. .the crest in an amazingly brave charge that would be enacted time and again by the Irish troops in the peninsula. To honour the Dublin Fusiliers, Chocolate Hill would be known as ' Dublin Hill '
Casualties included an old soldier, Major Tippet of the 7th Dublins, who, along with several senior officers died that day. Tippet had served for years in the old Dublin City Militia and had left the security of his comftable position as a political agent in England to fight and die in his old regiment. The death of Lieutenant Ernest Julian, one of the New Army ' Toffs ' in D Compant, was a great loss to academic circles in Dublin. The 5th Royal Irish Fusiliers also suffered severely, taking the smaller Green Hill, losing their Major Garstin.
Casualties included an old soldier, Major Tippet of the 7th Dublins, who, along with several senior officers died that day. Tippet had served for years in the old Dublin City Militia and had left the security of his comftable position as a political agent in England to fight and die in his old regiment. The death of Lieutenant Ernest Julian, one of the New Army ' Toffs ' in D Compant, was a great loss to academic circles in Dublin. The 5th Royal Irish Fusiliers also suffered severely, taking the smaller Green Hill, losing their Major Garstin.
gallipoli
Chocolate Hill, Gallipoli
On the 7th August, whilst General Mahon still had command of his division and landing at a new beach, Suvla Point, he had only four battalions under his command. One of them, the 5th Royal Irish Regiment, the Divisional Pioneers, were assigned to beach duty. He was therefore without any support troops, divisional artillery or engineer field companies. Landing at Suvla late that morning, the 6th Munster Fusiliers encountered Turkish fire, and a beach sown with mines that exploded on contact, injuring several men; the 7th Munsters arrived a little later without casualties. Both battalions had orders to climb the Kiretch Tepe Sirt Ridge at its western end and push forward along the crest. Under a relentless sun the Munsters passed through a difficult terrain of gullies covered with dense oak and holly scrub and soon came across fly-infested corpses, indications of a nasty fight waged by the 11th Manchesters whom they were to meet. The Manchesters had landed by 3.00am despite prevailing confusions and now an exhausted remnant had established a position on the ridge, their Colonel wounded. By nightfall the 6th Munsters had succeeded in advancing to within 100 yards of the Turkish lines on the crest, but darkness prevented them from going further and even this advance was costly. The last entry to their war diary dated 7th August states : ' 22:00. Retirement completed. Battalion entrenched S. slopes of pt. 165. Casualties, Lieutenant J.B Lee killed. Lieutenant G.W Haynes wounded. Lieutenant Joseph Bagnall Lee was the first officer of the 6th Royal Munster Fusiliers killed in action; his younger brother, Alfred was wounded the following day.
On the 8th August the 6th and 7th Munsters dug in at Jephson's Post, a knoll captured under the 6th's Major Jephson. In capturing half Kiretch Tepe Sirt Ridge, the Munsters lost 48 all ranks killed and over 150 wounded. With the 5th Inniskillings, who had arrived later in the day and relived the 11th Manchesters, they held on for a week on that bare Kiretch Tepe Sirt suffering from the heat and acute water shortage. The stench of unburied bodies was everywhere.
On the 8th August the 6th and 7th Munsters dug in at Jephson's Post, a knoll captured under the 6th's Major Jephson. In capturing half Kiretch Tepe Sirt Ridge, the Munsters lost 48 all ranks killed and over 150 wounded. With the 5th Inniskillings, who had arrived later in the day and relived the 11th Manchesters, they held on for a week on that bare Kiretch Tepe Sirt suffering from the heat and acute water shortage. The stench of unburied bodies was everywhere.
