Five Months at Anzac by Joseph Lievesley Beeston

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[Illustration: ANZAC COVE.
_Photo by Lieut.-Col. Millard._]

FIVE MONTHS AT ANZAC

A NARRATIVE OF PERSONAL EXPERIENCES OF
THE OFFICER COMMANDING THE 4th FIELD
AMBULANCE, AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE

BY

JOSEPH LIEVESLEY BEESTON

C.M.G., V.D., L.R.C.S.I., Colonel A.A.M.C.
Late O.C. 4th Field Ambulance, late A.D.M.S.
New Zealand and Australian Division

_WITH PHOTOGRAPHS_

SYDNEY
ANGUS & ROBERTSON LTD.
89 CASTLEREAGH STREET

1916

W.C. Penfold & Co. Ltd., Printers,
183 Pitt Street, Sydney.

DEDICATED TO

THE OFFICERS, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND MEN OF
THE 4th FIELD AMBULANCE, A.I.F., OF WHOSE LOYALTY
AND DEVOTION TO DUTY THE WRITER HEREBY EXPRESSES
HIS DEEP APPRECIATION.

CONTENTS

THE FOURTH FIELD AMBULANCE

THE VOYAGE

EGYPT

TO GALLIPOLI

THE ANZAC LANDING

AT WORK ON THE PENINSULA

INCIDENTS AND YARNS

AIR FIGHTING

THE OFFICERS' MESS

THE ARMISTICE

TORPEDOING OF THE _TRIUMPH_

THE DESTROYERS

THE INDIAN REGIMENTS

THE SWIMMING

TURKISH PRISONERS

POST OFFICE

SANITARY ARRANGEMENTS

SIMPSON

CHURCH SERVICES

THE ENGINEERS

TURKS ATTACK

RED CROSS

PREPARING FOR THE ADVANCE

THE ATTEMPT ON SARI BAIR

AMBULANCE WORK

ARTILLERY

TURKS AS FIGHTERS

THE FOURTH FIELD AMBULANCE

Shortly after the outbreak of War--after the first contingent had been
mobilised, and while they were undergoing training--it became evident
that it would be necessary to raise another force to proceed on the
heels of the first. Three Infantry Brigades with their Ambulances had
already been formed; orders for a fourth were now issued, and
naturally the Ambulance would be designated Fourth Field Ambulance.

The Fourth Brigade was composed of the 13th Battalion (N.S.W.), 14th
(Victoria), 15th (Queensland) and 16th (Western Australia)--commanded
respectively by Lieutenant-Colonel Burnage, Lieutenant-Colonel
Courtnay, Lieutenant-Colonel Cannon and Lieutenant-Colonel Pope. The
Brigade was in charge of Colonel Monash, V.D., with Lieutenant-Colonel
McGlinn as his Brigade Major.

As it will be necessary from time to time to allude to the component
parts of the Ambulance, it may be as well to describe how an ambulance
is made up. It is composed of three sections, known as A, B, and C,
the total of all ranks being 254 on a war strength. It is subdivided
into Bearer, Tent and Transport Divisions. Each section has its own
officers, and is capable of acting independently. Where there is an
extended front, it is frequently desirable to detach sections and send
them to positions where the work is heaviest.

As the name implies, the Bearers convey the wounded to the dressing
station (or Field Hospital, as the case may be). Those in the Tent
Division dress the cases and perform nursing duties, while the
Transport Division undertakes their conveyance to Base Hospital.

It was decided to recruit the Fourth Field Ambulance from three
States, A Section from Victoria, B from South Australia, C from
Western Australia. Recruiting started in Broadmeadows, Victoria, on
the 19th October, 1914, and thirty men enrolled from New South Wales
were included in A Section. Towards the end of November B Section from
South Australia joined us, and participated in the training. On the
22nd December we embarked on a transport forming one of a convoy of
eighteen ships. The nineteenth ship ---- joined after we left Albany.

Details from the Ambulance were supplied to different ships and the
officers distributed among the fleet. Our last port in Australia was
Albany, which was cleared on the last day of 1914--a beautiful night
and clear day, with the sea as smooth as the proverbial glass.

THE VOYAGE

The convoy was under the command of Captain Brewis--a most capable and
courteous officer, but a strict disciplinarian. To a landsman, his
control of the various ships and his forethought in obtaining supplies
seemed little short of marvellous. I had the good fortune to be
associated with Captain Brewis on the passage from Colombo to
Alexandria on board the ---- and his friendship is a pleasant memory.

