The 28th

Volume I.

EGYPT, GALLIPOLI, LEMNOS ISLAND, SINAI PENINSULA

COLONEL H. B. COLLETT, C.M.G., D.S.O., V.D. First C.O. of the Battalion

With Foreword by the Archbishop of Perth, Chaplain-General to the Forces

Published by the Trustees of the Public Library, Museum, and Art Gallery of Western Australia

Perth 1922

Blocks Supplied by Read & Mckinley, Art Engravers, Perth.

CONTENTS.

FOREWORD: By The Most Rev. C. O. L. Riley, O.B.E., D.D., LL.D., V.D., Archbishop of Perth, Chaplain-General to the Forces. IX.

PREFACE XI.

CHRONOLOGY XIII.

CHAPTER I.. The Genesis.

THE GENESIS.

W.A. in the South African War--The outbreak in 1914--Karrakatta and Blackboy Hill--The first units to embark--Scheme for raising new brigades--The 28th Battalion authorised--Enrolment of personnel-- Selection and appointment of Officers and N.C.Os.--Specialists wanted--Equipping--Hard training--An accident--Hours off duty--Visit from H.E. the Governor--Medical precautions--The March through Perth --Final preparations for departure for the Front. =Page 1.=

CHAPTER II.. En Route.

EN ROUTE.

Embarkation 9th June, 1915--The crowds along the route and at Fremantle--Farewell to Australia--The "Ascanius"--Quarters and messing--Other troops on board--Statistics--Training at Sea-- Lectures--Stowaways--Competitions in tidiness--Entering the Tropics--Amusements--The Canteen--The Master--The East African Coast--The Red Sea--Strange rumours--Arrival at Suez--First contact with the Egyptians. =Page 15.=

CHAPTER III.. First Stay in Egypt.

FIRST STAY IN EGYPT.

Disembarkation and train journey to Abbasia--The Land of Goshen --Description of the Camp--Early difficulties--Institutes--The newsvendors--Tidings from Gallipoli--Unrest in Egypt--The local command and garrison--Inspection by Sir John Maxwell--Mobilisation of the 7th Brigade--Training in the Desert--Night marches--The Zeitun School--Formation of the 2nd Australian Division--Difficulties in feeding the troops--Clothing for the Tropics--In quarantine--Sickness --Pay and currency--Mails and the Censor--Amusements--Riots--The military Police--Chaplains. =Page 28.=

CHAPTER IV.. First Stay in Egypt (_continued_).

FIRST STAY IN EGYPT (continued).

Distractions--A march through Cairo--Leave--In the bazaars--Gharri and donkey rides--Esbekieh Gardens--The Kursaal and the Casino--Shepheard's Hotel--Guides--Sightseeing--The Pyramids and Sphinx--Memphis--Sakkara-- The Tombs of the Sacred Bulls--The Cairo Museum--The Citadel and other Saracenic remains--Some beautiful mosques--Old Cairo--The Nile--The Egyptian aristocracy--Garrisoning Saladin's Citadel--A nephew of the Senussi--The trials of a soldier--Souvenir hunting--Visitors from Home --News of the August advance--Warned to proceed overseas--Entraining. =Page 45.=

CHAPTER V.. Gallipoli.

GALLIPOLI.

Some account of the Gallipoli Peninsula--The naval and military operations--Anzac Day--Arrival at Alexandria--Embarking on the "Ivernia"--Prejudices--Through the Grecian Archipelago--The "Southland"--In Mudros Bay--Closing the mail--In touch with the "Aragon"--Transhipping to the "Sarnia"--The last stage--The first glimpse of battle--Impressions--Landing in the "beetles"--Waterfall Gully--The first casualty--Contact with the 4th Brigade--Move to the Apex--Description of the position--Holding the salient--Condition of the trenches--Artillery support--Telephones--Dugouts--The New Zealanders --Attitude of the enemy--Sniping with field guns--Bombs, mortars, and catapults--Broomstick bombs. =Page 58.=

CHAPTER VI.. Gallipoli (_continued_).

GALLIPOLI (continued).

