Gallipoli - Battle of the Teacups?

[TwiggyTree]

Dear friends

ANZAC day and time with family have raised an interest in the last battle at Gallipolli.

Family story has it that this battle was called the Battle of the Teacups, and was fought by the last 6 men only, rigging cups to the guns triggers and relying on water to fill them and set them off, long after the main battalions had retrenched.

Does anyone know anything about this being true?

If so, is this detailed anywhere?

Thank you,
Twiggy

[spades]

Hi Twiggy,

I haven't heard of the name 'Battle of the Teacups', but the story of rigging pannikins to the gun triggers and using water to set them off at different times is certainly true.

It was part of the larger planned deception used to evacuate the last of the men from Gallipoli without casualties at night and ironically was the most successful operation the Allies undertook in the campaign - an evacuation.

If this was a family story the 'Battle of the Teacups' might be an informal survivor's name for the ruse and 'the last six men' a memory of him or his mates carrying it out in their particular trench.

Spades

[TwiggyTree]

Thank you for that confirmation spades, at least we seem to be on the right track.

Where did you find out about this?   I hadn't had much luck searching online.

If the ANZAC forces were under the British, whose were the main records of this event? 

Do you think that our NZ Battalion diaries in Archives NZ might have more information?

[spades]

Hi Twiggy,

I don't have any answers to the questions you pose, but page 275 of the coffee-table book Gallipoli. Untold stories from war correspondent Charles Bean and front line Anzacs talks about an Australian who invented a technique for firing off rifles by "two bully beef tins full of water and a bit of string...it will pull the trigger as late as 20 minutes after it has been left'.

Men were evacuated in small groups at first with the final Evacuation Days the nights of 18 and 19 December.

This book is an excellent day-by-day account of the campaign, and although from an Aussie point of view rather than Kiwi or British, covers the daily struggle to survive the snipers, artillery bombardments, thirst, etc.

If you read the most recent newspaper articles and New Zealand Listener dealing with Anzac Day commemorations you will gain a lot more information. And there is the WW100 website as well
http://ww100.govt.nz/

Spades

[majm]

I wonder if there's information to help to be found in C W Bean's books (Australia's official historian for WWI)

They are available as pdf files   

http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/first_world_war/

Probably looking for Vol II and its index starts at its page 911

Cheers,  JM

[TwiggyTree]

Thank you both.

[lilpurplepearl]

Hi

It was called the "drip rifle" made from obviously a rifle, 2 jam tins, some wire, water & a chunk of wood.  I've never heard of it being called as the "Battle of the Teacups" but that naming of it really puts an ANZAC twist on it.

There are many books you can get your hands on, unfortunately I've only read books written by Australian authors. The book that I think gives a good chronological account is one called "Gallipoli: The final battles and evacuation of ANZAC" written by David W. Cameron.

And yes Majm is right, Charles W Bean's books or diaries would be an excellent place to start. He was at Gallipoli & saw first hand what our ANZAC's were going through right up to the very end.

Cheers,
LLp

[majm]

http://anzac.homestead.com/rifle.html 

Photos and info at that link 

ADDING this link :

http://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/gallipoli/drip_rifle.asp 

Cheers,  JM

[TwiggyTree]

Wonderful resources, information and leads folks!   

I am going to share them with family and see if it triggers any further memories.