FRIDAY, 19 DECEMBER 2025
Evacuation Troops return to Gallipoli, November 1915
The New Zealand brigades returned to Anzac on 8-9 November. While they had received some fresh reinforcements from Egypt, every unit was below strength and the men’s health remained poor. The onset of winter did
not help their frail bodies. Frostbite and hypothermia became rife as cold rain, icy wind and snow lashed the peninsula. A huge storm at the end of November flooded trenches and caused many deaths among the exposed troops. Anzac troops return to Gallipoli by picket boat after a period of rest and reorganisation on the Greek island of Lemnos. After the battles at Chunuk Bair and Hill 60, the New Zealand infantry and mounted rifles were sent to Lemnos in mid-September 1915 to rest and receive reinforcements from Egypt. They spent seven weeks at Sarpi Camp, near the village of Mudros (now Moudros), before returning to Gallipoli in early November.
The deteriorating conditions, and the Ottomans’ growing strength, finally convinced the British to order the evacuation of Suvla and Anzac on 22 November. Planning moved quickly and, in contrast to the shambolic landings of April, efficiently. To maintain security, troops were told their units were heading to Lemnos for a rest, although rumours of evacuation were rife as stores disappeared and supplies were not replaced. Now & again batches of troops were taken away, till at last roughly 45,000 troops were left to hold the lines. Fine weather & secrecy were required for our success. How secrecy was kept was a mystery to us all, as the fact was known for some time previous, & yet as events transpired, it is almost certain the enemy never had an inkling of what our next move was going to be. … On Saturday December 18th, half of those left were to be taken off, the remainder to hold the line until the next night. So anything of any use – ammunition etc – was buried or destroyed, except what would be required. Then Saturday came & the first lot were taken off successfully. Among those left for the last night were the machine Gunners, & all their equipment had to be taken away – so rifles – worked automatically with water dripping into a tin, & made fast to the trigger, & which were placed at intervals in the trenches, these would fire every now and then. James McWhirter, Auckland Battalion, in Gavin McLean, Ian McGibbon and Kynan Gentry (eds), The Penguin book of New Zealanders at war, Penguin, North Shore, 2009, pp. 158–9 Allied and Ottoman forces during the Gallipoli campaign The Gallipoli campaign was a costly failure for the Allies, with an estimated 27,000 French, and 115,000 British and dominion troops (Great Britain and Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, India, and Newfoundland) Maggie Marriott's nom de guerre Page 30 of 41 Maggie Marriott
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