Sergeant Yahya

Discussions on the final era of the Ottoman Empire, from the Young Turk Revolution of 1908 until the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923.
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Peter H
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Sergeant Yahya

#1

Post by Peter H » 11 Sep 2007, 11:55

http://www.anzacsite.gov.au/2visiting/t ... bahir.html
Above Ertuğrul Cove and in the old fort of Seddülbahir (Barrier of the Sea) the Turks had only a small number of men and four old machine guns. As the British boats came into the beach, and when men tried to land from the River Clyde, these machine guns did terrible work. A Royal Naval Air Service observer flying above the battle that morning reported that the shallow waters of the cove were ‘absolutely red with blood’. Midshipman George Drewry, who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his courage at this landing, wrote to his father: ‘I never knew blood smelt so strong before’.

To the left of the Ertuğrul Rampart is a monument to the Turkish soldiers who defended Ertuğrul Cove - the Yahya Çavuş Şehitlik ve Aniti, the Sergeant Yahya cemetery and memorial. Sergeant Yahya, 10th Company, 3rd Battalion, 26th Regiment, took over the company when the commander Lieutenant Abdürrahim was killed. For most of 25 April 1915 the sergeant and other isolated pockets of Turks in the Seddülbahir Fort beside Ertuğrul Cove, fought back the British landings. The Sergeant Yahya memorial imagines him and his men charging with bayonets fixed towards the cove; in reality, they did far more damage with their rifles.

The defence of Ertuğrul Cove was a desperate affair for the Turks. In charge of the 3rd Battalion, 26th Regiment, was Major Mahmut who, when he ordered one of his platoon commanders, Abdul Rahman, at Seddülbahir Fort to lead a charge at the enemy, received this response:

Send the doctors to carry off my wounded, alas! alas! My Captain for God’s sake send me reinforcements because hundreds of soldiers are landing. Hurry up, what on earth will happen, my Captain.

However, the Turks managed to pin the British down during 25 April and it was only under cover of darkness that the remaining men on the River Clyde could be landed. On the morning of 26 April 1915, a charge was led up from the beach and through Seddülbahir village by Colonel Charles Doughty-Wylie. Force of numbers now pushed the Turks back. Doughty-Wylie was killed and his grave, the only single Allied grave outside a cemetery on Gallipoli, stands today just above Seddülbahir. Of the small Turkish garrison who defended Ertuğrul Cove, the British official historian wrote that:

… they rendered a service to the defence which it would be difficult to exaggerate … There can be little doubt that the failure to capture ‘V’ Beach till the 26th was the main cause of the collapse of the British plan.
http://www.salihsaydam.com/Canakkale_En.html
More than 4650 shells were fired by the Allied fleet in support of the three battalions of British troops trying to land at Ertugrul Bay (V Beach). Many of the Turkish soldiers defending the position were buried alive in their trenches.

However, the 63 men of the 1st Platoon of the 10th Company of the 26th Regiment's 3rd Battalion, commanded by Sergeant Yahya of Ezine managed to halt the landing. For 10 hours they prevented the three British battalions from advencing. According to some sources, the sea was red for 50 meters from the shore stained by the blood of fallen British soldiers. Such was the weight of fire directed against them that some of the British troops thought they were opposed by at least a division of the Turkish army. Most of Sergeant Yahya's platoon were killed in action. When he became too badly wounded to fight, the sergeant withdrew with the few surviving men of his unit to the nearby field hospital at Alçitepe, where he later died of his wounds.

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Peter H
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#2

Post by Peter H » 11 Sep 2007, 11:57

From: http://www.anzacsite.gov.au/2visiting/tourhelles2.html

Image
The view from the beached British troop carrier River Clyde at Seddülbahir on the morning of 25 April 1915. The black mass huddled on the beach in the middle of the photograph is a group of British soldiers who had just landed from the troopship and were pinned down by Turkish machine gunners.


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Peter H
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#3

Post by Peter H » 11 Sep 2007, 12:12

SS River Clyde:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_River_Clyde
After the Helles beachhead was established, V Beach became the base for the French contingent and the River Clyde remained beached as a dock and breakwater. Her condensers were used to provide fresh water and a field dressing station was established in the hull. She remained a constant target for Turkish gunners on the Asian shore.

