Portsmouth 2022 - HMS M33

HMS M33 Portsmouth

HMS M33 Portsmouth IJ DM

 HMS M33 is a class M-29 monitor, one of five built in Belfast in 1915 as part of an Emergency War Programme of ship construction. It is now preserved at the Royal Dockyard Portsmouth.

A monitor was a small ship that was equipped with disproportionately large guns designed to operate in shallow waters. Their role was to provide naval gun fire support to troops ashore.

HMS M33 was commissioned in June 1915. Her armament consisted of two 6 inch (152mm) guns, a QF 6 pounder (57mm) gun and two maxim guns. The crew of 72 included men form the Royal Marine Artillery to man the primary armament, the six inch guns. 

Class M26 Monitor

HMS M33

HMS M33 6 inch gun

BL 6-inch Mk XII naval gun

Calibre:                                 6 inches (152.4 mm)

Maximum firing range:    19,660 metres (21,500 yd)

Shell:                             100 pounds (45.36 kg)  

                                            [Lyddite /  Armour-piercing / Shrapnel]

Rate of fire:                     5-7 rpm

HMS M33 Ammunition Magazine

HMS M33 Ships Office

HMS M33 - RMA Gunners Accommodation

HMS M33's first active operation was during the Gallipoli campaign supporting the British landings at Suvla Bay in August 1915. 

She remained stationed at Gallipoli until the peninsular was evacuated in January 1916. 

Gallipoli Sulva Bay Landings August 1915

HMS M33 Sulva Bay 1915

Serving in the Mediterranean, HMS M33 and was involved in the seizure of the Greek fleet at Salamis Bay on 1 September 1916. A preventive operation against neutral Greece to prevent the fleet from falling into German or Bulgarian hands. The ship remained in the Mediterranean till the end of the war. 

HMS M33 crew at work

HMS M33

HMS M33 Crew

After the Armistice, HMS M33 along with five other monitors (M23, M25, M27, M31 and Humber) were sent to Murmansk in 1919 to relieve the North Russian Expeditionary Force. HMS M33 moved to Archangel in June travelling up  the Dvina River to cover the withdrawal of British and White Russian forces

HMS M33 returned to Chatham in October 1919. 

North Russian Expeditionary Force
Dvina River

HMS M33

HMS M.33, monitor - British warships of World War 1 (naval-history.net)

Mediterranean 

July 1915-November 1918

North Russia Expeditionary Force 

May-September 1919.

Ships Cat Miss Muggins

South Shields Gallipoli Memorial

 Situated on the Little Haven Beach is a memorial plaque to remember the men from Tyneside who fought and lost their lives during the Gallipoli Campaign. 

Gallipoli Memorial
South Shields Little Haven

This included those lost from the Royal Navy, the Royal Naval Division, the British 10th, 11th and 29th Divisions, and ANZACs, Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. All would have contained men from Tyneside.

Gallipoli Memorial 
South Shields Little Haven

In February 1915, the Royal Navy tried to force passage through the Dardanelle's in order to threaten Constantinople and hopefully force Turkey out of the war.

Gallipoli and the Dardanelles

The operation began on the morning of 18 March 1915 when an Allied fleet, comprising of 18 battleships supported by cruisers and destroyers, started to bombard Turkish coastal defences located at the narrowest point of the Dardanelles. 

Allied Fleet in the Dardanelles

As they forced passage, the French battleship Bouvet struck a mine sinking in two minutes. British Battleships also succumbed to mines, HMS Irresistible and HMS Ocean were sunk and HMS Inflexible damaged. 

Dardanelles Action of March 18th 1915 

The operation failed, and it was decided to send ground troops to seize Gallipoli. The initial landings took place on the 25th April 1915. The ANZAC troops landed on the west of the peninsular, British troops on the southern beaches around Cape Helles. Amongst those British troops were men of the Royal Naval Division.

ANZAC Landings 25th April 1915.

The initial assault failed to penetrate the Turkish defences and as on the Western Front, the fighting developed into trench warfare. Both sides launched assaults with little gain. Casualties mounted over the months from the battles, made worse by those lost to disease. 

From the CWGC database, 245 ordinary ranks (OR) casualties  of the Royal Naval Division with naval numbers preceded by Tyneside can be identified as being commemorated on the Gallipoli Peninsular.  The losses ranged from  2nd May 1915 to 7th January 1916. The biggest loss of life was 4th June 1915, when 109 RND OR's were lost. This was during the Third Battle of Krithia when an attempt was made to seize objectives that were planned to be achieved on the first day of the landings. As on the first day, the assault failed. 

RND go over the top

Amongst RND officers killed in Gallipoli was Lieutenant Commander Wallace Moir Annand from South Sheilds who was killed on the 4th June 1915 in the Third Battle of Krithia.  He had married Dora Elizebeth  Chapaman before the war and her brothers served in the 4th Northumbrian (County of Durham) Howitzer Brigade Royal Field Artillery.   Lt. Cdr Annand's son, who he never met, Richard Wallace Annand, would be the first recipient of the Victoria Cross in World War Two. The VC was awarded for actions whilst serving with the Durham Light Infantry in Belgium 1940.

Lt. Cdr. W.M. Annand RND

The 8th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers and the rest of the 11th (Northern) Division landed at Sulva Bay at the beginning of August 1915 as part if IX Crops. 

