No Better Death
Page 16
Malone was very fond of children. Here he has photographed a group of Greek children at Mudros.
Malone Family Collection London
April 16th 1915
Sent all troops ashore today and so practised disembarkation. We used 5 of the ships boats. It took us about 4 hours to get the men ashore. We are over 2 miles from the landing. They went for route marches, and all got back to the ship by 6pm. I mean to do the work quicker next time. Too much waiting about. I and Carey went ashore by last boat after lunch and went for a walk to top of a high ridge, west of the town. The land is on the hills very rocky, but every little bit of land that can be ploughed is ploughed. Crops mostly wheat, a few peas... Back on the ship by 6pm.
Genl Birdwood has issued a circular memo to the troops telling us that we have a big job in front of us, and a rough and hard time, but that he is confident that we shall succeed. So may it be. I saw and had a good look at lots of French and English Regular troops today. Our NZ men stand out as something far superior. Grand stalwart soldiers.
April 17th 1915 – Saturday
Washing and airing blankets. Conference all the morning with officers. A talk to the NCOs, emphasising Genl Birdwood’s circular. Went thro’ the topography of Gallipoli peninsula, with all officers then exercised them in their duties on disembarkation in boats etc. Boats crew (our men) exercised too.
Called to Minnewaska army HQ boat, instructions as to landing. We all to have 2 steamers and 4 lighters – according to Col Skeen, the landing officer. We are to have hot fighting. He said we would move in a short time now where we are to land is still to us a secret. We got definite news of the attack by a Turkish torpedo boat on one of our transports [HMT Manitau], just south of this island. The transport had all artillery on board. The Turks gave them 3 minutes to get out and then fired 3 torpedoes. 2 missed and the other failed to explode. A couple of British men of war came up so the Turks ran for one of the islands and beached their boat. Some 50 of the artillery were drowned in boat confusion and accident. On our voyage over I had told off and exercised our men to line the ships side and give any submarine plenty of rifle fire. Some of the officers laughed at the idea, but I thought it better to be prepared for anything and not get put out without a fight. We today got Divisional orders for all Transports to make similar preparations. I am sure that if the Turkish torpedo boat had tackled us that we could have kept her off. Divsl HQ anyhow say it can be done.
April 18th 1915 – Sunday
Mass and Communion at 6.30am. Wrote to Mater and also Norah. I wonder when I shall get a letter from Mater. One I hope is following us up and will be delivered before we start for and land on Gallipoli.
Called on Col Monash8 – Brigadier 4th Australian Inf Bde. He is on the See-angchora [sic, Seangchun] linked to us. – (A large number of transports are linked together in pairs, side to side touching to save room in the harbour.) Col Monash asked me to lunch. He is a big stout man, as is his Brigade Major. He showed me the map of Gallipoli peninsula, marked up with the latest aerial reconnaissance information: The Turks seem to have covered it with trenches, redoubts and gun emplacements and batteries, but our naval artillery is going to give them a hot time, a hotter one than they will give us.
Practiced boat drill and loading, this afternoon. Every man, in full marching order, got off the ship into a boat, and then after the boat shoved off and returned, climbed on board again. The men go down and climb up – a Jacobs ladder – a rotten trumpery9 one too.
After dinner went ashore for a walk – did about 3 miles and then back by moonlight. Saw a steamer with a captive balloon on board, also saw the balloon go up. More and more ships keep coming. There must be some 125 all told now, exclusive of small craft, a great and stirring sight.
[MSX 2551]
At a place not to be stated
18 April 1915
My dear wife,
I wrote you last Friday week from _____ [Alexandria 9 April] where I was then, and told you that we were off that night for our destination unknown. Well we got here on Wednesday morning last, after a somewhat exciting passage – all safe and well. We are off for another destination very soon now. By the time you get this, the newspapers will have given the news of our movements. Everything is going well and confidence prevails – also good spirits. You are at sea and 10 days of your journey are over. I think of you every day – the first and last things and pray that you and the children are well and in good heart and that our separation will not be unduly prolonged. I know your feelings and the great conflict that goes on in your thoughts. I am proud to know that my wife is so brave and so full of the sense of duty to country, that her own personal desires and interests are readily set aside. Perhaps not readily, yet certainly, we have all along been agreed on what my duty was. To me that is a great comfort. Yours is the harder part, as is that of the women who per force must stay at home, while their men go forth to war. Still my dear one, we have had great happiness together, and please God will be reunited when the war is over never in this life to separate again. I have a great feeling of confidence that all will go well with me, and so do not grieve. In any case we have done our duty.
