From DVD: RND Royal Naval Division. From 1916 63rd (RN) Division. W.W.1. 1914-1919. Antwerp, Gallipoli, Western Front. Magazine Issues 1-24, pages 1 to 2443. Copyright © Leonard Sellers 1998, Produced and designed at 17a Bellhouse Road, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, SS9 5NL.

This extract is from Issue Number 19 pages 1870-1874

GALLIPOLI - RAID AT KUM KALE & LANDING AT 'Y' BEACH. BY SERGEANT MEATYARD PLYMOUTH BATTALION. Ply 13634 ROYAL MARINE LIGHT INFANTRY

Transcribed from the original held at the Royal Marines Museum by Bob Thompson. Much has been written about the events after the landing and subsequent evacuation of “Y Beach”. However, here we have an account by Sergeant Meatyard a signal N.C.O. of the Plymouth Battalion, who clearly remembers some of the signals that he sent during the operations. These signals help one to form an opinion, by having a clearer picture of events. It seems that leaving the beach was not the haphazard and unfortunate event that it is often portrayed. In addition, we have the descriptive account of Private John Vickers, which highlights the terrible strain that the troops were under during the hours of darkness. John states:- "When the troops who had landed at "W" Beach were timed to advance and join us, they never came" - It appears, he expected to be reinforced from the south, not the other way round! In any event, these accounts of the action at "Y Beach" are food for thought and worthy of additional research. Erol Baycan, the former Head Gardener of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission at Gallipoli, told me this story:- As a young man, together with friends, he used to hunt in the area of "Y" Ravine for wild boar. Later, the boars had disappeared and a farmer decided to start ploughing the ground above "Y" Ravine, with the intention of turning it into farmland. The plough turned up masses of skulls and bone, which were uncovered over a wide area, confirming that the slaughter here must have been terrible, with the Turks suffering substantial casualties in early April and later in the year. Erol talked of seeing hundreds or thousands of bodies and even today bones appear regularly on the surface.

In writing this diary, I am putting together the rough notes that I took whilst on Active Service with the Plymouth Battalion of the Royal Marine Light Infantry. My duty the whole time I was with the battalion was as Signal Sergeant.

The Plymouth Battalion left Steepleton House Dorset at 5 am on the 6 February l9l5. It was pouring with rain, and pitched dark. We marched to Shillingstone a distance of over 5 miles and there entrained at 4.30 a.m. We met there the Chatham Battalion R.M.L.I. Afier considerable delay on the line we reached Devonport Station about midday, and eventually reached the Naval Barracks. Here we marched to the wharf and embarked on the S. S. Braemar Castle. At 4.45 pm. we sailed from Plymouth amidst cheers, I was fortunate in being able to see my wife at the dockyard. Across the Bay of Biscay we had a shake up, and the majority of the younger men were very seasick, and wished they hadn't joined and so forth. It was dark when we passed Gibraltar, in the Mediterranean the sea was more reasonable, being lucky to have the wind behind us. The weather improved as we went on, and Malta was reached at 10 a.m. 14 February. Here coal and provisions were taken in. The horses had suffered very badly during the rolling of the ship and were rubbed raw. They were landed for a few hours at Malta. We left the island at 8 a.m. on the 19 February, and arrived at Tenedos Bay at 5.50 p.m 21 February. Before dark we got under way again and cruised about during the night (for certain reasons) anchoring again in the morning at 7.30 a.m. off Mount Elais. At night the searchlights could be seen burning in the Turkish Forts that were at the entrance to the Dardanelles. They did not burn very long. We moved again at noon on 24 February and sailed to Port Mudros in rough weather anchoring at 4.10 p.m. on the 25. We had orders to be ready to move at immediate notice to the Dardanelles we left at 1 a.m. on the 26 arriving off the Dardanelles at daylight. The forts at the entrance had been bombarded by our battleships, and the remains were still smouldering, it was a sight that gladdened. We did not land but in the evening moved to Imbros. Weather very cold now, the hilltops were covered with snow, which reminded us of Christmas time, there was also a strong keen wind blowing.

Raid at Kum Kale:- During the night of march 3/4 we moved to the Straits and at 7 a.m. 4 March the Plymouth Battalion landed one Company at Kum Kale Fort and one Company at Sedd ul Bahr Fort. We were the only battalion present with our transport the H.M.T. Braemar Castle. This was probably due to our Commanding Officer being the senior Commanding Officer amongst the Marine Battalions. The transport remained some distance out from the shore. l was detailed to land with the force at Kum Kale, and we were transferred to H.M.S Scorpion (a destroyer), and when closer in to shore we moved into pulling boats, and were towed to shore by steamboat. Enemy shells began to fall around the boats, and there were also casualties from well- directed rifle fire. Had the enemy had machine guns I don't think many would have landed. A rifle bullet killed Sergeant Minns before we got ashore, the bullet having first passed through and wounding Private Liversage who was sitting on his lap. We got alongside a wooden landing stage that was about 40 yards long, and clambered up on to it. Being flat without rails and being clear of obstacles it afforded no cover. We were subjected now to a good deal of rifle fire. On reaching the top we laid down flat until the first boat load had assembled. We were then given the order to stand by, and all rising together doubled to the shore. There were two who could not obey this order. We were now at the foot of the Fort, and at the commencement of the road that led directly into the village. This road I had been detailed to follow with the advanced patrol which consisted often men under Captain Brown. The advance of this patrol was not successful, we had only gone a few yards when we were compelled to lay prone and look for targets to return the fire. Out of ten, only three of us remained who were not either killed or wounded. The enemy was well concealed and apparently firing from houses. It was when on aiming (having spotted one of the enemy coming up to fire from behind a garden wall), that l got hit by two bullets from the flank, one in the chest and the other in my left foot. I wriggled back around the corner of the Fort and got my wounds dressed. Fortunately the wounds were not serious and after a breather did not feel much the worse, although lamed. No headway was made up the village road and machine guns were posted at the comer to command it whilst headway was made by another party around the other side of the Fort. The idea was to keep the enemy at bay whilst a demolition party went inside the fort and completed the destruction that the warships had commenced. A section was told off to man the crest of a bank overlooking the fort, and now I joined up with this party, being anxious to get my own back at the enemy, but they still kept well concealed.