This was a fresh offensive following the failure of the Krithia campaign. During August 1915 British troops tried to dislodge the Turks, but failed. Over that month 8NF lost over 200 men. The Fusiliers remained till they were evacuated in January 1916 by which time they had lost further men.

Sulva Bay landings

Gallipoli Campaign

One notable casualty served with the Australian Medical Corps. John Simpson Kirkpatrick known as "the man with the donkey", became a national hero in Australia for his bravery in rescuing wounded soldiers using a donkey to transport them back to aid posts.

Kirkpatrick was born in South Shields, joined the Merchant Navy in 1909, and made his way to Australia. John Simpson Kirkpatrick had served with the Territorial Force in South Shields. A Gunner with the 4th Durham Battery, part of the 4th Northumbrian (County of Durham) Howitzer Brigade Royal Field Artillery.

He was killed on 10th May 1915.

Northumbrian Gunner - John Simpson Kirk Patrick

Gallipoli Sun Set
Photo credit: Kevin Del Rosario

The campaign was a disaster, the allied troops evacuating the Peninsular in January having sustained 300,000 casualties (nearly 57,000 killed) for no gain. The Turks sustained over a quarter of a million casualties, with a similar number killed.

------o------

Gallipoli Memorial 

Little Haven South Shields

Gallipoli Memorial

Gallipoli Memorial Map

Gallipoli Memorial
John Simpson Kirpatrick Commemoration

 

John Simpson Kirkpatrick - Beach Cemetery Anzac

Many thanks to Many thanks to Peter Bennett (Great War Forum member) for the photograph of John Simpson Kirkpatricks grave at Anzac, Gallipoli.

There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us wherethey lie side by side here in this country of ours…

You, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace, after having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well."

Mustafa Ataturk 1934

CWGC John Simpson Kirkpatrick

John Simpson Kirkpatrick "the man with the donkey"

John Simpson Kirkpatrick was known as "the man with the donkey" and became a national hero in Australia for his deeds in rescuing wounded soldiers during the Gallipoli campaign.


He was born in South Shields on 6th July 1892 at 10 Eldon Street, Tyne Dock. He went to school in South Shields, leaving in 1905 to work as a milk float boy.

In 1908 he enlisted in the 4th Durham Battery, 4th Northumbrian (County of Durham) Howitzer Brigade Royal Field Artillery at the age of 17. He attended annual camp 1909in Fleetwood, Lancashire.



In 1909 he joined the Merchant Navy, and ended up in Australia. On the outbreak of war in 1914, he enlisted on the 1st September 1914 with the 3rd Astralian Field Hospital, where he would be employed as a stretcher bearer.



Private Kirpatrick landed in Gallipoli on April 25th 1915 with the ANZAC forces. Whilst tending a wounded man, Kirkpatrick spotted a donkey which he used to bear the casualty. For the next 25 days until his death Private Kirpatrick went out time and time again with his donkey to rescue over 300 men.


Colonel (later General) John Monash wrote: "Private Simpson and his little beast earned the admiration of everyone at the upper end of the valley. They worked all day and night throughout the whole period since the landing, and the help rendered to the wounded was invaluable. Simpson knew no fear and moved unconcernedly amid shrapnel and rifle fire, steadily carrying out his self imposed task day by day, and he frequently earned the applause of the personnel for his many fearless rescues of wounded men from areas subject to rifle and shrapnel fire."

Private J Simpson is recorded as mentioned in despatches in the Supplement to the London Gazette 5th November 1915, page 11003;

In continuation of my Despatch of the 26th
of August, 1915, I have the honour to submit
herewith the following additional names of
Officers, Non-commissioned Officers and Men
whose services, during the operations described
therein, I consider deserving of special mention.

AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL CORPS
Simpson, No 202 Private J.

At the time of his death his mother was living at 14 Bertram Street, South Shields.



Australian Government - John Simpson Kirkpatrick Army Record

John Simpson Kirkpatrick South Shields Memorial

Private John Simpson Kirkpatrick

KIRKPATRICK, JOHN SIMPSON
CWGC Casulaty Details

Australian Army Medical Corps 3rd Field Amb.
Died 19th May 1915 Aged 22
Service number 202
Mentioned in Despatches

Son of Sarah Simpson Kirkpatrick, of 14, Bertram St., South Shields, Durham, England, and the late Robert Kirkpatrick. Private J S Kirkpatrick, served as Private John Simpson and became known as the ''''Man with the Donkey''''.

Simpson landed with the 3rd Australian Field Ambulance on 25 April and by the following day he was leading a donkey carrying lightly wounded from the front line down Monash and Shrapnel Valleys to the beach. In the first three weeks of the campaign he became a familiar sight, always cheerful and oblivious of danger. Simpson was killed on 19 May and was Mentioned in Despatches.

BEACH CEMETERY, ANZAC
Grave I. F. 1.

GALLIPOLI



Gallipoli - Memorial at Anzac Cove

"Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives…

You are now living in the soil of a friendly country.

Therefore rest in peace.

There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where

they lie side by side here in this country of ours…

You, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace, after having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well."


Ataturk 1934

Information
An illustrated life of Simpson, the man wuth the donkey

Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour - John Simpson Kirkpatrick

Australian Government - John Simpson Kirkpatrick Army Record

Mapping the Anzacs

John Simpson Kirkpatrick

Digger History - Simpson