No Better Death

by John Crawford

  Glad to get yours of 4th Inst, but sorry to hear you have had and are having such a bad time.... Brunt has just gone off with pneumonia – 2 months job. Short is taking the Coy; I am still O/C Quinn’s Post, and it is getting quite comfortable, and spick and span. Over head cover to the terraces, earth on top makes bomb and shrapnel proof and gives cool shade, blankets (Govt) nailed along western front, keeps out glare of afternoon sun. It has got to the armchair state and I am getting one made, out of a box. The Turks have periodically given us best. I had my head and shoulders up over the fire trench, at different places along our front, and don’t really think I was running much risk. We have recovered the whole of the abandoned trench, and driven Johnny Turk out of the crater. A small gun got on to our left flank a while ago and plunked, at about 300 yards range, some 30 shells hit us. No casualties and very little damage. We had to shift our left, machine gun, about 6 feet, to a better place!

  When you come back, bring me some 2 lb Tins canned fruits and some milk, some pickles, dates figs semolina and sago.... I hope we won’t be stuck here until all those go, but I can always dispose of them. Jardine got wounded again, McLernon is back also Turnbull: Very fit and well myself. Kind regards from all to you and all others.

  This sketch of the view from the No 2 Sap of No 1 Trench at Quinn’s Post was drawn on 8 July 1915. The approximate position of the annoyance of the moment, a Turkish gun firing on No 3 Trench (to the right of the cornfields behind the ridge), is marked with a cross.

  Malone Family Collection Wellington (now in ATL)

  Dugouts faced with blankets to keep the sun out, Quinn’s Post

  Hampton Album, Alexander Turnbull Library

  Yours sincerely

  W.G. Malone

  Quinn’s Post

  Near Gaba Tepe

  Gallipoli Pen

  15.7.15

  My dear Mrs Wickham

  Many many thanks for your kind letter of 19th May last. I am so glad to hear from you and to receive your good wishes I am, thanks be to God, very fit and well and except for a very tiny cut in my cheek from a bullet and a bruise on my chest from a bomb projectile have escaped scatheless, thro’ all the fighting. I am one of the very lucky ones or rather as I believe am especially cared for by our Lord in answer to the prayers of my many good friends....

  I see that at last New Zealand realise what this war is and what it means to our Empire. I am afraid a good many people in New Zealand looked upon it as something that didn’t concern them very much, and that the Germans were beaten long ago. That our NZ Exped. Force was a picnic or tourist party! I felt that the casualty lists would bring home to NZ people what war such as this does mean. The fighting has been and is very stern and hard here, but NZ’s lads and men have proven themselves the equal of the best soldiers of the world. My officers and men are splendid. I admire – nay – dear Mrs Wickham I love them so. So gallant enduring and cheerful. They are wonderful. Their people cannot be too proud of them. The wounded are so patient, so quiet, so brave and uncomplaining. They bear all their pain like stoics – no other troops like them. I hope to tell, personally, their parents, relations and friends, what I think of them, and will if God spares me do so when the war is over.

  I hope you and your daughter will continue to enjoy good health and contentment [?]. With kindest regards.

  Yours sincerely

  W.G. Malone

  Quinn’s Post

  Anzac

  Gallipoli Pa

  17.7.15

  My beloved

  Saturday night 8pm good day light, sitting outside my shelter, and with an hour or two to spare unless anything untoward to spare [sic]. Plenty of bomb explosions, rifle shots about, but custom makes us deaf and unconcerned. I wrote you last from Imbros and posted letter on last Sunday 11th Inst. On my return here I got your very welcome letter of 19th June, from Bridport. I had hoped for 2 or 3, still it was a great joy and comfort to get the one. I do so hope you soon got my letters that were overdue. You mustn’t worry about the letters. Postal matters are very casual here, but so far apparently all letters have been delivered. On Monday Short and I went for a picnic on the sea beach and spent a quiet time, swimming and resting during the heat of the day. In the evening we got a sailboat and went off to HMS Talbot, to see if we could get some stores. We got cream, canned tomatoes and canned tongues, stayed to dinner and had quite a good time. It was nice to sit in an easy chair. The next morning we came back here per a trawler, and by noon were in full training again. Things are going all right. General Birdwood came to see me yesterday morning and gave me lot of news, and was very nice to me. The post [is] getting as I call it to the armchair stage, I am having one made out of a box, more cultivation of domestic virtue. You know my maxim: The art of the war is the cultivation of the domestic virtues.

