State Library of NSW
[Page 68]
make a much better War Correspondent than General. I stayed up talking until lam.
Friday May 21stAt ten am I sailed on a torpedo boat from the Arcadian to Anzac with several officers of the General Staff as I wished to collect information on the repulse of the Turks. I landing I saw General Birdwood who took me all round the positions with him. I had a very interesting time and counted houndersd of Turkish dead lying in front of the trenches. The Colonials seemed very pleased with themselves and were laying about the front lines having a good rest after their labours of the three previous days. As General Birdwood past one of them looked up and saw his rows of ribbons exclaiming. 'The bloody army is'nt going to know me long, enough to get a row like that' I lunched with the General on my return and he gave me a new map of the position they have prepared.
At four pm I went on board the Canopus and had a very interesting talk with Captain Grant, who gave me many very interesting details of the Falklands Islands battle and of the part played by the Canopus. Bu he was most interesting on the subject of the feint made at Bulair by a portion of the Naval Division on the day of the landing April 25th He was the senior naval officer in charge. He declares the lines were absolutely unoccupied that day and might have been taken probably without a shot. He used every device to get the Turks to show their hands but no a man was visible and not a gun was fired. He made several feints of landing and men were sent close in shore but the Turks never fired a shot. At night he even landed some marines who penetrated some distance but were not molested. He was
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