The fleet was arranged in three lines, each ship being about three
lengths astern of the one ahead. The sight was most inspiriting, and
made one feel proud of the privilege of participation. The ---- towed
the submarine AE2, and kept clear of the convoy, sometimes ahead, then
astern, so that we viewed the convoy from all points.

The day after leaving Albany a steamer, which proved to be the ----,
joined us with C Section of our Ambulance. Signals were made for the
---- ---- to move ahead and the ---- to drop astern, the ---- moving
into the vacant place. The manoeuvre was carried out in a most
seamanlike manner, and Captain Young of the ---- received many
compliments on his performance.

Three days later a message was flagged from the ---- that Major
Stewart (who commanded the C Section of the Ambulance) was ill with
enteric, and that his condition was serious. The flagship then sent
orders (also by flag) "Colonel Beeston will proceed to ---- and will
remain there until next port. ---- to provide transport." A boat was
hoisted out, and Sergeant Draper as a nurse, Walkley my orderly, my
little dog Paddy and I were lowered from the boat deck. What appeared
smooth water proved to a long undulating swell; no water was shipped,
but the fleet at times was not visible when the boat was in the trough
of the sea.

However, the ---- was manoeuvred so as to form a shelter, and we
gained the deck by means of the companion ladder as comfortably as if
we had been in harbour. Major Stewart's illness proved to be of such a
nature that his disembarkation at Colombo was imperative, and on our
arrival there he was left in the hospital.

The heat in the tropics was very oppressive, and the horses suffered
considerably. One day all the ships carrying horses were turned about
and steamed for twenty minutes in the opposite direction in order to
obtain a breath of air for the poor animals. In the holds the
temperature was 90 deg. and steamy at that. The sight of horses down a
ship's hold is a novel one. Each is in a stall of such dimensions that
the animal cannot be knocked about. All heads are inwards, and each
horse has his own trough. At a certain time in the day lucerne hay is
issued. This is the signal for a prodigious amount of stamping and
noise on the part of the animals. They throw their heads about, snort
and neigh, and seem as if they would jump over the barriers in their
frantic effort to get a good feed. Horses on land are nice beasts, but
on board ship they are a totally different proposition. One
intelligent neddy stabled just outside my cabin spent the night in
stamping on an adjacent steam pipe; consequently my sleep was of a
disturbed nature, and not so restful as one might look for on a sea
voyage. When he became tired, the brute on the opposite side took up
the refrain, so that it seemed like Morse signalling on a large scale.

We reached Colombo on the 13th January, and found a number of ships of
various nationalities in the harbour. Our convoy almost filled it. We
were soon surrounded by boats offering for sale all sorts of things,
mostly edibles. Of course no one was allowed on board.

After arranging for Major Stewart's accommodation at the hospital, we
transferred from the ---- to the ----. The voyage was resumed on the
15th. When a few days out, one of the ships flagged that there were
two cases of appendicitis on board. The convoy was stopped; the ship
drew near ours, and lowered a boat with the two cases, which was soon
alongside. Meanwhile a large box which had been made by our carpenter
was lowered over the side by a winch on the boat deck; the cases were
placed in it and hoisted aboard, where the stretcher-bearers conveyed
them to the hospital. Examination showed that operation was necessary
in both cases, and the necessary preparations were made.

The day was a glorious one--not a cloud in the sky, and the sea almost
oily in its smoothness. As the hospital was full of cases of measles,
it was decided to operate on deck a little aft of the hospital. A
guard was placed to keep inquisitive onlookers at a distance, and the
two operations were carried out successfully. It was a novel
experience to operate under these conditions. When one looked up from
the work, instead of the usual tiled walls of a hospital theatre, one
saw nothing but the sea and the transports. After all, they were ideal
conditions; for the air was absolutely pure and free from any kind of
germ.

While the convoy was stopped, the opportunity was taken to transfer
Lieutenant-Colonel Bean from the ---- to the ----. There had been a
number of fatal cases on board the latter vessel, and it was deemed
advisable to place a senior officer on board.

