Landing at Cape Helles - Aftermath

Aftermath

The British went into the Gallipoli campaign believing the Ottomans to be an indifferent fighter. The failed Ottoman assault on the Suez Canal and a farcical raid near Alexandretta had reinforced this opinion. One day at Helles wiped out the misconception. Until the end of the war, the British believed they faced two Ottoman divisions south of Achi Baba. Actually they had faced two battalions at the landing and only three more (the remainder from the 26th Regiment and one from the 25th) were sent to Helles during the first day. The rest of the 9th Division was tackling the Anzacs north of Gaba Tepe.

The Ottomans intended to hold a line south of Krithia. On 27 April the British made no move in the morning, waiting for the French to come ashore on the right. At 4 pm, the Allies made a general advance up the peninsula for two miles (3 km). The next day they attacked Krithia and Achi Baba from this line in what became the First Battle of Krithia. The delay allowed the Ottomans to reinforce and prepare their defences on ground of their choosing.

The two battalions that had landed at V Beach – the 1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers and 1st Royal Munster Fusiliers — had been so badly mauled during the landing that they were combined to form a composite battalion, known as the "Dubsters". The battalions were reformed following the evacuation. The Munsters moved to the 48th Brigade of the 16th (Irish) Division in May 1916. They were joined in the 16th Division by the Dubliners in October 1917. Of the 1,100 Dubliners, only eleven survived the entire Gallipoli campaign unscathed.