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Dead
Mules Attack Ships !
I do not know of any statistics, but it's a safe bet that one of the most frequently used adjectives in literature about Gallipoli, is the word "incredible". But what to think then of the following remarkable story? |
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Lots of work has been spent in calculating the precise numbers of casualties during the campaign. What is not mentioned most of the time, is that also a vast number of mules fell victim to the continuous shelling at Anzac. Bad as it was, the problem did not end there. Certainly in the hot Turkish climate, rapid disposal of the corpses was necessary. During the initial stages of the campaign, the procedure was simple : if mules were killed not too far from the beach, they were simply thrown into the sea. In most cases, this was not a good idea, as before long, the majority of them was washed ashore again. A fair number however, chose another course and drifted out towards the open sea. And that was were the trouble started. Or, as can be read in Aubrey Herbert's diary :
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mules, most admirable animals, had now begun to give a good deal of
trouble, alive and dead. There were hundreds of them on the beach and in
the gullies. Alive, they bit precisely and kicked accurately; dead, they
were towed out to sea, but returned to us faithfully on the beach,
making bathing unpleasant and cleanliness difficult. The dead mule was
not only offensive to the Army; he became a source of supreme irritation
to the Navy, as he floated on his back, with his legs sticking stiffly
up in the air. These legs were constantly mistaken for periscopes of
submarines, causing excitement, exhaustive naval manoeuvres and
sometimes recriminations."
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