Willie DAWSON

17 September 1915

LINES FROM A DUG-OUT IN GALLIPOLI

Barnoldswick Soldiers’ Graphic Stories of the Landing

How the 8th Duke of Wellington’s Was Shattered

Writing to the Editor of this journal from ‘Sunnyside Dug-out,’ on the Gallipoli Peninsula, John Wm. Smith and Wm. Dawson, of the 8th Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment, say:–

While reading lines in your paper each week we thought we would like to drop a few lines of our experience on our landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula. We landed on the 7th of August to effect a new landing about 15 miles up the coast from Achi Baba. We had a hearty reception from the Turks in the way of shrapnel, machine gun and rifle shot. After landing we formed up and commenced our advance about11-30 p.m. We advanced something like 2,000 yards over uneven ground, when we were faced with a hail of bullets. From whence they came we did not know. But after going across the open in short rushes we came to a small hill which was evidently occupied by the Turks. We made a charge upon it, and got them cleared out after losing many men, both killed and wounded. We then made our attack further inland towards the hills, which proved also to be well set with the enemy. We again had to suffer somewhat owing to the conditions of the ground under which we were advancing. However, we got through a good deal of rifle fire over there, but our only cause for grumble was that we could not see where those Turks were, nor could we get at them. Well, we were all very hungry, so we were relieved to go back for the night to the beach.

Early next morning after a night’s rest, we set out again to face the Turks. We got to our position on Sunday night, ready for an attack early on the Monday morning. When the day was breaking we all got orders to stand to. Then we started our move towards the enemy’s position, which was about 700 yards from our own. We got on about 200 yards fairly well, and then had to make the 300 yards in rushes under a heavy shower of lead. We rushed up to cover about 200 yards from the Turks, after having a few losses. We then started to give them a taste of English lead, and all at once there came an order to retire from some other regiment, which put a little panic amongst some of the men. However, we had to retire on a small farm, which was held by a few of us who were left behind after the retreat.

The retreat would not have happened at all if we could have got reinforcements up in time. However, we held our ground till reinforcements arrived, then advanced again, and after very hard and fierce fighting took hold of a lot of ground. This is where we had heavy losses, and where our colonel and several more officers fell. After this hard fighting we were relieved and went into reserve trenches for a brief and well-earned rest. The next great attack of importance was on Saturday, August 20th, when after a big bombardment we again attacked another great Turkish position. Our regiment was then composed of about 470 men and officers. We advanced in artillery formation for a while, and we were steadily losing men until we extended and made a rush for the front line of trenches. Out of these again into the open we advanced in short rushes, trying to get at the Turks with the bayonet, but they kept retreating until they got a strong position on the hills. Then we got the lead from their machine guns and rifles, which cost us a lot of men. Our brigade was called in at night after we had forced our way over more ground and driven them further back. After this big attack we had another awful roll call, and are deeply touched by the loss of so many comrades. It was in this last general attack that Hartley Dent, one of our stretcher-bearers, who also comes from Barnoldswick, lost his life. The Barnoldswick lads out here have done their share well with the rest, and all we have seen seem to be keeping up a high spirit of hope to get back to a good dinner at Christmas with the folks at home.

We are two lads from Barnoldswick, and thought we might be able to give a little account as to how the 8th Battalion lost nearly all her men in twenty-one days’ fighting. We have about 300 men left out of what I think was 1,100 strong when we set out, so you will fully agree that our time has not been spent in a sort of ‘picnic’ style of fighting… We hope you will use this letter as you wish, as it is our first opportunity of dropping a line to the local paper which we receive regular from home. We are all short of cigarettes out here, and matches as well; any sort would do us chaps. We have to make cigarettes out of tea leaves and letters we receive from home. Well, here is “good luck” to all our friends at home and every good wish for your valuable paper, from which we get our news of home. We conclude in the best of health, and hope to hear of an early peace.

[We thank our correspondents for their letter which, we feel sure, will be read with interest by their friends at home. It may interest them to learn that our former representative at Barnoldswick, Mr. A.L. Bawden, to whom this letter was addressed, is ‘doing his bit’ with the Y.M.C.A. at the Front, – Editor, ‘Pioneer.’]