"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
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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, 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 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, 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 Sunnyside, South Africa, 1 January 1900, Outline Topic: BatzB - Sunnyside
South African (Second Boer) War
The Battle of Sunnyside, South Africa, 1 January 1900
Outline
The location of Sunnyside in South Africa.
Sunnyside, an action fought on 1 January 1900 during the Second South African War, in which a ‘flying column' of less than 500 British, Canadian and Australian troops under Lieut.-Colonel T.D. Pilcher of the Northumberland Fusiliers attacked a laager (camp) of some 180 Boers near the township of Douglas on the western border of the Orange Free State. Elaborate security precautions masked Picher's departure from Belmont on 31 December 1899 and ensured that when he began his attack on the enemy camp the next day at 11.25 a.m. with a barrage from two guns, the Boers were taken completely by surprise.
While many of the enemy were seen to immediately take flight, the remainder adopted a defensive position on a kopje (small hill) in front of their laager and opened fire on a company of advancing Canadians and some 40 British mounted regulars. Meanwhile, two companies of the Queensland Mounted Infantry Regiment (who had joined Pilcher's garrison at Belmont less than two weeks earlier) were sent around the right flank. The Queenslanders came into action about an hour later, suffering their first casualties - also the first of any contingent sent from the Australian colonies to the war - when a five-man scouting patrol rode into Boer fire. The enveloping movement was continued and progressively pushed to within 50 metres of the Boer position. Although some more the enemy had managed to escape while this movement was being carried out, the rest were now trapped and, after another 45 minutes of firing, were forced to hoist the white flag of surrender shortly after 3 p.m.
Boer losses in this action were 14 dead and 38 prisoners taken (seven of whom were wounded), along with all their stores and wagons. Pilcher's force had only two men killed and two wounded-these all being from the Queensland Mounted Infantry. The commander of the company to which the dead men belonged, Captain Harry Chauvel, recorded after the action that: 'We had great difficulty in preventing the men from bayoneting the Boers as they fired a few shots after they put up the white flag'.
Although the action was only a minor success, wide publicity given to the steadiness of the Queenslanders under fire helped to modify the unfavourable opinion of colonials which was then current among British regulars. The engagement also enabled Douglas to be entered the next day and its British population freed from the Boers, who hastily fled. Although the inhabitants implored Pilcher to leave a detachment of troops to defend them, he refused this request as being beyond the scope of the expedition. When the column marched out on 3 January, it was accordingly accompanied by some 90 loyalist refugees.
Extracted from the book produced by Chris Coulthard-Clark, Where Australians Fought - The Encyclopaedia of Australia's Battles, Allen and Unwin, Sydney, 1998, pp. 63-64.
Additional References cited by Chris Coulthard-Clark:
L.S. Amery, (ed.) The Times History of the War in South Africa 1899-1902, Vol. 3 (1905), London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co.
F. Maurice (ed.) History of the War in South Africa 1899-1902, Vol. 1 (1906), London: Hurst & Blacken;
R.L. Wallace (1976) The Australians at the Boer War, Canberra: Australian War Memorial & Australian Government Publishing Service.
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