I will write something every week if it is possible, so that by the time you get to London, you should have quite a pile of letters. I have been hoping that a letter would come from you. A mail is due, but of course it is difficult to catch us up. The last letter I got was from Norah, telling me of your illness, and that you were unable to write. I know of course that you got all right again. I was so glad. You must be careful for the future. I am carrying your dear photograph with me always. It is now hanging up in my cabin and when I disembark goes with my map case. I am looking forward so keenly to seeing the original again and telling her of the travels of the likeness. I do so hope that you will be comfortable in England. I am very glad that you are going there and I am sure that everybody will welcome you.
The Wellington Battalion practising embarking and disembarking at Port Mudros in preparation for the Gallipoli operation.
Malone Family Collection London
We are without full war news, as are you no doubt also, but everything seems to be going well. We have heard that the Turks have had another go at the canal. If so no doubt Edmond and Terry had a look in. They would be glad. They and their mates were getting sick of inaction.
It is spring weather here, and thank goodness, no dust and no flies, and no great heat.
We are in luck. We have a priest with us, Father McMenamin (a close friend I believe of Father Maples). We had mass this morning and nearly all the Catholic men had squared their “yards”10 and filled their Easter duty.
It is not easy to write a newsy letter, when it has to be censored or rather has to comply with the military rules relating to correspondence. If you don’t get letters from me regularly, don’t worry, you can easily understand that it will be difficult to carry out postal work. No news will be good news!
I am very fit and well, but, I am afraid, putting on a bit of fat. I don’t worry because it will do to come and go on in case of shortness of tucker. I sent you by Mrs Home, a lot of photos and the parts of my diary that I had been unable to send before. I have my camera with me and some 1/2 dozen films, so you may later on get more photos.
With all my love,
Your loving husband
My love to Molly. I am writing a little note to Norah.
18/4/15
My dear Norah,
I duly got your letter of I think Feby 21st telling me of Mater’s illness. Thank you very much for writing. I hope there will be another letter from you, if not one from Mater herself. You are 10 days at sea now. I hope all is and will be well with you. I too am on shipboard. She is a good boat, sweet, dry and clean, miles ahead of the Arawa. I am O/C Ship. Everything goes well and everybody is cheerful.
You will have a lot of news to read up when you get home. We too are out of war news except our own. I hope that you will like England. I feel sure that you will.
I am glad that you view the war position as you do, and I am proud of you and Mater. If all the girls and women were like you and her, there would not be much wrong with the world.
With much love,
Yr loving father
[MSX 2546]
April 19th 1915
Nothing fresh. The troops exercise in landing, starting at 7am. All went ashore, did a route march, in full kit, and then came aboard again. We only had 5 boats. The first boat got away from the ship, with 32 men, in 3 1/2 minutes. There were 27 boat loads – average time of filling them and shoving off from ship 5 minutes. The men have to go over and down the side by a slender jacobs ladder. A 2 mile pull ashore and 2 miles back mean that it takes 4 good hours to land the Bn. The men are getting quite handy, and we have the business now well organised. It was quite hot today. I went ashore at noon and had a walk round.... Saw the biggest part of the Battalion of Lancashire Fusiliers, Regulars, long servers about 8 years. I had a real good look at them and didn’t like their looks. Their faces are not good, they look very young, boys many of them. They are small men. Nothing smart about them. Good stuff no doubt but if they are as they have been called, the flower of the British army then I understand Genl Godley’s statement that the NZ Divn should be the best in the army. Of course I have not seen them work – but in a critical first look I would want 1 1/2 or 2 Bns of them for 1 NZ Bn. When we get into action I shall be better able to judge. One thing our men on the whole look like gentlemen and the Tommies don’t. As for the French they look very slack and soft.
After dinner, on board, went per boat round the Queen Elizabeth. She is mighty, almost all mighty 8-15” guns, besides numbers of others. She is power all over, grand lines, very sharp in the bows. I will try and go on board tomorrow.
April 20th 1915
Northerly gale, very fresh, orders for NZ Inf Bde to practise disembarking tomorrow. I am to command the Bde, apparently our Brigadier has not yet arrived from Alexandria. No word of our sailing yet but it cannot be long before we do....
April 21st 1915
...In the evening I got secret operation orders for our disembarkation at Gallipoli peninsula, with full details of the whole movement. I will not set them down now, lest the secrecy be endangered. I was told to deliver copies of the secret orders to O/C units on my ship, but as I did not and do not think it wise to do so until we have sailed I shall keep the orders to myself. I am sorry to say it but I believe that if I issued the orders as instructed they would be all over the ship in a very short time. The place of landing is much as I expected it to be. I know where the British 29th Divn and our own A & NZ Army Corps are to land, but there is no word as to the French and Russians. It won’t be long now before we are hard at it with the Turks.
April 22nd 1915
I heard last night that a NZ mail had arrived on HMT Goslar, so at 5.30am today I sent a boat to fetch our share. It was blowing “some” so it took the crew 4 hours to go and return. To my delight there was a little letter from Mater.... It was a very great pleasure to hear from her. I immediately wrote to acknowledge it as we may be away very soon now.... Genl Sir Ian Hamilton has issued the following special order.