In 1919, after the war had ended, the River Clyde was refloated and taken to Malta for repairs. As a tramp steamer, she was operated by Spanish shipping companies for another 50 years in the Mediterranean under various names, the last being Maruja y Aurora. In 1965 there was an attempt to purchase the River Clyde for preservation but in 1966 she was sold for scrap instead and broken up at Avilés, Spain.

http://www.nzetc.org/etexts/WaiNewZ/WaiNewZ122a.jpg
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Peter H
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#4

Post by Peter H » 11 Sep 2007, 12:18

British veterans return 1934;

http://user.online.be/~snelders/34.htm

Tosun Saral
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#5

Post by Tosun Saral » 11 Sep 2007, 17:34

Nail Nami Bey the governor of Çanakkale wrote the following verse about Yahya Çavuş

"Kahraman bir takım ve Yahya Çavuştular
Tam üç alayla burada görülden vuruştular
Düşman tümen sanırdı o kahraman erleri,
Allahı arzu ettiler akşam kavuştular"

"They were a team of Heroes and Yahya Çavuş
They fought againts 3 Regiments willingly
The enemy thought that they were a division
They wanted a place by side of Allah and reached at dawn."

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#6

Post by Tosun Saral » 03 Oct 2007, 19:22

Maj.Mahmut Sabri Bey's memories, Commander of 3rd battalion of the 26th Inf. Regt
"Battles at Seddulbahir and Operations of 3rd battalion of the 26th Regt." 1st addition Yildiz Harb Akademisi Mattbaası, 1933 ( Published by General Staff College at Yildiz/Istanbul)

"3rd battalion of the 26th Regt was ordered at 16:00 to defend the shore of sedulbahir and moved from its camp at Serafim range. After walking sirca 9 kilometers the battalion reached to the village of Kirte (Crithea) There they faced heavy bombardement of enemy ships. The battalion waited until darkness. In darkness they continued to move some 6 kilometers to south to shores of seddulbahir. The battalion took the position from 3rd battalion of the 25th Regt. at midnight. The shore was 5 kilometers long from west to east beginning from Tekeburne at right side and ended at ruins of Eskihisarlik.
A team of the 12th Company (at that time the battalions had 4 companies and had no MGs) was at waching duty on Tekeburne and other team was on Aytepe. The other team was on northeast of Tekeburnu 12th Company was responsible to watch the enemy.
10th battalon was at ruins of Harapkale (ruined castle). A team was at the ruins of Ertugrul Tabya (Ertugrul Fortification), other team was at the village of Seddulbahir, at landing bridge and at the mill notheast of the village. The 3rd team was secretly positioned beyond the Haraptepe Hill.
On the reserve was a team which had the duty to watch the enemy from 9th company on the north ridges of Morto Bay. A squad at the ride on the west of Morto Bay. The HQ and the remaining 5 teams ( 11st company and 2 teams of the 9th Company.of the battalion were camouflaged just at 500 meters north of Harapkale.
The defending force consisted 1100 riflemen and 100 men without rifles. the Engineers company of the division with 200 men and 4 small 37,5 mm guns................
Afternoon at 15:00 Aytepe fall into enemy hands. The enemy sattled MGs on Aytepe began that fired our positions on both sides.........The enemy captured the ridges from Tekeburnu to Zigindere.

to be continued

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glaswegian
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#7

Post by glaswegian » 15 Feb 2008, 01:32

i would like to correct a mistake in this subject,which is as regards tae sergant yahya,he survived the war and died in his village :)

regards

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Peter H
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#8

Post by Peter H » 15 Feb 2008, 05:18

Thanks.

I guess it sounds more dramatic if he died in the action.

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Bill Woerlee
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#9

Post by Bill Woerlee » 15 Feb 2008, 08:39

Tuna

G'day mate and good tae see you here.

You have a happy knack of making excellent contributions in any discussion and this one is no exception.

Cheers

Bill

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glaswegian
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#10

Post by glaswegian » 15 Feb 2008, 14:11

hello bill :)

i thank you for yer compliments in regards tae ma contributions,tis really nyce to be regarded as a valued person in the eyes o experts like you

regards

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Re: Sergeant Yahya

#11

Post by Tosun Saral » 23 Apr 2008, 11:04

My friend Mr. Ahmet Yurttakal who lives in Canakkale has send me the following old picture of Sedulbahir asking me to whom the memorial belongs? The picture is from 1930's I think. I said him "Yahya Cavus" or "İlk Sehitler Aniti" the First Myties Monument.
Can someone give the right answer?
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ertuğrul koyunda bir anıt.jpg
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glaswegian
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Re: Sergeant Yahya

#12

Post by glaswegian » 23 Apr 2008, 21:31

hello tosun

twas a monument erected for general gourand so as to commemorate the spot where he was wounded,

here is a photo taken of general gourand beside the monument

regards

wt
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