of a tin of bully beef, a bag of small biscuits, and some
tea and sugar, dixies, a tent, medical comforts, and (for firewood)
all the empty cases we could scrape up in the ship. Each squad had a
set of splints, and every man carried a tourniquet and two roller
bandages in his pouch. Orders were issued that the men were to make
the contents of their water-bottles last three days, as no water was
available on shore.

The following evening the remainder of the Ambulance, less the
transport, was ordered ashore. We embarked in a trawler, and steamed
towards the shore in the growing dusk as far as the depth of water
would allow. The night was bitterly cold, it was raining, and all felt
this was real soldiering. None of us could understand what occasioned
the noise we heard at times, of something hitting the iron deck houses
behind us; at last one of the men exclaimed: "Those are bullets, sir,"
so that we were having our baptism of fire. It was marvellous that no
one was hit, for they were fairly frequent, and we all stood closely
packed. Finally the skipper of the trawler, Captain Hubbard, told me
he did not think we could be taken off that night, and therefore
intended to drop anchor. He invited Major Meikle and myself to the
cabin, where the cook served out hot tea to all hands. I have drunk a
considerable number of cups of tea in my time, but that mug was very,
very nice. The night was spent dozing where we stood, Paddy being very
disturbed with the noise of the guns.

At daylight a barge was towed out and, after placing all our equipment
on board, we started for the beach. As soon as the barge grounded, we
jumped out into the water (which was about waist deep) and got to dry
land. Colonel Manders, the A.D.M.S. of our Division, was there, and
directed us up a gully where we were to stay in reserve for the time
being, meantime to take lightly-wounded cases. One tent was pitched
and dug-outs made for both men and patients, the Turks supplying
shrapnel pretty freely. Our position happened to be in rear of a
mountain battery, whose guns the Turks appeared very anxious to
silence, and any shells the battery did not want came over to us. As
soon as we were settled down I had time to look round. Down on the
beach the 1st Casualty Clearing Station (under Lieutenant-Colonel
Giblin) and the Ambulance of the Royal Marine Light Infantry were at
work. There were scores of casualties awaiting treatment, some of them
horribly knocked a