General Headquarters
21.4.15
Soldier of France and of the King
Before us lies an adventure unprecedented in modern war. Together with our comrades of the Fleet we are about to force a landing upon an open beach in face of positions which have been vaunted by our enemies as impregnable.
The landing will be made good, by the help of God and the Navy, the positions will be stormed, and the war brought one step nearer to a glorious close. “Remember” said Lord Kitchener when bidding adieu to your Commander, “Remember once you set foot upon the Gallipoli Peninsula you must fight the thing through to a finish”.
The whole world will be watching our progress. Let us prove ourselves worthy of the great feat of arms entrusted to us.
The combination of the Army and Navy is going to be complete. We are going to see and hear a tremendous artillery attack from the sea on positions on the land. That attack is to be stopped by the leading infantry lines, when the time for their assault of the positions has arrived, by the waving of red and yellow flags which the Infantry are to carry. This flag business is new in European armies tho’, I believe the Japs used it in their war against the Russians, to stop their own artillery fire. When the assault was ready to be launched, or rather to launch itself, we don’t want the Queen Elizabeth to pitch her all but one ton shells among ourselves! It is going to be a great fight and we must succeed. The preparation seems very thoro’. Our Genl Birdwood is one of K’s [Kitchener’s] men and K’s motto is “Thorough”. From what I have seen of Birdwood he takes after his chief.
[MSX 2551]
On board a ship
22/4/15
My dear wife,
I have just got your little letter of 7.3.15. About 2 hours ago I got one from Mrs Cook, telling me of your illness, and I was afraid there was no other letter. I did so long for one from you. Still I knew that you would have written if you could. You can imagine my delight to see your dear handwriting again and to learn that you were up and on the high road to complete recovery. I learnt last evening that a mail had followed us and was so wild that the HQ people had seemingly made no arrangement to get it delivered. At 5.30am today I sent a boat away to fetch it. It was blowing hard and the crew had a job to get back. It took them some four hours. I wrote you on 18th. We are still at the same place.
I am so glad that you are taking Denis and Barney after all. The leaving them was the one thing I didn’t quite like, tho’ I knew that you would do what was best.... I suppose Denis and Barney were overjoyed when they rejoined you again, and will be pleased with their life on shipboard and in the old country. I sent them some postcards, to Nelson.
I have just got a letter from Aunt Agnes, which I enclose. I have no place to keep letters now and will shortly have to carry all my belongings on my back! I am looking forward specially to seeing Aunt Agnes, of all the relations. Give her my love when you see her. I may not have time to answer her letter, but will do my best to do so. Thanks for the lavender; it smelt so sweet. I pictured you on the verandah, putting it in your letter to me. I have put one piece in the locket I always carry with my identity disc round my neck and the other piece I put in that little housewife11 you made for me. I send you some flowers I picked ashore near where I am writing. I picked them for you, thinking how lovely it would be if only you were with me. Some day we will pick flowers together again – please God.
As to address, you had better address me, with full name and rank, Regiment, and Force as before, but at Record Office, London, putting in front of “Record Office” the name of our country. They will forward.
It is quite cold here at times 50° Fht in[10° C] the shade. A while ago I was in 105° Fahrenheit[41° C]! I have put on a little warmer clothing, and am as usual quite well.
I am counting the days to when you will reach Home. I know you do not like the sea and shipboard, but time passes, all the same. Pray for me always that I may do right.
With all my love,
Your loving husband
Their father’s love to Norah, Denis, Barney and Mollie.
[MSX 2546]
April 23rd 1915
A quiet day. All hands making final preparations for landing movement of transports and men of war to the outer harbour. The French Division has arrived. There is a quiet but businesslike quickening, everywhere. At last after the preparation of months, we are to get solidly to work. The canal business was mere play.
We sent some bread over to the Achaia – some 200 loaves we had in hand. It would be a great treat. I promised to give them all tomorrows bread and our fellows can do a day on biscuit again. I am arranging also to give every man a pound of raisins to take ashore. They are sustaining and will help to keep the men’s mouths shut and so prevent parching. With the raisins and 3 days rations, I think we can put in
5 days without further supplies. In 5 days surely we shall be masters of enough of the Peninsula to give us plenty of water and enable landing regularly of full supplies etc.
The men are going to carry a big load. 200 rounds of ammunition each, weigh 12lbs. In all they will carry close on 75lbs[34kg]. The regulation weight is 61lbs and I think a quarter oz. Each man is carrying extra to Regulations. An oil sheet, some firewood, 1 extra iron ration and an extra 1/2 days food, 50 rounds SA Ammunition, 1lb of raisins.
The weather bids fair. I heard today when we sail.