No Better Death

by John Crawford

  In a note later added to this sketch map of the Second Battle of Krithia, Malone explained that in his original letter to Sandford containing the map the troops involved had not been identified as it was against censorship rules to do so.

  Alexander Turnbull Library

  Until troops D-E and F to G advanced my coys couldn’t. They dug in and hung on. At 5.30pm (we started at 10.30am) a general advance was ordered with the bayonet. I sent in my reserve coy and they advanced magnificently, and reinforced my right, which advanced until it was stopped by our own shell fire, not to say anything about the enemy’s. My Bn was the only one to gain fresh ground and hang on to it. We dug in and were in the trenches for 4 whole days and a night. Then without request by us relieved, when the whole Brigade was relieved. The price was paid you know. But you can understand why I love my men. In the trenches, no fires, no blankets and in most cases no great coats. Food got in during the night under fire. Shelled by the Turks and at times by our own guns – field artillery and naval guns. They mistook us for Turks. Played search lights on us one night from a man of war. I am proud to say that what my men get they hold! That is the result of the 2 severe[?] actions they have been in. The fighting in the actions, being the 1st 9 days and in the 2nd 4 1/2 days. Practically no sleep. Then after the 1st day, they begin to get their own back. They are very clever, out-sniping the clouds of snipers who lay for us. I vowed to have at least 2 Turks for every one of mine hit, and I am sure that we have got it already. The lads are great sportsmen, so keen and clever. I have lost less than any other Bn. This I attribute to better discipline and training. We were told long ago in notes from the front, that the best disciplined lost the least and dug the best. My men are great diggers. When we get back to NZ we are going in for earth work contracts. So I say to them as I go among them, we shall be facile princeps. ‘Eat to live’ is old – ‘Dig to live’ is the new tag. One night I calculated we had 2,700,000 (two million seven hundred thousand) rifle bullets shot at our trenches (at a distance of 300 to 500 yds) and presumably at us. Result, all the shrubs and small trees were cut off close to the ground. Our trench crests were levelled off but only 1 man killed and 1 wounded. We sat at the bottom of the trenches and never fired a shot. We couldn’t. We fire in the daytime. We think the Turks get the jim jams and fire like mad to keep us from attacking them. One night we all sat up and kept up a tremendous cheer to puzzle ‘em. Didn’t they let fly! The more they fired the more we cheered. At last we could cheer no more. We were dry and every drip of water had to be carried, under fire of snipers, about 3/4 of a mile up a ridge some 500 feet to the top, as was also our food. Everybody has done well. Even our – in – peace-time, much-abused34 bandsmen, as stretcher bearers have done great things working night and day, walking, climbing, carrying wounded, mostly under fire. They render 1st aid then carry to the Regimental Aid Station. Captain Home is a brick.35 He had no doctor or surgeon to help him and worked long long hours. I suppose everybody did, but sometimes this must be a rotten job. Far from free from danger too. Many of us carry charmed lives or seem to. We know that we are in the hands of the Almighty and don’t worry.

  Tell all the Taranaki people who have sons or relatives here who have been casualtied [sic] that I would like to write to each one and tell them of their lads, but that is not possible. Some day I hope to see them and tell them personally what I think of their lads, and how great is my regard and affection for them. Perhaps you would tell them something of what I have written here. The whole Bn has done excellently, and I am not prepared to distinguish between any of the Coys. I don’t think I could. My sympathy and that of the whole Bn goes to those who have lost son or relative and we are heartily sorry for them. But for the men themselves we feel that they have met a glorious death Dulce est pro patria mori.36

  There are lots of officers and men here who have been in France and Flanders and they say the work there is a picnic to ours here. But I always say we have not had the ice and snow and rain and mud. We did have 2 nights and 1 days rain. And I must say the mud was delicious, Rich and thick and so sticky. Water here is within (in most places where we bivouac) 1 1/2 feet of the surface. Our bivvys mostly holes dug in the ground were during the rain filled with water. We have very little sickness tho’.

