1^st/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment

Gallipoli - 1915

[Extract taken from 'The Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Regiment' by G.W.H. Peters pp. 66-67 - ISBN 0 85052 034 7]

In some quarters this stalemate had been foreseen since the autumn of 1914. Partly for this reason, partly through a desire to help Russian Allies and partly because our national strategy has always been basically maritime, British statesmen and military leaders began to look elsewhere. In April the attack on Gallipoli, brilliant in conception, rich in promise, but amateur in execution had failed narrowly. In August when 5th Bedfords landed at Suvla Bay as part of 54 Division, hopes of breaking through to the Dardanelles were still high.

The adventures of this Battalion in its first few days of action typify the streng^th And weakness of our Territorials; the dash and spirit in attack which made them irresistible; the inexperience which brought unnecessary casualties when the objective was taken; the local and typically British foundation of their tradition.

'As the last advance was made Captain C. T. Baker of Dunstable, his arm completely shattered went on at the head of his Company until he fell mortally wounded.'

The important point here is not that Captain Baker did his duty, but that he was the son of the Rector of Dunstable. The men killed with him would also have come from Dunstable, perhaps been christened or even married by his father. Sorrow comes easier if it can be shared with pride and dignity. This coin has also a reverse side. Shame is hard to bear, when circumstances are known to all so that men brought up in a small community rarely let their comrades down.

In their very first action on August 15 the 5th Bedfords went off with bayonets fixed and extraordinary dash, rather like Prince Rupert's Cavalry in Cromwell's Civil War. On the first objective it required really superhuman efforts on the part of two experienced officers to restore direction and cohesion. Fortunately this was achieved without sapping enthusiasm for the final charge on a feature known as Kidney Hill.

'It was a great and glorious charge, but the position was won at terrible cost. The whole advance had been made with bayonets fixed and when the final stage was reached and the order to charge rang out the men dashed to the attack. There was no stopping these unblooded British troops; London, Essex and Bedford Territorials charged together, but the men of the 5th Bedfords outstripped the Regiments on their right and left and dashed into the lead, causing the line to form a crescent and sweeping everything before them. Turks went down before cold steel in hundreds, and those who were not killed turned and fled.'

If Kidney Hill did have any tactical importance commanders and staffs seem to have lacked the skill to exploit its capture. The Battalion account reads rather sadly that they held on to it for forty-eight hours, wi^th A skill and tenacity which would have done credit to Regular troops, and were then withdrawn so that the line could be straightened out. And straight it seems to have remained until the evacuation of the Peninsula four months later. When it became apparent that there was to be no quick success at Gallipoli optimistic 'Western Front' voices were raised again. Chief of these was General Joffre. All through the summer of 1915 he had been quietly planning an autumn offensive. The British Government and the British commanders were unenthusiastic as the scale contemplated was such that some of Kitchener's new divisions would become involved before they were deemed ready.

On the other hand we could not argue that these divisions were wanted to exploit a success against Turkey which hadn't materialized.

Diary of Events

For more information about the various Regiments and the events at Gallipoli read 'British Regiments at Gallipoli' by Ray Westlake, published by Leo Cooper, London ISBN 0 85052 511 X

