April Sergeant 1915 ANZAC Yahya Battle 25-26 of Gallipoli
Sergeant Yahya , of 10th Company , 3rd Battalion , 26th Regiment , distinguished himself by acts of gallantry during the Battle of Gallipoli , at Ertugrul Cove ( V Beach ), Turkey on 25April 1915 . On this day , Sgt . Yahya , with just 63 men and four maxim machine guns , was dug in with other Turkish Soldiers on Hill 138 ; one of the most strategic defensive points because of its location between V and W Beaches . In the early morning hours British Soldiers from the 1st Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers and the 1st Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers conducted an amphibious assault from the Landing Ship “ SS River Clyde ” to begin the Gallipoli campaign . As the boats came ashore Sgt . Yahya directed his men , and the machine guns , to engage the landing parities . Almost immediately Sgt . Yahya ’ s commander , Lieutenant Abdur Rahim , was killed . When no one stepped up to lead the company , Sgt . Yahya took command of the company . Despite e a continuous bombardment and multiple attempts by British forces to take the beach all morning , Sgt . Yahya courageously moved from posi- tion to position to rally soldiers and direct deadly fires onto the beach below . In the afternoon they received eived word that British soldiers were advancing toward Hill 138 from W Beach , which was to their rear . Sgt . Yahya quickly mobilized his men and reinforced rced units defending the other side of Hill 138 facing W Beach . Because of his leadership and heroic actions Turkish Krithia
forces were able to stop the British advance , forcing the British to abandon all attempts to capture the beaches until the next day . A Royal Naval Air Service observer flying above the battle tle that morning ng reported rted that the shallow waters of the cove were e ‘ absolutely red with blood ’. Midshipman George Drewry , who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his courage at this landing , wrote to his father : ‘ I never knew blood smelt so strong before '. On the evening ng of 25 April . British forces increased ed the bombardment of V Beach , and continued it throughout ut the night , with the goal of
Hellesbombardment destroying the trenches and displacing Sgt . Yahya ’ s men . Despite the
Cape Helles bard and lack of reinforcements , Sgt . Yahya and his men remained in position throughout the night and on the morning of 26 April the British resumed their attack . Sgt . Yahya and his men contin- ued to hold their ground throughout the morning , but by 3 pm that afternoon Sgt . Yahya , along with most of his men , had been severely wounded and were ordered to move to alternate positions further up the coast . Shortly after moving to the alternate position , Sgt . Yahya succumbs to his wounds and became a martyr .
Kum Kale
Gaba
Achi Bab
A memorial commemorates Turkish forces during the Battle of Gallipoli .
Sergeant Yahya award Since the inception n of Allied Land Command ( LANDCOM ) in 2012 , mander
3 the commander of LANDOCM has presented the Sergeant Yahya
Award , annually , to the Non-Commissioned Officer whose has made on outstanding individual Contribution to the success of Allied Land Command through their exceptional Commitment and Dedication Duty .