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[Page 58]
I was very much relieved when I heard that Len had got through safely, he was fairly close to where the first charge came off & I did not know it, we got a few of our guns ashore, & they were now replying to the Turks fire.
On the 27th they landed a fair number of R M. L. I's they are an English regiment, & the 1st Batt were called from the trenches for a spell, some of the R M. L. I took our place, now we thought we were right, for we all thought at that time that the English soldier was unbeatable, but we soon had that silly idea knocked out of our head's, for they were no sooner in one trench taken by the 4th Brigade than they lost it, & the 15th Batt. had to retake it & help them hold it we also had an experience with them
but I will come to that later.
When they got us all together, they called the roll & of the 1200 men who landed 3 day's ago, only 500 hundred were left, you should have seen the chaps shaking hands with one another & telling how so & so got knocked out & where another fellow was wounded, we were all as hungry as could be, & sleepy was no name for it, for we had no sleep for 3 days & nights, they gave us a ration of bacon each, which we fried, & ate with some biscuits & bully, we had a swim, in spite of the shrapnel which was flying round, on the 4th day the Triumph sailed in close to "Gaba Tepe" & knocked the fort to pieces, it was a fine sight to see the heavy stone work being knocked to dust, those naval guns hit with some force