Map showing location of trenches around Kiretch Tepe Sirt and Jephson's Post
At the end of that gruelling time, on the 15th August, a general advance along the Kiretch Tepe Sirt Ridge was ordered. At least for this attack General Hill's 31 Brigade was restored to Mahon's command, but by the time Mahon attacked the Turks had brought up reinforcements. Canon McLean, Protestant Chaplain for 30 Brigade, reported in his diary how he watched the final ' brilliant ' charge of the 6th Dublins and the 6th Munsters going forward to secure the Kiretch Tepe Sirt. " It was a wonderful sight to see the men deployed in open order, their cheers, their charge. " Watchers from the Gulf of Saros in the Salt Lake area heard the sound of the ' Irish triumphal cry ' and added their own excited shouts of victory. Amidst heavy fire, Major Tynte of the 6th Munsters led the rush of these ' green ' Irish soldiers and brought them, with gleaming bayonets, to the Turkish position and the whole of the northern slope of Kiretch Tepe Sirt as far as and beyond the ' Pimple ' was cleared. The Turks fled in the face of this Irish onslaught.
For the irish on the right, or southern, landward side of the Ridge, it was a different story. The 5th Inniskillings, supported by the 6th Inniskillings, were now entrusted with taking Kidney Hill, a place of precipitous slopes and thick scrub. Well placed Turkish machine guns and artillery had perfect observation of the open plain in front of the hill. The attack that followed was the 5th Battalion's ' first bitter taste of war'
It was also a kind of forlorn hope . .for against modern weapons a frontal attack by daylight on an entrenched position a thousand yards away is certain to fail, and fail it did. Kidney Hill was not taken nor was the southern slope cleared and heavy casualties resulted. Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Vanrenen and five officers of the 5th Inniskillings were killed, their total casualties, including missing, were more than half the total strength they had had on landing at Suvla Bay.
The young Inniskillings held on and even though the battalion was cut up and shattered they would not leave their positions. Lieutenant G.B Lyndon of the 6th Inniskillings won the MC for couragously going out after sunset to bring in many of these little parties.
The result of this failed attack was that the 7th Dublins and the 6th Royal Irish Fusiliers, both in reserve, and the 6th Munsters were hurried to the ridge. Along the way, Lieutenant Colonel Downing of the 7th Dublins was shot in the foot by a sniper and had to be relieved by Major Harrison. The Irish battalions were established in an uneven line just under the crest when late that night they were engaged in a sudden sharp batonet and musketry fight, but managed to drive off the Turks. Before dawn, however, the invisible Turks began lobbing grenades over, a veritable rain of bombs from their side of the ridge where they could skilfully hide behind large boulders. By early morning of 16th August the Irish were fed up with their helpless position. On every side men had fallen, and the strain was taking it effect on the men. Something . .
For the irish on the right, or southern, landward side of the Ridge, it was a different story. The 5th Inniskillings, supported by the 6th Inniskillings, were now entrusted with taking Kidney Hill, a place of precipitous slopes and thick scrub. Well placed Turkish machine guns and artillery had perfect observation of the open plain in front of the hill. The attack that followed was the 5th Battalion's ' first bitter taste of war'
It was also a kind of forlorn hope . .for against modern weapons a frontal attack by daylight on an entrenched position a thousand yards away is certain to fail, and fail it did. Kidney Hill was not taken nor was the southern slope cleared and heavy casualties resulted. Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Vanrenen and five officers of the 5th Inniskillings were killed, their total casualties, including missing, were more than half the total strength they had had on landing at Suvla Bay.
The young Inniskillings held on and even though the battalion was cut up and shattered they would not leave their positions. Lieutenant G.B Lyndon of the 6th Inniskillings won the MC for couragously going out after sunset to bring in many of these little parties.
The result of this failed attack was that the 7th Dublins and the 6th Royal Irish Fusiliers, both in reserve, and the 6th Munsters were hurried to the ridge. Along the way, Lieutenant Colonel Downing of the 7th Dublins was shot in the foot by a sniper and had to be relieved by Major Harrison. The Irish battalions were established in an uneven line just under the crest when late that night they were engaged in a sudden sharp batonet and musketry fight, but managed to drive off the Turks. Before dawn, however, the invisible Turks began lobbing grenades over, a veritable rain of bombs from their side of the ridge where they could skilfully hide behind large boulders. By early morning of 16th August the Irish were fed up with their helpless position. On every side men had fallen, and the strain was taking it effect on the men. Something . .
