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Born-Barking

Gallipoli 1915

On 25 April, British, Australian and New Zealand forces landed on the Gallipoli peninsula. The plan was that these forces would soon defeat a demoralised Turkish army, knock Turkey out of the war, open up the Mediterranean to the Russian navy and threaten Austro-Hungary from the south. None of these things were achieved despite nine months of hard fighting in terrible conditions. It was a heroic failure.

By July, 1915, and after much fierce fighting, stalemate had set in at Gallipoli both at Cape Helles where the British and French had landed and at Anzac Cove where the Australian and New Zealand Corps were unable to break out of their beach head. Fresh troops were needed which were on their way in the shape of four divisions from Britain and things were put on hold until they arrived. The plan for August was for a landing at Suvla Bay to the north of Anzac Cove whilst at the same time, the ANZAC Corps, reinforced by some of the new British troops would effect a breakout from Anzac Cove and establish a line across the peninsula. Whilst this was going on the troops in the south at Helles would stage a number of diversionary attacks. But it all went horribly wrong and much of the reason for this can be explained by inadequate planning and leadership. Nobody seemed to know what they were supposed to be doing and Lieutenant-General Stopford, in charge of the Suvla landings was particularly out of his depth. The landings at Suvla failed to link up with the forces at Anzac and the breakout from there did not happen despite valiant efforts by all concerned. The loss of life on all fronts was again enormous. L.A. Carlyon’s excellent book “Gallipoli” gives a superb yet chilling account of the events.

A final effort to break through at Suvla was made on 21st August by 29th Division, which had been brought round from Helles, 11th Division and the recently arrived 2nd Mounted Division when, that afternoon, they attacked the W Hills and Scimitar Hill on the Anfarta Spur, due east of Suvla Bay. At the same time units of the ANZAC Corps attacked Hill 60 just to the south of the Suvla front. The operation failed on all three fronts with heavy casualties inflicted on the divisions taking part.

The attack on Scimitar Hill was made by 87 Brigade of 29th Division with the 1st Royal Inniskilling battalion leading and the 1st Border battalion in close support. At 3.05pm one company of 1st Royal Inniskilling, covered by masses machine-gun fire, crept forward to form a firing line at the foot of the hill and half an hour later, the whole battalion charged up the hill and captured the crest. At this point their luck ran out. Fierce machine-gun and shrapnel fire was opened up on them from positions elsewhere on the Anafarta Spur and the battalion sustained very heavy casualties. Their line broke and the survivors came pouring back down the hill and took up a position half way down its western slopes. 1st Border now swept forward, bringing 1st Royal Inniskilling with them and once again the crest was taken. However, despite the arrival of units of the 2nd Mounted Division, they were unable to progress beyond the southern part of the crest and by that evening all they had to show for their efforts was a thinly held line half way down the hill. One of the many casualties suffered by 1st Border during this operation was Frederick Quilter.