The Wooden Horse of Gallipoli: The Heroic Saga of SS River Clyde, a WW1 Icon, Told Through the Accounts of Those Who Were There

by Stephen Snelling

The initial Allied landings on the Gallipoli Peninsula began on 25 April 1915. Many of those who went ashore at V Beach near Cape Helles did so from the SS River Clyde. In the first full-length study devoted entirely to River Clyde and the men who sailed in her, the author reveals a remarkable tale of human endeavor told in the words of the men who were from the naval captain whose brainchild it was, to the teenage midshipmen who risked their lives to rescue the operation from disaster; from the infantrymen who braved a storm of fire to the staff officers who led the assault that finally secured the beachhead; from the armored car machine-gunners whose covering fire saved hundreds of men marooned on the shore, to the navys own infantrymen who ventured out into the bullet-swept waters to succor the wounded.The Wooden Horse of Gallipoli tells the story of how this collier became an icon of the First World War, its stranded bulk synonymous with one of the most extraordinary exploits of a campaign doomed to failure.

Genres: Nonfiction, World War I

595 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 28, 2016

Reviews

[Peter Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen Snelling had already written the well-received VCs of the First World War: Gallipoli, but he still had an itch to scratch as he considered the epic story of the failed 25th April V Beach landing from the SS River Clyde. His interest had first been triggered by a 1967 Victor comic strip recounting the tale - it is perhaps a comment on our modern education systems that while in 1915 young officers were inspired by the great literature of the Iliad and the proximity of Troy; now a yellowing old comic holds sway on our imagination!

Assisted by a sympathetic publisher he was given the time to produce this wonderful study, that covers most aspects of that terrible day. The scene is set with a brief review of the naval campaign, culminating in the fatal decision to land an army to facilitate the passage of the fleet. We are also introduced to the main protagonists of the landing at V Beach – the 29th Division. Although sometimes treated as if it was an ‘elite’ formation, they had been scraped up mainly from regular battalions serving across the Empire, flung together in the South Midlands, with Territorial Force artillery and no proper divisional exercises to enable them to bond together as a fighting unit. It’s limitations as a formation would become evident at Gallipoli, but also the inherent qualities of the men who served in it. Their commander, Major General Sir Aylmer Hunter-Weston, was sceptical of the chances of success at Helles, but accepted he had to attempt the task – he and his division would do their best within the (overly) ambitious plans created by the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force commander, General Sir Ian Hamilton.

We are then introduced to Captain Edward Unwin, commander of gunboat, HMS Hussar. He was the man who came up with the idea of converting the old tramp steamer SS River Clyde into an improvised landing ship. He saw the need to get rapid support ashore from up to 2,000 men, to immediately support the boat landings at V Beach to be conducted by the 1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers. The conversion of the Clyde is next with the drudgery of cleaning out the odiferous evidence of its previous role transporting mules. He addresses the fascinating technicalities of the sally ports cut out on both sides of the Clyde and the jury-rigged platforms that linked them meeting at the front of the ship. This would be linked to the beach by a combination of lighters towed by a steam hopper. A strong machine gun battery from the Royal Naval Armoured Car Division was to provide supporting fire from the superstructure of the Clyde. We are made familiar with all the main characters and their back story – learning far more than there is usually space for in the ‘average’ Gallipoli book. And so, the scene is set.

No spoilers for those not aware of the amazing events on V Beach on 25 April. What I can say is that once the action begins the book excels in the sheer amount of detail given covering the fighting through the medium of copious personal experience account. There are still ‘blurred’ areas – indeed it would be suspicious if there were not problems with differing perceptions and slightly different chronologies. Few people had time in these circumstances to write down minute-by-minute accounts and many were in a state of shock. I was familiar with many of the accounts, but Snelling has turned up many new witnesses and overall presents a coherent and convincing account. I was hooked. After the action Snelling relates the subsequent - often all too short – lives of the survivors of the fighting. He also reviews the subsequent fate of the River Clyde herself, which was eventually salvaged, sold off and once more sailed the seas as a tramp steamer, before being sold for scrap in 1966. What an opportunity was missed for another floating IWM museum outpost floating on the Thames!

Overall, perhaps the book lacks any real analysis of the Turkish defences – or indeed much recognition of the stunning achievement of the single company defending V Beach. However, I am pleased that Snelling has not got overly excited by the dull controversy raging over the presence of Turkish machine guns - as many Briitsh witnesses assert - or not - as the Turks insist - backed up by all their official orders of battle and associated documentation. To me, it makes little difference – the reality is that the men landing from on V Beach were under a coruscating fire. In the end, for all the heroism, the whole River Clyde plan had been ‘off-the-cuff’ and the details had not been thought through - the men emerging onto the platforms were sitting ducks. For the Briitsh it was a tragedy only ameliorated by the courage demonstrated by so many in the face of what seemed like certain death.

To me, both sides emerge as equally heroic protagonists in this amazing self-contained epic of warfare at its most dramatic. Highly recommended.

[Martin Rush · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very informative & extremely we'll written by Stephen snelling. really excellent read.