! Issue 14 1 Brave Report The Damned Dardanelles Background to the Gallipoli campaign The Gallipoli campaign which commenced in February 1915 was conceived for two primary reasons.
(i) The land war on the Western Front had virtually stagnated into a stalemate and there was a need to relieve Russia from pressure by the Ottoman Empire. Some Allied commanders argued for opening up a second front against the weaker Ottomans and Austro- Hungarians. In Britain, the chief advocate for this strategy was Winston Churchill, who had been appointed First Lord of the Admiralty before his 37th birthday. Churchill had a low opinion of Ottoman military capacity: he considered Ottoman land forces to be poorly equipped, organised and commanded, while the Ottoman navy relied mainly on decrepit ships from the 19th century. (ii) The Ottoman Empire was strategically located between the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Balkans, the Middle East, and northern Africa. Despite the Ottoman Empire s preference of an alliance with Great Britain - attempts were made to forge an alliance with London in 1908, 1911 and 1913. Britain did not react positively due to a fear of having to prop up the Empire either economically of militarily, and Britain had forged an alliance with Russia, the traditional foe of the Ottomans. Germany was more interested in an Ottoman alliance, particularly as war approached. Since 1904 Berlin had been constructing a railway across Ottoman territory to Baghdad. Once completed the Berlin-to-Baghdad railway would provide easy access to and from ports and oil fields in Mesopotamia (Iraq). A German-Ottoman alliance would secure this railway and hand Germany control of the Bosphorus, a neck of water connecting the Mediterranean with the Black Sea. It would also give the Germans land access to northern Africa and the Middle East. German-Ottoman negotiations intensified during the 2
3 July crisis, and a secret alliance was finally signed on August 2nd 1914, just five days after the first declaration of war. The Ottomans did not formally enter World War I until late October, when their fleet entered the Black Sea and fired artillery at Russian ports there. The Royal Navy was involved in both major elements of the campaign - at sea and ashore. The Royal Navy was involved in both major elements of the ill-fated Dardanelles campaign - at sea and ashore. The price was high both in crews and in the Royal Naval Division. In February 1915 a joint Anglo-French naval force attempted to blast open the Dardanelles, a narrow strait connecting the Mediterranean with the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea but the Allied ships sustained heavy damage from sea mines and land-based Ottoman artillery. With a purely naval attack now impossible, Allied commanders made the decision for an amphibious landing, to be undertaken sometime in April or May. Allied soldiers would be landed on the Gallipoli peninsula and clear it of Ottoman defenders and artillery pieces. With control of the Dardanelles coastline, Allied ships would have a clear run to the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus, where they could attack Constantinople. The Allies hastily organised an invasion force. With British generals reluctant to release experienced men from the Western Front, the Gallipoli landing force was comprised mainly of British units stationed in the Middle East, British Empire forces (Australians, New Zealanders, Indians and Canadians) and 80,000 French colonial
troops shipped in from Africa. The majority of these units had not seen battle; many of the British Empire troops were freshly recruited and deployed after just a few weeks training. A six-week pause between the February 1915 naval bombardment and April 1915 landing proved costly The Ottomans, meanwhile, began preparations for the imminent invasion with the assistance of German adjutant Otto Liman von Sanders. While Ottoman troops trained and drilled, defensive positions were built along critical points of the Dardanelles peninsula, known to the locals as Gelibolu (Gallipoli). The coastline was mined; likely beaches were fenced with barbed wire; machinegun nests were installed on elevated positions. The Allies were confident of victory, however the six-week pause between the February 1915 naval bombardment and April 1915 landing would prove costly. Ottoman forces, though thinly spread and poorly equipped, were well prepared. The Allied invasion plan aimed to bombard Ottoman defences with naval artillery, then stretch and disorient their forces with several co-ordinated landings. But when the invasion began on April 25th, the plan soon went awry. At two of the pre-determined landing points, the Allies encountered much stronger opposition than anticipated. At V Beach, British troops approaching the beach in boats were strafed with machine-gun fire. On the other side of the peninsula, Allied soldiers reached W Beach only to find it strewn with barbed wire and mines. Ottoman machine-gun nests in elevated positions opened fire once they were ashore. The death toll at these two 4
