The sole casualty was a donkey
killed. On the beach near-by a lighter had been blown ashore. In its
vicinity some of the men were in the habit of bathing. The Turks shelled
the locality one afternoon and the bathers took cover under the distant
side of the boat. From this they emerged rather hurriedly when a shell
lobbed right into the craft. But instead of forsaking the neighbourhood
they lay about under the sand ridges, and when a shell landed were seen
to rush out and "souvenir" the copper driving band, from which
interesting mementos were manufactured by the artificers of the adjacent
howitzer battery.

Advantage was taken of the relatively quiet period to pay a visit to the
IX. Corps. A party of officers traversed the front line as far as the
headquarters at Suvla. In doing so they not only had the opportunity of
surveying the positions, but also of meeting a great number of the units
who had been so sorely tried in the August fighting and who did so well
later in Palestine and Mesopotamia. London and County Regiments,
Ghurkas, Sikhs, Welsh miners, and Scottish and Irish units, were all
represented and received the Australians with evident curiosity.

FOOTNOTES:

[P] Gallipoli Diary.

CHAPTER IX.

GALLIPOLI (continued).

On November 4th, at 9 p.m., an unusually heavy outburst of firing
commenced on the extreme right and rapidly spread along to Russell's
Top. Flares were seen to be ascending freely. Later on came the news
that the Turks had made an attack near Chatham's Post and had been
successfully repulsed.

November 11th saw the return of the miners from the Apex, also the
Machine Gunners and Lieut. Phillips' platoon from Canterbury Slope. This
was preparatory to a junction with the 2nd Division, which was effected
the following night. As the last of the 7th Brigade was now leaving the
N.Z. and A Division area, General Godley forwarded to the Brigadier a
message expressing his complete satisfaction with its fighting
qualities, work, and promise. Subsequent events amply justified this
proof of his goodwill and judgment.

During the night of the 12th the headquarters of the Battalion were
moved to Happy Valley. This feature formed the northern side of Walker's
Ridge and ran up to Russell's Top, then occupied by the 26th Battalion.
Prior to the August advance 3,000 troops had been successfully concealed
there. The sides of the valley were steep and composed mostly of loose
soil rendering excavat