pon six beaches in the face of desperate resistance from strong
Turkish Infantry forces well backed by Artillery. Enemy are entrenched,
line upon line, behind wire entanglements spread to catch us wherever we
might try to concentrate for an advance. Worst danger zone, the open
sea, now traversed, but on land not yet out of the wood. Our main
covering detachment held up on water's edge, at foot of amphitheatre of
low cliffs round the little bay West of Sedd-el-Bahr. At sunset last
night a dashing attack was made by the 29th Division South-west along
the heights from Tekke Burnu to set free the Dublins, Munsters and
Hants, but at the hour of writing they are still pinned down to the
beach.

"The Australians have done wonderfully at Gaba Tepe. They got 8,000
ashore to one beach between 3.30 a.m. and 8.30 a.m.: due to their
courage; organisation; sea discipline and steady course of boat
practice. Navy report not one word spoken or movement made by any of
these thousands of untried troops either during the transit over the
water in the darkness or nearing the land when the bullets took their
toll. But, as the keel of the boats touched bottom, each boat-load
dashed into the water and then into the enemy's fire. At first it seemed
that nothing could stop them, but by degrees wire, scrub and cliffs;
thirst, sheer exhaustion broke the back of their impetus. Then the
enemy's howitzers and field guns had it all their own way, forcing
attack to yield a lot of ground. Things looked anxious for a bit, but by
this morning's dawn all are dug in, cool, confident.

"But for the number and good shooting of Turkish field guns and
howitzers, Birdwood would surely have carried the whole main ridge of
Sari Bair. As it is, his troops are holding a long curve upon the crests
of the lower ridges, identical, to a hundred yards, with the line
planned by my General Staff in their instructions and pencilled by them
upon the map.

"The French have stormed Kum Kale and are attacking Yeni Shahr. Although
you excluded Asia from my operations, have been forced by tactical needs
to ask d'Amade to do this and so relieve us from Artillery fire from the
Asiatic shore.

"Deeply regret to report the death of Brigadier-General Napier and to
say that our losses, though not yet estimated, are sure to be very
heavy.

"If only this night passes without misadventures, I propose to attack
Achi Baba to-morrow with whatever Hunter-Weston can scrape together of
t