Gallipoli and Colonel Péchot

No one has ever doubted that the Gallipoli campaign was a defeat for the Allies, though a moral victory for the ANZACs (Australian and New Zealand Armed Corps). The idea was simple enough; land on the north-west 'corner' of the vast rectangle that is Turkey, and go the relatively short distance to the then capital, Constantinople/Istanbul. Whether it was sensible to give the Turkish Army so much advance warning, or to land on the tip of a peninsula which could readily be cut off is moot. Experience since has suggested that a sea-borne invasion needs to be 10:1 in favour of the invaders. Experience then showed that the Turkish Army was hardy and resourceful - no pushover.

Map of the Gallipoli peninsula, dated 1920. To the west is the Aegean Sea, to the north  the Dardanelles open up into the Sea of Marmara and then north again to Constantinople/Istanbul. The ANZACs are commemorated in Anzac Cove. Courtesy Times Illustrations

 On October 29th 1914, Turkey effectively declared itself for the Central Powers and on November 3rd, the Allies formally declared war. From that point, the Allied fleets blocaded the Mediterranean end of the Black Sea by patrolling off the Dardanelle straits. It was  hard to hide all the preparations which were going on in the Allied-held Mediterranean and so when they finally made land on April 25th 1915, the opposition was well prepared.

If the operation had gone to plan, the Allies would have used 2'6" portable railways to supply the advance. The British had such material; indeed, if it had not been for a combination of Kitchener's dislike - he actually said 'that is not our way of working' - and the successful French 60cm railways first designed by Prosper Péchot,  they would have used 2'6" gauge for 'siege' ie trench warfare on the Western Front. They opted to use 60cm gauge there and elsewhere. Redundant 2'6" gauge material was therefore plentiful and had been stockpiled in readiness.

In the event, Allied plans unravelled. The British were mainly on the western shores of the peninsula. They disembarked at Cape Helles, to the south of the peninsula, and Suvla Bay at the north, the ANZACs being allotted Gaba Tepé in between. They had to do some rock-climbing just to get off the beach but distinguished themselves throughout the campaign. The French and Senegalese tirailleurs took up position on each side of the straits, at Koum Kaleh and Seddul Bahr (Sedd-el Bahr). The Dublin regiment also saw action at Seddul-Bahr. The 'Leith' half-Battalion of the Royal Scots Regiment were supposed to join the Allies, but they did not arrive. At 6.49 on the morning of May 22nd 1915 at Quintinshill just north of Gretna, their troop train collided with a local passenger train which had been 'parked' on their line. Only 62 survived unscathed.  It was a foretaste of the toll that the campaign would exact.

Two vultures captured by French marines at Seddul-Bahr. With French humour, they were named Franz Joseph and Wilhelm, in honour of the Austrian and Prussian Emperors. The joke is made even more interesting because the vultures are hopping over a length of Péchot track. From 'Illustration'

Pinned down at their beach-heads, none of the Allies were able to move far inland. By May 6th, the British alone had lost 13,000 (not counting the 216 at Quintinshill). Over the months, plan after plan unravelled. One of these involved the 2'6" railway material waiting at Alexandria on the far side of the Mediterranean. So far from being threatened by Gallipoli, the Turkish Empire was threatening Egypt, certainly the Suez Canal. Defences had to be built, and 2'6" lines were laid  in the Port Said area (autumn 1915- spring 1916). Thirty Manning Wardle 160-80 hp locotractors and 350 standard Royal Engineer wagons used a 12 mile (20 km) line.

Back at Gallipoli, some 60cm gauge railways served the various beach-heads. The British had two. At Suvla Bay in the north, there was a surprisingly extensive network transporting supplies from the shore. As well as A-class four-wheel wagons, also tippers, it used bogie wagons. As far as we know, this was horse-worked. Further south at Cape Helles, there was a smaller system whisking stores from the piers to a camp sheltered directly below the cliffs. This too was horse-worked and used four-wheel wagons.

Which one is the Surrender Monkey? Lord Kitchener (front left) and General Brulard (centre) discuss the campaign amid ruins at Seddul-Bahr. Below the feet of the dignitaries runs a well-used narrow gauge railway. 'Illustration'

The French also had 60cm track as photographs taken at Seddul Bahr attest. Some was Péchot portable track but by December, the track was taking on a permanent appearance. We suppose that this railway too was horse-drawn. Colonel Péchot, the originator of military 60cm gauge, did not visit the Dardanelles. He was in Europe supervising the manufacture of the vast quantities of 60cm railways required. Late in 1914, he was in Britain, inspecting track ordered for the French Army. In 1915, he was training recruits to run railways at hastily developed schools in northern France.

On December 20th 1915, the Allies decided to withdraw. The French were careful to attribute this decision to Kitchener. General Brulard, on behalf of the French, reminded him of the losses that had been inflicted on the Turkish Army and that the British would suffer a great loss of prestige. Kitchener, however, decided that further effort would be fruitless. The evacuation began and on 8th January 1916, the last ship, the Cornwallis, left Suvla Bay. 22,000 Allied troops had died, many more suffered wounds and disease.