State Library of NSW
[Page 58]
FRlDAY May 7thI again went on shore to watch the fighting and took up my position at the same old vantage point, in the company of Jack Churchill . (For full account of fighting see elsewhere) On my way back to the ship I passed masses of our wounded being carried down to the hospital specially in the naval division, which had suffered very heavily. Amongst the victims was young Asquith who had been shot through the knee and whom I met being bourne down on a stretcher. I could see that the attack was utterly futile, and could only lead to further slaughter. The Staff still seemed determined to persist in it. I returned to the "Implacable" very depressedwith the state of affairs.
Saturday May 8thI again went to the shore to watch the final stages of the attack on Achi Baba, which culminated in a final charge of both armies simultaneously that is the French and English at 5. 30 p.m. Of course this ridiculous of conducting warfare except a further slaughter, and by 6 o'clock we knew that the first stage of the campaign had definately failed, and that it would be impossible to make another move of any sort until the arrival of large reinforcements from home. This means that we are now settled to a great campaign in France and another of huge dimensions in the near East. We have voluntarily brought this on ourselves by attacking the Turks, when we would have done far better to have let them stew in their own juice until the grand settlement which must follow the termination of the War. I saw that for the time being there would be little or nothing for me to do except to write up the events of the last few days.
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