  It is very hot, but I can’t give you the Fahrenheit measure of it, no thermometer about. Still we get a brief now and again. Today 3 newspaper war correspondents called on me to see the Post.... They saw the Post and I gave them afternoon tea to a “bomb” orchestra. They seemed to enjoy themselves.

  And so the Bridport school is all right. Did you go to Weymouth or Dorchester? I used to know the former place very well. England no doubt is lovely now. About the letters from me, my dearest, it is not the fighting that causes any delay. I can nearly always manage to write some lines or another at least once a week and will always do so. As to the photos and there being no letters from me with them, well I sent the films to Cairo by a sick man, and told him to get the prints sent to you direct. I myself wrote at the time from Cape Helles, or Sedd el Bahr. The print of land[ing] would be of a practice landing at Mudros in Lemnos and not here. There was no time for photography then. The one of me outside, a dug out would I suppose be at Walkers Ridge, where we drove back the Turks and dug in (entrenched and made the left flank of our army safe[)]. I always try to get a photo of each of my “homes” and myself with it. I always rig one up and make it comfortable, cultivation of domestic virtue. I see by the papers that at last New Zealand has awoken to the meaning of the war. The loss of the Lusitania and our casualty lists brought it home to them, now that they are public there is no harm in me telling you what the NZ Infantry suffered – 2300 casualties out of 4000! an almost incredible number. My Bn owing, in my opinion to its better discipline and training lost less than the others still we lost over 200 at Walkers Ridge and over 200 at Krithia. Here at Quinn’s Post, we lose on an average only 2 or 3 a day.

  I see NZ is talking of sending 50000 men. If this is done it will mean at least 3 more Infantry Brigades. I wonder whether they are going to be officered by New Zealanders or NZ army officers, or by Imperial officers. I am half afraid, the outsiders will get the plums!

  NZ is sending a hospital ship, the Maheno. Lots of Convalescent Homes are being given, in NZ. I must turn in now. I didn’t have too good a night last night. It is 9.30pm several men been in about one thing or another good night my sweetheart. I shall go to sleep thinking about you. Always the last and first things of my sleeping hours I think of you.

  [Illegible note] Sunday 18/7/15

  I have a little time, which I can take to finish this letter. Everything is in order and we had a fairly quiet night.

  Major Cunningham is away sick also Major Brunt the latter has pneumonia. Capt McDonnell is in Egypt sick too. Also Captain Shepherd, sort of run down. Heat, flies, rations monotony and general strain.

  Edmond came to see me a couple of days ago. He is very well, but dressed or rather undressed like a Red Indian absolutely nothing on but a pair of shorts like bathing pants, boots and socks, a hat, his identity disc and his water bottle. Lots of the men always go about like that – a majority naked above waist. They are sun burnt brown as brown as Maoris. They beat the lice better this way, and find it cooler. Terry is getting on all right. Your diary has not turned up. Mine is at a stand still. Been too busy to keep it going while in the Post. I meant to have written it up at Imbros but couldn’t settle do
wn to it and it was not convenient. Harry Penn wrote me that the Stratford Patriotic Comtee were asking if he would let the Farlands as a Convalescent Home to returned NZ troops. He seemed to think he might do worse. I hope he will soon let it, because it will mean more income to you. I hope you can manage on what you have.

  General Godley has just called and I have been all round the Post with him.

  I managed to send all my exposed films (of photos at Imbros etc) to Alexandria and hope soon to get the prints to send to you with all my love my darling.

  Yours

  x_____x

  Love to Norah and the children.

  Quinn’s Post

  July 18th 1915

  Gallipoli Peninsula

  W.H.T. Winter Esqre

  Dear Sir

  Your letter of 30th June last just received.

  Your son Adrian40 was killed in action on 29th April last, at a place since called Walkers Ridge.

  His Company (Wellington West Coast) had been sent up the Ridge to reinforce an Australian Bn. The fighting was very fierce, in high scrub. Another of my companies joined the 1st and ultimately the whole Bn was in. We dug in, held on and made good. The left flank of our Army, your son, as did all his comrades acted most gallantly. His platoon commander has since been killed – were it not for this I could probably have given you more details. Your son was a fine lad and a splendid soldier. You have my sympathy in the great loss you have sustained. If I can do anything more for you pray command me.

