Series 03: John Brady Nash letters, January 1914-December 1915 - Page 622
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[Page 622]
lunch or dinner at about 1 o'clock. The walk was full of interest. The Colonel was proud of the digging his men had performed. He said that when the light horsemen topped the ridges first it was "dig or die", the man who did not rapidly dig himself in would be shot by the men he was driving in front of him, yet under the pressing necessity they dug well and kept the Turk at bey. A feat which of itself must be classed amongst the great episodes of war.
The country in front of the trenches was a wide expanse of undulating country, the near ridges being named by the officers and men, one of the very nearest called Knife edge was a small ridge running to a point in a valley, this dividing on either side of it to become two smaller valleys ascending valleys. On this knife edge the Turks are firmly entrenched. On every near elevation the enemy works were to be seen. Away to the right of us projecting into the waters of the Aegean Sea was Gaba Tepe (Hill Tepe [equals] HIll.) peninsula, being a raised piece of ground – 50 to 150 feet high – ending abruptly at the waters edge. Up to the left of us was Pine Ridge, being lost to our view as it stretched to One Pine Hill. Away In the middle distance was a flat called the Olive Grove wherein are placed the guns belonging to the Enemy. With these they enfilade Anzac beach, and it is said to the home of Beachy Bill, whose voice as I have written before has been silent for more than a week.