1st/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment

Gallipoli - 1915

[ Extract taken from 'The Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Regiment' by G.W.H. Peters pp. 66-67 - ISBN 0 85052 034 7]

In some quarters this stalemate had been foreseen since the autumn of 1914. Partly for this reason, partly through a desire to help Russian Allies and partly because our national strategy has always been basically maritime, British statesmen and military leaders began to look elsewhere. In April the attack on Gallipoli, brilliant in conception, rich in promise, but amateur in execution had failed narrowly. In August when 5th Bedfords landed at Suvla Bay as part of 54 Division, hopes of breaking through to the Dardanelles were still high.

The adventures of this Battalion in its first few days of action typify the strength and weakness of our Territorials; the dash and spirit in attack which made them irresistible; the inexperience which brought unnecessary casualties when the objective was taken; the local and typically British foundation of their tradition.

'As the last advance was made Captain C. T. Baker of Dunstable, his arm completely shattered went on at the head of his Company until he fell mortally wounded.'

The important point here is not that Captain Baker did his duty, but that he was the son of the Rector of Dunstable. The men killed with him would also have come from Dunstable, perhaps been christened or even married by his father. Sorrow comes easier if it can be shared with pride and dignity. This coin has also a reverse side. Shame is hard to bear, when circumstances are known to all so that men brought up in a small community rarely let their comrades down.

In their very first action on August 15 the 5th Bedfords went off with bayonets fixed and extraordinary dash, rather like Prince Rupert's Cavalry in Cromwell's Civil War. On the first objective it required really superhuman efforts on the part of two experienced officers to restore direction and cohesion. Fortunately this was achieved without sapping enthusiasm for the final charge on a feature known as Kidney Hill.

'It was a great and glorious charge, but the position was won at terrible cost. The whole advance had been made with bayonets fixed and when the final stage was reached and the order to charge rang out the men dashed to the attack. There was no stopping these unblooded British troops; London, Essex and Bedford Territorials charged together, but the men of the 5th Bedfords outstripped the Regiments on their right and left and dashed into the lead, causing the line to form a crescent and sweeping everything before them. Turks went down before cold steel in hundreds, and those who were not killed turned and fled.'

If Kidney Hill did have any tactical importance commanders and staffs seem to have lacked the skill to exploit its capture. The Battalion account reads rather sadly that they held on to it for forty-eight hours, with a skill and tenacity which would have done credit to Regular troops, and were then withdrawn so that the line could be straightened out. And straight it seems to have remained until the evacuation of the Peninsula four months later. When it became apparent that there was to be no quick success at Gallipoli optimistic 'Western Front' voices were raised again. Chief of these was General Joffre. All through the summer of 1915 he had been quietly planning an autumn offensive. The British Government and the British commanders were unenthusiastic as the scale contemplated was such that some of Kitchener's new divisions would become involved before they were deemed ready.

On the other hand we could not argue that these divisions were wanted to exploit a success against Turkey which hadn't materialized.

Gallipoli - 1915 - Deaths - Scroll to the bottom to read the Soldiers information page(s)

