Item 02: From Australia to Gallipoli, ca. 1916 / Dudley V. Walford - Page 39

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[Page 39]

Walker's Ridge – Pope's Hill – Quinn's Post

to our line.

At 5 p.m. the welcome order that all Australians were to vacate the trenches which were to be left in charge of the New Zealanders was received with an outburst of joy. Under Colonel Braund's instructions we descended the precipitous cliffs to the rear which had been cut away into a series of paths and saps. Our knees which had been weakened by the three days strenuous fighting, gave began to give way under pressure of the strain.

At last worn out by toil, or broken by sickness we reached the gully, and there lay down to a quiet siesta after having enjoyed our first delicious sip of tea, some bully beef, and a cup of tea few soda biscuits.

A party was detailed for the burial of the dead who were laid in roughly dug graves by the slopes of the hill side.

A healthy and sound sleep during the night sufficiently recuperated our strength during the night. A muster parade from which it was seen that members of every unit from the first battalion to the sixteenth were represented, was held.

After a few details were taken we marched along the beach in the direction of Gapa Tepe under a heavy shower of rain which almost drenched us to the skin.

On the beach we halted, cooked our midday meal which consisted of ham, biscuits, and tea. We then prepared temporary dugouts with our

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