a mystery unsolved at the battle of sari bair!

[glaswegian]

my friends,

in the book of military operations-GALLIPOLI by ASPINAL OGLANDER,allanson mentiones that at the time of the attack, the navy put six "12"monitor shells intae them,

"at an angle of about 25 degrees,and only 100 yards away were the turks..i had only 15 mins left;the roar of the artilerry preperation was enormous;the hill was almost leaping underneath one.i recognised that if we flew up the hill the moment it stopped,we ought to get to the top. i put three companies into the trenches amang my men,and said that moment thye saw me for forward carrying a red flag everyone was to start.i had my watch out 5.15.i never saw such artilerry preperation;the trenches were being torn to pieces;the accuracy was marvellous,as we were only just below.At 5.18 it had not stopped and i wondered if my watch was wrong.5.20 slience:i waited three minutes to be certain,great as the risk was.the off we dashed in hand in hand,a most perfect advance,and a wonderfull sight....at the top we met the turks:LE MARCHAND was down a bayonet through the heart.i got one through the leg and then,for about 10 mins,,we fought hand to hand, we bit and fisted and used rifles and pistols as clubs;blood was flying about the spray from a hair wash bottle and then the turks turned and fled,and i felt a very proud man:the key o the whole peninsula was ours;and our loses had not been so verygreat for such a result.below i saw the straits,motors and wheeled transport,on the roads leading to achi baba.As i looked round i saw we were not being supported,and thought i could help best by going after those(TURKS)who had retreated in front of us.WE DASHED DOWN TOWARDS MAIDOS(ECEABAT), BUT HAD ONLY GOT ABOUT 300 FEET(91MT) DOWN WHEN I SAW A FLASH IN THE BAY...................well my first question is which bay allanson was talking about?,the suvla bay or the other one leading to eceabat,if what he was talking about is the suvla bay,its imposible for you to see the suvla area when you are 300 feet doun from the hill to MAIDOS(ECEABAT).

.......and suddenly our own navy put six shells into us",allanson continues:

we were abviously mistaken for turks!!,well could what he saw have been something else?

a penny for your thoughts?

regards

wt

[Bill Woerlee]

Tuna

While an interesting account, you have omitted some really vital details to assist any person.

1. Who is Allanson? Full name, rank, unit. Fate.

2. On what date did this action take place? It should be recorded in the book.

3. What was the unit Allanson was leading at that time?

4. Perhaps some details about LE MARCHAND would also help.

This information would go a long way to helping out the folks reading the account.

Cheers

Bill

[glaswegian]

hello bill,

1-Cecil allanson,Major,he commanded one battalion of the gurkhas,major allanson,altough he was wounded in the leg,survived the attack!,after the battle allanson was recommended for The VC but eventually was awarded The D.S.O!,

2-the battle about which im talking is the battle of sari bair(Q Hill),Aggust 9th,1915,Gallipoli

3-one battalion of the gurkhas,probably 1/5th Gurkhas

4-i haent been able tae find much info on LE MARCHAND,

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_det ... ty=1735616

he is commemorated on the helles memorial to the missing

regards

WT

[Bill Woerlee]

Tuna

Thanks for the fill in information mate. I can now follow the account.

The account makes no sense whatsoever. At first I thought he was talking about Krithia where the sights of Archi Baba and ferries etc would have been visible. However, you also state that the action took place at Sari Bair and correctly state that such a view as is detailed is unobtainable at that place.

Since he was leading Ghurkha's, he might have pulled this tale out of a Kukri Book. It appears to be a conflation of two stories.

Cheers

Bill

[muzza]

This incident is quite well known.......the heavy gun fire was coming from offshore, not Suvla bay...but the North Beach......the Bacchante, Endymiomm a monitor and 3 destroyers were supporting ANZAC land batteries.

Bean records that major Allanson of the 6 Ghurkas along with men of the 6th Sth lancashires reached the saddle between Hill Q and Chunuck Bair at 5.23am. Ahead of them was a deep valley but to their right immediately in front of Chunuck the ground sloped gently. At this moment 5 high explosive shells fell upon the Ghurkas and lancashires cresting the hill. There was also turkish cross fire from Abdel Rahaman bair. the shellfire broke the troops and they fell back, especially the South lancs. Lt le marchand urged that they should stay there but Allanson told him it was folly and they ran down the hill. Le marchand was killed and every officer of the Ghurkas was hit.

Bean also records that almost certainly the shell fire was from the ANZAC howitzer land batteries not naval fire.

it is possible that the flash of the fire could have been seen by Allanson at that time of the morning....especially if the fire actually came from down in the Anzac area......the heights have a commanding view down towards the sea....and from Bean's description Allanson was on the crest.

Allansonm the Ghurkas and the lancs were brave men who almost pulled off the impossible. he was there, not me, I am prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt.

[stevebecker]

Mate,

Walter Alfred Leland Le Marchand Lt 56th Punjabi Refles attach 1/6th Gurkha Rifles.

Early of the 9 Aug the 1/6 Gkha supported by companies of the 6 S/Lanc and 9 R/Warwicks assulted the crest line between Chunuk Bair and Hill Q after a heavy bombartment laid down on the rifge.

Led by Maj Allanson attacked a body of Turks and forced them to retire. It was at that moment on the reverse side of the crest that the regretable and subseqently convroverisal incident occured.

Five or six HE shells fired from behind our own lines burst amoungst the Gkhas and British Troops killing more then 100 men. They had obviosly been mistaken for Turks.

Opinon at the time points to the RN but subsequently evidence seems to sugust that the shells were fired from a battery in the old Anzac positions.

From the book "Officers died at Gallipoli" by RW Walker.

S.B

[glaswegian]

steve,muzza,bill

very many thanks for the wonderfull info you hae provided!

regards

wt

[Peter H]

Allanson became a well known figure on his private comments on Monash.Allanson's diary was quoted by Robert Rhodes James in his Gallipoli book.

James' uncle L.R.Lemon had served in Allanson's battalion.

Discussed here:

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forum ... topic=4250

Michael brings up the point there that "Tim Travers in his book 'Gallipoli 1915' found that "Allanson's story of the naval shelling was later undermined by his own letter to Aspinal in 1930.""

[lee123]

Hi i have just found a letter typed to Le Marchands mother from Allanson

It goes in to great detail the events that happened on 7/8/9th

And Lemarchand did not die from a bayonet to the heart he was shot in the brain while single handed tackling the turks.

i hope this helps and also take a look at my ebay listing for the letter 320302858993 (item number)

[Peter H]

Here'a a photo from the Illustrated War News of the 1/6th Gurkha's before they were sent to Gallipoli.

...swearing in recruits at Abbottabad...

The "1st Battalion 6th Gurlhas(formerly the 42nd Light Infantry),the only Gurkha Rifles Regiment possessing colours..."

..recruits,in batches of four,were sworn in by the Adjutant Capt.Ryan(since awarded the DSO in Gallipoli).He is seen in the central group towards the left,swearing in a batch of recuits.Among the officers[middle]..Lt Gen Sir Robert Scallon,Commander Indian Northern Army,and next to him Lt Col C.G.Bruce,commanding the 1/6th Gurkhas.Colonel Bruce was severly wounded on June 30..

[glaswegian]

Hello Lee123

furst o all,wellcome to the forum, the letter is indeed interesting!,and it disnae tie in wi the fact that allanson mentioned in oglanders book!,you say that in the letter allanson lists where his grave!,what i know is that he wis buried just right doun the hill Q!

Regards

William Tuna