The Gallipoli Campaign

[traceyr]

I wonder if anyone can help with a couple of questions concerning my grandfather, who took part in the Gallipoli campaign.
He told his family that he was on the "last ship out" at Gallipoli - are there any records which could identify this ship?
As a supplementary question: He was a Royal Marines bandsman, so what would his duties have been at Gallipoli? Were bandsmen also active as e.g. infantry or as runners? No records have survived in the family, not even a service number. I deduce from the "last ship out" comment that he had been on land.
Thanks

[herakles]

Tracey,

Bandsmen usually worked as stretcher bearers when not playing in the band.

There's a huge amount available on the net re Gallipoli. The Australian War memorial site is a good place to start.

You might also look here: http://www.gallipoli-association.org/

This is a British association with many members from around the world.

The evacuation of the British troops ended on 9 Jan 1916.

[SCRG1970]

tracey

Debatable which ship was the last to leave the Dardanelles. Certainly HMS MARS was present for the evacuation in Jan 1916. She was a battleship of the Majestic Class which had been converted to a trooper.

Good luck with your search

Regards

Gerry

[John Brown]

Hi Tracey and welcome to the forum.

I found this passage on Wiki which might interest you.....

'The Division's first two commanders were Royal Marine Artillery Generals. Other Royal Marines acted as landing parties in the Naval campaign against the Turkish fortifications in the Dardanelles before the Gallipoli landings. They were sent ashore to assess damage to Turkish fortifications after bombardment by British and French ships and, if necessary, to complete their destruction. The Royal Marines were the last to leave Gallipoli, replacing both British and French troops in a neatly planned and executed withdrawal from the beaches. It even required some Marines to wear French uniforms as part of the deception.'

Also, it seems to be commonly accepted that HMS Cornwallis was the last large ship to leave Suvla Bay on the Gallipoli peninsular but I doubt this actually answers your question as evacuations were carried out on other parts of the peninsular after that.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help.


Regards ....John

[Joseph]

The last men on the peninsular went off in a picket boat towing a lighter and embarked on the Destroyer Colne. This was 150 men who marched from Gully Beach who could not get off because there was not enough boats, the RE who destroyed the stores and magazines and the Naval Beachmasters party.

Regards Charles

[traceyr]

Thanks very much for the fantastic information! There are several leads to follow. Great stuff!