On arrival at Aden I had personal experience of the worth of the Red
Cross Society. A number of cases had died aboard one of the
transports, and I had to go over to investigate. The sea was fairly
rough, the boat rising and falling ten or twelve feet. For a landsman
to gain a ladder on a ship's side under these conditions is not a
thing of undiluted joy. Anyhow I missed the ladder and went into the
water. The first fear one had was that the boat would drop on one's
head; however, I was hauled on board by two hefty sailors. The
inspection finished, we were rowed back to our own ship, wet and cold.
By the time "home" was reached I felt pretty chilly; a hot bath soon
put me right, and a dressing gown was dug out of the Red Cross goods
supplied to the ship, in which I remained while my clothes were
drying. Sewn inside was a card on which was printed: "Will the
recipient kindly write his personal experiences to George W. Parker,
Daylesford, Victoria, Australia." I wrote to Mr. Parker from Suez. I
would recommend everyone sending articles of this kind to put a
similar notice inside. To be able to acknowledge kindness is as
gratifying to the recipient as the knowledge of its usefulness is to
the giver.

The voyage to Suez (which was reached on the 28th January) was
uneventful. We arrived there about 4 in the morning and found most of
our convoy around us when we got on deck at daylight. Here we got news
of the Turks' attack on the Canal. We heard that there had been a
brush with the Turks, in which Australians had participated, and all
the ships were to be sandbagged round the bridge. Bags of flour were
used on the ----.

The submarine cast off from the ---- outside and came alongside our
ship. I was invited to go and inspect her, and Paddy accompanied me.
On going below, however, I left him on the deck, and by some means he
slipped overboard (this appears to run in the family on this trip);
one of the crew fished him out, and he was sent up on to the ----.
When I got back I found Colonel Monash, the Brigadier, running up and
down the deck with the dog so that he would not catch cold! The
Colonel was almost as fond of the dog as I was.

EGYPT

All along the canal we saw troops entrenched--chiefly Indians. This at
the time was very novel--we little knew then how familiar trenches
would become. At various points--about every four or five miles-a
warship was passed. The troops on each ship stood to attention and the
bugler blew the general salute. Port Said was reached in the
afternoon, and here a great calamity overtook me. Paddy was lost! He
was seen going ashore in the boat which took the mails. Though orders
were out against any one's leaving the ship, Colonel Monash offered me
permission to go and look for him. With Sergeant Nickson and Walkley I
started off and tramped through all sorts of slums and places, without
any success. Finally we returned to the water front, where one of the
natives (a little more intelligent than the others) took me to the
Custom House close by. One of the officials could speak a little
English, and in response to my enquiry he turned up a large book. Then
I saw, among a lot of Egyptian writing, PADDY 4 A.M.C. MORMON. This
corresponded to his identity disc, which was round his neck. He was
out at the abattoirs, where after a three-mile drive we obtained him.
His return to the ship was hailed by the men with vociferous cheers.

On arrival at Alexandria we made arrangements for the disembarkation
of all our sick, Lieutenant-Colonel Beach superintending their
transport. We left soon after by rail for Heilwan, arriving after
nightfall. A guide was detailed to conduct us to camp, and we set out
to march a couple of miles across the desert. It was quite cold, so
that the march was rather good; but, loaded as we were, in full
marching order and soft after a long sea voyage, it was a stiff tramp.
In the pitch dark, as silent as the grave, we stumbled along, and
finally arrived at the camp outside Heliopolis, a place known as the
Aerodrome.

Lieutenant-Colonel Sutherland and Major Helsham were camped with their
Ambulance close by, and with most kindly forethought had pitched our
tents for us. We just lay down in our greatcoats and slept until
morning. Our Brigade was camped just across the road, and formed part
of the New Zealand and Australian Division under General Sir Alexander
Godley.

Training soon began, and everyone seemed full of the idea of making
himself "fit." Our peace camps and continuous training at home look
very puny and small in comparison with the work which now occupied our
time. At manoeuvres the number of troops might be anything up to
thirty thousand. To march in the rear of such a column meant that each
of the Ambulances soon swallowed its peck of dirt. But with it all we
were healthy and vigorous. As an Ambulance we practiced all sorts of
movements. Under supposition that we might have to retreat suddenly,
the whole camp would be struck, packed on the waggon and taken down
the Suez road, where it was pitched again, ready to receive patients;
then tents would be struck and a return made to camp. Or we would make
a start after nightfall and practise the movements without lights; the
transport handling the horses in the dark. Or the different sections
would march out independently, and concentrate on a point agreed upon.
It was great practice, but in the end not necessary; for we went, not
to France, as we expected, but to Gallipoli, where we had no horses.
However, it taught the men to believe in themselves. That period of
training was great. Everyone benefited, and by the beginning of April
we felt fit for anything.

