FIVE MONTHS AT ANZAC COVE - an account of the Dardanelles Campaign during WWI E-Book

Lt. Col. J. L. Beetson

• Herausgeber: Abela Publishing
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

From ancient times it has been the custom of removing wounded soldiers from the battlefield and caring for them. They were usually taken to temporary shelters and given what care was available for that time period. Homer's Iliad makes brief mention of Machaon and Podalirius, the earliest known mention of field surgeons, who helped fallen soldiers. During the crusades, the Knights Hospitallers, a religious order , had set up field hospitals at Jerusalem and Acre between 1120 to 1291. During the 13th C. conquest of Granada, Queen Isabella of Spain established ambulances, or field hospitals for her soldiers. They followed the Arabic pattern of organising patients into different areas based on sex, type of disease or injuries. Medical services in the British armed services go as far back as the formation of the Standing Regular Army after the Restoration of Charles II in 1660. Field Hospitals and treatment of the wounded really came to the public’s attention during the Crimean War (1853 – 1856) through the exploits of Florence Nightingale During the Great War the total number of military and civilian casualties was more than 38 million: there were over 17 million deaths and 20 million wounded, sadly, ranking it among the deadliest conflicts in human history. With their experience during the second Boer War (1899 – 1902) fresh in their minds, it was logical that Australian Army HQ set about establishing forward army hospitals, then called Field Ambulances, to join the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) which was dispatched to ANZAC Cove on the Gallipoli Peninsula bounded by Dardanelles Straits of Turkey. In 1914 Lieutenant-Colonel Beeston departed Australia at the head of the 4th Field Ambulance of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). The chronicles of his experiences of the Campaign are recounted in this book. He goes on to relate the unique humour of the Australian forces, the privations of field life, and the characters alongside whom he served. He makes specific mention of a courageous private who transported many wounded men to safety on a water-carrier donkey, and also of the soldier whose preferred service uniform comprised 'only a hat, pants, boots and his smile' – move over Corporal Clinger, the Okkers were at it long before you were in the 4077th M.A.S.H. unit during the Korean War - nearly forty years later.

Leseprobe

FIVE MONTHS AT ANZAC COVE

A NARRATIVE OF PERSONAL EXPERIENCES OF THE OFFICER COMMANDING THE 4th FIELD AMBULANCE, AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE

By

JOSEPH LIEVESLEY BEESTON

C.M.G., V.D., L.R.C.S.I., Colonel A.A.M.C. Late O.C. 4th Field Ambulance, late A.D.M.S. New Zealand and Australian Division

WITH PHOTOGRAPHS

Originally Published by

ANGUS & ROBERTSON LTD., SYDNEY

[1916]

Republished by

Abela Publishing, London

[2017]

FIVE MONTHS AT ANZAC COVE

Typographical arrangement of this edition

© Abela Publishing 2017

This book may not be reproduced in its current format in any manner in any media, or transmitted by any means whatsoever, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, or mechanical ( including photocopy, file or video recording, internet web sites, blogs, wikis, or any other information storage and retrieval system) except as permitted by law without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Abela Publishing,

London

United Kingdom

2017

ISBN 13: 978-8-826479-99-6

email:

[email protected]

website:

http://www.AbelaPublishing.com/

DEDICATION

To the officers, non-commissioned officers and men of the 4th field ambulance, A.I.F., of whose loyalty and devotion to duty the writer hereby expresses his deep appreciation.

* * * * * * *

Frontis

Troops and Equipment being landed at Anzac Cove

CONTENTS

FOURTH FIELD AMBULANCE

THE VOYAGE

EGYPT

TO GALLIPOLI

THE ANZAC LANDING

AT WORK ON THE PENINSULA

INCIDENTS AND YARNS

AIR FIGHTING

THE OFFICERS' MESS

THE ARMISTICE

TORPEDOING OF THE TRIUMPH

THE DESTROYERS

THE INDIAN REGIMENTS

THE SWIMMING

TURKISH PRISONERS

POST OFFICE

SANITARY ARRANGEMENTS

SIMPSON

CHURCH SERVICES

THE ENGINEERS

TURKS ATTACK

RED CROSS

PREPARING FOR THE ADVANCE

THE ATTEMPT ON SARI BAIR

AMBULANCE WORK

ARTILLERY

TURKS AS FIGHTERS

FOURTH FIELD AMBULANCE

Shortly after the outbreak of War—after the first contingent had been mobilised, and while they were undergoing training—it became evident that it would be necessary to raise another force to proceed on the heels of the first. Three Infantry Brigades with their Ambulances had already been formed; orders for a fourth were now issued, and naturally the Ambulance would be designated Fourth Field Ambulance.