Plates

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No 31 Woodland Rise, Muswell Hill, the Talleys’ family home.

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The Rough Riders’ splendid pre-war slate blue and purple lancer uniform; these were packed away in 1914.

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Frank Talley’s attestation form; he re-joined the army on 27 August 1914.

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The Talley brothers’ insignia, cap badges, shoulder titles, buttons and collar badges. The distinctive collar badges have been made into brooches for wear by ‘sweethearts’.

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Cover from the Rough Riders’ Diary for 1914–15, owned by one of the Talley brothers, depicting the typical riding order of the day.

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The Rough Riders at Woodcote, Oxfordshire, in 1914. The Talleys joined later, and are not in this picture.

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Bacton-on-Sea, Norfolk, 1914. This card, sent home by Frank, shows the position of his billet (marked with an ‘X’).

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‘The Raider’. A contemporary postcard showing a Zeppelin caught in a searchlight. The Rough Riders saw the first Zeppelin raid, and the Talleys were concerned about the effect of the raiders on their family at home.

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SS Scotian, the troop ship that carried the Rough Riders from Avonmouth to Egypt. This card was sent home by Percy Talley.

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Valetta Harbour, Malta; the Talleys were here briefly. This card, no doubt bought from one of the ‘bum-boat’ vendors, was sent home by Percy Talley.

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Top left: The expectation of the British soldier. The experience was somewhat different.

Bottom left: D Squadron, Rough Riders, at the Pyramids, Egypt. The Talley brothers, both in D Squadron, must be in this photograph.

Top right: Equipment of the Rough Riders in Egypt: Wolseley pattern sun helmet, shirt sleeves and leather bandolier.

Bottom right: Postcard sent home by Percy Talley while stationed at Port Suez, Egypt.

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Indian Field Service Postcard sent home by Percy from Egypt ‘as a curiosity’. Such pro forma cards were a simple means of communicating with home.

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Telegram sent by Percy Talley from Alexandria in May 1915, informing his parents that he and his brother had observed the battles in the Dardanelles.

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Mudros Harbour, Lemnos; this was the main base for attacking the peninsula.

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Suvla Bay and plain from Anzac; intended as a base for further operations. Failure to take the high ground early on meant the scheme was compromised, and hard battles were fought to exploit them.

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Map of Suvla Bay from Ian Hamilton’s Gallipoli Diary, showing the geography of the region and the evolving battlefront under General Stopford.

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Contemporary map showing the position of Chocolate Hill, Hill 112 and other features of the IX Corps’ objectives on 21 August 1915.

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‘A’ Beach, Suvla Bay, with Lala Baba to the right, and Sari Bair in the distance.

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Trench diagram showing the Ottoman defences at Scimitar Hill and Hetman Chair.

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Lala Baba: from the lee of this hill the yeomen set off across the salt lake on 21 August 1915.

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The bombardment of Scimitar Hill, 21 August 1915.

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The yeomen cross the salt lake, 21 August 1915.

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Scimitar Hill from the site of the British positions at Chocolate Hill; the looming bulk of Teke Tepe ridge is in the background.

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Notification of Frank Talley’s wounding, received by George Talley.

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Letter from Percy Talley in the trenches at Chocolate Hill.

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Spotting snipers at Chocolate Hill; the City of London Yeomanry.

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The Middlesex Hussars digging a new trench at Chocolate Hill.

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Fetching water from a well near Chocolate Hill.

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The highland barricade at Azmak Dere.

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‘Wounded in the Dardanelles’; postcard artists make light of the suffering.

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The Rough Riders’ memorial in St Bartholomew the Great, in the City of London. Major Knollys, mortally wounded at Chocolate Hill, tops the list.