At the Anzac Day dawn service the vice president of the Walcha RSL sub-branch , Elizabeth Gill, read extracts from letters from her mother-in-law’s uncle - Tom Johnston.
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Born in Walcha in 1890, Tom was the youngest of 11 children. He enlisted on August 28, 1914 as a Drive and departed Sydney on board the ‘Argyllshire’ on October 18, 1914. On board were about 400 horses and over 1000 men.
They disembarked at Alexandria in Egypt on December 9, 1914. Horses and men were transported by train to Cairo and then marched 10 miles out to join the Mena Camp near the pyramids. There were about 26,000 men in camp at this time with more men arriving all the time. Tom was allocated a horse and appointed Lead Driver of the First Team of F sub section – Brigade Ammunition Column. Their time was spent training and working with their horses. At the beginning of April 1915, they disbanded Mena camp and with all their horses, wagons and everything they possessed, marched to the Cairo railway station, where they were transported by rail to the wharf at Alexandria. On April 9, they were all loaded onto the boat ‘Indian’.
Following the battle at Gallipoli Tom went on to serve in both France and Belgium, serving on the Somme front five times, as well as Ypres, Armentieres, Zillibecke, Messines, Paschendaele.
With four years intense military action and with minimal leave, the statement in one of his last letters home: “Please do not ask any questions about the War as I want to forget it,” was quite understandable.
He returned to Australia in December 1918 and was discharged in February 1919. Despite being gassed in Belgium and given months to live, he survived to the ripe old age of 88 years, passing away in Walcha in 1978.
Letter from Lemnos Island, 24th April 1915
My dear Mother
You see from the above that we are not far from the fighting line now. We have been here about a fortnight now and have been on shore twice, once with a bathing party, and once we carried a tow line and anchor for the pontoons.
In a few days we expect to be engaged in the severest battle ever fought. The great forts of the Narrows are to be attacked by land, water, under the water and air.
I suppose you have read of the four British ships going down in the Dardenelles! Well, we have a few of the Blue Jackets off a couple of them on this boat with us and the tales they tell of the fights makes my hair stand on end! I am great mates with one off the “Ocean”. This new mate of mine is a man about 45 and has described mines and torpedoes to me till I feel I could nearly work one myself. Of course I could tell you the names and numbers and places where we have been but I am afraid you will have to wait till I reach home again.
I was very pleased to receive your letter and pillow cover, also Ann’s with Joyce’s photo. Isn’t she a great kid? Of course you will quite understand that we are not allowed to carry anything more than is absolutely necessary, and as our kit bags are still in Alexandria and me here, when I got your parcel I gave the cover to my friend off the “Ocean”. He lost everything when his boat sank and was very pleased to receive anything from Australia. He says it will be put in his rocking chair at home. He gave me a beautiful jack knife which came off the “Ocean”. He was wearing it when she went down. He also gave me a small piece of shell that was picked up on her deck and was fired from the Turkish forts. I will keep them both till I get home.
Don’t forget my stockwhip is to be sent to Len Rial if I don’t get back, also the quart pot holder and bridle. But I don’t think I have anything to fear. Len and I get a pudding every day from the cooks since we have been on board this old tub. Dumplings, plum pudding, sago, apples and rice, tapioca, macaroni – so you see we have a change.
We saw a sight today that I don’t suppose we will ever see again.
The naval men hauled up the pontoons and placed them on their stands on board and lashed them. Aeroplanes were flying round the harbour nearly all day, the Dirigible was up a fair height. It was used for observation purposes.
The monoplane was very busy and the Men o’ War were moving about as if anxious to be doing something.
The Battleships escorted a batch of Infantry transports out of the harbour and were followed by torpedo boats and submarines. WE WERE ALL IN OUR GLORY FOR WE WERE TO BE GIVEN A CHANCE TO MAKE A NAME FOR AUSTRALIA.
Shortly after 1pm we heard the rattle of the anchor chain and we knew that the old “Indian” was about to make a move. With a dozen or more boats, we were also escorted out of the harbour by Battleships, torpedo boats and submarines. We all settled down again, about 4.30 pm, in another snug little harbour, and waited. It was a fine sight to watch all the boats with different regiments on board, passing by with battleships of all descriptions accompanying them. Every time a Man o’ War passed, the Bugler on the Transports sounded the “salute” and every man had to stand to attention till she had passed. Then the “carry-on” sounded and everyone went on with his work.
It is just about mid night now and as I am on stable picquet, I thought I would write this on the chance of your receiving it. The Navy are keeping up a strong conversation with each other and the Transports, by means of their Heliographs. Message after message is flashed across the water.
