ANZAC Named By The Anzacs

Australian New Zealand Army Corps

Supported By The Royal Marine Batallions

The previous page was: "Royal Marines Assault On Europe"

The bravest thing I've seen so far was the charge of your two battalions up that hill on Bloody Sunday.

Captain Quinn VC to Staff Captain of the R.M. Brigade

With hindsight, it is easy to see that; it had been a grievous error landing the Australians and New Zealanders so far away from the main force at Cape Helles. It was expecting too much to send this good force against such formidable odds. In the first two days of fighting at Anzac (Gaba Tepe), they received over 5,000 casualties.

Their options were few; there was no cover from the intensive fire from the Turkish troops; they could only dig down and build a trench system that they could return the fire from.

What didn't help was the confusion caused by the enemy's fire, the soldiers had got mixed up in the landing, and they were completely unorganised. Having continuously fought for three days and four nights without sleep the men were in dire need of a rest.

We have to remember the difficulties for those in command without radios and no previous amphibious landing experience. Then there were the difficulties of landing men in barges designed for landing horses from their side. Because landing-craft had not been thought of yet.

Now the battalions needed to reorganise and to do this they would have to be withdrawn.

Royal Marines Assault On Europe

ANZAC Bridgehead Reinforced By R.M. Brigade

The first Naval Brigade under the command of Brigadier-Genral D. Mercer R.M.L.I., with the Deal and Nelson Battalions; and the R.M. Brigade commanded by Brigadier-Genral C. N. Trotman R.M.L.I., with the Chatham and Portsmouth Battlions; were available, the other Battlions being employed further along the coast.

The evening they landed was black and stormy with the rain lashing down; they were to be ashore for fourty-eight hours to give the Anzacs time to reorganise, so it was presumed few stores would be required and they were dressed in light order.

They had to climb the steep hills leading from the beach to the ridge, and then cross over to the main gully. The sides of the gully were rocky and there were paths which could be negotiated in single file leading to the firing line.

At the Front the trenches had been hastily built to give protection from the front only; if the enemy could reach an end then they would have been able to fire down the line of the trench.

The terrain in front of them was covered with bushes and saplings with depressions in the grassy areas. The R.M. Brigade took over the trenches and the Anzacs moved out.

Most Marines were impressed by the Aussies and the New Zealanders. As one Marine stated: "They were different to our troops, they called their officers by their first names. They were great fellows, I have a lot of admiration for them; they are very courageous."

The Australians were dismayed when they first saw the Marines and commented on their weedy physique, extreme youth, and bewildered air. Not the type of men they had in mind, following on from their reputation. But as events would show, appearance can be deceptive for they proved they certainly were great fighters.

As Darkness Fell It Was Eerie

For four days the Battalion held this precarious line suffering grievous casualties. The slope behind was so steep that it could only be climbed with a rope. The enemy were in front and there was nowhere to turn, so the only option was to put up and fight.

The enemy snipers were annoying; they would slip behind our lines and make life even more difficult. Some had the task of snipper hunting and when they caught them the snippers were dealt with harshly.

The area that had to be covered was so great that not all of the Australians could be relieved, so parties of them remained in their positions in the centre. The trenches were isolated with 30 or 40 yards of open ground between them, which had to be crossed under accurate and close-range fire.

On the afternoon of the battalions second day ashore the Turks attacked in huge numbers coming out of the bushes like rabbits. Those who were expert shots with a rifle would do the firing while others loaded and passed them loaded rifles ready to fire.

With the Turks third attempt to push the defenders into the sea; the R.M.L.I. Battalions had to fight hard to repel the enemy. The Turkish troops were so close together that if a man missed his target then he would hit another, there wasn't much time to aim and each attack was over in a few minutes.

One Maxim machine-gunner said: "by swinging the machine-gun back and forwards you just couldn't miss; everything was happening so quickly all you could see was a black mass moving towards you until they went to ground."

1st Royal Marine VC Of World War I

In the early hours of 1st May 1915, at Gaba Tepe, Gallipoli, Turkey,Lance-Corporal Walter Richard Parker R.M.L.I., of the Portsmouth Battalion earned the first Royal Marine Victoria Cross of the war.

Since landing he had been a pillar of strength and courage whilst in charge of the battalion of stretcher bearers. That night a message arrived at headquarters requesting water, ammunition and medical supplies to an isolated fire-trench containing about 40 men of which several were wounded. There was no service trench to this remote outpost.

A carrying party of NCOs and privates was detailed for the task, and in response to a call for volunteers to assist Parker stepped forward. To reach the fire-trench, it involved crossing over more than 400-yards of open ground swept by enemy fire; which had already claimed the lives of a number of men.

It was daylight at the time; obviously the most dangerous to attempt such a feat. When the party emerged from cover one man was instantly shot and wounded.

Parker organised a stretcher party to evacuate him before continuing. Then one by one, as all the other ammunition and water carriers were killed or wounded, Parker went on alone and succeeded in reaching the fire trench.

Here he gave first aid to the wounded, remaining cool, calm and cheerful. When the trench was finaly evacuated, Parker hepled the others out first and then he helped carry and tend the casualties, although he was seriously wounded himself.

Parker had consistently displayed bravery and energy in the three previous days during a particularly difficult time as commander of the battalion's stretcher bearers, when almost every wounded man had to be evacuated over open ground and under heavy fire.

Brunt Of Turks Last Assault

The attack in the moonlight, hit the Deal Battalion R.M.L.I. The Marines remained under cover in their trenches until the Turks began to charge. Standing up and firing steady rifle fire mowed down the Turks, with only a handful reaching the parapet, to be despatched by bayonet and revolvers.

On 2nd May the R.M. Brigade were relieved in their trenches by the 1st Australian Brigade, which had rested and reorganised.

The Australian Official History records: "Thus from April 29th, to Saturday, 1st May a considerable portion of the Anzac line was in the hands of the Royal Marines. The Marines bore the brunt of the Turkish General Mustapha Kemal's third attack; though better timed and better delivered than the last, it completely failed.

Battalion Rest What Rest

The promised rest did not last long. The night the Marines were withdrawn, the 4th Australian Brigade mounted an attack on Pope's Hill, an important ridge which covered much of the Anzac area.

In spite of gallant attacks by the Australians they petered out and they were struggling to hold on to their newly won positions. At 02:00 hours on the 3rd May the R.M. Brigade was ordered to send two battalions to dig in behind the 4th Australian Brigade and support them.

As the Marines moved up the ravine, "H.M.S. Bacchante" open fire on the ridge and begun to shell the Australians out of the trenches they had just won. Signalling in those days was slow; the message that the ridge had been taked during the night had not yet reached the ship.

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The Portsmouth Battalion R.M.

Under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Luard had been ordered to move into the support trenches, behind the front-line firing trenches. When the leading company arrived, these trenches were found to be occupied.

When light appeared the front-line trenches found themselves in difficulties. Then suddenly Luard saw men running from the front- line trenches and heading for the ravine below.

Gathering up the only two companies of Marines he could see; Luard shouted: "Charge!" The cry was taken up by all officers available. Luard's Marines charged up the slope, towards the ridge. The Australians seeing the support joined the charge; stopping the panic.

As the Marines reached the crest, they were met with a hail of bullets and shrapnel and machine-gun fire; they succeeded in gaining the lost trenches. Luard was wounded in the knee, and his second-in-command had been killed.

The Portsmouth Battalion was now reduced to 7 officers and 350 other ranks, from an initial strength of some 35 officers and 900 other ranks when they sailed from England. The R.M. Brigade as a whole had lost 1,153 killed, wounded and missing.

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