Anzac Cove
Dug Out
2/7/1915
Dear Everybody
A few envelopes having come to hand, & as I stand a good chance of being able to lay hands on one, I am going to write a few more lines. By the time this reaches you, you should have received a good number of those military P.C.s, conveying you all the news of our doings. At the top you will notice an addition to the heading, well do not let it lead you into thinking that we have shifted since last you heard from me, for we have not, not a yard. Other than repulsing with heavy loss to the enemy a couple of attacks there has been nothing doing along our entire front, we are playing a waiting game, & how long we will continue to play it, depends upon circumstances I am not allowed to mention; but I believe you can guess. Although we have done nothing in the direction of a foreward move, the same can not be said of our friends & Allies further down. They have had some notable successes capturing a number of trenches, inflicting heavy losses to the enemy, & very few to ourselves
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considering the nature of the engagements & the advantages gained. While these engagements were being fought, from here we could hear the awful roar of the bombardment by the big guns, & occasionally the rattle of the rifle fire. The roar of the big guns was just like continuous peals of very loud thunder. The official report from that quarter commented on the efficient work of both artillery & navy, & also on the splendid co-operation of all arms. In warfare such as we are now engaged in, it is only by the co-operation of the big guns & the small arms that there is any hope of success. The last attempt the Turks made along our front was on the night of 30 of June & 1st of July. They selected only a very small front, & bumped up against a regiment of Aust, they pushed home a very heavy attack, that is, although they selected only a small front they pushed in in mass, an awful lot of men line after line of them advanced, only to be met & mowed down by a very heavy fire from both rifles & machine guns. As usual the attack was made at night, never yet have the Turks attacked during the day. At the point where the attack was launched the trenches were under 100yds
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apart. The intervening space was level ground, so that throughout a grazing fire was maintained, & this fact certainly went a long way in causing them such severe losses. From here we heard the fighting & in the morning we turned our glasses on & we could plainly see heaps of dead Turks lying in front of the trenches. However in the afternoon Perry & self took a walk round the scene of the engagement, & really it must have been perfect slaughter. The advance was made over an area of about 150yds square, & the official record of the Turkish dead was 300, so you might imagine what the ground would look like with that number lying on it. How many wounded they would have over & above that I do not know. From this position of the front Perry & I continued our walk right round the whole line, & got a splendid view of both enemy’s & our own positions. We also got a splendid view of the position that our friends further down are striving for. Altogether we must have walked about 10 miles, however it was time well spent, for it gave us a better idea of the situation & nature of the operations here, & we came home firmly convinced that it will take a better
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force than Turky can put in the field to drive us out of here. It was very funny here a few days ago, a German aeroplane made its appearance for the first time since we arrived here, & dropped paper just over N.Z. army headquarters. These papers conveyed the following message to us. “Our navy has been forced through the presence of German submarines, to go away & leave us to our fate, & as we entirely depend upon our sea transport for reinforcements, munitions & supplies etc, we must surely recognise by now that our case is hopeless. It went on to say that they are fully aware that we have no cause to be fighting against them, but that greedy England has us under a contract to fight for her to satisfy her own selfish gains. Further on they advise us to “come & surrender, we will look after you well, our country has plenty of food supplies for all of you as well as ourselves.” It wound up by saying that they would give us 48 hours in which to surrender, failing which they would drive us into the sea. So it is just on the cards that the attack the other night was an attempt to carry out their threat. With what cost to themselves & how miserably they failed none shall
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know better than they. We have just finished tea, & a very good one it was too, considering we are on service. We had boiled onions, dried boiled potatoes, meat patties made out of bully-beef bread & jam, not so bad is it? The patties were seasoned with a sort of thyme that grows around here. Altogether we fare very well indeed we draw the same rations as the men. The men are all unanimous in saying that they have not feed so well since they joined the force. Well now time is running on & if I am going to catch the out-going mail I will have to put the peg in. I am pleased to hear Jeanie that there is likely to be some more short-bread arriving here shortly, but I can assure I will be much more so when it arrives. Although we feed pretty well we long for a few luxuries like that. Up to the time of writing the bundle of socks has not arrived, but am still looking for them. At the present time I could do with them nicely, not that I can not get them here, but hand made ones are much more comfortable. Charl. must have had a fair time at camp this time. Tell Diack that I had a Mauser Rifle for him, had it cleaned & carried it about 8 miles into the
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bargian, but alas next day it came out in orders asking all those who had them to hand them in, as the men of Kitchener’s Army were being armed with them. Of course after that I could not hang on to it, & handed it in with a smile. All the lads are keeping pretty fit, & are doing very well. Trusting you are all like wise
I am
Your Sincere
Brother E.S. McI.
