case on higher
ground. And finally the Suvla Bay and Anzac regions, the points from
which the troops would have to be embarked, were all within artillery
range and often within rifle range of the enemy.

Every effort was made by General Monro and his subordinate officers to
conduct the preparations for the embarkation of the troops in secret.
That is to say the exact day decided upon was kept a secret from all
except the highest officers. For it was not possible to keep from the
Turks entirely the knowledge of a complete withdrawal from the
Gallipoli Peninsula of the allied troops. Too much publicity had been
given to the whole discussion in France and England for that.

Eventually, Monday, December 19, 1915, was decided upon for the
critical operation. With all possible secrecy a great fleet of
transports was gathered at Mudros Bay and, under the protection of
this fleet of warships--the strongest that had approached the
Gallipoli Peninsula since the arrival of the German submarines in the
neighborhood--sailed for Suvla Bay and Anzac Cove.

It had been decided to remove the allied troops from these two bases
before attempting the perhaps more difficult task of getting the force
away from the Krithia region. Indeed, after the troops had been safely
extricated from the northern bases it was officially announced in
London that the Allies would continue to hold the base won in the
south. This proved, however, to be merely in the nature of a literary
demonstration to divert the attention of the none too credulous Turk
from the real purpose of the allied command.

While the fleet of transports and warships was approaching the two
bases under cover of the night, the Australian and New Zealand troops
at Anzac and the British troops at Suvla were hastily preparing for
leaving. Among the colonial troops there was the keenest regret in
thus relinquishing what had been so hardly won at the price of so many
precious lives. To the Australians the operations at Anzac will always
remain one of the greatest, if not the very greatest military feat in
their history. To be sure they fought in numbers and with conspicuous
bravery throughout the Boer War; but Anzac was an operation all their
own, on a scale never before attempted by them as a distinct military
organization. They had won undying fame and unstinted praise from the
highest military authorities, and the success of the operation in that
part of the Gallipoli Peninsula had b