  Remember me to Col Bellringer and the 11th [Taranaki Regiment] and all other friends in your parts. Perhaps you would kindly show this to Bellringer and tell him I would like to hear from him. Letters are very scarce, but much appreciated.

  With kind regards to Mrs Sandford and yourself.

  Yrs sincerely

  W.G. Malone

  Extracts from this letter were published in the Hawera and Normanby Star in mid-July 1915. Several of Malone’s letters were, like hundreds of others from soldiers serving at Gallipoli, published in New Zealand newspapers. The military censorship system was not as effective during the first year of the war as it became later and these published letters, as well as the private circulation of soldiers’ letters, helped ensure that the New Zealand public had a fairly good understanding of conditions during the Gallipoli campaign. [ Hawera and Normanby Star, 17 Jul 1915, p.5; Glyn Harper (ed.), Letters from Gallipoli: New Zealand Soldiers Write Home (Auckland, 2011), pp. x–xi, 163–65.]

  [MS 4130]

  18th May 1915, Tuesday

  Fine day. Shells very lively about the camp last night, just missing us. One man lying in this bivvy got hit by a rifle bullet, thro the sole of his foot. Wrote a long letter yesterday to Major Sandford the only man in New Zealand who has troubled to send me any news. I got interested and gave him quite a long a/c [account] of the Wellington Bn doings, as a return for his goodness in writing. I do wish I could get my NZ mail it must be about somewhere. It is too bad the neglect of our authorities. We shall be glad to get back to the firing line. A spell is very nice, but we have had it, and are getting tired of doing nothing. I heard today that the NZ Inf Bde are Army Corps troops, that the Composite Divn to which we were attached is dissolved and that the RN Divn which formed the major portion of it remains as RN Divn.37 [Deletion of 11 lines, of which five have been torn off the bottom of the page.]

  If it wasn’t for my good men and officers I would try and get a job elsewhere. Today we are being shelled, bad luck 2 Otago men killed and 3[5?] wounded by one shrapnel burst coming back from the beach. Our dear padre Father McMenamin had a shell pass just over his head and explode in the ground beyond him – Major Moir (Otago) was with him. Mater arrives in England in 2 days I hope all is well with her and the family.

  May 19th 1915

  The Turks shelled our bivouac a good deal last evening, but we all went to cover and so escaped. This morning they resumed the shelling from the N [North] and have opened on us as our R [Right] flank from across the Dardanelles from 2 different places. It is unpleasant. Bang. bang, bang, bang, the shells go in 4s at once, then single ones and so on. Odd horses and men get hit. We have not built our bivouac shelters to cover us from our flanks. I suppose we should do so but everybody is very indifferent about it. It seems hardly worth while.

  No mail yet. Drat it. There must be 2 somewhere about probably at Gaba Tepe. It is too bad, the neglect to forward. The men and everyone are very properly growling about it. It is extraordinary how subservient officers are. They shun every form of trying to make their superiors do their job. If only they would politely but firmly insist on their just needs being attended to, they would be. There is no reason why they shouldn’t. They are keen eno in jumping on those below them, but butter won’t melt in their mouth when dealing with those above. A reform is absolutely necessary, but as I know the path of the reformer is hard. I learn that Auckland and Otago Bns are shattered in morale. Poor devils, they are paying for their leaders faults. Their discipline and training was not too good and they didn’t get a fair show. And now the CO of Otago Lt Col Moore jumped up from Capt and adjutant to command the Bn because he was an Imperial Officer and had seen active service, turns round on his own Bn which thro’
his own fault is not good, and says “Colonials are no good”. It is a d-d shame, no better material in the world, but [in] this Bn it is the CO.