Meanwhile the party on the right of the fort had made good progress, in fact being too eager I think they went too far, the same thing having caused disaster to the party concerned many times during the war. Overstepping the objective. They must have advanced about a mile up Yennisher Heights and were outside the Fort of that name. The Turks received reinforcements and overwhelming our small party compelled it to retire. During this fighting another company had been landed to reinforce us. A signal was sent to the senior ship, asking that the destroyers might close in and open up covering fire to assist our men's retirement. This the destroyers did with a vengeance, being able to get fairly close in, and it was as well for us that they did, otherwise I don't think many would have got back. Steaming single line ahead their broadsides of small guns simply smothered the Turks, who were prevented from following up their successful counter attack. The necessary destruction inside the fort having been carried out we re-embarked at 7 p.m., the wounded going off first, and we were put on board HMS. Irresistible. Our losses were 19 killed 36 wounded and 5 missing. I think the enemy must have lost heavily especially from the destroyers' fire, as it surprised them. Volunteer crews were soon available from the sailors and marines belonging to the Ship's Company, and they proceeded to pull boats to shore and searching for the missing wounded or otherwise, and so well did they carry out their work, that there were only five missing as already stated. From the Irresistible I was transferred to the Hospital Ship S.S. Soudan, and from there to HMS Inflexible, (Major Finlaison commanded the detachment on board this ship), on March 11, at Mudros, and getting under way we arrived at Malta on March 15. Bighi Hospital found me in bed where I stayed for some time and underwent an operation on the foot, getting "A.1." again, on April 16 when I left hospital at 3 p.m. and embarked on a tramp steamer called the Carrigun Head and arrived at Mudros at 9 p.m. on the 19 April. I transferred to the Braemar Castle at 4 p.m. where I met old chums again. I happened to be the first back from the batch that had been wounded, naturally I was an interesting creature and I was besieged with questions, "How's Nobby getting on", "Did Hooky lose his leg", We heard you'd lost yer big toe", and so forth. At any rate I was glad to be amongst them once more, and be away from the hospital, as while in there I received news that my daughter aged 1 year and 4 months had passed away, and that was worse than any flesh wound. The signallers were watch keeping on the bridge. By chance signalling to a transport I found out that my cousin in the Australian Artillery was on board. I had never seen him before, so it was a lucky shot and we were able to make our acquaintances the next day.

Gallipoli landing 25 April at "Y" Beach:

After several false alarms we moved on the 24 April at 5 p.m. and steamed towards the Dardanelles, arriving in the early hours of the morning. Having received our orders previously, transferred in trawlers in parties already told off, and proceeded to hug along the shore in semi-darkness, until we arrived at the position opposite to where the landing was to take place. Everything quiet, transferred into pulling boats which were manned by sailors, and we were pulled towards the shore, but could not get very close on account of the rocks. The landing party was composed of our own battalion, and the First Battalion of King's Own Scottish Borderers and a company of South Wales Borderers. Getting out of the boats we dropped into water waist deep. It was rather a cold shock at first; we waded towards the shore keeping rifles in the air clear of the water, and eventually reached the narrow bit of beach. We had a stiff climb before us, the part that we scrambled up being called the "Gully", and the beach "Y Beach". The scouts went on ahead and actually reached the outskirts of Krithia, a small village that we saw but never reached again during the whole campaign. These scouts came into contact with one or two Turkish scouts, during their advance, two were shot dead and one brought in as a prisoner. He looked very depressed about it, being under the opinion as told by his German Leaders that all prisoners taken would be shot by the British. His equipment consisted of a civilian overcoat, and from his size he wore plenty of underclothing, a soldiers head-dress, and a white haversack full of loose ammunition, rifle, his boots were in a very bad state, and rags took the place of putties.

After the first line of skirmishers had gone on some distance, the enemy's artillery came to bear, and dealt out shrapnel on them with some accuracy. Having established a signal station on the side of the cliff to communicate with H.M. ships I proceeded with the C.O., having sent two signallers with the advanced line of skirmishers. I was ordered to make the signal "Retire to your original positions", a blue flag being necessary and advisable. They retired, pressed by the Turks (who had now thoroughly realised that a force had landed threatening to cut their lines of communication), to the position that our C.O. had decided to take up. This all happened within a very short time and the trenches were far from being deep or completed in any way, and it was now necessary to bring fire to bear on the advancing enemy. I should imagine the distance of our frontage (which was of a semi-circle formation) was not more than 300 yards from flank to flank, with the cliffs behind us. By lying on my back, on the slope of the cliff it was possible to use a large flag and keep communication with the ships. It was necessary to lie on the back as bullets passed over from each flank and dropped somewhere inside the semi-circle. Men on each flank complained that their own men were firing at them, but it was the indirect fire of the enemy that passed over the heads of the men on our one flank and so caught the men on the other flank, the flanks being so close together and our position being of a semi-circular formation.

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