beaches exceeded 50 per cent. Meanwhile, landing forces elsewhere on the peninsula strolled ashore with barely a casualty. The Allied soldiers at S Beach found it defended by only 15 Ottoman soldiers. At Y Beach, the coastline was deserted and British soldiers stood around on the beach, pondering what to do. The most famous blunder of the Gallipoli campaign occured further north at Z Beach, north of Gaba Tepe. The objective here was a broad four-mile stretch of flat beach but when the mission began before dawn on April 25th, the boats became disoriented in the pitchblack night and landed a mile north of their target. ANZAC Cove Much of the Australian and New Zealand contingent came ashore at a small inlet, later dubbed ANZAC Cove. As the Allies came ashore in numbers, Mustafa Kemal one of the Ottoman Empire s most talented officers moved to the area and set up defensive positions around the inlet. Surrounded by high hilltops and thick scrub, ANZAC Cove was easily defended by Ottoman snipers and machine-gunners, operating from elevated positions. Allied attempts to break out of the area were repelled and within a week, the situation at ANZAC Cove had reached stalemate. Though unable to advance, the Allies maintained their position on the beach for almost eight months. Further breakout attempts were launched in August at Lone Pine, Chunuk Bair and The Nek but all failed with high casualties and no further offensives were contemplated. 5
Elsewhere, British and French forces were no more successful in advancing up the peninsula. By early December, London had decided to abandon the Gallipoli campaign. ANZAC Cove was evacuated by sea in December 1915, an operation many historians consider to be the most successful element of the entire campaign. The rest of the peninsula was evacuated by mid-january 1916. The Dardanelles cost in excess of 44,000 Allied lives The attempt to capture the Dardanelles was an unmitigated military disaster, riddled with false assumptions and poor planning that cost in excess of 44,000 Allied lives. In contrast, the defence of Gallipoli was the Ottoman Empire s most successful military operation of the war. Men from across the former British Empire fought at Gallipoli: from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, from Newfoundland and Nepal, from India and North Africa, and from Australia and New Zealand. Although most of the Ottoman forces were Turkish soldiers defending their homeland, men from as far afield as Baghdad, Beirut and Bulgaria joined their ranks. Almost 36,000 Commonwealth servicemen are buried or commemorated on Gallipoli, including nearly 25,000 members of British regiments, over 7,200 of Australian units, more than 2,300 of New Zealand forces, and more than 1,500 members of Indian units. As many as 97,000 Allied soldiers are estimated to have suffered wounds of sickness, and thousands died after being taken 6
elsewhere for treatment. The French cemetery overlooking Morto Bay is the final resting place of 3,200 men along with a further 12,000 whose remains are held in four ossuaries. Ottoman casualties of what is known in Turkey as the Battle of Çanakkale are estimated by the Turkish authorities to number between 250,000 and 300,000, of whom at least 87,000 were killed. The campaign had a profound impact across the former British Empire. It became particularly meaningful for Australia and New Zealand, whose forces suffered heavy losses for the first time and would go on to play a crucial role on the Western Front. The anniversary of the landings on 25 April would eventually become a significant date of commemoration known as Anzac Day. For Turkey, the Battle of Çanakkale had a significant legacy in the newly-formed post-war state led by Mustafa Kemal, wartime general and hero of the campaign who would become known as Ataturk, 'the father of the Turks.' Many Turkish memorials stand alongside those of France and the former British Empire to commemorate all those who fell during the campaign. Inscribed on several memorials across the peninsula, most notably on a stone monolith which stands just to the south of Ari Burnu, are words of Kemal Ataturk, spoken in 1934: Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives; You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country, Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side, Here in this country of ours. You, the mothers, 7
Who sent their sons from far away countries Wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land They have become our sons as well. The naval cost HMS Goliath 8 Goliath was part of the Allied fleet during naval operations in the Dardanelles campaign. On the night of May 12-13,1915 off Cape Helles, a Turkish torpedo boat destroyer Muavenet-i Milliye, fired three torpedoes which struck Goliath causing a massive explosion the ship capsized almost immediately taking 570 of the 700-strong crew to the bottom. Goliath was anchored in Morto Bay off Cape Helles, along with Cornwallis and a screen of five destroyers, in foggy conditions. Around 01.00 on 13 May, the
Muavenet-i Milliye, which was manned by a combined German and Turkish crew, eluded the destroyers Beagle and Bulldog and closed on the battleships. Muavenet-i Milliye fired two torpedoes which struck Goliath almost simultaneously abreast her fore turret and abeam the fore funnel. Goliath began to capsize almost immediately, and was lying on her beam ends when a third torpedo struck near her after turret. She then rolled over completely and began to sink by the bows, Those lost included her commanding officer, Captain Thomas Lawrie Shelford, and at least 13 from Northern Ireland. 9 Although sighted and fired on after the first torpedo hit, Muavenet-i Milliye escaped unscathed. For sinking Goliath, Turkish Captain Ahmet Saffet Bey was promoted to rank of Major and the German captain of Muavenet-i Milliye, Kapitänleutnant Rudolph Firle, was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class as well as Austro-Hungarian and Turkish decorations.
