THE failure of the August offensive by the Allied forces at Anzac was a watershed. There was a growing acceptance that the Allies would not succeed in pushing the Turks back. Australian Keith Murdoch, (later Sir Keith, and father of Rupert Murdoch), had revealed to London and Australia in late September that the Gallipoli campaign seemed destined for failure.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
On November 13, 1915, Lord Kitchener, British Secretary of State for War, visited Gallipoli to assess the situation first hand.
Without significant reinforcement and the bringing in of considerable artillery resources, little progress could, in his opinion, be made against the strengthening Turkish trenches. Moreover, local commanders were extremely worried about the problems of supplying Gallipoli throughout the winter with its many severe storms.1
By November 22 he had recommended evacuation, and withdrawal plans were started.
At this time I believe there were around 140,000 Allied personnel on the Gallipoli peninsula with 41,000 of these being at Anzac. It was to be a massive operation, and created great risk should the enemy sense what was happening, and attack during this time when forces would be far from able to fully resist them.
The evacuation plan was devised by a brilliant Australian, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Brudenell White, Chief of Staff, Anzac Corps. As it turned out, the evacuation was probably the most successful operation conducted by the Allies.
Silent stunt
Plans were made to deceive the Turks. Between November 24 and 27 the troops at Anzac were ordered not to fire on the Turks unless they were attacked or threatened. This so-called ‘Silent Stunt’ was to help deceive the enemy into thinking that a silence did not necessarily mean withdrawal.1
Drip rifles
A further means of deception was the use of drip rifles (or “pop off” rifles) which were self-firing, and continued after all troops had left. Two cans were used, one at the top, and full of water, one underneath and empty, but attached by a pull line to the trigger. At the time of evacuation, small holes were made in the upper can and it dripped into the lower one until that can became heavy enough to pull the trigger.
Such devices provided sporadic firing which helped convince the Turks that the Anzac front line was occupied long after thousands of men had left. For the part he played in making the evacuation a success, Scurry was mentioned in dispatches, awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, and promoted to sergeant.2
Evacuation
By December 9 the Anzac garrison had been reduced to 36,000 men. Between December 9 and 18 a gradual evacuation, mainly at night, of a further 16,000 troops and equipment from Anzac took place.1
From December 12 onwards, most of the remaining troops at Anzac became aware that a full withdrawal was in progress. Charles Bean, official historian, wrote;
“The cemeteries of Anzac were never without men, in twos and threes or singly, ‘tidying’ up the grave of some dear friend, and repairing or renewing little packing-wood crosses and rough inscriptions.” 1
This story and more will be told at the forthcoming extensive Anzac Exhibition at Tilba from April 23 to 26. It is recommended you diarise this.
Sources:
1 www.anzacsite.gov.au
2 www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/gallipoli/drip_rifle/
3 www.firstworldwar.com
4 C.E.W. Bean, The Story of Anzac from 4 May, 1915, to the evacuation of the Gallipoli Peninsula, Australia in the war of 1914-1918, Vol. II (Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1941): p883-84.
