A Tunney

Unknown

Boots ‘Comrades in Khaki’, October 1915, ‘By the Way’: ‘Mr Coates, of the Manchester Warehouse, has forwarded a budget of news relating to boys who have gone from that centre to the Colours … Pte Arthur Tunney, now on his way east.’ Boots ‘Comrades in Khaki’, April/May 1916, ‘Epistles from the East’: ‘There is still an echo of Peninsular affairs in several of the letters from boys in the East, and Pte A Tunney, formerly of the Manchester warehouse, and now of the Lancashire Fusiliers, says, ‘I expect you will by now have read the account in the papers of our evacuation of Cape Helles. We commenced to clear off about 3.30 on December 26th 1815. We often heard of such ideas after the ‘do’ at Anzac, but did not think we should be doing the same thing shortly afterwards. Coming out of the trenches we made our way down what is called the gully, which is generally a dried up river bed, though in wet weather all the water finds its way to the gully and forms a river there. It was like this the day we left, and it was almost a swim for it with full packs on. Having arrived at the beach, we had to wait until it was dark before we could proceed. On our way to get to the landing, where the lighter was waiting to take us to the ship, we had to go over a hill open to the Turks’ fire. However, all went well until we arrived at the landing, when Johnny Turk suddenly got excited, and commenced to send some of his noted shells, termed ‘Beachy Bills’, as that kind are always sent towards the beach. He managed to blow one pier away, so we had to walk to the next. We than had a two days’ sail before us, and then we arrived at a Greek island called --. We stayed at – about a fortnight, and one morning had orders to packup and go on board a boat called the Egra but had not any idea where we were bound for. We thought it was India – in fact, it was an Indian transport. Whilst we were on our journey our rations for every meal consisted of bully and biscuits, with tea without milk for breakfast and tea. When someone enquired why there was no bread, they were told it was an Indian crew, and they did not eat bread.’