  Yours truly

  W.G. Malone

  [MSX 2551]

  Quinn’s Post

  Gallipoli Pa

  19.7.15

  My dear Harry,41

  I wrote to you last, I think on 29th May last. On that day my Brigade took over certain Posts, Courtney and Quinns respectively, part of our Defences near Gaba Tepe, from an Australian Brigade. I was put in charge of Courtney’s Post, and after 8 days (day always means night and day here because the Turks seem to prefer to turn night into day and keep up a more or less continuous fire at night) instead of going into “rest” for 8 days as was the practice, I and my Bn (Wellington Inf) were sent into this Post, I as O/C Post. It was in a parlous condition, and a source of anxiety to our Army and Divisional Commanders. The Turks had been allowed by the Australians to come down on top of them and on top of them, so close that in one place, there was only about 15 feet between the Turks and us. Then they had allowed the Turks to get such superiority of “fire and bombing”, that it was impossible to put up even a periscope without getting it shot away at sight, then 50 yards of the front fire trench had been practically abandoned. (The frontage of the Post is about 200 yards.) The men in it looked upon the Post and called it “Hell”. It adjoins ground named “The Bloody Angle”, and “Dead Man’s Ridge”, for good cause. They expected to be undermined and blown off the edge of the cliff, on which the Post rests. Two of our NZ Bns went into it when my Bn went into Courtney’s Post, and they also looked upon the Post as “Hell”. Their O/C, when I took over from him, told me it was “b–––y Hell”. And so it was a dilapidated, demoralised and filthy Hell. But all it wanted was cleaning, reorganising, re-arming, repairing and the “cultivation of the domestic virtues”. Within a week of our taking over, my men got all over the Turks, shot and bombed them. We scraped and cleaned and reorganised, repaired, put in machine-guns. I had been told there was no place for them, and so cultivated the domestic virtues that the whole character of the place was absolutely altered. We recovered the whole of the abandoned trench. The “terror” had passed to the Turks. They practically abandoned their front trench and gave us best42....

  It is now absolutely the safest Post in the whole defences, and the most comfortable. We are praying for the Turks to come (the more the better) and try to put us out of it. It is comparatively “Heaven” now. Both Generals Birdwood (Army) and Godley (Divn) are delighted and relieved. And all this Harry is, thanks to my men (the Wellington Infantry Bn). I can only take a bit of credit for the training and the inspiring of them, and for insisting on the practice of domestic virtue, that we keep calm, confident, clean and orderly, taking every precaution and making every precaution for all contingencies. In addition I laid down 1 simple rule, viz that for every shot or bomb fired or thrown by the Turk, we fired or threw two. I am so proud of my men, Harry. To come out of Courtney after 8 days’ strenuous trench fighting and go into Quinns and within 8 days to settle the Turks, opposite to it and practically turn Hell into Heaven, is an achievement as great as that of any Bn that ever fought. Our casualties too were ridiculously small. Of this I am prouder than anything. I enjoyed the work, tho’ it was strenuous enough. Terribly broken sleep. In 4 weeks, we fired 16 mines, under Turkish lines, threw say 5600 Bombs and got thrown at us say 2000 bombs. I leave out the rounds of Rifle ammunition. We never fired our machine guns (they are kept as surprise packets in case of a big attack) but got any amount of m/gun fire, front and flanks. This Post you must know is a pronounced salient and its front trenches are mostly only about 20 to 30 yards away from the Turks trenches. The greatest distance is 50 yards, the nearest 15 feet. It is something like this: [see opposite]

  This is not against censor rules, because the Turks can see as much or more than I send.

