Landing at Cape Helles - W Beach (Lancashire Landing)

W Beach (Lancashire Landing)

W Beach, on the other side of Cape Helles from V Beach, is about 350 yards (320 m) long and varies between 15 and 40 yards (37 m) wide. While it lacked the strong defensive structures provided by the fort and castle at V Beach, it was mined, and had extensive barbed wire entanglements including one extending for the length of the shoreline and another entanglement just under the surface of the water offshore. Trenches in high ground overlooking the beach provided good defensive positions, and the only exit was via a gully that could be easily defended.

The beach was protected by a single company of Ottoman troops, from the 3rd Battalion of the 26th Regiment; around 240 men, defending against a force of around four times their number who were taking part in the initial landing. British accounts say there was at least one machine gun, Ottoman accounts say there were none.

The 1st Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers were embarked in the cruiser HMS Euryalus and the battleship HMS Implacable which took up positions off the beach. The troops transferred to 32 cutters at around 4 am. Euryalus closed in on the beach at around 5 am whilst Implacable moved off to land troops and provide covering fire at X beach, and opened fire on the defences. The cutters were towed towards the shore in groups of four by steam pinnaces, and at around 6:15 am when they were about 50 yards (46 m) from the shore the cutters were cast off to be rowed to the shore.

As at V Beach, the defenders held their fire until the boats were almost to the shore. When they opened fire they caused horrific casualties amongst the troops tightly packed into the boats. As the troops landed many leapt into deep water and sank under the weight of their equipment; others got caught on the barbed wire.

However, unlike V Beach, the Lancashires were able to get ashore and, although suffering horrendous losses managed to break through the wire entanglements and reach the cliffs on either side of the beach where the companies were reformed before storming the defending trenches. The battalion suffered 533 casualties, over half its strength.

In his account, Corporal John Grimshaw reported that, "In boats we got within 200 or 300 yards (270 m) from the shore when the Ottomans opened a terrible fire. Sailors were shot dead at their oars. With rifles held over our heads we struggled through the barbed wire in the water to the beach and fought a way to the foot of the cliffs leaving the biggest part of our men dead and wounded."

Reinforcements started landing at 9:30 and by 10 am, the lines of trenches had been captured and the beach was secured. By 12:30 the troops had linked up with the 2 Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers who had landed at X beach to the left with the capture of the defensive position called Hill 114. However it was not until 4 pm that the more heavily defended position to the right, Hill 138, was captured following heavy naval bombardment and an assault by the Worcester Regiment.

With V Beach still closed, the main force began to come ashore at W. The British commander in chief of the expedition, General Sir Ian Hamilton later ordered that the beach be renamed Lancashire Landing. In his first despatch to the Secretary of State for War he wrote "So strong, in fact, were the defences of 'W' Beach that the Ottomans may well have considered them impregnable, and it is my firm conviction that no finer feat of arms has ever been achieved by the British Soldier – or any other soldier – than the storming of these beaches from open boats on the morning of 25 April."

W Beach became the main British base at Helles for the rest of the campaign, until the evacuation on 9 January 1916. The cliffs were terraced and bunkers dug into them and the beach area itself was converted into a small port with piers built out into the sea to receive lighters from ships anchored offshore to bring in supplies and reinforcements, and to evacuate wounded troops. Lancashire Landing Cemetery is located a few hundred metres away.