We were exceedingly well looked after in the way of a standing camp.
Sand of course was everywhere, but when watered it became quite hard,
and the quadrangle made a fine drill ground. Each unit had a mess
house in which the men had their meals; there was an abundant supply
of water obtained from the Nile, so that shower baths were plentiful.
Canteens were established, and the men were able to supplement their
rations. The Y.M.C.A. erected buildings for the men's entertainment,
which served an excellent purpose in keeping the troops in camp.
Cinematographs showed pictures, and all round the camp dealers
established shops, so that there was very little inducement for men to
leave at night. A good deal of our time was occupied in weeding out
undesirables from the Brigade. Thank goodness, I had not to send a man
from the Ambulance back for this reason.

Apart from the instructive side of our stay in Egypt, the sojourn was
most educational. We were camped just on the edge of the Land of
Goshen; the place where Joseph obtained his wife was only about a mile
away from my tent, and the well where the Virgin Mother rested with
our Saviour was in close proximity. The same water wheels are here as
are mentioned in the Bible, and one can see the camels and asses
brought to water, and the women going to and fro with pitchers on
their heads. Then in the museum in Cairo one could see the mummy of
the Pharaoh of Joseph's time. All this made the Bible quite the most
interesting book to read.

The troops having undergone pretty strenuous training, we were
inspected by Sir Ian Hamilton, who was to command us in the
forthcoming campaign. Then, early in April, the commanding officers of
units were assembled at Headquarters and the different ships allotted.
Finally, on the evening of the 11th April, our camp was struck, and;
we bade good-bye to Heliopolis. The waggons were packed and the
Ambulance moved off, marching to the Railway Station in Cairo.
Nine-thirty was the time fixed for our entraining, and we were there
on the minute--and it was as well that such was the case, for General
Williams stood at the gate to watch proceedings.

The waggons with four horses (drivers mounted, of course) were taken
at a trot up an incline, through a narrow gateway on to the platform.
The horses were then taken out and to the rear, and the waggons placed
on the trucks by Egyptian porters.

We had 16 vehicles, 69 horses, 10 officers and 245 men. The whole were
entrained in 35 minutes. The General was very pleased with the
performance, and asked me to convey his approbation to the men.
Certainly they did well.

TO GALLIPOLI

At midnight we left Cairo and arrived at daybreak at Alexandria, the
train running right on to the wharf, alongside which was the transport
to convey us to Gallipoli--the Dardanelles we called it then. Loading
started almost immediately, and I found that I--who in ordinary life
am a peaceful citizen and a surgeon by profession--had to direct
operations by which our waggons were to be removed from the railway
trucks on to the wharf and thence to the ship's hold. Men with some
knowledge of the mysteries of steam winches had to be specially
selected and instructed in these duties, and I--well, beyond at times
watching a ship being loaded at Newcastle, I was as innocent of their
details as the unborn babe. However, everyone went at it, and the
transport was loaded soon after dinner. We had the New Zealand Battery
of Artillery, Battery Ammunition Column, 14th Battalion Transport and
Army Service Corps with us, the whole numbering 560 men and 480
horses. At 4 p.m. the ship cast off, and we went to the outer harbour
and began to shake down. The same hour the next day saw us under weigh
for the front. The voyage was quite uneventful, the sea beautifully
calm, and the various islands in the Egean Sea most picturesque. Three
days later we arrived at Lemnos, and found the harbour (which is of
considerable size) packed with warships and transports. I counted 20
warships of various sizes and nationalities. The _Agamemnon_ was just
opposite us, showing signs of the damage she had received in the
bombardment of the Turkish forts a couple of months before. We stayed
here a week, and every day practised going ashore in boats, each man
in full marching order leaving the ship by the pilot ladder.

It is extraordinary how one adapts oneself to circumstances. For years
it has been almost painful to me to look down from a height; as for
going down a ladder, in ordinary times I could not do it. However,
here there was no help for it; a commanding officer cannot order his
men to do what he will not do himself, so up and down we went in full
marching order. Bearer work was carried out among the stony hills
which surround the harbour.

Finally, on the 24th April, the whole armada got under weigh, headed
by the _Queen Elizabeth_, or as the men affectionately termed her,
"Lizzie." We had been under steam for only about four hours when a
case of smallpox was reported on board. As the captain informed me he
had time to spare, we returned to Lemnor and landed the man,
afterwards proceeding on our journey. At night the ship was darkened.
Our ship carried eight horse-boats, which were to be used by the 29th
Division in their landing at Cape Helles.