Resignations of Fisher and Churchill 10 The sinking of Goliath led to direct and drastic upheaval for the Royal Navy top command and strategy. Two days after the loss of their ship, on 15/05/1915, the First Sea Lord Admiral Fisher resigned amidst bitter arguments with the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, causing, on 17 May, Churchill's resignation too. General Hamilton noted in his diary that, "The Turks deserve a medal." The Allies had failed to achieve their expectations with the landings. Thus, the British began to make plans for the resumption of the naval attack. However, the torpedoing of the Goliath had proven that it was impossible to open the straits by a naval attack. The valuable modern battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth was recalled from the Dardanelles. The subsequent loss of battleships Triumph off Anzac Cove and Majestic at Cape Helles, both torpedoed by U-21, resulted in a further reduction in naval support for the Allied land troops. HMS GOLIATH - ROLL OF HONOUR BERINGER, William Ernest RN. Stoker 1st Class. 309949. HMS Goliath. Died 13/05/1915. Aged 28. The Admiralty have notified the relatives of William Beringer, High-street, who was on board HMS Goliath, which has been sunk at the Dardanelles with a loss of 500 lives, that they are sorry that his name does not appear in the list of saved. Born Newtownards. Son of the late Fredrick and Elizabeth Beringer, High St., Portaferry. Chatham Naval Memorial.
DENNIS, John Joseph RNR. Seaman gunner. 5771A. HMS Goliath. Died 13/05/1915. Age 22. He was engaged for over four years with the Cunard Company, and his last position, before being transferred to Goliath, was wireless operator on the Acquitania. Son of James and Mary Dennis, Clooney Terrace, Waterside, Londonderry. Native of Larne. Plymouth Naval Memorial, Panel 8. Londonderry, The Diamond WM DOHERTY, John RN. Leading Seaman. 197551. HMS Goliath. Died 13/05/1915. Age 34. (See J J Dennis above). Son of John and Bridget Doherty, Daisy Hill Cottages, Boom Hall, Culmore Rd., Londonderry. Plymouth Naval Memorial. Londonderry, The Diamond WM GADD, Alfred Henry Victor RN. Boy 1st Cl. J27246. HMS Goliath. Died13/5/1915. Newtownards WM HARKNESS, A RMLI. Private. HMS Goliath. Leopold St., Belfast HILES, Hector RN. Stoker 1st Class. SS109881. HMS Goliath. Died 13/05/1915. Killed in action with Turkish destroyer in Dardanelles. Born Comber. Husband of Catherine Hiles, Derwent St., Belfast. Photo in Belfast Telegraph 18/6/1915. Chatham Naval Memorial. Megain Memorial - PCI RH. Comber WM HUTCHINSON, Robert RMLI. Private. PLY/10742. HMS Goliath. Died 13/05/1915. Born Coagh, Co Tyrone. Son of Robert and Fanny Hutchinson, 11
Creggan Road, Rosemount. Plymouth Naval Memorial. Great James Street - PCI RH. Cookstown WM. Londonderry, The Diamond WM JONES, John RNR. 1035U. HMS Goliath. Died 13/05/1915. Age 42. Husband to Charlotte Jones, Sugarfield St., Belfast. Photo in Belfast Telegraph 25/6/1915. Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Panel 10 JONES, Robert RNR. Stoker. 2249T. HMS Goliath. Died 13/05/1915. Age 43. Husband to Margaret Jones, Hurst St., Sandy Row, Belfast. Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Panel 10 McANALLY, John RNR. Stoker. 1744U. HMS Goliath. Died 13/5/1915. Age 45. Son of John and Catherine McAnally, of Belfast; husband to Mary McAnally, Linen St., Belfast. Photo in Belfast Telegraph 26/6/1915. Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Panel 10. Shankill Rd Mission - PCI RH McDOWELL, Robert John RNR. Stoker. 2644S. HMS Goliath. Died 13/05/1915. Age 22. Son of James and Letitia McDowell, Leopold St., Belfast. Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Panel 10 SIMPSON, Gordon HMS Goliath. Memorial Armagh City churchyard 12 WARNOCK, Thomas RNR. Stoker. 1079U. HMS Goliath. Died 13/05/1915. Survived by wife and five children. North Ann St./Marine St,
Belfast. Photo in Belfast Telegraph 18/06/1915. Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Panel 10. Rosemary Street - PCI RH 13 HMS Majestic HMS Majestic Majestic was one of the pre-dreadnought battleships. During World War 1 she saw service with the Dover Patrol and at the Dardanelles, where she became the only member of the class to be sunk in action. In early 1915 HMS Majestic was sent to the Dardenelles to form part of the big Anglo-French battleship squadron that was involved in naval attacks on the Turkish forts at the entrance to the straits. On 26 February, along with HMS Albion and HMS Triumph she made the first opposed entry of warships into the Dardanelles for a century as part of a combined operation that also saw marines land on the Gallipoli peninsula. For this attack howitzers were
mounted on the roofs of the 12in gun turrets. 14 Majestic sinking at the Dardanelles, 27 May 1915 The three battleships entered the Dardanelles at 8.00am. The Majestic s first target was a bridge over the Mendere River, which was damaged but not destroyed. By noon she was using her big guns against Fort Dardanos.
