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[Page 148]
[Telegram form – The Eastern Telegraph Company, Limited. Alexandria Station. Dated 1 Sept. 1915. 298 words]
[Continuation of Ashmead Bartlet's report on the combined British/Anzac operations at Suvla Bay and Lone Pine, 6th to 10th August]
Daily Telegraph London R.T.P.
Cable five section three stop in order to enable the forces detailed for the main movement towards which it was hoped would lead to the occupation of the Sari Bahr position from Chunuk Bair through Q Hill to Koja Chemen Tepe it was necessary to attract the enemy's attention towards the south and force him to keep his troops in front of our lines in position while the main force debouched from the Anzac position stop therefore at 5-30 on August 6th the 1st Australian Division made a desperate attack on the Lone Pine position situated on a plateau four houndred feet high south east of the Anzac lines stop quite apart from acting as a diversion this position had great strategic importance for it opens up the main lines of communication between Anzac and the Kalid Bahr plateau further south stop
therefore the Turks had fortified it with the utmost care and had turned it into a veritable fortress for they had covered in their trenches with huge pine logs railway sleepers and teak planks of immense thickness covering the whole with earth so that their trenches were impeverous to all shells except the heavy howitzers stop in order to debouch from their trenches with a minimum of loss the Australians dug tunnels towards the enemy and then ran passages at right angles with numerous concealed exits which could be easily opened up when the signal came for the advance stop the assault at 5-30 on August 6th was proceeded by fifteen minutes furious bombardment from the field batteries howitzers and ships guns stop but the Turks were too well dug in for this fire to have much effect and it was left to the infantry to force the position
ashmead Bartlett / Radcliffe censor