LEAVING THE APEX.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 April 1916, Page 6

LEAVING THE APEX.

HOW THE NEW ZEALANDERS GOT AWAY. NO 2.-THE FIRST PHASIi (From Malcolm Ross, Official War Correspondent with the N.Z. Forces). The evacuation of the New Zealand Infantry Brigade was spread over some ten days. To begin with, the Otago Infantry Battalion, which was in reserve together with all the sick and feeble from the other battalions, was assembled under cover of darkness and shipped off from Walker' 9 Pier, presumably to a rest camp at Impros. Thev found themselves next morning at Mu'dros! The getting away of the guns was a very clever bit of work. Half the guns and half the personnel of all the New Zealand batteries disappeared in a night. If you had listened intently in vour dugout just behind the old No. 2 Outpost you might have heard nineteen guns rumbling past in the darkness. Next day, if you were strolling down to Ankic, you would have seen them all "parked" under the ridge near the pier. The next day all the other gun 9 were turned on to Russell's Top, -and were fired at twice their usual speed, to make the enemy believe that we still had all our guns in position, and that we still meant business. I watched the operation with the General from a convenient observation post. It was rather an amusing "stunt," because one half-bat-tery that had been turned on had never registered on those trenches, and its shells kept dropping into the ilex hushes at the head of a little gully, where there was neither trencli nor soldier. The Turk must have thought that for once British gunnery imagination was playing itself a trick. . Another gun shot dangerously near our own position; but many of the shells burst magnificentl>; right in the' Turkish trenches, smashing the works, and filling the air with smoke and debris. Shells that were before hoarded as being worth their weight in gold were now, like Dukes in Gilbert's libretto, "two a penny.". So the gunners banged them for all they were worth. It gave one cause for thought of all that might have been. GERMANS TOO UTE! Meantime our aeroplanes had spotted the enemy making concrete emplaeeme the enemy making concrete emplacements for the big German and Austrian howitzer 'batteries that had come down through Servia and Bulgaria. Great teams of oxen had been used to drag them across the rough Gallipoli coun* try. They had arrived a day too late for the fair. One can imagine the chagrin of the German gunners when they found the birds had flown, and that all the strenuous labor connected with their Herculean task was in vain. At the Tery last they did get a few shots in, but to this day these guns remain innocent of the death of a single Anzae soldier!

Sunday, December 12, was rather a quiet day; church was held as ÜBUal in the open air. The impending departure seemed to add solemnity to the words of the lesson and to the singing of the hymns. To the closing National Anthem there was added a new fervor:

God save our gracious King. Send him victorious, Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us, God save our King! One listened with pent-up feelings to the voices of these war-worn soldiers from the Antipodes raised in the grand anthem, borne on the breeze across the hills and dales of Gallipoli for the last time. THE "REST CAMP." During the day two field ambulances got orders to pack up and get ready "for the Rest Camp." The Rest Camp was becoming rather a joke We asked the Artillery Brigadier-General when he was sending his next lot of guns into the rest camp. The question produced only an inscrutable smile from the General. A sarcastic remark that his guns wore so tired that they needed a rest was ont any more successful in producing an answer. But, as Harry Lauder says, wc knew; and lie knew that we knew. It is too long a story to tell in detail, but every New Zealand gun was got off. A team of horses was left behind to gallop the last gun in on the last night when darkness had made effective shooting no longer possible. Even the horses, which wc had reckoned upon killing, were got off. On the Monday, some members of the Battery, who had been ordered to leave for the Rest Camp, came in to say they did not want to go. They would rather remain on the Peninsula. In the afternoon, after some shelling, I went round the deserted hospital, which had been the scene ,of memorable and stirring though sad incidents. The empty bivoli.ws stared at one like jocketless eyes. The deserted tents, with their litter of odds and ends and their sides Happing idly in the wind, seemed strangely forlorn.

One imagined them peopled only with the ghosts of the dead. From under that flapping canvas many a brave and sorely-stricken man had set out on his final journey—the journey that leads I him down the last sap into the BeautiI ful Kingdom where there are no trenches and where all is peace.