During the day the ships moved further into the straits, and came under increasingly heavy fire from hidden Turkish howitzers. The Majestic was hit by one 6in howitzer shell below the water line, which caused a minor leak. At 4.00pm the operation battleships were withdrawn from the straits. The Majestic took part in the unsuccessful attempt to force the straits on 18/03/ 1915. She was then used to support the Anzac landings at Gaba Tepe at the start of the Gallipoli campaign. In the early phase of the Gallipoli campaign the battleships were able to provide valuable support to the troops. However, in May the German submarine U 21 reached the area, and the situation soon changed. On 25 May HMS Triumph was sunk by U 21. The remaining battleships withdrew overnight, then took extra precautions. On 27 May the Majestic took up a position close to shore, protected by submarine nets and surrounded by a fleet of transport ships unloading supplied. It was hoped that this position would allow her to keep firing while protecting her against the submarine, which it was half-believed had been rammed on the previous day. At 6.45am this optimisitic attitude was proved to be false. U 21 was spotted 400 yards from the ship. Moments later two torpedoes were fired through gaps in the lines of transports. Both hit the Majestic, and seven minutes she capsized. The loss of life was surprisingly low it very quickly became clear that the ship was sinking, and the order to abandon ship was given. Of her crew of nearly 700, only 40 were lost, mostly in the initial explosion but 15
some when they became entangled in the submarine nets. The loss of two battleships in three days had a serious impact on the Gallipoli campaign, seriously reducing the amount of support the navy could offer the army. The Official History of War, when describing the sinking, described the Majestic as the famous ship, the pride of the old Channel fleet, in whose design the whole thought and experience of the Victorian era had culminated HMS MAJESTIC - ROLL OF HONOUR MILLAR, Thomas RN. AB. Gunner. 165506. HMS Majestic. Died 27/05/1915. Broadway, Belfast. Plymouth Naval Memorial, Panel 5. Broadway - PCI RH MURRAY, James AB. 172205. HMS Majestic. Died 27/05/1915. Age 40. Action with submarine off Dardanelles. Born Shankill, Belfast. Son of Richard Loughlin Murray and Eliza Murray, Mountpottinger Rd., Belfast. Plymouth Naval Memorial PREECE, Samuel Charles RN. Stoker 1st Class.SS/103563. HMS Majestic. Died 27/05/1915. Upper Townsend St., Belfast. Plymouth Naval Memorial, Panel 6 SCOTT, William RN. AB. 216800. HMS Majestic. Died 27/05/1915. Age 31. Born Bangor. Son of William and Agnes Scott, Albert St., Bangor. Plymouth Naval Memorial. Bangor Grammar School 16
archives. First Bangor PCI RH and Trinity Presbyterian Church WM THESE ALSO SERVED IN DARDANELLES ATCHESON, James A RN. Petty Officer 1st Class. 185519. HMS Pheasant. Died 01/03/1917. Aged 36. HMS Pheasant hit a mine off the Orkneys and sank. The mine was laid by the German U-boat U80. At the time of her sinking HMS Pheasant was acting as a dispatch ship for the Grand Fleet. She was an M Class destroyer and was launched on 23/10/1916. During the Dardanelles campaign he was stationed at Europa II, a depot in Stavros Bay. Born Mullavilly, 14/04/1880. Enlisted 01/08/1895. Bellevue St., Belfast. Plymouth Naval Memorial. CAIRNS, Robert RN. Stoker 1st Class. K/14000. HMS Russell. Died 27/04/1916. HMS Russell, a Duncan-class battleship, which was detached from the Grand Fleet on 06/11/1915 and despatched to reinforce the British naval squadron in the Dardanelles. HMS Russell participated in the evacuation of Cape Helles from 07/01/1916-09/01/1916 and she was the last battleship of the British Dardanelles Squadron to leave the area. After the conclusion of the Dardanelles campaign, HMS Russell stayed on in the Mediterranean and was steaming off Malta early on the morning of 27/04/1916 when she struck two sea mines that had been laid by the German submarine U-73. A fire broke out in the aft part of the ship and the order to abandon ship was passed. After an explosion near the aft gun turret, she took on a dangerous list but sank slowly, allowing most of the crew to escape. A total of 27 officers and 98 ratings were lost. Born Belfast 23/04/1893. The fifth child of 17
