Item 02: Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett articles on the Gallipoli campaign, 1915 - Page 41

[Page 41]

I then retired to my cabin undressed put a little money in notes in my pooket carefully wrapped up all my invaluable notes I had made on the campaign in a waterproof coat and placed them in a small leather bag which unfortunately I left below and did not take it with me on deck. It was a beautiful night clear and bright with the sea as calm as a lake. I went up on the after shelter deck which is just above the after Turret where my bed had been placed lay down and was soon fast asleep. I do not think I woke up once during the night and slept soundly until six fifteen am when I called out to the sentry 'What's the time' He replied six fifteen Sir' so I turned over and went to sleep again. The subsecquent times I learnt after the catatrosphie as they were all taken from the shore. It was at six forty that I was aroused by men rushing by me and someone trod on or stumbled against my chest. This awoke me and I called out 'What's the matter. A voice replied from somehwere 'There's a torpdo coming'. I just had time to scramble to my feet when there came a dull heavy explosion about fifteen feet forward of the shelter deck on the port side. The explosion must have been very low down as there was no shock from it to be felt on deck.
The old Majestic immediately gave jerk over towards port and remained with a heavy list. Then there came a sound as if the contents of every pantry in the world had fallen at the same moment. I never before heard such a clattering as everything loose in her tumbled about. You could tell at once she had been mortally wounded somewhere in her vitals and you felt instinctively she would not long stay afloat. Although I had been prepared for days for just such an imergency the ac