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LIEUTENANT
ROBERT STANTON, 1886 - 1915
6th BATTALION, ROYAL DUBLIN FUSILIERS (part II) |
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Dawn
on August 7th, saw the 6th and 7th Dubs Battalions anchored to the
south of Nibrunesi Point. Disembarkation on Beach C began at 05:30
and the men were met with a Turkish artillery barrage.
It was not until
noon that the men reached the rendezvous point at Lala Baba. In
taking Chocolate Hill and Green Hill (Hill 50), the famous 'D' Company
of the 7th Dubs, The Pals, earned their reputation for bravery.
At 7pm on the 7th of August, nearly twelve hours after they had
landed, the 7th Dubs along with the 6th Inniskillings, the 5th and
6th Royal Irish Fusiliers (The Faughs) achieved their objective
at considerable cost.
Kept in reserve,
the main duty of the 6th Battalion of the Dubs was to bring water
from the beaches up to the men on Chocolate and Green Hills.
The same
day, the Munsters were attacking Kiretch Tepe Sirt to the north
of Suvla Bay.
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In
the above photo, Lieutenant Robert Stanton can be seen as the 9th
man in from the left-hand side of the 1st sitting row (not the bandsmen).
It
is estimated that three quarters of the men in this photograph were
either killed or wounded at Suvla Bay between the 7th and the 15th
of August 1915.
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That night,
the 31st Brigade made camp on the three miles of hills they had
captured. The Corps Commander, General Sir Ian Hamilton rested the
troops the following day. On Monday the 9th of August he decided
to attack the high ground behind the village of Anafarta Saghir
with the 11th Division and part of a newly landed Territorial 53rd
Division. General Hill chose the 6th Royal Irish Fusiliers and the
6th Royal Dublin Fusiliers under the command of Brigadier General
Henry Haggard for the assault.
Their objective
was Scimitar Hill (Hill 70), which was the culminating ridge of
a spur running to the north east of Chocolate Hill and the village
of Anafarta Saghir.
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| At
down on the 7th of August 1915, the 6th and 7th Battalion Royal Dublin
Fusiliers landed at "C" Beach. |
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The Turks were
well prepared for this assault and although the Dubs and Faughs
gained some ground, the Turks launched repeated counter attacks
and a series of bush fires threatened the wounded with being burned
to death. Lieut. Robert Stanton was killed in this battle and, as
his body was not recovered, it is likely that it was consumed by
one of the bush fires.
Hill 50, or Green
Hill was already in Allied control. This account indicates that
Robert and his men were moved from the Beach up to the point of
attack to prepare for the assault on Hill 70.
Robert was twenty
eight years of age when he died. On the 16th of August 1915 Robert's
father John A., received a telegram from the Secretary of The War
Office.
J Stanton 47
South Mall Cork:
'Deeply regret to
inform you that 2nd Lieut R Stanton 6th Dublin Fusiliers is reported
wounded and missing believed killed in action between the 7th and
10th August. Lord Kitchener expresses his sympathy.'
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