Moray in May 1915 - As Reported in the Northern Scot
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Moray in May 1915 - as reported in The Northern Scot 1 May 1915 A small report headed ‘Terrific Fighting at Dardanelles’ in the 1 May 1915 edition of ‘The Northern Scot’ could only give a limited insight into the unfolding events in Turkey. It said, in part: ‘The British have attacked the European side and the French have effected landings on the Asiatic side. Several lines of trenches between Cape Helles and Kilid Bahr on the European side have been carried by the assault, and about 1,200 prisoners have been taken. On the Asiatic coast the French have captured some 1,800 men.’ Following the largely ineffective naval bombardment of Turkish positions in previous weeks it was decided to land troops on the Gallipoli peninsular. A force consisting of British and French troops was augmented by the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACs) that had been training in Egypt. The French, as stated in the report, landed on the Asiatic shore, but this was only a diversion and they were soon withdrawn and put on to the European side to fight alongside the British 29th and Royal Naval Divisions that landed at five beaches around the Cape Helles headland. Faced by a Turkish garrison, commanded by Otto Liman Von Sanders, a German officer who had been given the temporary rank of Marshal in the Ottoman Army, the landings at Cape Helles on the morning of 25 April 1915 had mixed fortunes. At ‘Y’ Beach the 1st King’s Own Scottish Borderers, a company of the 2nd South Wales Borderers and the Plymouth Battalion of the Royal Naval Division, got ashore without difficulty but failed to follow up their early advantage and were soon counter-attacked by a strong Turkish force. Two miles away at ‘X’ Beach the 2nd Royal Fusiliers landing had also gone well, but at ‘W’ Beach the 1st Lancashire Fusiliers were met with heavy fire and suffered many casualties. They displayed much bravery in getting ashore from their rowing boats and advancing from the beach; they became famous as the battalion that ‘won six VCs before breakfast’. At ‘S’ Beach a small force consisting of just three companies of the 2nd South Wales Borderers (about 750 men), plus some support troops, secured their objectives without difficulty in just two and a half hours. At ‘V’ Beach an innovation was an old collier, the River Clyde, that had been converted into a landing ship with sally ports cut into either side near the bow and ramps down which the men could exit; lighters would be pushed into position to allow them to make the final distance to the shallows. On board were 2,000 men who would reinforce those who had made a more conventional landing from rowing boats a short while earlier. The first wave suffered very heavy casualties with many being killed by rifle and machine-gun fire while still in their boats. The River Clyde had to make a last-minute change of course to avoid arriving too early and having lost some speed did not get as far as anticipated when driven aground. The bravery of the seamen (including Captain Unwin, RN, skipper of the River Clyde) who dragged lighters and small boats into position at the ends of the ramps under very heavy fire was recognised by the award of four VCs. When the men of the Royal Munster Fusiliers emerged from the sally ports they were cut down by machine-gun fire. A further two VCs were subsequently awarded to men who rescued some of the wounded. About 14 miles to the north of Cape Helles the ANZACs were unfortunately landed a mile or so from where planned; they were put into a small cove backed by very steep hills, rather than on a relatively open beach that led to gentler terrain. Their sacrifice over the following nine months has become legendary and is cited as one of the most significant nation building events in Australian history. Unfortunately the casualty figures quoted for the campaign vary wildly between sources, but there is no doubt that the Australians suffered heavy casualties; about 8,000 were killed. Over the years the myth that is was largely an Australian battle has grown; no doubt helped in relatively recent times by the film ‘Gallipoli’ starring Mel Gibson that had a notable anti-British bias. However the rest of the British Empire, including the New Zealanders who served alongside the Australians and are sometimes overlooked, had more than 25,000 men killed and the French, whose involvement is little known about outside their own country, had at least 10,000 killed during the campaign. Accurate casualty figures for are difficult to ascertain as many wounded died on hospital ships and were buried at sea, while others died in hospitals as far away as Egypt and Malta. Naval casualties lost when their ships were sunk, or were buried at sea are commemorated in the UK on memorials to the missing at Plymouth, Portsmouth and Chatham. The figures for Turkish dead are at best an estimate, but it is generally accepted that they had at least twice as many men killed as the Allies. The Gallipoli campaign was also notable for the large number of non-battle casualties evacuated for treatment. The high summer temperatures, unsanitary conditions and associated swarms of flies saw tens of thousands of men suffering from severe dysentery and other debilitating illnesses. 