Robert (a factory mechanic) and Ellen Cairns, Greenmount Street, Belfast. Abingdon St., Belfast. Great Victoria Street - PCI RH. Malta (Cappuccini) Naval Cemetery CLEMENTS, Charles Sproule RN. Engine Room Artificer 3rd Class. 272451. HM Submarine G7. Died 01/11/1918. Age 27. HMS G7 was a British G class submarine. Like the rest of her class, G7's role was to patrol the North Sea in search of German U-boats. In October 1918 G7 was on patrol in the North Sea. Communications were lost on 23 October and she was declared lost on 1 November. Charles Clements served in the Dardanelles and at the Battles of Dogger Bank, Helig and Jutland. Born Drumragh, County Tyrone. Son of David A. Clements and Sarah Clements, Dublin Rd., Omagh. Omagh Masonic Lodge RH. Chatham Naval Memorial. First Omagh - PCI RH KEANE, Stephen Vincent RN. Ship's Steward Assistant. 347362. HMS Victory. Age 25. Served at the Battle of Falkland Islands and at the Dardanelles. Born Newtownards. Son of Richard and Elizabeth Keane, Helen's Bay. Bangor Purple Star LOL No. 677 RH. Family memorial Bangor Cemetery MILLAR, Alexander - also recorded as MILLER RNR. Gunner/Stoker. He volunteered for active service in September 1914 (aged about 30 years); before enlisting he was a member of the Portstewart Company, Coleraine Battalion, North Derry Regiment, Ulster Volunteer Force. Ships served in included HMS Majestic in the Dardanelles, Turkey. This ship was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine, U21, on 26 May 1915 and Alex survived the action. Before the War he was a pilot of Coleraine Harbour Company. He lived with his wife, 18
Annie, at Enfield Terrace, Portstewart. His parents, Mr. William and Mrs. Jane Millar, lived at Heathmount, Portstewart, and his uncle, Mr. Thomas Millar, lived at the Orange Hall, Portstewart. Alexander was drowned off Portstewart on 06/01/1923 while working as a pilot and was buried inside the old church at Agherton Cemetery. Agherton Parish Church RH. ++++++++++++++++ Royal Naval Division and Gallipoli Later issues of Brave Report will cover the formation of the Royal Naval Division and its deployment and service in the defence of Antwerp, in Gallipoli, and on the Western Front. Over 60 men from Northern Ireland died serving in the RND ++++++++ HELP REQUESTED Please send names of Ex RN/RM/WRNS who served in either of the world wars. Details also appreciated. CIRCULATION - Please share Brave Report with your former service colleagues - and we will post direct to them if they simply send an e-mail to: houston.mckelvey@btinternet.com, placing Brave Report in the message bar, and give their name and former arm of service, and if they are members of the RNA or RBL, having knowledge of their branch would be appreciated. There are specific areas where we need information from! PUBLICATION NOTES Please note all the material in Brave Report is copyright. 19
Brave Report is collated and published by The Very Rev. Dr Houston McKelvey, OBE QVRM TD. Dr McKelvey served as chaplain for 29 years with 102/105 (Ulster & Scottish) Regiment, Royal Artillery TA; for 20 years as Chaplain to the RBL - Northern Ireland Area, and for a period as chaplain to the Belfast Branch of the Burma Star Association. He was involved in the life of HMS Caroline and HMS Hibernia.He was appointed an Honorary Chaplain to the RNR. He is a Past President of QUB Combined Services Club. 20