27th April
This is a continuation of the letter I wrote a few days ago. Haven’t had a chance to post it.
In the early hours of the morning of Sunday the 25th, we all weighed anchor and stole silently out of the bay and headed for the Dardanelles. The only noise to be heard was the throb of the huge engines and the swish of the water as we glided along.
One would have thought we were on a pleasure trip, as everyone was sleeping so peacefully, except the picquet of which I was one. But the slumbers were soon to be disturbed, for about 4 am, land loomed in sight and proved to be the Gallipoli Peninsula. At first it looked peaceful enough, but as we drew nearer we could hear the crack of rifles and the rattle of the Maxims which fire about 600 shots per minute. Suddenly, a huge flash of fire spat out from the “Queen Elizabeth” followed by a terrific roar. She had fired one of her huge 15 inch guns, just to bid the Turks “Good Morning”.
We were at GABA TEPE. In a few minutes, the decks of all the transports were swarming with men. Other Battleships and Cruisers then got into position and opened fire into the steep range of hills, on which the Australian and New Zealanders were landing. The roar of the big guns from the boats soon drowned all sound of rifle fire. The air for some time was alive with shells. Broadsides were fired again and again. The Transports were in fairly close to the shore and the Turks fired a few heavy shells at them. They came screaming through the air and with a roar like thunder they burst in the air and fell into the water and sent a spray up 100 feet or more. A couple of Turkish shells burst quite close to our boat this morning. I was on deck and I can assure you I ducked my head as the shell exploded and the shrapnel poured in torrents into the water.
We were ordered further back into safety and then watched the “Queen Elizabeth” and the “Triumph” engage a couple of Forts which they soon silenced. As the morning wore on, Bi-planes went up and flew round the Turkish positions and a Dirigible balloon was used for an observation station.
Our infantry were landing all this time, on a small beach at the foot of great hill that was alive with Turks covered with Artillery, which opened fire on our men before they could get out of their boats. The Infantry went ashore from the Transports in trawlers. As soon as the trawler got in as close as she could, the men had to get off with all speed. Hundreds jumped into the water, up to their waists, and waded out and formed up in a sort of line on the beach, and with fixed bayonets charged up this precipitous hill under a murderous fire from rifles and cannon, but they did not flinch, so eager were they to get at the Turks.
The fire from the big cruisers and Battleships is very nice to watch, but I believe they play havoc with the Turks. The “Queen Elizabeth” with her huge 15 inch guns, lets go now and again and when the shell drops there is a cloud of smoke and dust which goes up for chains around.
Our boat keeps about a mile or so from the cruisers, which are anything from 3 to 5 miles from land. Of course we can’t see what they are shooting at with the naked eye, but we can see the shells leave the boat and also see them burst. Only once were the Turks visible to us. Then about half a dozen rushed out of a small scrub and ran on to the beach where there was a pontoon. The “Majestic” let go a couple of 6 inch shells at them and blew them to pieces.
Our Artillery was unable to land during the day as the shrapnel used to burst right in the water. The Battleship bombarded the Hill till dark, but they could not find the Battery that was dropping the shells on the beach. Search lights played on the Hill and beach all night. The New Zealanders and Maoris and Indian Mounted Battery landed about 10pm. The Infantry kept up a constant fire till after midnight and every now and then a boat would send a salvo of 6 inch shells whistling into the Hill amongst the Turks.
29th April
We drew up our anchor late on the evening of the 27th and steamed out of the Bay (Suvla) and sailed round the coast of Siros Gulf. Yesterday morning there were about 130 of us awakened about 3.30am and told we had to go ashore. We all got ready, with our water bottles, ammunition and rifles and got into 5 boats. I was in the same boat as Len Rial. Just about daylight a little pinnace came steaming along and put a “blue jacket” in each boat to steer it and then with about a dozen other boat loads we were towed by a Torpedo Destroyer (Kibble) over towards the shore.
A couple of cruisers the “Dartmouth” and “Canopus” shelled the coast like fury for about half an hour. We then turned back and came back to the boat! It was only a blind to draw the Turks away from the other side of the Peninsula. We then steamed up the coast a little way and stopped. The “Dartmouth” was lying in close to the shore and picked up a wireless message to the Turks telling them we were landing. The answer was also picked up – that they were “sending troops”. It happened that the “Dartmouth” was watching this station which was in a wooden house. No sooner had she received the message than she sent 3 shells into it and blew it to pieces. We then went a little further up and sent out another party towards the shore. They only went about half way and turned back. We then steamed away, right round the Gulf of Saros and now we are back in the same place as we were yesterday…
…there was more of the letter to follow this but this is where I will stop and I will finish as he always did– from your ever loving son, Tom