Having reviewed the state of his command, Monro recommended evacuation. Kitchener disliked the notion of evacuating the peninsula but after consulting with the commanders of his three corps at Helles, Suvla and at Anzac, the decision to evacuate was made.
Evacuation of 14 Divisions in winter in close proximity of the enemy would be difficult and heavy losses were expected. Ironically the evacuation was the greatest success of the campaign. Suvla and Anzac were to be evacuated in late December, the last troops leaving before dawn on the 20th December 1915. Troop numbers had been progressively reduced since the 7th Decmeber 1915 and cunning ruses, such as William Scurry's self-firing rifle were used to fool the Turks and prevent them discovering that the Allies were departing.
Evacuation of 14 Divisions in winter in close proximity of the enemy would be difficult and heavy losses were expected. Ironically the evacuation was the greatest success of the campaign. Suvla and Anzac were to be evacuated in late December, the last troops leaving before dawn on the 20th December 1915. Troop numbers had been progressively reduced since the 7th Decmeber 1915 and cunning ruses, such as William Scurry's self-firing rifle were used to fool the Turks and prevent them discovering that the Allies were departing.
gallipoli
An Australian Officer viewing graves at Helles.
Getting ready to evacuate the Peninsula
At Anzac, the troops would maintain utter silence for an hour or more until the curious Turks would venture out to inspect the trenches, whereupon the Anzacs would open fire. As the numbers in the trenches thinned, rifles were rigged, like the one shown below, to fire by water dripping into a pan attached to the trigger. The enire Allied force was evacuated, but large quantities of supplies and artllery fell into Turkish hands.
Helles was retained in case the British wanted to resume the offensive. However a decision to evacuate there also was made on the 27th December. The Turks were now warned of the likelihood of evacuation and mounted an attack on the 6th January 1916 but were repulsed with heavy casualties. The last British troops departed from Lancashire Landing on the 9th January 1916. Amazingly only two soldiers were lost during the evacuation despite the prior warnings of 50% casualties from Sir Ian Hamilton. As for the Irish Regiments they had suffered heavily, in a campaign that can only be descibed as tragic. The lessons learnt would be ignored on the Battlefields of France and Belgium. The ' Donkey ' General's would continue to use their old fashioned tactics against massed German machine guns and the 29th Division would meet another hell on the Somme, in July 1916. The Irishmen who fought at Gallipoli, had fought with great bravery. This is evident from one Irish Regiment, the 1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers. Nearly all of just over 1,000 men of the Battalion who landed at Helles in April 1915 had been killed, wounded, were missing or had experienced decease. As Brian Cooper wrote of the Irish on the Peninsula:
Officers and men did all that was required of them. They died.
There was no fear or faltering, there was no retirement without orders. They make no claim to exclusive glory, to have done more than it was their duty to do . .
They have no cause to be ashamed.
There was no fear or faltering, there was no retirement without orders. They make no claim to exclusive glory, to have done more than it was their duty to do . .
They have no cause to be ashamed.
And Finally, i would like to dedicate this complete chapter about the Irish in Gallipoli to all the Irish boys who fought and died on the Peninsula and in particular to Lieutenat Guy Nightingale of the 1st Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers, who features in the various films shown on these pages.
Towards a New Offensive
This is the Fourth of June,
Think not i never dream.
The noise of that infernal noon,
The stretcher's endless stream,
The tales of triumph won,
The night that found the lies,
The wounded wailing in the sun,
The dead, the dust, the flies.
The flies ! oh God, the flies,
That soiled the sacred dead.
To see them swarm from dead mens' eyes,
And share the soldier's bread !
Nor think i now forget,
The filth and stench of war,
The corpses on the parapet,
The maggots in the floor.
Think not i never dream.
The noise of that infernal noon,
The stretcher's endless stream,
The tales of triumph won,
The night that found the lies,
The wounded wailing in the sun,
The dead, the dust, the flies.
The flies ! oh God, the flies,
That soiled the sacred dead.
To see them swarm from dead mens' eyes,
And share the soldier's bread !
Nor think i now forget,
The filth and stench of war,
The corpses on the parapet,
The maggots in the floor.
A.P Herbert: ' Half-Hours at Helles '
Good-bye dear Friends.
I sincerely hope that you have enjoyed this chapter about Irish soldiers in Gallipoli. I would be very grateful if someone had a picture of Lieutenant Guy Nightingale that i could add to this page. Please forward to stephenandalison@smurtagh.wanadoo.co.uk.
It would be very much appreciated, many thanks Steve....Erin Go Bragh.
