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[Page 110]
[Proclamation by Gen. Birdwood, of 5th August]
Australian And New Zealand Army Corps.
We are about to make our second advance on our way to Constantinople and I want to let all ranks know of what great importance the move we are to make will be.
The whole world has now heard of the action of the Australians and New Zealanders when we landed here at the end of April. The highest possible opinion has been formed of our doings by all Military critics, and we therefore have to act up to an extraordinarily high standard to live up to our reputation.
I want all to remember that the fighting we shall probably have in this advance will be very much of the same nature as it was onn the day we landed – certainly it will be so for a portion of the troops. We shall have to face and tackle a very difficult bit of country which the enemy have to some extent entrenched, as they did for our arrival.
Then however we ignored all trenches – rushing at all we saw, chasing the Turks out of them, and keeping them well on the run. This we have got to do again. Remenber that under no circumstances can we possibly turn back. Having started our attack it has got to be seen through, and that it wil be seen through with great success have no doubt. We will advance on a broad front as we did on landing. Some will find they have trenches in front of them; others will not. But all must keep on and on continuously until we have occupied the enemy's position. Once we have got into that, I feel sure that Australians and New Zealanders will never allow themselves to be driven out. It will probably come to a good deal of fighting actually in the trenches, and in them we will know that any one of us is equal to at least ten Turks, so that we will and must drive them along the trenches before us and never give them breathing space for a moment.
We shall have the advantage of starting while it is still cool, but after hard climbing I know how hot it gets and water will be a great difficulty. I earnestly therefore ask all men, as I did the day we landed to be most careful of their water bottles and not to start drinking till late in the day.
The complete defeat of the Turks now will have an enormous effect and will bring us a very large step nearer Constantinople, and indeed it may I hope prevent them making any other definite stand for a considerable time – also, by pressing them hard and continuing
to press them for the next few days, we should hope to capture guns and maxim guns as well as prisoners and camps.
We have to remember that when we are chasing them through their trenches, as I hope we shall be doing, they are sure to try to bomb us as much as they can. We however have two or three bombs to every one of theirs, and it only remains for us to prove how easily we can beat them with the bombs, as we know we can do with the bayonet and the rifle.
Two to three days hard fighting, may, we hope, clear the Turks from these hills round us, and I know that every one will do his best to make success a certainty.
When we landed, the place of honour was give to the Australian Division in leading our attack. On this occasion too that Division will start the attack and will have its full share of fighting, but the honour of accomplishing the task which we set before us on the 25th of April – vis., the attacking of Hill 971, will now fall to the New Zealand and Australian Division. They will have a hard and difficult time of it, but I well know that nothing will stop them, and that they will prove to the world that there are no Turks who can stop them from taking a position once they have mavde up their minds to do so.
Remember, men, the order of the day must be "shove on and keep shoving on" until we are in complete possession of the heights above us, when we hope we will have the Turks at our mercy.
Remember, too, that there will be Divisions of Lord Kitchener's Army operating in conjunction with us, who will be watching us carefully and whose success will be entirely dependant upon our being able to show them the way first – and this I know you will do.