  We are to re-embark tonight for ANZAC COVE GABA TEPE and rejoin our division at 7.30pm we moved off. I went with 1st Coy. Interviewed the N.T.O. [Naval Transport Officer] on River Clyde the steamer that was run ashore as one part of landing stage on Sunday 25th ulto on attack [sic]. She proved a death trap then, but is useful now, tho she does get shelled every day. Capt Lambert was the NTO. He asked me to dinner and tho it was a case of “And me full of turnips”, I couldn’t resist a proper sit down dinner, soup, roast meat, asparagus, canned pears and apricots, lime and soda, coffee and I don’t think I am either a glutton or an epicure. We had some good talk to – there were about 7 Naval officers Middies or ‘Snotties’38 as they are endearingly called, lieutenants and captains. They told me about the landings. Heroic but deadly business. The Snotties in my opinion deserve the credit of credit. Boys, yet they steered the boats in and out and in and out. Loads of soldiers one after another, shelled and shot at. And they had to sit and steer and wait, often their boats full or half full of dead and wounded men. Then after landing effected they had the taking off of the thousands and thousands of wounded, also often under fire. Good Boys! At about 11pm I and Capt Cox went off, with one of the Coys in a minesweeper late trawler No 318 to the Eddystone a big supply ship. On arrival on the Eddystone we found everybody staff and all turned in and apparently every inch of deck space occupied by sleeping men. An utter lack of organisation. The 1st men on had taken all the handy deck room and apparently there was no room for mine – but there were at least 2 holds the farthest away quite empty and instead of filling these first and leaving the vacant space nearest to the embarking ladders, the reverse was done. Only 1 ladder to climb on board with on each [east?] side. I fairly roared asking “Whose handling this embarkation?” I found Temperley, our Bde Major comfortably asleep on a couch. He replied the NTO. I sought him and found he had no military help so I promptly went to a ward room where I saw a lot of officers lying on the deck asleep, and soon emphatically ordered 3 Wellington and 3 Canterbury officers to get out and help things. Went myself. Then I found the only means of getting the men down to the lower holds was over the ship’s single break neck iron perpendicular ladder!! And as every man carries about 70 lbs weight it was a slow not to say dangerous job. The men had to walk over the lying men. It was practically impossible to get these lying men up and stowed away at this stage. I and Cox and the officers I poked up, stick [stuck?] to it and after some hours work got every body stowed away.

  I am glad to say I was able to treat the whole thing as joke, which was the best way to keep the men in good and patient humour. I then found a roost for myself and Major Turnbull who was helping me in a boat, on the floor of it. My cap made a good pillow and I got a couple of hours sleep. We were out of the wind, and yet had ventilation.

  [MSX 2552]

  19.5.15

  Dear Morison

  It occurs to me that you would like to know how your son39 has shaped. He has made absolutely good – as for the matter of that, has the Battalion. His and their conduct has been most gallant and yet with all thoroughly sound and soldierly. I never had any doubt myself – after some study of him, that he would be all right, and told you so in Wellington, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating and your son is very good “eating”! The water has been hot and furiously boiling as you probably have gathered and not good for ordinary puddings but one can stand anything.

  I have recommended him and our other 2nd Lt for promotion of 1st Lt. He is very fit and well....

  We are all apart from the separation from our people enjoying life as we have never enjoyed it before. There are of course lots of horrors and dreadful things but there is remarkable absence of horror and dread. I do not think that it is callousness. I put it down to an “absolute acceptance of fact”. War is war. Nothing more is to be said or thought.

  New Zealand can be very proud of her sons, especially her soldier sons. None better in the world. Brave as they make ’em cool determined enduring, clever patient, kindly and cheerful.

  Our Battalion has been dubbed by the British Regulars, who saw them make one of the finest advances under very serious fire, been made “The White Gurkhas” which we think a great compliment....

  Your boy was in all this and I am glad to say got through scatheless. And sometimes mind you Morison it was “hell”.

  I am so proud of the Bn, I can tell you. I love them. The wounded are wonderful. No cries or groans or moans. Stoics and heroes all.... You must know I have been everlastingly growling at them, on the least provocation. So hoping to make good soldiers of them. My belief that the best disciplined Battalions loose [sic] the least has been justified.... Your son and his fellow officers are the same stuff, and you and their people all can be glad and proud that it is so good....

