w-beach / Lancashire Landing
the first authentichotel on the Gallipoli peninsula
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back to silent witnesses
"Turkish shells falling on W(est) Beach", picture reproduced from "The Dardanelles, an epic told in pictures", (London-1917), p. 29
"Aerial view of "W" and "V" beaches, Gallipoli," picture reproduced from “The Naval memoirs of admiral of the fleet, Sir Roger Keyes”, (London 1934), Roger Keyes, p. 427
The sea was like glass,
but as the picket boats drew off to get into formation our boats heeled over
dangerously, and one of the men remarked to the Cox, “I’ listed to get killed,
not to get drowned” . As the tows got to a safe distance from the ships the
shelling began again, the guns lifting their fire as we approached the shore.
When the water began to get shallow the picket boats called out ‘Slip’, for
the tow ropes to be cast off, and we began to approach the shore under the
oars of the naval ratings. There were five to each boat. Not a sign of life
was to be seen on the Peninsula in front of us. It might have been a deserted
land we were nearing in our little boats. Then crack! The stroke oar of my
boat fell forward, to the angry astonishment of his mates. The signal for the
massacre had been given: rapid fire, machine guns and deadly accurate sniping
opened from the cliffs above, and soon the casualties included the rest of the
crew and many men. The timing of the ambush was perfect; we were completely
exposed and helpless in our slow-moving boats, just target practice for the
concealed Turks, and within a few minutes only half of the thirty men in my
boat were left alive. We were now 100 yards from the shore, and I gave the
order ‘Overboard’. We scrambled out into some four feet of water, and some of
the boats with their cargo of dead and wounded floated away on the currents,
still under fire from the snipers. With this unpromising start the advance
began. Many were hit in the sea, and no response was possible, for the enemy
was in trenches well above our heads.
captain Richard Willis (walking stick willis) quoted in "Helles
Landing-Gallipoli", (Barnsley-2003), Huw & Jill Rodge, p. 86-87
"1/Lancashire Fusiliers landing at W beach. Captain "walking stick willi" in the centre", period picture reproduced from "Helles Landing-Gallipoli", (Barnsley-2003), Huw & Jill Rodge, p. 87
We ambled on and finally
reached "W" beach, the place where the sea end and the land begins. Once there
was a little sand, now it is a scrap-iron dump in the middle of a horse and
mule fair. Each animal had a host of attendants, or so it would seem
from the number of nicely-bronzed chaps that are here-abouts; we could do with
a few of them a couple of miles inland. I know they don't know where the
firing line is, but we know it well -too will in fact. We would be
pleased to act as expert guides.
"Gallipoli 1915", ( London-1977),
Joe Murray, p. 107-108.
last updated : 16/02/08
SILENT WITNESSES
famous battlefield
locations - Helles