WITH THE ANZAC REARGUARD.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5391, 22 February 1929, Page 1

WITH THE ANZAC REARGUARD.

WITHDRAWAL FROM GALLIPOLI.

(By the, late Lieut.-Colonel C- R Andrews, N.Z. Staff Corps).

THE SIGNAL TO LEAvk’.

At 1.45 a prearranged message game from Lieut.-Qolonel Young which enabled us to commence our retirement, and thq duty machine-gun immediately loosed off three times three. We had arranged this signal, and on it all the machine-gups, went cut of action ami were removed by their news, one-fourth of the infantry leaving with them. This was done quietly and quickly, aud at two o’clock a second and; larger, party of infantry left. For the last fifteen minutes only four officers, with sixteen men, remained, and these were so scattered that we had to depend on individual timing for final withdrawal, which we dare not announce by signal.* Each man had a watch on his wrist, and these had been carefully synchronised at 1 o’clock. Some of them took some synchronising, too, and my friend the Irishman would 1 have been there yet if a neighbour had not passed his. way and collected him. They argued the point about the time all the way down to the pier.

At. 2.15 each. man left his post and walked quietly down the nearest sap.' They all ran into the “dere” sooner or later, but it was very difficult to get a tally. Major Stewart, was to cut down the barricade closing the great entanglement in the “dere” at 2.25 a.m., and we had no time to lose. So soon, then, as we were out of hearing of the front line we broke into a run, down past the water-tanks and the forges, and tne little crowded cemetery. Looking back from this point we saw the hillside covered with a ma,ze of excavations, dugouts, and saps, and knew that iiot a living man remained there. The occasional report of our mechanically operated lifles added to the suggestion of mystery, and one conld almost imagine that between us and Ollr enemy a phantom rearguard held the Anzac line.

At the barricade we became mixed with the Canterbury men, and one of our par,ty who had been dilatory in leaving the Apex was not missed:. The barricade was, cut away, and the unfortunate man had subsequently to push through the wire. He rejoined us later in heat and indifferent appare.l.

From barricade to the pier was just a strenuous race. Two guns in the dere were fitted with demolition charges, and timejd. to blow at 2.30, and as the explosions would probablyc.a.use the Turks to turn a questing machine-gun or, two down the dere,' 1 wanted to be out of that • locality when it happened. A wounded man or two Would have given us endless trouble, for the principle! followed i>ight. through was “It was better to lose one man than ten” •; on the other' hand, none "of the party would'have left one of, their' number at that stage, whereas the embarkation staff M ould not have; dared to delay a barge with 609 men on it because our little lot was. missing.

However, we reached. Walker,’s Keep without mishap, and as we found practically everyone had gone, my < party.lllo4 quietly down the pier. We threw our bombs into the sea aS we went, and in a few moments we had squeezed on to a motor, barge already crowded, black with men. A few later, the barge, with hejr consort, drew a,way from the pier and chugged slowly seaw-al-|ds. Offiy a hundred yards had been traversed when, with, a thunderous roar, a great mine exploded on the “neck” at Walk- 5 er’s Ridge, and great tongues of flame and masses of earth leaped skywajrds. Instantly the enemy replied with rifle and machine-gun,' but the Only replies were echoes. A few bullets plopped into the sea around us, but no bfie whs so supieniely unfortunate as to be hit at this* stage. SAFELY AT SEA.

A few hundred yards off shore we ;wer,e delayed by a flotilla of minesweepejrfj, which crossed our bows in line ahead, our c,lumsy overladen “beetle” being compelled to go astern. This incident in the still of tile night provided the navigating officers concerned with an opportunity for mutual criticism, which was fully embraced. The soldiers listened with interest and awe.

Soon a great grey.shapei loomed UP, and in a few minutes .we; were shaking hands with the Navy on. board H.M.S. Heroic. Meanwhile Australian soldiers, with sandbags , over their feet to muffle their steps when leaving their, too close Turkish landlords, and with pine cones .replacing rjejgimental badges in their caps (the Lone Pine rearguard), laid aside, maeliipe-gun. Or mounting and danced clumsily with enthusiastic, bluejackets.

The big ship, was under way without loss of time, and- as we steamed away guvla and l Anzac presented a never-to-be-forg’otten sight. Stores, hospitals, camps, depots, and 1 everything, that would burn flamed to the heavens. The great tongues of lire leaped skyward and 1 illuminated the great canopy of smoke, which overhung the land, in lurid tints, all being reflected in the glass-smooth sea. Away in the distant hills the Turk, awake at last, fired furiously and ixnpotently into our empty trenches. And so Anzac. with al] its sad but glorious memories, faded From our sight-forever, c AFTERWORD. I have,’ been told by Naval officers that by late afternoon of the (day of

our departure a storm ha.d sprung up, and that by nightfall the Anzac, piers had been pounded to pieces by a sea which would have made it quite impossible for, any boat to approach the beach. i n fact, many of the; motor barges, which had served us so faithfully were wrecked: before they could reac.h the shelter of Mudros Harbour. It is apparent that we escaped disaster by the narrow margin of twelve;, hours. The enemy’s comment oh this operation, as published in the “Vossiche zeitung” dated January 21» 1916.

contains the following sentences :— “The English had, in all probability, realised the hopelessness of the struggle (at the Dardanelles) before .the last week of November, and about the middle of December they bad prepared for their retreat ip an abso> lute]y admirable manner—for this praise must be accorded to them. “As long as wars exist their evacuation of the Ari Burnu (Anzac) and Ana far ta (Suvla) fronts will stand bfr 1 fore the eyes of all strategists of retr,eat as a hitherto unattained mas? terpiece.”