Gallipoli: A Soldier's Story

by Arthur Beecroft, Andrew Roberts (Foreword)

At the start of the First World War, Arthur Beecroft was a recently qualified barrister in his twenties. Determined to enlist despite a medical condition, he volunteered for military service, first as a regular soldier, then as a despatch rider. Offered a commission in the Royal Engineers, in 1915 he saw action at Gallipoli. Now a byword for catastrophic military disaster, the Gallipoli Campaign was the ill-conceived Allied invasion of the Dardanelles. The campaign stalled almost immediately, resulting in over half a million casualties on both sides. Lucky to survive, several years later Beecroft wrote a detailed memoir of his experiences. Discovered by his granddaughter and now reproduced here almost exactly as it was written nearly a century ago, Beecroft's vivid narrative takes us through those heady days of the declaration of war, enlistment, initial training, the bungled landing at Suvla Bay, and the exceptionally difficult conditions of the Gallipoli terrain. This is no mere jingoistic account. With a keen eye, Beecroft brings to life the men dogged by disease and exhaustion - ordinary soldiers who, even as they suffered the betrayal of incompetent leadership, displayed extraordinary reserves of heroism and bravery. Throughout this rare insight into what it was like for an ordinary 'civilian soldier' swept up in the fog of war, Beecroft's authentic voice still speaks honestly to us today - of comradeship and devotion to duty, of fear and facing death. Now published for the first time in the centenary year of the Gallipoli Campaign, this is a soldier's story in his own words.

Genres: World War I, War

164 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 30, 2015

Reviews

[Abdullah Almuslem · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a personal account of a British soldier who experienced the horror of Gallipoli battle in WWI. Gallipoli battle occurred in 1915 between the allied (Britain, France, Asturalia, New Zeland) and the Ottoman Empire. The casualty exceeded half a million in this terrible battle and the result was a shameful defeat to the allied. This was a static trench warfare where no one held a ground except for few days. This battle was also the start of the star of Mustapha Kamal Ataturk the founder of modern Turkey. Many expert regard the failure of the allied in landing at the beaches of Gallipoli to destroy the Ottman empire as the main lesson used to plan the D-day in WWII. Winston Churchill learned from his big mistake in Gallipoli and carefully planned the D-day which was considered as successful landing. Alas, this was only as result of learning from the terrible mistakes done in Gallipoli which caused the death of half million.

It was interesting to read about the battle from an eyewitness who witnessed the massacre of his fellows and sew their bodies lay in front of him decaying without being able to bury them. Death surrounded him and he was expecting to be killed at any minute, but somehow he survived. The author describes his feelings experiencing this mess of this ugly war. He wrote: You see, one gets so tired of expecting to be killed all the time. You’d like to get it over, yet in the meantime there’s work to be done…. Something of resignation comes after a time – the old idea of only dying once, kismet, hell-to-it-but let’s-get-on-with-it! The only trouble is that every really close squeak makes you realize how much you want to live

In 1934, Kamal Ataturk said these words at an Anzac day about this battle:

Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives … you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore, rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us, where they lie side by side here in this country of ours … You, the mothers who sent their sons from far-away countries, wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well

To this date, this battle is remembered by all the countries who took part of it as one of the most brutal battles in history

Interesting read

[Mick Maye · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book following the experience of a British soldier. No great heroics by himself or his unit, but it gives a full account of his experiences before joining and the campaign at Gallipoli. I found this very enjoyable and gave the perspective of an English soldier landing at Suvla. Well worth a look.

[Martin Haynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairly short account of the experiences of a British junior Signals officer during the first world war centred upon his experiences of the doomed Dardanelles campaign.. A very personal first hand account, worth reading to understand the effects of armed conflict on those pushed forward to endure!