“We had an awful mix up when we landed; the arrangements have been perfectly scandalous”
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RI MS RCB/A/12
22nd August 1915 to William Henry Bragg
‘A’ Battery dugout, now at Kiupredere. This letter is written on the next quiet day in the unit diary and the day after a ‘great battle’ which Robert missed as he was taking a shift at the observation station.
Whether it’s due to the fact he’s writing to his father or because he’s had time to gather his thoughts Robert goes into a huge amount of detail on the problems with landing — the horses, guns and men all in different locations, and the aftermath when he and about 170 men ended up being mis-directed to the front line trenches and had to dig in overnight in a gulley.
It’s obvious that Robert is not impressed with the organisation he’s experienced so far but he acknowledges that he’s having a comparatively easy time of it compared to the infantry who are having ‘the very hell of a time’. Really all he would like is to get some parcels, particularly if they contain chocolate or jam.
Officers Quarters / “A” Battery Dug Out
Aug 22nd 1915
Dear Dad
We got a mail last night. Great Joy. I got a letter from you one from Mother & a parcel from her containing a back protector & a fly veil for which many thanks. Mother said that she had sent off a parcel of chocolate etc. I wish it would arrive, the thought of it fairly made my mouth water. I haven’t yet got any parcels from home, there must be an awful accumulation somewhere or else someone is having a good time with them. I am very annoyed, because I have lost a lot of my kit including my British Warm Mackintosh sheet, sleeping bag & a change of clothes. Fortunately I have duplicates but it is rather a bother.
We had an awful mix up when we landed; the arrangements have been perfectly scandalous. There may be some hidden reason for them & I hope there is; otherwise someone ought to get the sack. Perhaps this is rather a libelous [sic] statement & had better not be repeated. We have an observing station about a mile & a half from the battery & take it in turns to go out there & observe. I had mine yesterday. In the early morning about two or three there was a night attack and the bullets wizzed round pretty thick but did no harm to us. In fact there is no reason why they should; they only seem to fire at night & then on cant observe so we get well down under cover & lie doggo.
I didn’t tell you of our first thrilling experience did I? It happened my second night on shore. But let me begin at the beginning. Our whole convoy turned up on about Aug 9th I think. The infantry started disembarking at once & pushed a good way inland. Ellison had been sent on about a fortnight befor[e] us with our guns & landed with them at the most Northerly point we then held. Well we sat in the Bay on our ship with the horses & watched our infantry land. It was a wonderful sight, I could hardly believe that I was watching actual war at last. Everyone took it so calmly, it might have been a field day. Two days later, I was landed with a lighter load of men & horses under the impression that the rest of the Brigade were to follow as soon as possible. Well we got ashore safely & found ourselves on a deserted beach miles from anywhere & nobody in sight.
The Colonel went on & told me to follow on with the horses leaving all our kit behind, except light stuff. He set off down the beach in the direction of our guns. I followed. I met him & Ellison some way down the beach in a sort of gulley that we held. There we led the horses & spent the night. More of the rest of the Battery had turned up. Next morning I got an urgent note from a New Zealand Battery who were very short handed, asking for gunners etc.. So I dashed off with all the men I could lay hands on & we were in action straight away. All that day we pooped [sic] off at Turks on a hill. In the afternoon I got a note to say that the rest of my battery was being landed that night & I was to meet them on a certain road.
We did all this & set off in the dark to our battery position. We had a New Zealander as guide who had only been shown the way on a map. He must have taken the wrong road or something & it seems almost unbelievable but he took us within 5 yards of our first line trench[e]s. Heaven only knows what would have happened if the Turks had guessed what was up.
Fortunately we didn’t till afterwards or else I am sure most of us would have died of fright. We went along these trenches for about half a mile & then the Major cut down into a dried up water course. This was such bad going & the horses so weary that we found we couldn’t get the guns any further. So we unhooked & sent off the horses pulled the guns in under the bank & covered them with bushes all that next day we lay doggo under the bank with firing going on all round us. Fortunately we weren’t spotted.
All that day we sent wild messages for orders & escorts etc. & extra teams; because they had spotted our waggon line & shelled it putting two or three horses out of action. As soon as it got dark we set off again & just about dawn made our goal. But it was a sweat the horses were quite unfit & there was no road at all but just heavy sandy going. For the last part of the journey we had to put 10 horse teams in consequently progress was slow. This is positively fiendish country for artillery to work over. We were rejoicing next morning because some of the gunners of another battery came & gave us a hand to dig in & we had a rest for a few hours.
We hoped we would stay there but not so for we got orders to move still further north & had to move again that night over still worse country. This was the 3rd night on the move & everybody was getting a bit weary. However we got to a place near our present position & have now been here for nearly a week & they only spotted us two days ago. But they have given us untold la unnecessary labour. One minute they we are [sic] to fire in one direction & we get the guns into position & dig in, next we have to switch them right round & fire in a totally different direction which means a lot of labour. They did this 3 times the day we got here just when everybody was just about done up. Fortunately we have now had a few days rest except yesterday when there was a big battle. I was up at the observing station & so missed the shelling in the battery which was very heavy, but with no result.
It is very curious, nearly all our casualties have been drivers. There is of course no place for wagon lines here except right on the battery positions & so the horses get the worst of it as we cannot make dug outs for them as we can for ourselves. We are having a morning of peace at present, I hope it lasts. The climate at present is perfect but I hear that next month we can expect to be flooded out if we aren’t blown away befor[e] hand. However we ought to be a bit further inland by then.
Well cheer oh. I shall be very glad to get back but it is not so bad at present, for us. Though the infantry are having the very Hell of a time & it almost makes me feel a beast sitting here in such comparative comfort when I think of them. There must be many mails due to us your last letter is dated July 23rd. Thanks for the Three Nuns in that parcel. Send out a novel next time will you.
[written in margin of p3] The things we really want are jam & chocolate. I simply long for sweet stuff & jam is scarce or has been up till now. But we are doing really well really & there is nothing to complain of. Love to you all Bob.
Photos courtesy of the Royal Institution of Great Britain. RI MS RCB/A/12
