Friday, 10 January 2014

26 June 1915

ANZAC - General Sir Ian Hamilton - This is more or less a cheery anecdote illustrating the character of both Hamilton and the cheery Anzacs watching him disembark.

HMS MosquitoPhotograph: HMS Mosquito, a Beagle-class destroyer

"Worked till past 11 o'clock, then started for Anzac with Braithwaite per destroyer Pincher (Lieutenant-Commander Wyld). After going a short way was shifted to the Mosquito (Lieutenant-Commander Clarke). We had biscuits in our pockets, but the hospitable Navy stood us lunch. When the Turks saw a destroyer come bustling up at an unusual hour they said to themselves, "Fee, faw, fum!" and began to raise pillars of water here and there over the surface of the cove. As we got within a few yards of the pier a shell hit it, knocking off some splinters. I jumped on to it - had to - then jumped off it nippier still and, turning to the right, began to walk towards Birdie's dugout. As I did so a big fellow pitched plunk into the soft shingle between land and water about 5 or 6 yards behind me and 5 or 6 yards in front of Freddie. The slush fairly smothered or blanketed the shell but I was wetted through and was stung up properly with small gravel. The hardened devils of Anzacs, who had taken cover betwixt the shell-proofs built of piles of stores, roared with laughter. Very funny - to look at!"




SOURCE: I. Hamilton, Gallipoli Diary, (London, Edward Arnold Ltd, 1920), pp.335-336

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