FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144  
145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   >>   >|  
ut off from sharing the efforts of our comrades. Too near for reflection; too far for intervention: on tenter hooks, in fact; a sort of mental crucifixion. Cox is not going to take his Punjabi Mahommedans into the fighting area but will leave them on "W" Beach. He says if we were sweeping on victoriously he would take them on but that, as things are, it would not be fair to them to do so. That is exactly why I asked K. and Fitz for a Brigade of Gurkhas; not a mixed Brigade. _3rd May, 1915. H.M.T. "Arcadian."_ At 9 p.m. last night there was another furious outburst of fire; mainly from the French. 75's and rifles vied against one another in making the most infernal _fracas_. I thought we were in for an _encore_ performance, but gradually the uproar died away, and by midnight all was quiet. The Turks had made another effort against our right, but they could not penetrate the rampart of living fire built up against them and none got within charging distance of our trenches, so d'Amade 'phones. He also says that a mass of Turkish reserves were suddenly picked up by the French searchlights and the 75's were into them like a knife, slicing and slashing the serried ranks to pieces before they had time to scatter. Birdie boarded us at 9 a.m. and told us his troubles. He has straightened out his line on the left; after a fierce fight which has cost him no less than 700 fresh casualties. But he feels safer now and is pretty happy! he is sure he can hold his own against anything except thirst. His _band-o-bast_ for taking water up to the higher trenches is not working well, and the springs he has struck along the beach and in the lower gullies are brakish. We are going to try and fix this up for him. At 10 o'clock went ashore with Braithwaite and paid visits to Hunter-Weston and to d'Amade. We had a conference with each of them, Generals and Staff who could be spared from the fighting being present. The feeling is hopeful if only we had more men and especially drafts to fill up our weakened battalions. The shell question is serious although, in this respect, thank Heavens, the French are quite well found. When we got back to the ship, heard a Taube had just been over and dropped a bomb, which fell exactly between the _Arcadian_ and the ammunition ship, anchored only about 60 or 70 yards off us! _4th May, 1915. H.M.T. "Arcadian."_ Last night again there was all sorts of firing and fighting going on, throughout those hours
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144  
145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Arcadian
 

fighting

 

French

 

Brigade

 

trenches

 
comrades
 
brakish
 

Generals

 
gullies
 

struck


efforts

 

Braithwaite

 
Weston
 

Hunter

 
sharing
 

ashore

 
conference
 
visits
 

pretty

 

casualties


taking

 

higher

 

working

 

thirst

 

springs

 

hopeful

 

ammunition

 

anchored

 

dropped

 

firing


drafts

 
weakened
 

spared

 

present

 

feeling

 
battalions
 

Heavens

 
question
 

respect

 
thought

encore
 

performance

 
gradually
 
fracas
 

infernal

 

making

 
uproar
 

effort

 
crucifixion
 

Mahommedans