Just about dawn on Sunday the 25th I came on deck and could see the
forms of a number of warships in close proximity to us, with
destroyers here and there and numbers of transports. Suddenly one ship
fired a gun, and then they were all at it, the Turks replying in quick
time from the forts on Seddul Bahr, as well as from those on the
Asiatic side. None of our ships appeared to be hit, but great clouds
of dust were thrown up in the forts opposite us. Meanwhile destroyers
were passing us loaded with troops, and barges filled with grim and
determined-looking men were being towed towards the shore. One could
not help wondering how many of them would be alive in an hour's time.
Slowly they neared the cliffs; as the first barge appeared to ground,
a burst of fire broke out along the beach, alternately rifles and
machine guns. The men leaped out of the barges--almost at once the
firing on the beach ceased, and more came from halfway up the cliff.
The troops had obviously landed, and were driving the Turks back.
After a couple of hours the top of the cliff was gained; there the
troops became exposed to a very heavy fire from some batteries of
artillery placed well in the rear, to which the warships attended as
soon as they could locate them. The _Queen Elizabeth_ was close by us,
apparently watching a village just under the fort. Evidently some guns
were placed there. She loosed off her two fifteen-inch guns, and after
the dust had cleared away we could see that new streets had been made
for the inhabitants. Meanwhile the British had gained the top and were
making headway, but losing a lot of men--one could see them falling
everywhere.

THE ANZAC LANDING

The horse-boats having been got overboard, we continued our voyage
towards what is now know as Anzac. Troops--Australians and New
Zealanders--were being taken ashore in barges. Warships were firing
apparently as fast as they could load, the Turks replying with equal
cordiality. In fact, as Captain Dawson remarked to me, it was quite
the most "willing" Sunday he had ever seen.

Our troops were ascending the hills through a dwarf scrub, just low
enough to let us see the men's heads, though sometimes we could only
locate them by the glint of the bayonets in the sunshine. Everywhere
they were pushing on in extended order, but many falling. The Turks
appeared to have the range pretty accurately. About mid-day our men
seemed to be held up, the Turkish shrapnel appearing to be too much
for them. It was now that there occurred what I think one of the
finest incidents of the campaign. This was the landing of the
Australian Artillery. They got two of their guns ashore, and over very
rough country dragged them up the hills with what looked like a
hundred men to each. Up they went, through a wheat-field, covered and
plastered with shrapnel, but with never a stop until the crest of the
hill on the right was reached. Very little time was wasted in getting
into action, and from this time it became evident that we were there
to stay.

The practice of the naval guns was simply perfect. They lodged shell
after shell just in front of the foremost rank of our men; in response
to a message asking them to clear one of the gullies, one ship placed
shell after shell up that gully, each about a hundred yards apart, and
in as straight a line as if they were ploughing the ground for Johnny
Turk, instead of making the place too hot to hold him.

The Turks now began to try for this warship, and in their endeavours
almost succeeded in getting the vessel we were on, as a shell burst
right overhead.

The wounded now began to come back, and the one hospital ship there
was filled in a very short time. Every available transport was then
utilised for the reception of casualties, and as each was filled she
steamed off to the base at Alexandria. As night came on we appeared to
have a good hold of the place, and orders came for our bearer division
to land. They took with them three days' "iron" rations, which
consisted of a tin of bully beef, a bag of small biscuits, and some
tea and sugar, dixies, a tent, medical comforts, and (for firewood)
all the empty cases we could scrape up in the ship. Each squad had a
set of splints, and every man carried a tourniquet and two roller
bandages in his pouch. Orders were issued that the men were to make
the contents of their water-bottles last three days, as no water was
available on shore.

The following evening the remainder of the Ambulance, less the
transport, was ordered ashore. We embarked in a trawler, and steamed
towards the shore in the growing dusk as far as the depth of water
would allow. The night was bitterly cold, it was raining, and all felt
this was real soldiering. None of us could understand what occasioned
the noise we heard at times, of something hitting the iron deck houses
behind us; at last one of the men exclaimed: "Those are bullets, sir,"
so that we were having our baptism of fire. It was marvellous that no
one was hit, for they were fairly frequent, and we all stood closely
packed. Finally the skipper of the trawler, Captain Hubbard, told me
he did not think we could be taken off that night, and therefore
intended to drop anchor. He invited Major Meikle and myself to the
cabin, where the cook served out hot tea to all hands. I have drunk a
considerable number of cups of tea in my time, but that mug was very,
very nice. The night was spent dozing where we stood, Paddy being very
disturbed with the noise of the guns.

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