre has decided, in good faith, to proceed with digitisation and publication. Australian Light
Horse Studies Centre would be happy to hear from copyright owners at any time to discuss usage of this item.
