07 December 1915

HELLES - Lieutenant William Ker, Hawke Battalion, 1st Naval Brigade, RND - On the 7 December the Hawke Battalion were informed that they were on the move, but nobody had any details as to what was going to happen.

"We were told that our reliefs from the trenches by the Marines, which should have happened yesterday, was postponed for two days, and later that a brigade of another (old) division would relieve. We spent an evening in happy speculation. Castles in the air. The division was to be relieved (we had no definite news). The betting was ten to one against England, and two to one was taken against Alexandria, Anzac, Malta, or Salonika. But the popular view was a period at Alexandria, and then Serbia."

On the 8th December they were told they were only shifting sector at Helles. Still there was no information as to what was really going on.

SOURCE: W. Ker quoted by D. Jerrold, "The Hawke Battalion: Some Personal Records of Four Years, 1914-1918", (London, Ernest Benn Ltd, 1925),p.102

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