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Description: | A series of 5 ms diaries (838pp in total) covering his service as Regimental Signalling Officer with the 69th Punjabis (29th Indian Brigade, 10th Indian Division) in Egypt, November 1914 - April 1915, and at Gallipoli, May 1915 - August 1916, describing the officers' initial enthusiasm at mobilisation and their voyage out to Egypt, the unit's involvement in a combined operation against two Turkish forts at Sheikh Syed (10 November 1914) and their subsequent duties defending the Suez Canal, his involvement in reconnaissance patrols into Palestine, intermittent skirmishes with the Turks, and the execution of three deserters from another Indian regiment; on 4 May 1915 the 69th Punjabis landed at Cape Helles, Gallipoli and, despite the unit being withdrawn after a few days, Gell remained as 29th Brigade Signalling Officer, describing his impressions of the weight of Allied firepower assembled on the Peninsula, the conditions and peculiarities of trench warfare at Gallipoli, the heavy casualties incurred by both sides, his re-landing at Anzac on 5 August, the prevalence of illness among the troops, his evacuation from the Peninsula on 13 December and disappointment at the efforts made in concealing their withdrawal, his views on the war news from other theatres of operation and dislike of the "boastful" Australians who blamed the British for the failure of the Dardanelles campaign; Gell then returned to Egypt and began a training course for signallers at the Brigade camp near Suez, transferring to Aden in June 1916 and being appointed Chief Signalling Officer. Also held with the collection are a few miscellaneous papers, including ms Operation Order No 3 (1p) for the attack on Sheikh Syed, 11 November 1914, and a ts appreciation (4pp) of the situation there; ts draft orders (2pp) for a reconnaissance of the Port Said inundation, 13 April 1915; printed copies of "Signal Organisation for Combined Operations" (28pp, 1915) and General Sir Ian Hamilton's "Standing Orders for the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force" (24pp, 1915), various printed Special Orders, and printed bulletins from Gallipoli.
Cataloguer APR
Catalogue date 2001-03-02 | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Gell, H V | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
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