TURKS WONDERFULLY QUIET. The Turkish artillery in otir immediate? zone was now wonderfully quiet. We could see a few shells bursting over the Snvla position, and a small Turkish gun was spraying the "Dere'' and tlie little flat just below Headquarters with shrapnel that hurt nobody. On the path in front of my dug-out a man was hit on the chin with a spent bullet. Tlie wound bled profusely, but did not appear to be serious. That evening there were comfortable dugouts around us "to let." I slipped into one that had an iron roof and pictures on the walls. Unite and details for embarkation were assembled in the dark on the little Hat near the deserted hospital, and. after long waiting, marched off. The Otagos, some, of the Maoris, and a few .Aucklanders spent nearly all the night in the sap—a slow column creeping along, inch by inch, yard by yard, like a wounded worm—yet failed to gain theii objective. We had only one motor-barge and one water-barge—the former hold. ,ing 400 troops and'the latter 200—with which to carry out the embarkation. Tftt? men were packed like matches in a box, one man breathing into the next man's face or down the back of his neck, according to the way in which he was packed. Out in the offing were some dim, Hurred shapes which we took to be ships. The barges went and came, gorging and disgorging, till dawn threatened, and »" w* "v* 9 »*o T >ned. Then

the blurred, formless shapes suddenly faded into the outer darkness. Secretly aud by stealth they had stolen <on their journey. Before dawn they had disappeared completely from the face of the waters. But next night, and on each of the succeeding nights, the blurred shapes were back in the same place, awaiting their cargoes of khaki. In time there were left only the fit fighting men of the remaining three battalions—Canterbury, Wellington and Auckland—holding the Apex. Cheshire Ridge on the left, and a bit of the ridge on the right. The strength, roughly, amounted to 1400 all told, with fifteen machine guns. About seven days before the event the commanding officers were informed approximately of the date of the evacuation. They were not told what were the last two night, but were told to be ready. All officers' kit and other impedimenta had to be gent down to the beach on the off-change of its being evacuated. Everything went well, and on the Wednesday the officers were informed that the last two days would be the following Saturday and Sunday. But none could be sure even of this. Jupiter Pluvius in the skies, the British Navy on the seas, and the Turk on the landeach and all might yet take a hand in the game, and at any moment there might be a halt or a weak-down. "Beachy Bill" had been firing all night, evidently searching for the jetties at Walker's Ridge and not finding them. He fired each time four shots at halfhour intervals throughout the night.

I ' IN* SUSPENSE. On the Wednesday there was half a gale that prevented anything approaching or leaving the shore. The suspense grew. Had we only been able to ta*e advantage of those preceding five calm days! Were we about, to be threatened with another storm? Would the Turks attack now? With these and similar questions oui minds became obsessed. Would the furies come howling at our heels, or would Oberon take us gently by the hand and lead us quietly and safely away? Time alone would tell. Meantime "the wireless" was buzzing in our cars the news of the war—telling us how they had gained a yard at Hartmannr Weilerkopf, or how the enemy were dislodged from a crater by a counter-attack in the regionfibf Ville-sur-Tourbe or some other place. It was always the same old story! Parenthetically it also asked where and how Bill Jones had died! It was busy with matters of big import which, of course, were in code, and with matters of small import which were not. It even began ezz-ing out something about ourselves. There was "nothing new" in Gallipoli. Great heavens! Nothing new in Gallipoli! That was all thej knew about it, and which was just as well. Towards the close £OOO worth of stores that our Artillery had paid for with their own hard cash, and which they had been anxiously awaiting for weeks, arrived. That was a bitter blow. Many others suffered in the same way. Good whisky, formerly almost priceless, became a drug in the market. Cabbages and potatoes rotted where they lay. And how we had craved for those luxuries in the days of the pre-adamite army biscuit and the resilient bully beef. Yet none grumbled. The one simply laughed at the other's misfortune. It was all in the day's work. By this time the minutest details of the evacuation had been worked out with singular clarity and comprehension. All notices or guide marks likely to be of use to the enemy were to be destroyed on the second day. After the first day the Divisional Commander removed to Anzac and assumed command of the Army Corps rearguard, three thousand strong. Thirty ambulance personnel from the whole corps were to be left with the brigades to assist regimental medical officers, but no Rttempt was to be made to get off large numbers of wounded on the second day. An engineer, who, by the way, went with us to Samoa, was to see to the erection of a cheval de frisc of barbed wire in one of the deres at the. very last to block the oncoming Turk,.should he come on. The troops were to embark with 150 rounds of ammunition and two "iron" rations. On the final night they were not to be hampered with kits, blankets, or even waterproof sheets. They were to carrv only greatcoats and pack, with, of course, their rifles and ammunition. These and a hundred other details had been thought out and attended to.