8 May 1915 Two stories of particular note in the 8 May 1915 edition of ‘The Northern Scot’ were the transfer of the Morayshire Territorials to France and the sinking of the liner Lusitania. Since late August 1914 the Morayshire Seaforths had, along with the other units of the Highland Territorial Division, been training in the Bedford area. Although some of the division’s infantry had been sent to France early to support the hard-pressed regulars, the Morayshire battalion was amongst the last to go on 1 May 1915 when the Highland Division was finally sent across the Channel. Shortly after arrival in France the division was given a number in line with a system that had been instigated and thereafter it became the 51st (Highland) Division; a title it subsequently carried through two world wars and beyond. The battalion had been warned of the move just a few days earlier and their final preparations included having group photographs taken. As part of the farewell to their hosts Major-General Bannatine-Allason formally thanked the Town Clerk and the Recreation Committee, particularly the tireless Honorary Secretary, Mr William Machin, who was presented with a silver ink stand and a cheque for nearly £42 as signs of the great esteem in which he was held by the officers and men of the Highland Division. Major-General Bannatine-Allason also wrote a letter of thanks to the Mayor of Bedford in which he said: ‘Dear Mr. Mayor, - On the Highland Division leaving Bedford, I write to you as civic head of the Borough, to say this. The Highland Division owes much to the Town for the manner they received and have treated us during the nine months invasion of this peaceful place. This we cannot adequately repay, but we shall be grateful if you will make known the sentiments to those concerned. To the Town Council and Mr. Stimson our thanks are particularly due, while the police and medical officers have assisted us in every way. All the ministers of religion have been most kind. To the Entertainment Committee, with its energetic Secretary, Mr. Machin, every man of the Division owes a debt of gratitude. Under the circumstances of the last nine months, mistakes and inconveniences are unavoidable; we acknowledge our share of the mistakes, and trust they may be forgiven. To you, personally, I am much indebted for advice and assistance of all sorts, and I trust the good people of your town will understand we wish them all good luck and fortune, and hope they will “to our faults be blind”.’ On the morning of departure they marched through Bedford accompanied by the band of the Liverpool Irish to the temporary railway station at Ampthill. ‘The Northern Scot’ recorded: ‘It was a bright May morning, far removed from the aspect of war, yet the Morayshires were leaving to take part in events which will probably leave their mark on history.’ At 2.30 p.m. the train set off for Folkestone, where they embarked on their transport ship at 8.30 p.m. for a night crossing to Boulogne. Meanwhile their regular army counterparts, the 2nd Seaforth Highlanders, were heavily engaged at St Julien, north-east of Ypres. As reported last week, and continuing this week, Jill Stewart’s articles tell of several local men killed in the extremely fierce and costly fighting that followed the first gas attacks. In the period 22 April – 7 May the 2nd Seaforth had 161 men killed in action or died of wounds. The sinking of the Lusitania off the coast of southern Ireland on 7 May 1915 caused outrage across much of the world. A victim of the German policy of unrestricted submarine warfare she was torpedoed without warning by the U-20. The 31,000 ton liner was sailing from New York to Liverpool and a secondary explosion hastened her end; she rapidly began to list and only six of the forty-eight lifeboats were successfully launched. Sinking within 20 minutes about 1,200 passengers and crew of the 2,000 on board died; more than 120 Americans were killed. The British Government hoped that the loss of American lives would be enough to bring America into the war but, despite the issue being hotly debated over the following weeks, President Wilson refused to act.