The Spirit - Gallipoli Landing 1915
Detailed Description
The painting depicts in the foreground, the second wave of the
10th Battalion (South Australia) scaling the heights at about
0500 hours (civil dawn was at 0455), thirty minutes after the
initial landing, which was in darkness. The first wave of the
three leading Australian battalions, half of the 9th (Queensland),
10th and 11th (Western Australia), are already on Plugge's Plateau
above the top right of the painting.
The
view is looking roughly northwest from the slopes of MacLagan's
Ridge, the spur running from Plugge's Plateau to Hell Spit enclosing
Anzac Cove. The first lights of dawn strike Ari Burnu, the northern
headland of the cove, while in the far distance is the faint outline
of Nibrunesi Point, the southern headland of Suvla Bay. The initial
wave landed either side of Ari Burnu on a frontage of about 370
metres at 0430 hours. The second and third waves were carried
inshore by the destroyers shown in the painting. They landed astride
the cove on a 1500 metre frontage, with the remaining half of
the 10th Battalion and some of the 12th (Tasmania, South and Western
Australia) landing along the cove itself, and it is these men
shown in the painting. The 11th Battalion and part of the 12th
landed north of Ari Burnu, while the second wave companies of
the 9th and part of the 12th landed south of Hell Spit, behind
the viewer.
Contrary to popular opinion the Turkish opposition at Anzac Cove
was relatively light. About 80 riflemen of Second Lieutenant Muharrem's
2nd Platoon, of the 8th Company, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry
Regiment confronted the almost 4000 men of the 3rd Australian
Infantry Brigade. There were no machine guns deployed with this
platoon. The first few boats had grounded, and Private Alex Wilson
was helping Sergeant Fred Coe remove his pack when the first shot
rang out in the pre-dawn darkness. Machine guns mounted on the
Royal Navy steam pinnaces that had towed the boats of the first
wave inshore, then opened fire on the Turkish rifle flashes on
Plugge's Plateau. On the beach the Australians were in dead ground
or defilade to the Turkish riflemen above them. The primary source
evidence and the Australian Official History record the Turks
quickly fell back and the heights overlooking Anzac Cove were
captured about 20 minutes after the first wave landed. In Anzac
to Amiens Charles Bean, the Australian Official Historian, wrote
"Neither then nor at any time later was that beach the inferno
of bursting shells, barbed wire, and falling men that has sometimes
been described or painted." All the photos taken of the beach
later in the morning show only one dead man lying on it, and he
is accurately depicted in the painting at the water's edge.
The
depiction of the troop's headdress is correct. The orders for
the landing directed they were to wear the field service cap,
rather than the slouch hat, to avoid confusion at a distance with
the Turkish headdress; it was felt the sharp round rim of the
field service cap would stand out. Photos of the 3rd Brigade on
board the battleships heading for Gallipoli on the afternoon of
the 24th April, of the 2nd and 1st Brigades disembarking from
the transports and the troops ashore on the morning of the 25th
April show them wearing the cap. Very few wore the slouch hat.
Out to sea steam pinnaces can be seen transferring the last elements
of the 12th Battalion from the destroyers to the beach in tows,
comprising four boats each which were then released and rowed
the final 100- 200 metres to shore. The destroyers are from right
to left HMS Ribble (carried A Company 12th Battalion and 3rd Field
Ambulance), HMS Usk (carried B Company 11th Battalion and half
D Company 12th Battalion), HMS Chelmer (carried D Company 11th
Battalion and half D Company 12th battalion) and HMS Scourge (carried
D Company 10th Battalion and half B company 12th Battalion). The
other three destroyers are out of picture to the viewer's left
and left rear. Behind the destroyers are the transports HMT Galeka
carrying the 6th and 7th Battalions (Victoria) and HMT Novian
carrying the 5th Battalion (Victoria) and 2nd Brigade headquarters.
The 7th is already disembarking into the Galeka's ship's boats.
Fire from Turkish guns at Gaba Tepe,1.8 kilometres south of Anzac
Cove, later forced the transports further out to sea. Behind the
transports is the battleship HMS London which carried A and C
Companies 11th Battalion (part of the first wave) from Mudros
until they disembarked into the boats and were taken in tow by
the steam pinnaces.
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