And all the time the watchword was "Normality." Tn the trendies care was taken to display the usual number of periscopes, especially on the day of the final night. Men were even sent to walk up and down the '-deres." Fires were kept burning amongst the deserted bivouacs.

NO. 3.-THE LAST tPHASE. The weather became fine again, and men and guns and mules were got away. We knew now that Saturday and Sunday were to be the "last days." On the Saturday, GOO men of the New Zealand Infantry Brigade went off in three parties. Thus on the last day we were holding the trenches with 800 picked men and fifteen machine-guns. I have already written of the spirit of the~men; it was magnificent. Practically the whole brigade volunteered to stay to the end, so that, after all, it fell to the officers to detail the men for the post of honor. Sunday was a beautiful day. The Turks shelled the Apex for forty minutes with some new guns from the direction of Anafartn or the W Hills. They were using high explosive of an excellent quality, yet not a single man was scratched, so excellent were the trenches and the underground cover provided. The new brigadier-general in command had for the past five weeks been worrying his men to dig!and dig and dig. and they had dug to some purpose. They almost had an underground village. Night and day they had dug. Their work was beyond all praise. There was even an underground kitchen, and nil ammunition and bombs were stored 20 feet under ground. In those days of strenuous digging the men, no doubt, | cursed their brigadier, but on this equally strenuous day of shelling they probably blessed him The underground passages were connected with each other, so that the air force of a high explosive could escape right through, thus minimising its effect, or if a shell burst at the mouth of one tunnel and blocked it up the men could escape by another exit. The Canterbury Battalion, on Cheshire Ridge, was the first to complete its underground terraces. In this terrific bombardment on the Sunday it was the Auckland Battalion that would have suffered most had it not been well dug in underground. An Auckland journalist poing back to his bivouac found it obliterated and all his papers and effects buried beyond recall. A TEST OP DISCIPLINE. It has often been said that the colo- , nial soldier is devoid of discipline. In regard to the mere outward signs and tlobssTOncw of dleclpMae, no doubt this

is to some extent correct. But in all that pertains to the higher attributes of discipline he was a shining light. If he were told to go forward and take an almost impregnable and impossible position he would do so, and he seldom came back from a position lie had orice taken. No more trying test of discipline has ever been made than the attack on the Neck by the Australian Light Horse. They knew absolutely that they were going to certain death. But they went. It was the same at Lone Pine; the same or. Ctuvmik Bair—on more than one occasion. And now in this matter of the evacuation, another great test in discipline was being made. There were no signs of shirking the test. On the contrary, the men displayed a pathetic eagerness to engage in it. While this very bombardment that I speak of was at its height, the cook of the Auckland officers' mess entered the underground vault and calmly announced. "Luncheon is now served, gentlemen." A few minutes later the shelling ceased as sud-' denly as it started. Probably the Turkish gunners had been told that their luncheon also was ready. About the same time Hill 00 was violently shelled for two hours.

