There appears to be no record by the 1st Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers of their landing at Cape Helles, probably because most of the officers were killed. From the Brigade War Diary one can get
The River Clyde arrived off V Beach. It was a beautiful dawn with hardly a breath of wind, and a slight haze which rapidly disappeared.
5.00am the Naval bombardment started
5.45am Turkish shells started to drop on the River Clyde
6.25 River Clyde beached on V Beach. The tows with RDF came in and immediately on approaching the shore came under heavy fire from maxims and rifles.
6.45am Gangways of River Clyde unported by naval authorities, also lighters to be ready for disembarkation but owing to enemy fire the lighters broke adrift from their moorings. As the River Clyde beached, 2 companies of Dublins in tows came up on the port side and were met by a terrific rifle and machine gun fire. they were literally slaughtered like rats in a trap.
The surviving Munsters and Dublins who got ashore, made for a a sheltered ledge which gave them cover. Here they shook themselves out and tried to appreciate their position, which they considered a sorry one.
A captain of the Munsters found 2 men of the Dublins from Camban Bay and then 14 men of Dublins underground in ruins of fort. wo reported they were the sole survivors of landing at Camban Bay. He ordered them to take up position securing the right flank.
By 11.00 all further attempts to land men from the River Clyde were abandoned until dark. The guns of HMS Albion did no marerial good.
This report by 1st Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers was in the same ship, the River Clyde, and parallels the Dublins landing.
Captain David French’s (1 Royal Dublin Fusiliers) account pages 31-33:
As we approached the shore shrapnel began to burst over the boats but caused no damage. About 6.30 am we were quite close to the beach in a little bay. The R. Clyde had grounded before it was intended & a hot rifle fire was poured into her from the Turkish trenches. As soon as the ‘tows’ got into shallow water the piquet boats, which had taken charge of use again, cast off & the bluejackets commenced to row. You can imagine how slowly we progressed – 6 men pulling a heavy boat with about 30 soldiers each carrying over 60 lbs of kit & ammunition on his body - !! At this moment the warships ceased cannonading – and a most appalling fire – machine gun, rifle & pom-pom was opened on us from the enemy, while concealed howitzer batteries from inland added to our discomfort with shrapnel. I was in the last boat of my tow and did not realize they had started at my boat until one of the men close to me fell back – shot. I realized immediately that having practically wiped out the other three boats ahead they were now concentrating their fire on us. I jumped out at once in the sea (up to my chest) yelling to the men to make a rush for it & to follow me. But the poor devils – packed like sardines in a tin & carrying this damnable weight on their backs – could scarcely clamber over the sides of the boat and only two reached the shore un-hit while the boat just ahead of mine suffered as much – the same number escaping from that. The only other officer in my boat never even got ashore being hit by five bullets. A piquet boat most heroically came in right close & towed the boat back to the battle-ship ‘Albion’ which was now anchored about 800 yards from the beach.
I had to run about 100-150 yds in the water and being the first away from the cutter escaped the fire a bit to start with. But as soon as a few followed me the water around seemed to be alive – the bullets striking the sea all around us. Heaven alone knows how I got thro’ – a perfect hail of bullets. The beach sloped very gradually – fortunately. When I was about 50 yds. from the water’s edge I felt one bullet go through the pack on my back & then thought I had got through safely when they put one through my left arm. The fellows in the regt. had told me I was getting too fat to run but those who saw me go through that bit of water changed their opinions later – I ran like h---ll!!!!! On reaching the shore I made for a bit of cover and found one sergeant who bound up my wound. I then ran along the beach to join another officer and in doing so had to pass the mouth of a nullah. Three bullets whizzed past & needless to say I did not expose myself for some minutes. It was hot!
I could find only 30 or 40 men intact & we commenced to dig ourselves into the low cliff. Why the Turks with their vast preparations did not level this bank of earth down I cannot imagine. Had they done so not one of us would have escaped. While the tows were being pulled into the shore the Munsters began to disembark from the R. Clyde & they, too, suffered terribly. I was about 50 yds from where she grounded & as the men ran ashore they were ‘mown’ down. I counted 42 killed in one platoon not a single man escaping. And they still came down the gangways. It was an awful sight but they were a real brave lot. After a few minutes it became even harder for them to get ashore. After passing down the gangways & across the lighters under a heavy fire they had to run along about 25 yds of jagged rocks – each side of the ridge now being covered with bodies.
Well we lay there all day & at night the remainder of the troops dis-embarked from the R. Clyde which originally brought along with her 2000 troops. Never shall I forget that night. Heavy fire incessantly. Drizzling with rain. Wounded groaning on all sides, &, surrounded by dead I admit I thought it was all up. I had only about 20 men with me left behind at that part of the beach.
Captain French was evacuated to the HMT Caledonia, his dialogue, pages 39-40 of the same book:
I superintended the wounded being taken off that afternoon [the day after the landing] & then was sent off to the ‘Caledonia’ – a hospital receiving ship. The wounded had a ghastly time – none of the Dublins being attended to – except with field dressings – by a medical man for 36 hours. Any doctor who approached the shore was immediately knocked out, & eventually orders were given to them that they were on no account to land until ‘V’ beach was ‘safe’. We ran terribly short of water as each of carried 3 days iron rations – a service waterbottle filled or a beer-bottle of lime juice & water (in the pack) only. Luckily I took considerable quantity of morphia ashore which greatly alleviated the sufferings of those – in some cases smashed to pieces. P. kindly sent me a weekly bott. of Liq. Brandy after leaving England & I had one of those with me!!!! All Tuesday [the landings had been on Sunday], Wed., & Thurs. I watched the operations room from the hospital ‘Scicilia’ before sailing for Egypt. On arrival there we were told we could not be landed as every hospital was full – four ships having gone before us.
The arrangements were scandalous: they had absolutely under-estimated the probable number of casualties by a very large margin. The French had made no arrangements for the wounded & relied on us. The ‘Aragon’ – not converted into a hospital ship – took 700 wounded to Alexandria with 2 doctors, & my servant, who came in her, said the stench below decks owing to the wounds getting septic was so appalling that even he – a Tommy – could not venture below!!! And this sort of thing went on for days –several ships being as bad.
Gallantry Recommendation
A letter written on 15 June by CO of 1st RDF at that date, Major C B J Riccard, but referring to an action on 25 April " I wish to bring tot he notice of the GOC the gallant conduct of the undermentioned, 10514 Sgt Davis J David and 6860 Private J Lee, during the attack of 25th April and landing at Sidd al Bahr, the report of this conduct which I attach, is made by Capt J Moor of 1st RDF who was wounded on that occasion and is now in hospital in Cairo." The report from Capt J Mood reads "Sir, I wish to report the good work of Sgt David and 6860 Private J Lee of Z Coy on the day of landing when I became wounded and the remainder of the COs were killed. They pulled the remnants of the company together. Davis by recklesly exposing himself to the hot fire of snipers: and Lee by taking over the duties of the NCO and backing him up. I think I am having my arm off today"