ed, a second company of the same battalion
followed. As they dropped in scores the lighters began to drift and
dozens of the men, in attempting to swim ashore in their heavy kits,
were drowned.

Despite the storm of fire, volunteers once more swung the lighters
into position. The third company of the Munsters were ordered to
attempt to reach the beach. By this time the Turks had been able to
concentrate shrapnel fire on the _River Clyde_ and her human freight,
and the third company suffered even more casualties than had the first
two.

There is a limit to human sacrifice, and Brigadier General Napier, in
command of the troops, called a halt in the attempt to land. A little
later, it was resumed, with General Napier and Captain Costeker and a
detachment of the Hampshire Regiment heroically leading the way. When
they had reached the lighters the moorings again gave way and they
drifted into deep water. In the torrent of bullets that was being
poured down upon them by the Turks it was impossible to do anything
but lie flat on the exposed decks and wait for the lighters to be
swung into position again. Scores of them were killed, including both
Brigadier General Napier and Captain Costeker.

With this major disaster, all attempts to make further landings were
abandoned for the day. A few hundred British troops had succeeded in
reaching the escarpment on the shore and there they huddled, not
daring to lift their heads above the four-foot natural cover.
Fortunately for them, the machine-gun battery on the _River Clyde_
raked the slope, kept the fire of the Turkish defenders down and
prevented any counterattacks, which might have ended disastrously for
the British troops. The troops still on board the _River Clyde_,
numbering about 1,000 were effectively protected from the fire of the
Turks, suffering few casualties, although shrapnel tore four great
holes in the side of the collier.

Matters had not gone any better at other sections of the beach. Half a
company of the Dublins landed east of Sedd-el-Bahr for the purpose of
flanking the Turkish defenses, failed to accomplish its purpose and
lost all except twenty-five of its men. In the afternoon the landing
at V Beach was definitely accepted as a failure and plans made for the
diversion of the troops not yet landed to one of the other beaches. It
was first thought that Y Beach would be the best point, but it was
decided that it would be too late to effect the issue there