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[Page 60]
May 1st (saturday)
Had to get up very early this morning on account of the noise. The Prince of Wales right against us started firing her 12 inch guns & anyone who sleeps through that is suspected of not being alive. I think the Turks must have made an attack, as a terrible lot of shrapnel burst over our positions. There was also 14 shells burst in the water just in front of the Prince of Wales & as they were pretty big ones they are evidently from the Goeben. This happens nearly every morning early & she (the Goeben) then gets back out of range. Almost as soon as these shells sink a Trawler goes & rakes them up, so as to find out whether they are from a field gun, fort or Warship & to get the range if possible. The boys on shore are rattling away merrily.
10 p.m. The battle is still going strong & seven Launches have been running backwards & forwards the whole day. They pass quite close to us & you can see the wounded quite plainly. Some are able to sit up having received scalp wounds & some have their arms in slings, whilst a lot are laying down on stretchers. The Malda has now been turned into a hospital ship for them too.
May 2nd (Sunday) The Lieut in charge of a Naval Tug has breakfast with us this morning & he told us that our men made a determined attack at two oclock this morning & occupied another ridge & also that the position is very satisfactory. There are heaps of dead Turks on the hills & they are piled up one on top of another & as they have been in the sun for a few days, it is rather unpleasant.