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General |
Knightley’s party – the southernmost – in fear of being cut off,
retired, and came on a few men of the 2nd Brigade under two
officers, one of them badly wounded. The whole party opened fire upon
the handful of isolated Turks who, as was told above, were in rear of
them, and these began to run away. At dusk the southern party made its
way back towards Bolton’s Ridge.
The
full story of the remnant of the main line which Bennett had organised
upon Pine Ridge will never be known. Many of the officers had been
killed. Captain Strachan of the 6th had fallen upon Bolton’s
Hill, and Major Hamilton upon one of the spurs of the Pine. Many of the
brave band upon Pine Ridge were never heard of again.
The Official History of Australia in
the war of 1914 – 1918. The Story of Anzac. Volume 1. C. E. W. Bean.
University of Queensland Press, page 420. (source 1)
Also
the Australians at the southern end of the ridge, some of them well down
its forward slope, finding Turks behind them, fell back before sunset to
the first and highest of the five ridges, Bolton’s, where the main line
of that flank was digging in. Farther north many of Bennett’s three
hundred, himself among them, had been hit and had struggled back to the
main line, or at least to the washaways on the rear slope of Pine Ridge,
where they waited for stretcher-bearers of for the dark. But, of those
who were still holding that part of the ridge when the Turks advanced,
no word came.
Gallipoli Mission C. E. W. Bean.
Halstead Press Pty Ltd, page 150. (source 83)
In
1922 the Graves Exhumation Party found a disc, badges, stars and
numerals belonging to Strachan. These were forwarded to his widow
on 15 December 1922.
B2455 STRACHAN, W L, Army
Service papers, National Archives of Australia (source 8) |
