During June 1915 Hore had his tent in Mule Gully, a ravine or valley between Walker’s Ridge and the Sphinx above North Beach. It was occupied by elements of the Indian Mule Cart Transport in early May 1915 after severe Turkish shelling had killed a number of mules in positions around Anzac Cove and Brighton Beach. Mule Gully was only about 220 metres from the front line trenches on Walker’s Ridge but its sides were steep and, as Captain H M Walker wrote, ‘it afterwards proved to be the safest place in the whole position’. Eventually, the unit developed a supply-depot at the foot of the gully

Between 1 and 4 May 1915, 2 officers and 227 men of the Indian Mule Cart Transport landed in the Anzac position at Gallipoli under the command of Captain H M Alexander. Within five days, this small transport unit had suffered one man killed, 10 wounded while 44 mules had been killed and 67 wounded. The role of the unit on Anzac was to transport supplies of food, ammunition, water and other essential stores from the landing beaches to scattered dumps and depots. Uncoupled from their carts, the mules were also used in trains to take supplies up into hills to brigade dumps closer to the front line trenches.

It was a perfectly comfortable habitation

In this passage Major H M Walker, Indian Mule Cart Transport, described his dug-out accommodation in Mule Gully. It is possible that Walker’s dug-out is the one shown by Hore on the right of the drawing. This sketch was done in June when Hore’s unit, the 8th Australian Light Horse, was in the line along Walker’s Ridge above Mule Gully. Hore would have known the road down from the ridge through the gully well. Indeed, he at one stage met Major Walker of the Mule Cart Transport who described Hore as a ‘clever artist’ who produced ‘admirable sketches drawn in the trenches’:

"A supply depot was established at the foot of Mule Gully, in charge of Lieutenants Eliot and Higginson of the New Zealand A.S.C. [Army Service Corps]. These two officers joined Brown and me in our mess, and this arrangement lasted for three months. The mess dug-out, in which I also slept, was made very comfortable and quite proof against splinters and bullets. Brown was both architect and builder, and showed considerable aptitude for the work. The earth was dug to a depth of about three feet: walls were made of grain-bags filled with sand, a large biscuit-box, with top and bottom knocked off, forming a good window on the west side.

A roof was put on, strips of wood collected from the wreckage of a boat being used as rafters, with a cart tarpaulin stretched over them, and two inches of earth on top. The whole south side above the ground line was left open to give a splendid view across the position to Ari Burnu Point, and Imbros Island behind. The furniture consisted of shelves and cupboards of biscuit-boxes, a tarpaulin on the floor, a large-size bully-beef box as a table, a most luxurious camp-chair contributed by Hashmet Ali, and two stools cleverly made by the Corps carpenter from odds and ends. My valise on a layer of hay was the bed, and when rolled up was used as a fourth chair. The open side was fitted with curtains made of ration-bags, which could be let down to keep out the afternoon sun. It was a perfectly comfortable habitation, though a little cramped at times. The dimension were not more than seven feet long and five feet wide, and about four feet deep …"

Major H M Alexander, On Two Fronts: Being the Adventures of an
Indian Mule Corps in France and Gallipoli, London, no date, p.173-174]

General Sir Ian Hamilton praises the Indian Mule Cart Transport

On 27 September 1915, General Sir Ian Hamilton, the commander of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, wrote this letter to the commander of the British Indian Army concerning the work of the Indian Mule Cart Transport on Gallipoli:

Sir Ian Hamilton’s letter:

Sir

I have the honour to bring to your Excellency’s notice that in April 1915 a cart Train of Indian Mule Transport was organised at Marseilles, from Indian Transport sent to France, for duty with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel C H Beville. The Train includes contingents of Imperial Service Transport from theStates of Baratpore and Indore.

This unit was landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula at the commencement of operations here and has since been distributed throughout the Force at Helles, at Anzac and latterly at Suvla. I desire to place on record the excellent work every one of its detachments has performed, thereby adding greatly to the efficiency of the fighting troops.

This work has been carried out under trying and difficult conditions owing to constant shell fire, but in spite of the casualties the whole Train retained its high standard of efficiency and the spirit of the men remains excellent. The Australian sand New Zealanders get on capitally with the Indian rank and file of this train and are genuinely fond of them. In no campaign that have yet served in have I seen men so well treated, so well fed, or so happy.

So highly do I estimate the value of this unit that I venture to express a hope that the Government of India will see its way to maintain it up to its original establishment by means of drafts and animals.

I trust that my appreciation of the work done by their contingents will be brought to the notice of the two Native States concerned.

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your obedient servant,

(Signed) Ian Hamilton, General

Commander-in-Chief

Mediterranean Expeditionary Force.

[Source: Appendix M.F.Q. 226/5 of 27/9/15(copy), AWM 6, 190]