First night in the trenches--Cleaning up--Shell fire--Generals Birdwood and Godley--No Man's Land--View from the Apex--Casualties--Pick and shovel--Sleep--Turkish demonstration--Divine service--Visit of Sir Ian Hamilton--Private Owen's escape--Company reliefs--Mining and tunnelling --Salvage--Patrols--Our guns--Propaganda--Espionage. =Page 77.=

CHAPTER VII.. Gallipoli (_continued_).

GALLIPOLI (continued).

Poison gas--Targets for the guns--A general--A false alarm--"The one shall be taken--"--Relieved by the 25th Battalion--The fly pest-- Sickness--Bully beef and biscuits--Rum--Scarcity of water--Cooking-- Gathering fuel--Supply and transport--"Dunks." =Page 90.=

CHAPTER VIII.. Gallipoli (_continued_).

GALLIPOLI (continued).

Lower Cheshire Ridge--Description of new position--A break in the weather--Trenches--Tunnels--Timber and iron--Sniping--Ruses--The Mohammedan festival--Arrival of reinforcements--Promotion from the ranks--Formation of bombing section--Change in command of Brigade --Canteen stores--Pay--A miss--Aeroplanes--Relieved by the 4th Brigade--Taylor's Hollow--Beach fatigues--Soldiers as sailors--News --Mails from Australia--Diversions--The naturalist--The beauties of land, sea, and sky. =Page 102.=

CHAPTER IX.. Gallipoli (_continued_).

GALLIPOLI (continued).

Move to Happy Valley--Visit of Lord Kitchener--Unsettled weather --Humanity--A proposed stunt--The "close season for Turkey"--The blizzard and its dire consequences--Increased enemy gun fire--The arrival of the German heavies--Russell's Top--Three tiers of tunnels --Death of the three majors--News of the evacuation--The main body leaves the Peninsula--The Die-hards--Work of the Machine Gun Section --The last man. =Page 120.=

CHAPTER X.. Lemnos Island.

LEMNOS ISLAND.

Landing in the Bay--A sick battalion--Sarpi camp--The arrival of the beer--Resting, recuperating, and refitting--Z Valley camp--Members selected for distinction--Touring Lemnos--General description of the island--The inhabitants--Kastro--Primitive agriculture--Mt. Therma-- Crowded shipping--The arrival of the billies--Christmas Day--A conspiracy--The concert--The New Year--Leaving for Egypt. =Page 137.=

CHAPTER XI.. Back to Egypt.

BACK TO EGYPT.

Alexandria--Arrival at Tel-el-Kebir--The transport rejoins--A deal in tents--Kitchen trouble--A camp for two divisions--The battle of 1882--Short rations--Inspection by Sir Archibald Murray--Leave to Cairo--The postal service--Training for savage warfare--Reinforcements --General Paton--Transfers to the Camel Corps--Rumours of a Turkish advance--Move to the Sinai Peninsula--The desert--Road and pipe line --Camels--Ferry Post--The defences of the Suez Canal--Passing shipping --Lumping and navvying--Secret service agents--Dangers to shipping in the Canal--Ismailia--Gambling--Cerebro-spinal meningitis--A visit from the High Commissioner in Egypt. =Page 148.=

CHAPTER XII.. Preparing for France.

PREPARING FOR FRANCE.

Three new divisions--Another 60,000 Australians--Transfers to new units--Changes in establishments--Promotions--Talk of the Western Front--Undesirables--Unfits--The khamsin--Assembling at Moascar-- Final preparations--Train to Alexandria--The "Themistocles"--The menace of submarines--Through the Mediterranean--Malta--Approaching Marseilles--Entering the harbour--The end of the first phase. =Page 162.=

APPENDICES.

Page. A. List of Units raised and recruited by Western Australia 171

B. Roll of Honour 172

C. Casualties whilst with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force 174

D. Roll of Original Officers of the Battalion 175

E. Roll of Officers promoted from the Ranks between the 9th June, 1915, and 21st March, 1916 177

F. Roll of Reinforcement Officers who joined the Battalion between 9th June, 1915, and 21st March, 1916 178

G. Civil Occupations of Original Members of the Battalion who embarked as Officers or were subsequently promoted to Commissioned Rank 178

H. Nominal Roll of Original Members of the Battalion who embarked at Fremantle on H.M.A.T. "A11" ("Ascanius"), 9th June, 1915, and on "Boonah," 12th July, 1915 180

I. Nominal Roll of Members of Reinforcements who joined the Battalion in the Field prior to the 21st March, 1916 201

J. Honours conferred on Original Members of the Battalion 218

LIST OF MAPS AND PLANS.

