Chapter 4 – Clarence

Clarence “Charles” Palmer is one of the more fascinating characters in the lead up to the Allied invasion of the Gallipoli peninsula. Unfortunately, his role receives scant mention in many historical accounts.

Many of the details included about Clarence Palmer are taken from Hugh Dolan’s account in 36 Days – The Untold Story Behind the Gallipoli Landings. This account includes an endnote (p. 405): “The Foreign Office List for 1914 includes a detailed listing for Clarence Edward Stanhope Palmer, born 29 October 1883 and promoted to Vice Consul at the Dardanelles on 4 August 1911 . Palmer preferred to be called Charles rather than Clarence, leading to some confusion in written records.” This account outlines Charles Palmer’s role as British Vice Consul in Channakale and his initiative in recording details of defensive preparations, including the Lily Rickmeers German comand ship and details of mines laid in the Dardanelles Strait. The account also describes how Charles Palmer initially made contact with the Captain of warship HMS Indomitable by sending a letter with a merchant ship’s captain and how Charles Palmer then secretly met up with a naval officer and received codes to transmit future details (pp 5-18).

Lieutennt Mehmed Fasih of the Ottoman Army recorded in his Gallipoli diary an example of when he let his men “have the strap” when he believed they had failed to do what was expected of them. This account is provided in Bloody Ridge (Lone Pine) Diary of Lt. Mehmed Fasih 5 ^th Imperial Ottoman Army Gallipoli 1915 , p85-6.

Edward Erickson also mentions this approach to discipline in Gallipoli – The Ottoman Campaign , p. 193: “Running was an integral part of the training regime, and recruits who could not keep up were sometimes struck with leather straps to spur them on.”

According to Edward Erickson in Gallipoli – The Ottoman Campaign (p.30-31), the 9th Infantry Division was one of the first to organise as part of the 5th Army mobilisation in August 1915. The major elements of the 9th Division at this time were the 25th, 26th and 27th Infantry Regiments. During August 1915 the 25th Regiment was stationed near Erenkoy on the Asian side of the Dardanelles; the 26th Regiment was stationed at Sedd el Bahr on the European side of the Dardanelles; and the 27th Regiment was sent to the Saros Bay beaches to defend against a possible Greek amphibious threat.