Surname	Forenames	Rank	Number	Date of Death	Cause of death	Place of Residence
ABBOTT	Rowland	Lance Corporal	4025	21st August 1915	Died of wounds	Luton
AMBRIDGE	Charles John	Private	3500	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
ANDERSON	Edward	Private	4386	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
BAKER	Charles Tanueray	Captain		15th August 1915	Killed in action	Dunstable
BAKER	William John	Private	4177	17th September 1915	Died of wounds	Harlington
BARTON	[Cyril] Bert	Private	3120	17th August 1915	Died of wounds	Luton
BERRY	Harry	Private	4087	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
BILLING	Thomas	Sergeant	3684	17th August 1915	Killed in action	Wootton
BLAYDON	Albert Edward	Private	5073	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Leagrave
BRIGHTEN	Ralph Dalton Jarvis	2nd Lieutenant		15th August 1915	Killed in action	Biggleswade
BROWN	George Henry	Private	4350	9th September 1915	Died of wounds	Luton
BUCKINGHAM	David William	Sergeant	2911	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
BUTLER	Thomas Richard William	Sergeant	2445	18th August 1915	Died of wounds	Wootton
BYGRAVE	Frederick William	Private	3684	16th September 1915	Died of wounds	Bedford
CARTER	Herbert Bruce	Private	3005	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Shefford
CAVES	E Jonathan	Private	4606	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Marston
COUSINS	Alfred Richard	Private	4461	22nd August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
CUMBERLAND	Brian Clark	Captain		15th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
CURTIS	Albert John	Private	4746	15th August 1915	Died of wounds	Bromham
DIEMER	George Henry	Private	3819	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Bedford
DIX	William	Private	3956	4th September 1915	Killed in action	Flitwick
DRACUP	Albert Frank	Lance Sergeant	3026	17th August 1915	Killed in action	Bedford
DUMPLETON	Walter	Lance Corporal	3715	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
ELLINGHAM	Alfred James	Private	3915	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
ELLISON	James Richard	Corporal	3256	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Kempston
FARNHAM	George	Private	5037	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Eaton Bray
FENSOME	William	Private	4487	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
FINCH	George Alfred Victor	Private	3019	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Dunstable
FLORIN	William Joseph	Private	4081	17th September 1915	Died of wounds	Luton
FOLKES	Frederick	Acting Lance Corporal	3964	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Wootton
FOSTER	William Henry	Sergeant	2958	17th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
FOWLER	Frank F	Private	5077	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Arlesey
GOODSHIP	Horace	Private	3840	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Stopsley
GRAVES	Alexander	Private	4489	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
GRIBBLE	Arthur	Private	3323	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Bedford
HINKS	Albert	Sergeant	2382	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
HOLLIMAN	Percy	Private	3237	26th September 1915	Died of wounds	Houghton Regis
HOPKINS	Thomas	Acting Sergeant	3796	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Bedford
HOWE[S]	Percy Archie	Private	3178	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Kempston
HURD	Leonard	Private	3449	16th August 1915	Died of wounds	Luton
HUTCHINGS	George	Private	4229	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
HUTCHINGS	Percy John	Private	4165	3rd September 1915	Killed in action	Bedford
IBBETT	William George	Private	3073	23rd September 1915	Died	Luton
JARVIS	William	Corporal	3899	20th August 1915	Died of wounds	Luton
KING	Harry	Private	5064	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Meppershall
KNIGHT	Albert Frederick	Private	3834	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Bedford
LAWSON	Arthur	Private	5089	5th September 1915	Died of wounds	Eversholt
LEWIN	Ralph	Private	3875	15th September 1915	Killed in action	Luton
LLOYD	Alfred Fieldhouse	Private	4245	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
LYDEKKER	Cyril Richard	Lieutenant		15th August 1915	Killed in action	Harpenden
MARDLE	Horace	Private	4065	16th August 1915	Died of wounds	Caddington
MAYNARD	William Jesse	Private	4164	13th September 1915	Died of wounds	Aspley Guise
MEAKIN	Walter Kendrick	Captain		15th August 1915	Killed in action	Bedford
MITCHELL	Albert Edward	Private	4401	3rd September 1915	Killed in action	Luton
OVERTON	Ethelbert	Private	4932	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Newmarket
PAGE	Ernest Charles	Private	3030	16th August 1915	Died of wounds	St. Neots
PARKER	Charles Edwin	Private	3339	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Bedford
PAYNE	Albert	Corporal	2289	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
PAYNE	Nathan	Sergeant	3457	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
PERRY	Frederick Ernest	Private	2846	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Leighton Buzzard
PUDDEPHATT	Harold Fred	Private	3066	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
QUICK	Harold Arthur	Private	4735	6th September 1915	Died of wounds	Leighton Buzzard
RIMMER	Frank	Private	4085	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
RISING	Frederick	2nd Lieutenant		15th August 1915	Killed in action	Old Bedford Grammarian
ROBINSON	Hedley	Private	2726	24th September 1915	Died of wounds	Houghton
ROBINSON	Jack A W	Lance Sergeant	3035	17th August 1915	Killed in action	Ampthill
SHOOSMITH	Frank Stewart	Lieutenant		21st August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
SHREEVES	Maurice	Private	4905	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Kempston
SMITH	Alfred	Private	4275	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
SMITH	Francis Edward	Private	4277	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Houghton Regis
SNOXELL	Cyril	Private	3099	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
STAPLETON	William	Sergeant	3959	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Ampthill
STENHOUSE	James or John	Private	3553	17th August 1915	Died of wounds	Luton
STOKES	George	Private	3998	18th August 1915	Died of wounds	Kempston
THURLOW	Frederick W	Private	2762	17th August 1915	Died of wounds	Luton
TOWNE	Joseph	Private	3744	16th August 1915	Killed in action	New Harrowden
TRUEMAN	Reginald	Private	4108	15th August 1915	Killed in action	Bedford
TUFFNELL	Benjamin	Private	4291	16th August 1915	Killed in action	Luton
WOODCRAFT	Albert	Private	2928	17th August 1915	Died of wounds	Flitwick