Warks
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Seeing as this is about Gallipoli I thought readers would appreciate this "letter from Gallipoli" which was published on the front page of the Grenfell Examiner in 1915. Amazing to read. The soldier in question was a cousin of my grandmother. Trust it is okay to post this.
The good news is that Athol survived four years of war and earned the DSO rising to the rank of Major by the age of 23-24. When you read that last line though you can see he wasn't too sure about making it. No wonder.
A Soldier's Letter.
The following letters have been received from Sergeant Athol Burrett, second son of Mrs. A. E. Burrett, formerly of Grenfell, and now residing in Sydney:— The- Citadel Convalescent Hospital Cairo, 15th May, 1915.
Dear Lance,— Suppose you have heard all about me stopping a ' Turkish pill.' I am jolly lucky anyhow * ..., not to have got it in a more serious place. The wounds just below my left shoulder are healing well, and I hope to be discharged in a week or so and get back for revenge. Carl goes off to-day, so I suppose he wiII soon be in the thick of it. I was amongst the first to land on Sunday morning, 25th April, and lasted, through till Tuesday, about 12 noon, when I was hit. Fortunately for me it was not one of the explosive bullets they were using, or else it would have been good bye to my arm.
Their snipers were splendid shots and did us a great amount of damage; they were in holes the depth of their bodies, their heads and rifles being covered with bushes, and as everywhere there was a thick undergrowth of about 3 feet, you can understand they were hard to find. There were mines everywhere, so we were afraid to go off the explored paths, etc. It was simply grand the way our fellows worked. The navy and hydroplanes, etc., did great work for us; the Queen Elizabeth is a fine boat and tore the shells in — one of her big shells costs nearly £1000.
Where we landed there is only 30 yards of beach, and then these cliffs. The Turks had trenches, machine-guns, etc., right on the edge, so you can imagine it was rough. From our transports about a mile out, we were put on to destroyers and brought as close as possible to the shore, and again transferred to rowing boats, and pushed on to the beach. We jumped into the water, rushed ashore, off with our packs, and into it. Several boats were sunk by the forts. All along the beach were dead Australians, Jack Tars, and Turks. We drove them over two ridges, and then we 'turned a couple of double somersaults, bumped by about 40,000 to 60,000 up against our 12,000. We jumped into trenches that they had dug, and there we were when I left.
It was not till nearly dusk that reinforcements of the New Zealanders and Australians came up. The 26th Indian Mountain Battery were got ashore and did splendid work. Dead were lying about in hundreds; the wounds were dreadful- - some fellows torn to pieces. The nights were very dark, and the firing continued, I think with even greater force; it was also very cold, and as we were without our overcoats it was even worse than it should have been. The beggars, dressed as Indians, Australians, and New Zealanders, tried every trick to bluff us; w'e let them get close enough and poured the 'medicine' in. The white flag did not act at all. They would not stand up to the bayonet. They would come quite close to our trenches, and we would get out and at them, but they ran like deers; their object was to draw us on farther, out of easy range of our navy, and settle the lot of us.
The 3rd Battalion is almost wiped out. We were on the left flank. Practically all our officers and N.C.O.'s are killed or wounded. The Brigadier, Brigade-Major, and the Colonels of the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Battalions are all killed. Our Colonel— Owen — was the only colonel alive when I left. A number of our fellows were recommended for the V.C., but I think they were all killed later. It was just like a butcher's shop. Of course we were gradually being reinforced by the Gurkhas and British troops, and after I left our position was pretty secure. We see in the papers accounts of the bravery and marvellous achievements of the Australians, but no pen can describe it. The honor is Australia's, and in the first place goes to the 3rd, 1st, and 2nd Brigades, who effected the landing, and in that order. The navy could not say enough for us. About 30 of the Jack Tars who were landing us, jumped ashore, picked up rifles and ammunition, and came with us. One naval officer said ''If ever I'm called an Australian after this I'll be proud of it.
General Sir Ian Hamilton sent along this message on Sunday night: ''I'm proud of the Australians, but they must hold this position to the last man, and I think we would have done it too. Our officers were brave men — in fact it is hard to put one fellow before another. The A.M.C. were splendid; many of them rushed to certain death; they were being shot at, and I saw our own doctor shot a couple of yards from me whilst he was dressing a wound. Six of our chaps came across a sniper, and six bayonets went in pretty slippery. There was no mercy on either side.
The journey back from the firing line to the boats, and. thence on to the hospital boat was extremely dangerous,- and many were killed getting back. One boat load of wounded going out to the hospital boat was sunk and almost all were drowned. On the way over to Alexandria — 2 days— we buried 30. It was a dreadful sight, and I shall never forget it. There were men there with legs, arms, and bodies blown almost to pieces - it was awful. The doctors could only render first aid. We landed at Alexandria, thence by train to Cairo, and here we are. All men who can walk are termed convalescent. The hospitals are full, both in Cairo and Alexandria. I lost everything. My tunic and shirts were cut off me by the doctors — our packs, of course, were lost. My 'dirty left' is not much good now. I'll stand, a good chance of a commission on the reorganisation of out Brigade. We landed right up on the European side of the Dardanelles, where it is about 5 miles across, and it is here that the peninsula is being cut off. ... Carl gave the bride away at a wedding here yesterday — one of the fellows from the 6th was married, his girl following him from Australia. It is dreadfully hot now and glary. . . . Zeitoun Base Camp. Cairo, 21.5.15.
Dear Lance,—Well, I'm off again to the front. Have worked myself into a party going back to-morrow. My arm is still weak, but the wounds are practically dry. Carl went off on Saturday last, and I suppose he is in the thick of it now. I trust we may both come through safely, but if we don't, well -
The good news is that Athol survived four years of war and earned the DSO rising to the rank of Major by the age of 23-24. When you read that last line though you can see he wasn't too sure about making it. No wonder.
