th the intention of appearing properly dressed.

After this few days frost the weather broke again and on the evening of
the 27th November we had a few hours' heavy rain which later on turned
into driving snow. This was the tail-end of the blizzard which caused so
much damage and loss of life at Suvla and finally decided the evacuation
of that part of Gallipoli.

CHAPTER V

GALLIPOLI (_concluded_).

Early in December, after a few days in the rest camp, we returned to the
Eski lines, west of Krithia nullah. The Eski line was the first trench
one met on the way up to the front line and was a continuous trench
running across the Peninsula. It had been dug during the early stages of
the campaign, when the original forces had succeeded in getting a
footing on the Peninsula and driving the enemy back from the beaches
towards Achi Baba. The trench had been greatly improved since these days
and was now used by troops in corps reserve.

While here we were unfortunate in losing Captain Fyfe and the
Quartermaster, both wounded by stray bullets. It was a bad place for
this sort of thing as the enemy's spent bullets landed in this
area--proof that the Turk as a rule fired high and was not aiming at the
trenches directly opposite his front line. Neither of these officers
were seriously wounded; although the Quartermaster was lucky in escaping
as lightly as he did.

On the 15th December the C.O. was summoned to Brigade Headquarters and
informed by General Casson that the Battalion was probably to attack two
small trenches held by the enemy known as G11A and G12. This attack was
to be carried out on the 18th or 19th December and instructions were
given to the Colonel that a reconnaissance was to be made and a report
forwarded stating the best possible manner in which the attack could be
successfully carried out. G11A was a peculiar trench situated on a
tongue of land between the two branches of the Krithia nullah, some few
hundred yards north of a point where the nullah divided. The ground on
both sides of this trench stood about forty feet high and was held by us
entirely on the west side and partly on the east side. Owing to our
overlooking this trench the Turks did not occupy it during daylight, but
it was decided that they sent a few men forward at night to garrison
this trench. Several frontal attacks had been made earlier in the year
on this trench but without success. It was accordingly decided that on
this occasi