Pte Archie ‘Smiler’ Williams (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: At Anzac Cove. In his diary – ‘We did not take an active part in the Suvla Bay landing, it was carried out by Territorials and Kitchener’s army troops, who landed early in the morning with little opposition and were about three miles inland before they were opposed. They continued to advance and reached an important hill (971) before they entrenched, and there have been some ding ding goes for the possession of this point ever since, it has been taken and retaken three or four times.

Part of the 1^st Brigade advanced from their position at Lone Pine while the Sulva Bay fight was in progress and captured two lines of trenches. We hung on to the ground we had gained, and things on our flank got back to normal again’.

Pte Charles Cox (Gruyere), 6^th Battalion: Is last seen going over the top of the trenches in a charge from Steele’s Post towards Lone Pine. He is reported missing in action and then the following year pronounced killed in action. He is 19 years old and is remembered on the memorial at Lone Pine.

An article in The Lilydale Express newspaper – ‘Two nephews, Arthur and Percy Binns, of Mr H Binns, our stationmaster at Mt Evelyn, went to the front with the First Expeditionary Forces, and were members of the ‘Glorious Sixth’ which was almost decimated at Gallipoli. The following is the particulars of the engagement –

It appears that the British were landing a new army at Suvla Bay on August 7 and preparations were made along the old front for weeks beforehand to ready up something for the Turks that would keep them from reinforcing the opposition to the new landing. Percy’s battalion – the 6^th – had driven a tunnel 35 yards towards the Turkish trenches bringing them closer. They left the surface standing, dragging all the muck behind to their own trenches and throwing it down the hill. At the furthest end of this tunnel the crust of earth was thinned down to 3 or 4 inches ready to break through; to provide an exit for the troops.

Overnight the battalion was divided into four units. One of 30 men commanded by Percy had a distinct job. They were to capture a sharpshooter’s trench that had been a great annoyance, and having done so, were to fill it in with pick and shovel and blow it up with gun cotton. This was looked upon as the really risky job. Arthur made up one of three lots of 100 men, each stowed away in the trench and trenches. They were all to jump out through an opening to be made at the end of the tunnel, and rush into the Turk’s trench. This from its very suddenness was considered fairly safe. Both attacks were to be made at four o’clock. Percy and Arthur remained with one another till 10.30pm.

Arthur, pleading with his brother to take him on his enterprise and ‘rousing’ him for volunteering for so dangerous a task. He was over anxious about Percy and never thought of himself. But Percy would not take him and as he explains in his letter he expected to fall and did not want both to go down. At 10.30pm they separated and that is the last they saw of each other.

When the time for the attack came, the ground was broken and out jumped the men. Sixty got out and then the Turks spotted the situation and turned their machine guns on the exit with the result that no more got out. As the men attempted to do so they were riddled with bullets and finally the hole was chocked with the killed and wounded and the bulk of the men were helpless in the tunnels.

Those that got out of the course knew nothing of this and raced for the Turkish trenches. Only 20 reached them, and those are the men reported missing. They jumped into the Turkish trench and they died – wondering why their comrades did not come. That is how poor Arthur died. Poor Arthur fell in a mere scrap and his body was not recovered.

Percy succeeded in his job and returned without a scratch. He has had more remarkable escapes since but none to speak of. When he rushed the Turkish trench and was standing over it directing his men, he happened by great good fortune to spot a Turkish sharpshooter crouched taking deliberate aim at him, the muzzle of his rifle not 4ft away. He could see it was a question of who was first, so pointing his rifle at the Turk he pulled the trigger and the rifle missed fire – he had failed to load it before leaving the trench. It was then the Turk’s turn but he must have been in a most horrible funk as he missed hitting Percy at 4ft distance who whipped a cartridge into the magazine and shot the Turk dead. Percy was twice in one day buried pretty deeply in earth’.