Still, Roy’s second taste of war, even on the frontline, was apparently no more unpleasant than the first. Both sides were content to stay in their respective trenches and only snipe when a target appeared.58
As the weather became cooler, flocks of birds passed overhead, flying to the warm south. One morning, the Australians awoke to the novel sight of a landscape covered with snow. Many of the men began to suffer from the cold and Roy became indignant when he discovered that one of the senior officers was using much-needed blankets to line the walls of his dugout. As Roy was responsible for the health of the men and many of them had only one blanket, he sent in a report but nothing was done about it.59 After severe storms and a blizzard in November, about 3000 Australians suffering from frostbite and exposure had to be evacuated, but the authorities had other matters on their minds and soon the troops would too: they were to evacuate.
Field Marshal Lord Kitchener, the British Secretary of State for War, made an unannounced visit to Gallipoli on 13 November 1915. Roy did not meet him but took a photograph from some distance away. Not long afterwards, there were some unusual happenings at Anzac Cove. There was an order that for three days no-one was to fire bullets or shells at the Turks; blankets, trench boots and other desirable comforts were to be had for the taking;60 and there was a continuous procession of empty-handed men heading towards the beach and beasts of burden heading away from it. Something was afoot and there was much speculation. When the men were instructed to dump extra ammunition in the privies and told to set up automatically fired rifles in front of the trenches,61 they knew they were to leave Gallipoli.
Roy was instructed to divide the men into two groups according to physical state. He subsequently learned this was to allow the fittest to be available to fight a rearguard action. He had long known that the proper place for an RMO was at the rear of the battalion. This had been a comforting thought when an attack was under consideration but far from reassuring now that a retreat was planned. His fears were reduced when he heard that his battalion was not to be one of the last to leave.62
Roy describes the night of departure as an eerie experience. The half battalion marched single file down the saps,63 the shallow utility trenches, with Roy bringing up the rear. The knowledge that there were only a handful of men holding the trenches gave him a most unpleasant feeling. He wished it were possible to walk backwards. He knew that if the Turks discovered the weakened state of the defences, a holocaust would result, but the remnant of the Anzacs in the trenches fired at a rapid rate in order to make the sound as great as usual. The reason for the three days stoppage of fire was now apparent: it was to prepare the Turks for the day on which the trenches would be held by only a few men.64
It was later learned that the Turks thought an attack was being prepared. For days they had observed an increased movement of troops and had not realised the ruse of sending large numbers of troops down to the shore before dawn and then marching them up to the saps in daylight.65
When the 14th Battalion finally reached Anzac Cove, Roy observed that every detail was being carried out with great precision, with hardly a word spoken. Matting had been laid on the wharf to deaden the sound of horses’ hooves and lumbering guns. At 11pm on 18 December 1915 Roy marched behind the others to a shallow-draught launch with a drawbridge stern, which was set against the edge of the wharf. The lighters had been specially designed for service at Gallipoli. Roy was relieved when they passed through the danger zone of stray bullets without anyone being hit.
Eventually the lighter drew alongside a steamer and everyone scrambled aboard. The crew gave a rousing welcome. The skipper offered cigars. The padre contributed a couple of bottles of whisky.66 The ferry steamed to Mudros Harbour and eventually the men were transferred to a battle cruiser that would carry them back to Egypt. Every soldier was entertained by someone of corresponding rank among the crew, the ship’s surgeon providing Roy with a hot shower and then conducting him to a four-course breakfast served on tablecloths. Before Roy enlisted, he was asked to join the navy. For the first time, he wondered whether he had made a mistake in not doing so.67
A total of 142 000 men were evacuated from Gallipoli in what is considered a stunningly successful operation. The Gallipoli Campaign preceding it had been a heroic but costly failure, with over 26 000 Australian casualties, and 363 officers and 7779 men killed. At the time, Australia’s population was less than five million. Nine Australians were awarded the Victoria Cross.
The cruiser docked in Alexandria on 2 January 1916. Roy’s brigade then travelled overland to the Suez Canal, where its members were to defend Egypt against the threat of Turkish invasion through Palestine, an even greater possibility now that the Turkish troops who had occupied Gallipoli were free to attack elsewhere.68 At Ismailia, Roy received his first mail, which took two days to read, and his cabin trunk from army stores, which furnished him with a clean uniform.
At 4am on 27 February 1916 the brigade moved to Tel El Kebir as part of a military reorganisation. A month later, they were at Serapeum after a three-day journey that would never be forgotten by those who took part in it.
It was decided that the troops were not to travel to Serapeum by train but to march, so that they would become inured to desert conditions.69 They commenced at 10pm on 31 May 1916. The heat of the day was like a furnace, the hottest Roy had ever experienced. The first day’s journey was along a dusty road which bordered a freshwater canal. Roy spent his time riding up and down the line trying to prevent the men from drinking the water for fear of infestation with dangerous parasites. At night, the battalion bivouacked in the open air as the tents had been sent ahead by train. It was bitterly cold.
The second day was worse. It was hotter than the previous one and the route was through soft sand. Every step was an effort. The surface was no longer level but broken by huge sand dunes, which often ended in steep slopes. As the ambulance wagons had also been sent to Serapeum by train, Roy had to give up his horse to a man who had collapsed.
Roy could not imagine there could be anything more gruelling to endure but, from the middle of the third day, the path narrowed onto a causeway and the men had to march much closer together. There was hardly a breath of air between the ranks. The route ran parallel to the railway line, along which travelled the tents, horse wagons and ambulances. The horses were too valuable to risk but not so the human beasts, who were required to march laden with full equipment. Men fell by the roadside too tired to take another step. Roy was so exhausted he could hardly think. By evening, even the most placid men were swearing at the idiocy of those who had ordered such an unnecessary test without adequate training.
When the 14th Battalion finally crawled into camp, water was not immediately available for the troops. Happily, a friend gave Roy some Egyptian beer – the most satisfying drink he had ever tasted.70
The camp at Serapeum was one of many guarding the Suez Canal. As it was only a mile from the Red Sea, the troops swam regularly. Roy excelled at this sport and tried to never miss a bathing parade. As on Gallipoli, no bathing costumes were required though they would have been an advantage when passenger ships passed. The Canal varied in width from 100 to 200 yards and it was the custom to swim across it and back many times. Several weeks after arrival, a sports carnival was held, attended by the Prince of Wales who distributed prizes to the winners. Roy came second in a race.71
For the most part though, life went on without incident except when it was broken by the Kamsur72 – the hot wind that roars across the desert, raising stifling