Cairo and Environs Facing page 52

The Great Pyramid Page 48

Portion of Gallipoli Peninsula, showing Allied Lines " 59

The Trenches at "The Apex" " 69

The Front Line on Cheshire Ridge " 103

Lemnos, Imbros, Tenedos, and Samothrace " 117

The Trenches on Russell's Top " 127

The Country adjacent to Tel-el-Kebir Facing page 148

The Australian Position in Defence of the Suez Canal, 1916 Page 155

The Australian Lines on Gallipoli Facing page 170

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

On the Square within the Walls of Saladin's Citadel frontispiece.

Blackboy Hill Camp Page 3

Some of the Original Officers " 5

The Regimental Signallers " 9

The Machine Gun Section " 9

The March through Perth " 11

The March through Perth: the Crowd in St. George's Terrace " 12

The Farewell at Fremantle " 17

H.M's. Australian Transport "A11" " 21

Two very young Soldiers " 25

Abbasia Camp " 31

The Adjutant and "Tim" " 31

Brigadier-General J. Burston, V.D. " 35

Lieut.-Colonel C. R. Davies, O.B.E. " 35

Major J. Kenny, A.A.M.C. " 39

Captain J. J. S. Scouler " 39

The Wall of the Citadel " 47

View of Cairo from the Citadel Walls " 51

The Moqattam Hills " 51

The Citadel " 55

Chunuk Bair " 63

Williams' Pier, where the 28th landed " 66

The Apex " 71

At the Apex: using the periscope rifle " 74

"The Farm" " 74

In the Front Line at the Apex " 78

Excavating a "Bivvy" in the support trenches " 79

View from Baby 700 " 83

Major J. A. Campbell Wilson " 91

Captain J. Gettingby: The Quartermaster " 92

Sergeant C. R. Field " 96

Regimental Quartermaster-Sergeant R. G. Sexty " 97

The Chailak Dere " 106

View of the Aghyl Dere " 107

"A" Company getting ready to move from the Reserve Position at Cheshire Ridge " 111

The Q.M.'s Store of "A" Company at Cheshire Ridge " 112

The Sari Bair Ridge " 121

Headquarters of "C" Company, Happy Valley " 125

The Great Traffic Trench " 125

A Conference on Walker's Ridge, December, 1915 " 129

The view from Russell's Top looking into Malone Gully " 131

Captain G. D. Shaw, M.C. " 135

Captain T. O. Nicholls, M.C. " 135

The Camp at Sarpi, Lemnos Island " 141

The Shipping in Mudros Bay, 1915 " 141

On the Battlefield of Tel-el-Kebir, January, 1916 " 151

Ferry Post, showing the Suez Canal " 158

Ferry Post: the landing place on the East bank " 158

The Camp of the 28th at Ferry Post " 160

The Suez Canal: a liner in the fairway " 160

Private H. A. Franco, M.M. " 164

The Pioneer-Sergeant at work " 165

The 2nd Division crossing the Canal en route to Europe " 169

The "Themistocles" at Alexandria " 169

FOREWORD.

By The Most Rev. C. O. L. Riley, O.B.E., D.D., LL.D., V.D., Archbishop of Perth, Chaplain-General to the Forces.

I have been asked to write a short Foreword to the History of the 28th Battalion. I do so with very great pleasure, for two reasons--Firstly, because I have known Colonel Collett for many years, and, secondly, because I approve of the History.

The present volume is the first of several that will attempt to record the doings of those bodies of magnificent volunteers who went from Western Australia and of whose achievements the country is so justly proud. The Trustees of the Public Library, Museum, and Art Gallery of Western Australia, as the custodians of the archives of the State, have thought that those archives would be greatly lacking were a history of our part in the World War not included. With that object in view, the Commonwealth and State Governments have been approached and, largely through the assistance of the Premier, the Hon. Sir James Mitchell, K.C.M.G., and of the Minister for Education, the Hon. H. P. Colebatch, M.L.C., a practical commencement is now made with the narrative which concerns the 28th Battalion.

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