The Star: April 13, 2017

The Star Latest Christchurch news at www. .kiwi
Thursday April 13 2017 5
to life
POIGNANT: A giant sculpture of Dr
Fenwick is on display as part of the The
Scale of Our War exhibition at Te Papa
(far left), and as a Lieutenant Colonel
outside his dugout in Anzac Cove.
The Gallipoli landing:
“We were frightfully
hampered by our kit –
overcoat, revolver, glasses,
map case, haversack, three
days rations, firewood, Red
Cross satchel, water bottle
– like elephants. It was a
certainty that we would
drown if we got stuck.
“After waiting, a steam
picket boat came along in
charge of a very fat rosy midshipman.
He took a string of
boats in tow and we were off.
Our boat grounded about 50
feet from the shore and we
all hopped out. Of course, I
fell into a hole up to my neck.
I could hardly struggle ashore
and when I did the first thing
I saw was Beck sitting on a
stone, roaring with laughter at
us. Bill Beck was the first New
Zealander of Godley’s force
to get on to Gallipoli.”
On treating the wounded:
“Several dead men were
lying on the beach . . . every
minute the numbers increased
and, as in addition
fresh troops came ashore
with mules and ammunition,
the chaos became
appalling . . . this state
of things lasted all day.
It seemed impossible for
men to live under the hail of
bullets. Capt Craig dressed
over 100 cases under fire.
One of his assistants had
his finger shot off while
helping him. Men were constantly
hit in our station and
their pluck and devotion in
continuing their work under
these galling conditions is
hopelessly above praise.
“At midnight I got four
big horse boats, which
held 12 stretchers on the
bottom and I packed in
less severe cases along
the sides, sitting, kneeling,
lying – anyhow, about 120
all told. I got these four off
at last at 1.30, and lay down
in the rain at the side of
the hill. I certainly was very
astonished that I was alive.
A more hellish Sunday one
could not conceive.”
“Total to date 5000 (approximately)
casualties,
about three men per yard of
ground gained.”
On burying the dead:
“The most ghastly day. This
morning I was ordered to act
as the [delineating] officer for
the burial of the dead
. . . raining heavily. I got a
loan of a dead or missing
man’s overcoat and was all
right.
“We were met by some
Turkish officers who arrived
on horseback followed by
50 very fine looking Turks,
carrying Red Crescent and
white flags. One of the officers
was a German doctor.
We were introduced by our
interpreters and moved up
the hillside in two long lines.
Every 100 yards or so we
stationed a man with a white
flag, and opposite to him the
Turks posted one of their
men. We clambered through
dripping bushes, with beautiful
poppies and flowers.
“Coming over the crest of
the hill, I found the first New
Zealander, lying on his face.
Poor lad! A few yards climb
brought us on a plateau, and
a most awful sight was here.
The Turkish dead lay so thick
that it was almost impossible
to pass without treading
on the bodies. The awful
destructive power of high
explosive was very evident.
Huge holes surrounded by
circles of corpses, blown to
pieces. One shell had fallen
and set fire to a bush, as a
dead man lay charred to the
bone. Everywhere on looked
lay dead, swollen, black, hideous,
and overall a nauseating
stench that nearly made
one vomit.
“Behind us for at least
two miles, we could see
our burial parties working
furiously. In some cases the
dead actually formed part
of the trench wall. It was a
terrible sight to see arms and
legs sticking out of the sand,
underneath the sandbags . . .
I left, feeling deadly ill.
“I only saw about 10 of ours
but, at a very modest estimate,
I saw 2000 dead Turks.
The Turkish officers were
charming. The Germans
were rude and dictatorial
and accused us of digging
trenches. I lost my temper
(and my German) and told
him the corpses were so
decomposed they could
not be lifted and our men
were merely digging pits
to put the awful things into.
The Turkish medico was extremely
nice. We exchanged
cigarettes and I said to him I
hoped that after the war we
should smoke a cigarette.’’
“If this is war, I trust NZ
will never be fool enough to
forget that to avoid war one
most [must] be too strong to
invite war.”
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