THE DARDANELLES CAMPAIGN

Horowhenua Chronicle, 30 October 1915, Page 3

THE DARDANELLES CAMPAIGN

i Mr .feh. Bartlett commenting on the 11 paucity of the references to particular I units in his Dardanelles messages, says, i 'that in ninety-nine cases out of a hun- •! died the censor was responsible. There .! were excellent reasons for this, but the »' censor relaxed the rules whenever poss- ,' iblo re making the composition. The

wnolo ol Uio iorco was .known ai Gaii'-j, which was swarming with spies, .uuik, SOCIeO,) WUS nuCUSSai',) UWliit, no uio lu'uviU ox mo dralts rroin -uowe li mu groat cnou* whion xiogan on uio otn August, and it may do said ilelinnoly brought to u stand still oil tlie twenty first August. . lhe loreos ongagoc! at buvla consisted of the tenth uua

elovonth divisions ol the now army, aud the fitly third auu fifty lourili lemtorial divisions. The thirteenth division of tiic new army was lauded secretly at Aiizac, aud participated in tire ueoporato ligiitmg at Saribair. I'liuy wore young and untried soldiers, and did extremely well alongside the more experienced uoloiual companies, wihu helped thorn to complete their training Under lire. Au excellent footing ol .friendship sprang up between the AustraI turns auu volunteers Irom JMigland >.n Imo twenty-ninth .brigade. Tne tentu ui vision also lought at Aiizao, but tne nine nas now come to do oelated justice to the Kunous twenty nnitb division in uie numeric struggle. ruts unisiuii lauded under General nun lor \\ esiou, since men it has been unuer Brigadier-General Lie Lisle, Euguind, fcjcuUauu, Ireland and Wales were lepreseniea uia all mention oi the uiv*ibiun k> uual eliorts lo aemovo success, UiUicrto nave been suppressed, otherwise a secret strategic move would nave been disclosed. The lack* are that when the attempt at Auatarta definitely laded, it was decided to employ the twentyninirh division in a final effort to cui the enemy's communications. iaree ungades wore secretly brought 'up at niglit by trawlers and landed at Suvla. Their arrival seemed to stimulate the whole army, and also showed km seriously the leaden* regarded the task. Everyone felt that it the tweiitynintli tailed no one could succeed. It was a repetition ol the Old Guard at Waterloo—a last effort to "break through the enemy's ever strengthening works. Tne tweutyniuth division will for ever nave the halo ol romance and glory attaching to Caesar's 10th legion and Napoleon's Old Guard. Only few of the veterwho had landed at Seddulbahr were left some ol them had uoen wounded many times, lor the division held the most prominent role in almost .every engagement, and lost twice its original strength, and many men had passed through the ranks before the middle ol .September. Hore wo see the value oj tradition. It matters not, now young and inexperienced the new drafts are uo sooner do they hud themselves with the masters' halo, and the number iwciityniiio, than they distinguish themselves, and tight like that marvellous band 01 old soldiers, who were the last ot the original regular army to take the held, and made that histroical landing or the twenty-fifth of April.

The troops rested quietly in the treuclkc throughout the morning. They fully- realised the responsibilities ol tho uisK assigned to tlium, which was regarded as more dilficult that any other they 'had been called on to make since tlie one at Gatlipoii. They realised thai the eye* oi tlie whole army were watching them in their mission oi dangerous honour. The 87th Brigade wao oidore.l lo attacli iliii 70, the 80th Brigade Hill 112, while the 88th was held m the reserve. 'the Innniskilliug Fusiliers ant the Bonier Regiment rrrst attacked Hilt 70, and almost reabiied tho crest, but were driven oil by concentrated shrapnel and machine-gun file. The 80tU repeatedly made oh'orts to advance, buL tailed with heavy losses. The South Wales Borderers in reserve were then called up or one more effort, and they succeeded in digging under the crest, whence they participated in the final charge that gained possession ol the crest. Thus the brunt of- the fighting on August 21st lell on tho 29th Division, which failed to brave the determined enemy possessed ot incalculable advantages in positions. The Division really added to its fame by its failure. Mr Bartlett points out that chief credit should bo given to the Yeomanry a 6 in previous accounts the only corps that tiie censor allowed to bo mentioned was really the reserve until late in the afternoon. The ieomanry, he says, deserved every credit for magnificent behaviour the first time thoy went into action. Thoy advanced two miles in a perfect hail of shrapnel over a bare, coverless ground.