  W.G. Malone

  The letter above was addressed to Charles Morison, a Wellington King’s Counsel who may have been known to Malone. Morison’s son, Second Lieutenant [later Captain] Bruce Haultain Morison, had somewhat controversially received a commission in the Wellington Battalion even though he had no military experience apart from a period of service with his high school cadet company. What especially concerned some officers was that Morison was commissioned at a time when Territorial Force officers were so anxious to serve that they were enlisting in the ranks of the NZEF. [Officer Commanding Wellington District to Headquarters New Zealand Military Forces, 14 Sep 1914, AD1, 9/49, ANZ.]

  [MS 4130]

  20th May 1915, Thursday

  I got up soon after day break and found we were off ANZAC COVE GABA TEPE, our original landing place. Then on to a destroyer, where the O/C made us welcome and gave us some tea. These Naval chaps are awfully good. Hospitality itself and they seem to think a real lot of us. Then to lighters and ashore. Then to a gully – in reserve. Going along the beach at one point snipers were laying for us and wounded 6 men in a few minutes. So we had to halt and try another track which as it happens is free from snipers. At the point I got a letter from Mater of 21.3.15. Major Hughes had given it to Temperley to give to us. I was so delighted. I took advantage of the halt to read nay devour it. It is so good to hear from ones loved ones. As I read bullet after bullet pitched into the sea within 20 ft of me but I was quite safe sitting in a bank on the beach. I think there is another letter for me. Our mail was sent to Sedd El Bahr, as we left. Mismanagement. I am going to get to the bottom of postal things – somebody wants sacking. I am sure. We finally stacked up in a gully just behind our position of 26 April to 5th May. My own bivvy is right in the water channel selected by Cox who is no good at it.40 Still I must put up with it. We got our kits, from Itonus so I had a sailor’s delight. I am changing into light clothes. It is very hot.

  I sent in special mentions re action 26th ulto Majors Hart, Cunningham and Young, Lt Wilson, L Corp Bennett, Pte Hayden and Swan.41 There were several others who did very spcl [special] work re wounded men, but the Brigadier (I think rightly) does not want names of such. It is quite clear that it is very dangerous both to wounded and rescuer to do anything and it is not a case of leaving wounded men to savages or at all. Both Lts Hugo and Meanteath I am afraid after being wounded was [sic, were] killed thro’ attempts to rescue them.

  The view out to sea from Malone’s bivouac on Wellington Terrace in Reserve Gully, Anzac, May 1915.

  Malone Family Collection Wellington (now in ATL)

  A dressing station at Anzac Cove.

  Morison Album, Alexander Turnbull Library

  Cpl Woodhead42 did work which at one time would have been rewarded by VC with also 2 or 3 others, but it is wrong.

  Very glad to get something to eat at 3pm, cup of tea and a biscuits at 6am, only other food. Turned in early on my stretcher! Sybarite! But some fleas have followed in [us?] from Sedd El Bahr! Orders to stand to arms at 3am and be ready to reinforce Col Monashs Bde. Genl G
odley came to see me – an honour.

  May 21st 1915

  Stood to arms at 3am. Later Col Johnston complained about want of obedience to orders. Went and had it out with him. He withdrew his complaint and apologized. Had a good talk with him. His heart is all right but Temperley, I feel sure is a “poisonous” sneak. I asked Col Johnston to carpet me every time he got any complaint and so hear the other side. He said he would. He admitted that I and my Bn had worked hard and had turned out to be the most solid Bn in his Bde. The air is cleared. We apparently will be in Reserve for a few days. The Turks attacked twice 2 days ago en masse and got badly smashed and repulsed 2000 dead and 5000 wounded. There is an 8-acre patch of dead. Brave and determined but rash. A German Genl Liman von Sanders is directing their operations.43 They had received 15000 to 20000 reinforcement from Constantinople. We are all pleased at our success.