Imperial Valley press. (El Centro, Calif.) 1907-current, 1937-03-21

the steamer to pontoons ant
beach. "Three-minute men," A
mans life lasted about that long
after he came from the exit port
Those who made the beach were
wounded There was little shelter,
and damaged human bodies took
more punishment.
Why had orders been given in
daylight? After dark the rest of
the men got ashore with few cas-
ualties, and attacked Old Castle
and the village-both of these po-
sitions ruined by the fleets shell
. fire. but strongly held by the
enemy.
Johnny Turk played in luck. A
bright, cold moon came up sud-
denly. covering the beach with
an unhealthy glow. Down rushed
the Turks to the beach where a
handful of survivors lay dying.
A few did not die that night, but
joined the fresh companies with
bayonets, and held back the Turks
for a time, Little groups of An
zacs. huddled together and
strung out in makeshift trenches.
From the hills came wave after
wave of Turks. In the morning I'D
came reinforcements from another
transport-the WorceSters-land
ing under a terrible fire from the
fleet, which had now drifted close
to shore. The Royal Fusilliers
landed with small losses, having
considerably more fleet protection.
On the heights above waited the
Turks, and up these hills stormed
the new troops.
The Germans had boosted.
They'll never make the Shore"
but were mistaken. How many
lives it cost is not accurately
known, but the beach was occu-
pied at last.
Lieutenant Fregberg from our
destroyer did his share :. SWIM
ming ashore that night with flares
on a plank to light the beach. It
was a beacon guiding boats to
safe landing. Coming back again.
he was lost for over an hour be-
fore we picked him up, dazed and
almost drowned. But he had
marked the beach for further
landings and other transports
began to send parties ashore. All
day and night army corps from
New Zealand landed, as the feet
poured shells and shrapnel on the
hills and upper beach. Hellspit,
they named it, and it was truly
called.
1t is fair to say that navy is
not entirely to be judged by ton
mage or by armament or broadside
salvo control. England had some
thing which the German nation
never had and never will possess
E. the spirit of the Navy. The
spirit of the men made differ
ence which no superiority of ships
could equal. Even during the war,
when the British Navy of the
narrow sea" was increased to
about three times its original size
to become the Empire Navy :.
its warrant and junior officers be-
ing hastily recruited from Naval
Reservists and Naval Volunteers
all of these were deeply i'm
bued with the spirit of the Navy
as much as Devon man. Perma-
nent officers were all Devon
trained, and to them the Navy
was a jealous mistress. mistress
without a rival. Priests had ros-
aries for prayer. The one muir
INJURED by Navy men was, "Serv-
ice, first, last and all the time"
TO A destroyer crew, the Navy
was their church d. :. her Off
GERS and men her priests, each
willingly subordinating his desires
with the humbleness of free men
to the good of the service.
Something of this intense 10y
atty and pride I caught and
applied for an intensive training
course at Dartmouth, British
training school for naval cadets
in South Devonshire. l went, and
was turned out as a "snottie,"
somewhere near the lowest form
of marine life-a temporary sub
lieutenant gunner, in my case.
The actual term indicates any
junior officer. Once passed, went
to the fringe of the feet mine