  23.7.15

  ...Yes our NZers are rather absorbed by the Australians, thro’ Australasians. The facts are that there is an Australian and NZ Army Corps, consisting of 2 Divisions, the 1st an Australian one pure and simple and the other a NZ and Australian one, about 1/2 of each, so that there [is] something like 3 Australians to one NZ. Outsiders soon lose idea of distinction between Australians and Australasians and N Zealand is sad to say losing her entity. But Harry, there is no question but that the New Zealander is a long long way the better soldier of the two. The Australian, is a dashing chap, but he is not steadfast, and he will not or would not dig, work. He came here to kill Turks, not to dig, and consequently, we have suffered. There are lots of good men and good officers among them, but they are not disciplined or trained like our men. In the landing fight, my Bn was sent to reinforce an Australian Bn. The fighting was fierce and bloody. We lost (my Bn lost) over 200 out of the 1st 450 men engaged, within a few hours, but within the same time I was insisting to my Brigadier to have all the Australians taken away. They were a source of weakness, and I was not content until I saw the last of them go back into reserve. It was thro’ them that the (our) particular casualties were so heavy. It made me angry to so have to lose my splendid men. I am afraid this particular experience has biased me, but still Quinn’s Post is another proof of their lob-sidedness,43 tho’ for some 8 days before my Bn took over, 2 other NZ Bns occupied it and might have squared it up.

  A sketch map of Quinn’s Post.

  Alexander Turnbull Library

  All this comparison my dear Harry is strictly entre nous.44

  [MSX 2553]

  23/7/15

  [second part of letter to Harry Penn started in MSX 2551]

  The whole force any way has done a big thing. But we are by no means in possession of the Peninsula. The authorities quite misappreciated the situation, and the navy independent opening of the attack was a huge mistake. We are paying for it. Still we will see the things thro’ and get thro’ all right, but warfare is now siege warfare. The power of the pick and shovel is mighty. No huge walls and forts – trenches and trenches and trenches – machine guns and bombs. The day of big and numerous guns! Munitions of war, the great need.

  NZ seems at last to feel what the war means. If she finds up to the 50000 men, spoken about, I hope that the people and Government will not forget that the NZ Army officers, now in the field, can supply better officers for higher command in the new Brigades, than the Imperial Army. We feel here that there has been and is too much altogether of the Imperial “so called” officers and with exceptions he is not as good as our own practical men.

  Even at Quinn’s Post, in awful conditions, Malone’s stamp is seen in this officer we
aring a tie. A still image from Ashmead Bartlett’s film of Quinn’s Post taken on 22 July 1915.

  Australian War Memorial

  I hear that some one in NZ has started a yarn that I have been promoted Brigadier. It is not so. I have been temporarily in command of our Inf Brigade, during illness of our Brigadier and I had command of a NZ detachment of 2 Bns and details at Suez under General Melliss. (Candidly I would like one of the new, NZ Brigades if formed, because I am just about fed up with our Brigadier and Brigade Major here, and tho’ I should be very sorry to leave the Wellington Bn that I have trained, yet I often feel that I must get out of the Brigade. All this except that NZ might look to us New Zealand officers here to officer its new Brigades – entre nous.)

  This is the kinematograph age all right. Yesterday Ashmead Bartlett (war correspondent) came to see Quinn’s Post with leave to take K – pictures of it. I showed him round and he took the pictures of the garrison and trench life, work and fighting. I gave him a thrill or rather two. We get a good few visitors, as the Post is an object of interest if not curiosity. I nearly always ask, would you like to see the Turks “trenches”? “Oh yes”! and then I walk them up a sidling,45 in full rear of our trenches and only say 12 feet above where I now sit and write – halt them – turn them about and then say “see, those are the Turks trenches” – Full length view, distance about 350 yards. But say they “Can’t they shoot us?” [“]Yes, and I think it is time we moved down again because they sometimes have a machine gun on to this track and these slopes”. Thrills! and quick movement. The risk I know, is not a big one, because it is only in such state occasions or at night that anyone goes up the track and the odds are that no Turks or Germans is watching the place, but the Captain [author, deleted?] doesn’t know that. But not being used to taking such chances, gets a thrill all right. Another thrill, is to take them into a tunnel trench (with the crown broken in) outside our fire trenches and within 20 yards of the Turks trenches on the same level and ask them to have a look. As soon as they put their heads thro’, one of the holes in the crown of the tunnel and so above the ground surface, I make them duck it quickly, and then give them a periscope, so that they can safely see thro the same hole, the position of things. Then I tell them, some times the Turks throw bombs into these holes, or try to. Thrills – exeunt omnes!46 I first taking them to the end hole and telling them that they are within 8 feet of some Turks, which they are! When it is all safely over as it has hither to been, they feel very pleased with themselves and the adventures. They will remember and recount them all their lives....