Could anyone please advise me on the primary or secondary sources mentioning the mounting of machine guns in the bows of the steam pinnaces that towed the boats to the shore at Anzac Cove on the morning of 25th April? Details of them would be greatly appreciated.

Regards
Chris

A quick nudge - I think you mean 'pinnace'. !!
I have a boys' book written by a naval officer of the time which describes the whole action in some detail. I will look it up later in case the MGs are mentioned.
D

Thanks daggers - on both accounts. And to Siege Gunner. Fixed

Cheers
Chris

HM Denham's "Dardanelles - A Midshipman's Diary" has on p.136 a photograph and a plan of a steam picket-boat (not a pinnace) showing a Maxim gun forward with a note that "4 long belts of ammunition" were carried for the Maxim. A pinnace might have been similarly armed.

My book [see #2 above] is "A Naval Venture, the war story of an Armoured Cruiser" by Fleet Surgeon T.T. Jeans RN. , Blackie & Son, 1917. His preface begins "..I have endeavoured to write a gunroom tale which will give a general impression of the part played by the Royal Navy during the Dardanelles operations..."
The frontispiece shows the bows of a picket-boat with maxim fitted, and the text refers to plates (iron or steel?) being installed by the wheel and stern-sheets. The illustrator was Frank Gillett, RI.
If you send me a pm with your email address I will scan this pic.
The author also wrote books on other naval campaigns, but I have not seen them.

D

Chris,

I believe there is mention of RN (Maxim) machine guns being mounted on the pinnace's in the landing orders. I seem to recall reading it in April, the orders advised of the intent for it to be a silent landing and that the troops were not to fire until fired on and the RN boat crewed machine guns were to comply.

I am sure I imaged the document, but unfortunately have not got to those images yet, I should have purchased a new/current edition of Vista instead of using the two year old upgrade disk, it has taken near on 30 hours to upgrade!

I am on the case looking for this order and the related information about the number of machine guns the Ottomans had in 1915!

Cheers,
Hendo

Chris,

Your question to the primary source for the mounting of a maxim gun in the bow of one of the landing tows rang a bell. I remembered I had come across an order that gave instructions on when these guns were to fire on approach to the landing, some time back when looking up information on another matter, but for the life of me, I could not remember just where I had come across it.
After working my way down through the war diaries, under "Formation Headquarters", (AWM "Collections") I have found the first mention of the maxim's mounted in the Cutter of one of the landing groups.

"Formation Headquarters"
AWM Item No. 1/25/1 Part6
Title: General Staff, Headquarters, Australian & New Zealand Army Corps.
April 1915.
Appendix No. 1(g), Appendix III, Page 4, item No. 9 (file document No. 36)
"9. Should the landing be opposed the picket boats will follow the motions of the General Officer in Command, who will be in No. 3 boat, as to opening fire with the maxim..."

Also - file document No. 37, page 5 & file document No. 43, Appendix IV, page 3.

All these orders are signed - Cecil E. Thursby, Rear Admiral, 2nd Squadron. "Queen" 19th April 1915.

These are not the references that I remember seeing, but they obviously pre-date the one I first came across.

Jeff

Chris,

The Naval Review Vol.IV, second part (see http://www.naval-review.org/issues/1916-2.pdf)
The article to look out for is 'ANZAC' - IMPRESSIONS OF THE LANDING AND 14 WEEKS' WORK ON THE BEACH" commencing on page 298

The plan is given on page 299 (see below) and will indicate how many pinnaces were to be involved



Also note the comment on page 304: "Everything was absolutely quiet as we approached the shore, and there was nothing to lead one to suppose that the surprise had failed, but as the first boat touched the shore at 5.11 a.m. a single shot broke the stillness, almost immediately followed by others, and the firing became general. The boats were ashore and the men out of them in a wonderfully short time, and, cheering lustily, parties immediately began to fight their way up the steep, scrub-covered hills. One of the picket boats fired a belt or so at the crest of the hill, and the flickering flame of a hostile maxim was seen coming from a little look-out station half way up the ridge at Ari Burnu. This gun disappeared very quickly." (my emphasis)

regards
Michael

Many thanks to all who replied. Very useful references and comments.

Regards
Chris

Chris also Bean's OH

25th Apr., 1915 LANDING AT GABA TEPE 253

The naval steamboats had now cast off all the tows. Each steamboat carried a machine-gun in her bows, not to be used except by order of the senior officer of the troops in the tow. The picket-boat, with Major Salisbury's tow of the 9th Battalion, immediately backed out and began to fire, her small gun pointing up towards the flashes on the edge of the plateau above. The rowing-boats with the troops were paddling the last short space to the land. The smaller life-boats and cutters ran in till the water shoaled to two or three feet. The larger “launches” and “pinnaces” grounded in deeper water, .................


From memory of other documents read, the machine guns were RN Maxim's from the battleships, these were later handed over to the Army for use by battalions ashore which did not have their own or their full entitlement.

Cheers,
Hendo