That evening the Brigade had 800 men and 15 machine guns to get away. They were divided into' three parties of different strengths, called A, B and C. At 5.30 p.m. the A party, comprising 340 of all ranks, moved out down the Chailak Dere and along the main sap to the beach at Walker's Ridge to embark at 6 p.m. Between 9 p.m. and 9.30 p.m. the B part.S, .100 strong, left along the same route with Brigade Headquarters. This left the line, extending over 1135 yards, to be held by the "Diehards," numbering 160, with seven machine guns. This party was composed as follows:

Auckland v . v.: 44 men Wellington 67 men Canterbury ......'. 4a men Brigade Headquarters 4 men Total 160 men Every man of this party was to be thoroughly fit and carefully selected. Machine-gunners had. to. carry .rifles. The idea pervading the' operations was to get away the -maximum number at the expense of the few. There was, therefore, to be no question of fighting a rearguard action or of maintaining covering positions in the rear to protect troops in front as they withdrew. Thus troops in the rear Were withdrawn before those in front; this plan giving more freedom of movement to those in front.

Bandages, first-aid dressings, and otheT tilings necessary were left, not only with the doctors and officers, but also/in the tents of the abandoned hospitals. The doctors chosen to relpain to the last were those with a knowledge of French, so they could converse with the Turks. This might have" been necessary, in case the complete removal of the wounded had become impossible. There is no doubt that if there had been fighting the.v would have helped in attending to each other's wounded.

THE SKELETON LINE. If the skeleton line now left in the trenches was to be attacked before the time of departure, 1.50 a.m.. on the night of Sunday-Monday the withdrawal was still to continue, the remaining men concentrating their fir? on. the threatened .point. If attacked by a n overwhelming (orce there would, of course, be no use in offering a strong opposition, and the whole force was to be ordered to withdraw. The colonel of the Canterbury Battalion was in command of "The Dleliards," and his Staff officer was, the adjutant of the Battalion.. He took up his position at Brigade Headquarters, so that the former Brigade communications were still maintained witlt the Headquarters of the three infantry battalions, and four signallers fully armed and specially seleoted for their efficiency and ability were to remain to the end. They were under a' corporal, who had landed on the first day and had never leen absent a single hour owing to sickness!

THE TURKS HOODWINKED. During the whole of this night it was reported that the Turks were improving their trenches and erecting additional obstacles, indicating how secret our preparations and movements had been, and liow much their intelligence.whs at fault. They were really under the impression that instead of evacuating we were landing two extra divisions for an attack!

Included in the 100 men who were to see it out, no matter what happened, were 24 picked officers. To show the extraordinary forethought that had been exercised. I may mention that every man of the ICO had a watch set to time that was checked every quarter of an hour day and night. The normality of the situation wa 3 maintained up to the very last, and to prevent the Turks from suspecting that anything unusual was happening, a big mortar Was fired every half-hour, and other mortars every twenty minutes as usual.

The men were numbered in groups of 1, -2, 3, 4 all along the line. At ten minutes to 2 a.m. all the No. l's slipped quietly away with the remaining seven machine guns—six of which were light Yickcrs guns. From beginning to end theve was no question of "Sauve qui pent," and every movement was carried cut with the utmost coolness and calmness. A v 2 a.m. all the No. 3's moved off, and at 2.15 a.m. the whole of the remaining numbers. The men were so distributed that they were able to fire so that the enemy should think the trenches were still being held by their normal strength. After all had gone there were twenty automatic rifles still left behind to fire at intervals. These were worked by means of dripping water, and candles burning till they severed a ! piece of string that dropped a weight and pulled the trigger. Old disused rifles that would be of no value to the enemy were requisitioned for this purpose. The sight and the magazines liad been removed. By 3.30 a.m. the last man had got down to the pier. The whole movement, though carried out at night, went with -the regularity of a parade. Some detachments were, even ahead of time. The officers knew every man of the 1(50. Each man as he arrived was ticked off. Not a man was missing.

Thu s it was that from these heights from a position running into a sliarp salient, and dominated by enemy positions on the right and left and in front, the New Zealand linfahtry Brigade got scathless away from the steep "Deres" and through the long winding sap to the sea.