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[Page 38]
May 1915
24th - Undermined & Turks given 24 hrs to surrender. (25th only Rumour)
[Note in margin:] H.M.S "Triumph" sunk by torpedo.
25th – All on Fatigue in morning fixing fireplace for cookhouse & getting brambles for burning. Finished Dug-out today. Rained fro time in afternoon. Most & heaviest so far. Battleship HMS "Triumph" torpedoed by German subm. just off beach. Sank in 35 minutes. Saw her turned over & boilers burst. Looked as if she was firing to the last. Turned on her starboard ® side for about 20 minutes then slowly sank. All tugs out to rescue of crew. Destroyers flying round trying to ram or locate submarine. Could not & submarine evidently escaped. Triumph was an old battleship & came from China seas to Mediterranean after Kia-chau fell. Third visit of submarine first time she scored. Destroyer (or Triumph) missed her when firing. Triumph only about 2 miles distant from us. Big crowd
[Note in margin:] X Bob Thomson &
25th – watching her when Turks sent shrapnel at us. As usual missed & no one hurt. Tugs etc. also shelled by shrapnel, apparently from fort (Kilid Bahr). Triumph sank about 12.30pm. During afternoon piece of shrapnel shell (ring of nose) flew between half a dozen of us missing us by less than a foot, just brushing past Eddie Miles' nose & Pat Kelly's head. Whilst shifting goods equipment etc & waiting for donkeys to come, two bullets cut insulation of telephone wire four feet above our (x) heads. L 7.15pm Chap passing by, said he had heard from Hd. Qtrs. That they got Submarine half an hour after Triumph sank. Neither confirmed nor denied. Dug-out comfortable.
26th – Went round to see Scott. Missed him by ten mins. He had left for the trenches on Pope's hill. Sent him note & home letters by Spr Robinson. Passed the Hell's gates & up to Death trap, doubling from shelter to shelter several chaps on beach killed & number