Item 01: Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett diary, 1915-1917 - Page 45

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[Page 45]

through this fire zone, the actual damage was very small, amongst the troops and landing parties. Fortunately the angle of the hills protected the beach itself, except from the guns at Gaba Tepe but these were kept very quiet bt the tremendous fire poured on to them by the "Bannachante". Sometimes the Turks turned their guns on to the warships and transports, but the range was rather long, and they did not often score a hit. Strange to say we were in greater dangers from the sharpshooters ashore, who frequently sniped the battleships which were lying quite close in. It was no uncommon thing to have abullet whistle by your head and several were picked up sticking in the quarterdeck, and one passed bang throught the Commander's cabin.
      Tuesday April 27th
The Turkish attacks died down to a considerable extent to day and were more or less spasmodic, and it seemed that the Colonials were now safely established ashore. During the whole of this time we had not received one scrap of authentic information as to how things were going at Cape Helles. One would have thought that some news would have reached the Captains of the battleships. The rumours in the extreme from optimism to pessimism. At one moment we heard that the landing had been completely successful that Achi Baba had been seized, and that the Cape Helles force would shortly appear over the hills to join up with the Australians at Anzac. This would be followed by adverse rumours to the effect that we had got ashore, but only after enormous losses, and were holding our own with the utmost difficulty in the face of enormous odds. All we could see from observations were naval shells bursting over the reverse slopes of Achi Baba, which seemed to be

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