JULY	1915		St. Albans, Hertfordshire. Part of 162nd Brigade, 54th (East Anglian) Division.
		26th	Entrained for Devonport
			Embarked Braemar Castle and sailed 5.30 p.m. Officers — Lieutenant-Colonel E. W. Brighten (Commanding); Captains J.E. Hill, W.K. Meakin, R.M. Smythe, B.C. Cumberland, R. Forrest, C.T. Baker, E.V. Andreini, E.T. Maier; Lieutenants C.R. James, C.R. Lydekker, W.S. Chirnside, F.S. Shoosmith, R.O. Clarke, F.W. Ballance, F.B. Hobbs, F.W.H. Nicholas, C.R. Day; Second-Lieutenants J.T. Yarde, F. Rising, P.R. Chaundler, R.D.J. Brighten, L.J. Hunter, E.L. Rawlings, H.E. Woodhouse, H.S. Toogood; Captain H. Younghusband (Adjutant), Lieutenant G.O. Lydekker (Quartermaster), Lieutenant F.C. Kempson (Medical Officer).
AUGUST	1915	3rd	Called Malta
		6th	Arrived Alexandria, Egypt 2.30 p.m.
		7th	Sailed for Lemnos 5 p.m.
		10th	Arrived Mudros 9 a.m. and there received orders to proceed to Imbros.
		11th	Arrived 3.00 p.m. Ordered to Suvla
			Arrived 5.30 a.m. War Diary records German aeroplane dropped bombs on shipping but hit nothing. Disembarked and moved inland to bivouacs.
		14th	First casualties — Lieutenant Chaundler and Private Barton wounded.
		15th	Moved forward for attack — “B” Company on right, “A” Company left, “C” and “D” in reserve. First objective taken with little loss. Advance on second objective, Kidney Hill, met with heavy shrapnel and rifle fire. In his history of the battalion, Captain F.A.M. Webster notes that during the advance, direction was lost, but good work by Major J.E. Hill and Captain H. Younghusband pushed the attack on. War Diary records . . . “attack arrived through with tremendous dash — hill taken and entrenched. Casualties — 14 officers & 300 men.” Officers killed or died of wounds — Captain C.T. Baker, Captain B.C. Cumberland, Captain W.K. Meakin, Lieutenant F. Rising, Lieutenant C.R. Lydekker, Lieutenant R. Brighten (brother of commanding officer). One company is recorded as finishing up led by a private having lost all of its officers and N.C.Os. Trenches improved under constant shelling and sniping.
		20th	Relieved by 1/11th London 8 p.m. and to reserve (about 100 yards behind front line) at Lone Tree Gully.
		21st	Lieutenant F.S. Shoosmith killed by sniper.
		23rd	To rest camp at Lala Baba camp
		26th	Took over bivouacs from 1/4th Northamptonshire during night
		28th	Moved to Anzac
		29th	Took over fire trenches from 6th King’s Own near enemy’s position at Sandbag Ridge
SEPTEMBER	1915	4th	Relieved by 1/11th London and to reserve positions at Finsbury Vale.
		5th	War Diary notes Vale “unsafe” and new sap made called “New Bedford Road.”
		11th	To front line trenches
		12th	Continual sniping from Sandbag Ridge recorded.
		13th	Captain R.M. Smythe wounded
		14th	Captain R.M. Smythe died of wounds
		17th	Relieved by 1/11th London and to Finsbury Vale
		21st	Draft of 9 officers arrived. Strength now 16 officers, 461 other ranks.
		22nd	To front line.
		29th	Relieved by 1/11th London and to Finsbury Vale
OCTOBER	1915	7th	To front line. Draft of 5 officers arrived.
		13th	Relieved by 1/11th London and to reserve bivouacs at Hay Valley. “C” Company remaining in local support. Squadron of 1/1st Suffolk Yeomanry attached for 3-day period of instruction.
		16th	“C” Company returned
		19th	To front line. Draft of 3 officers arrived. “D” Squadron, 1/1st Suffolk Yeomanry attached for 3 days.
		22nd	Strength recorded as 236.
		24th	War Diary notes that “Second-Lieutenant Woodhouse went out to cliff named after him and obtained some very useful information.”
		25th	Patrol occupied enemy post on Bulgar Bluff. Captain Webster records that this position was occupied in turn by patrols from both sides and was regularly the scene of the most bloody hand-to-hand fighting.
		26th	Relieved by “C” and “D” Squadrons, 1/1st Suffolk Yeomanry and to Hay Valley.
		31st	To front line. Strength — 21 officers, 235 other ranks.
NOVEMBER	1915	4th	War Diary records a bomb catapult being erected on left of line. Captain Webster notes that the machine made such noise during arming that the Turks had ample warning of its intended use.
		5th	Relieved and to Finsbury Vale.
		10th	To front line. War Diary records that Turkish deserter from Sandbag Ridge was interrogated and provided useful information.
		15th	Relieved and to Finsbury Vale.
		20th	To front line.
		25th	To Finsbury Vale.
DECEMBER	1915	2nd	Moved to Taylor’s Hollow.
		3rd	Sailed El Kahirah for Mudros
		4th	Arrived Mudros 8.30 a.m.

