G. Milne).

For two days after the battle all units were kept busy gathering up the
arms, equipment and loose ammunition with which the terrain was
littered, as well as maintaining the defence of the captured positions.

On the afternoon of July 15th, "C" and "D" Companies took over the
trenches on the west of the Achi Baba nullah from the Plymouth
Battalion, while "A" Company relieved part of the Drake Battalion and
the 6th H.L.I. on the east of the nullah. This relief had to be carried
out after nightfall, as the position was as yet unsafe from Turkish
marksmen who sniped the approaches by day. The sector included the
famous Horse Shoe Trench which was then a death trap, although, after
much labour had been expended upon it, it was latterly known as the
safest position on the Peninsula.

That first night was an eerie one for "A" Company, and for our
Signalling Officer, Captain R.H. Morrison, who had to link up Battalion
Headquarters in Wigan Road with the isolated company. Selecting a quiet
interval about 11 p.m. he slipped out from F12 with a couple of his
Headquarters signallers to run the line across. Working over almost
unknown ground, with only a general idea of the direction and position
of the enemy, their worst anxiety was lest in the dark they should lead
their wire into a Turkish trench instead of the Horse Shoe. A few
bullets were sweeping down the nullah as they crossed, but fortunately
none of the little party was hit. Breasting the slope on the further
side they eventually landed safely in the Horse Shoe, much to the
surprise of the sentries there. It did not take long to instal the
instrument, and, leaving one of the signallers in charge of the new
station, the party retraced its steps and got back to Headquarters
shortly before midnight to report communication established.

On the 16th we took over from the Manchester a small stretch of trenches
on our left, and "C" Company salved fifteen asphyxiating bombs from a
pent-house in one of the nullah trenches. A captured Turkish officer,
evidently disapproving of these innovations by his German masters, had
given information as to where they would be found. Packed in two cases
marked RAKATEN, they were long, slender, uncanny-looking projectiles
evidently intended for discharge from a trench-mortar.

For the next two days and nights we laboured almost unceasingly,
dog-tired and hardly able to keep awake, improving our defences.

The R.E. wired our fron