Gallipoli - 1915 - Deaths - Bedfordshire Men

	Surname	Forenames	Rank	Number	Date of Death	Cause of death	Place of Residence
	ABBOTT	Rowland	Lance Corporal	4025	21st August 1915	Died of wounds	Luton
	AMBRIDGE	Charles John	Private	3500	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
	ANDERSON	Edward	Private	4386	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
	BAKER	Charles Tanueray	Captain		15th August 1915	Killed in action	Dunstable
	BAKER	William John	Private	4177	17th September 1915	Died of wounds	Harlington
	BARTON	[Cyril] Bert	Private	3120	17th August 1915	Died of wounds	Luton
	BERRY	Harry	Private	4087	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
	BILLING	Thomas	Sergeant	3684	17th August 1915	Killed in action	Wootton
	BLAYDON	Albert Edward	Private	5073	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Leagrave
	BRIGHTEN	Ralph Dalton Jarvis	2nd Lieutenant		15th August 1915	Killed in action	Biggleswade
	BROWN	George Henry	Private	4350	9th September 1915	Died of wounds	Luton
	BUCKINGHAM	David William	Sergeant	2911	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
	BUTLER	Thomas Richard William	Sergeant	2445	18th August 1915	Died of wounds	Wootton
	BYGRAVE	Frederick William	Private	3684	16th September 1915	Died of wounds	Bedford
	CARTER	Herbert Bruce	Private	3005	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Shefford
	CAVES	E Jonathan	Private	4606	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Marston
	COUSINS	Alfred Richard	Private	4461	22nd August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
	CUMBERLAND	Brian Clark	Captain		15th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
	CURTIS	Albert John	Private	4746	15th August 1915	Died of wounds	Bromham
	DIEMER	George Henry	Private	3819	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Bedford
	DIX	William	Private	3956	4th September 1915	Killed in action	Flitwick
	DRACUP	Albert Frank	Lance Sergeant	3026	17th August 1915	Killed in action	Bedford
	DUMPLETON	Walter	Lance Corporal	3715	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
	ELLINGHAM	Alfred James	Private	3915	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
	ELLISON	James Richard	Corporal	3256	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Kempston
	FARNHAM	George	Private	5037	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Eaton Bray
	FENSOME	William	Private	4487	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
	FINCH	George Alfred Victor	Private	3019	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Dunstable
	FLORIN	William Joseph	Private	4081	17th September 1915	Died of wounds	Luton
	FOLKES	Frederick	Acting Lance Corporal	3964	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Wootton
	FOSTER	William Henry	Sergeant	2958	17th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
	FOWLER	Frank F	Private	5077	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Arlesey
	GOODSHIP	Horace	Private	3840	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Stopsley
	GRAVES	Alexander	Private	4489	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
	GRIBBLE	Arthur	Private	3323	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Bedford
	HINKS	Albert	Sergeant	2382	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
	HOLLIMAN	Percy	Private	3237	26th September 1915	Died of wounds	Houghton Regis
	HOPKINS	Thomas	Acting Sergeant	3796	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Bedford
	HOWE[S]	Percy Archie	Private	3178	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Kempston
	HURD	Leonard	Private	3449	16th August 1915	Died of wounds	Luton
	HUTCHINGS	George	Private	4229	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
	HUTCHINGS	Percy John	Private	4165	3rd September 1915	Killed in action	Bedford
	IBBETT	William George	Private	3073	23rd September 1915	Died	Luton
	JARVIS	William	Corporal	3899	20th August 1915	Died of wounds	Luton
	KING	Harry	Private	5064	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Meppershall
	KNIGHT	Albert Frederick	Private	3834	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Bedford
	LAWSON	Arthur	Private	5089	5th September 1915	Died of wounds	Eversholt
	LEWIN	Ralph	Private	3875	15th September 1915	Killed in action	Luton
	LLOYD	Alfred Fieldhouse	Private	4245	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
	LYDEKKER	Cyril Richard	Lieutenant		15th August 1915	Killed in action	Harpenden
	MARDLE	Horace	Private	4065	16th August 1915	Died of wounds	Caddington
	MAYNARD	William Jesse	Private	4164	13th September 1915	Died of wounds	Aspley Guise
	MEAKIN	Walter Kendrick	Captain		15th August 1915	Killed in action	Bedford
	MITCHELL	Albert Edward	Private	4401	3rd September 1915	Killed in action	Luton
	OVERTON	Ethelbert	Private	4932	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Newmarket
	PAGE	Ernest Charles	Private	3030	16th August 1915	Died of wounds	St. Neots
	PARKER	Charles Edwin	Private	3339	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Bedford
	PAYNE	Albert	Corporal	2289	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
	PAYNE	Nathan	Sergeant	3457	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
	PERRY	Frederick Ernest	Private	2846	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Leighton Buzzard
	PUDDEPHATT	Harold Fred	Private	3066	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
	QUICK	Harold Arthur	Private	4735	6th September 1915	Died of wounds	Leighton Buzzard
	RIMMER	Frank	Private	4085	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
	RISING	Frederick	2nd Lieutenant		15th August 1915	Killed in action	Old Bedford Grammarian
	ROBINSON	Hedley	Private	2726	24th September 1915	Died of wounds	Houghton
	ROBINSON	Jack A W	Lance Sergeant	3035	17th August 1915	Killed in action	Ampthill
	SHOOSMITH	Frank Stewart	Lieutenant		21st August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
	SHREEVES	Maurice	Private	4905	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Kempston
	SMITH	Alfred	Private	4275	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
	SMITH	Francis Edward	Private	4277	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Houghton Regis
	SNOXELL	Cyril	Private	3099	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
	STAPLETON	William	Sergeant	3959	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Ampthill
	STENHOUSE	James or John	Private	3553	17th August 1915	Died of wounds	Luton
	STOKES	George	Private	3998	18th August 1915	Died of wounds	Kempston
	THURLOW	Frederick W	Private	2762	17th August 1915	Died of wounds	Luton
	TOWNE	Joseph	Private	3744	16th August 1915	Killed in action	New Harrowden
	TRUEMAN	Reginald	Private	4108	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Bedford
	TUFFNELL	Benjamin	Private	4291	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
	WOODCRAFT	Albert	Private	2928	17th August 1915	Died of wounds	Flitwick

See also Steve Fuller's The Bedfordshire Regiment in the Great War