History :  S-Beach was one of the 5 places chosen by Hamilton and his staff to put troops ashore in the south of the peninsula. Whereas V-beach and W-beach were seen as the main effort of the 25^th April landings, X-beach and S-beach were added to offer some extra protection on the flanks. Although it might seem odd at first sight that the wide expanse of Morto Bay was not used more intensively, the Allies had good reasons to come to this decision : first of all it was too shallow for battleships to come in too close and furthermore, it also limited their manoevrability. Another consideration was that the bay was open to fire from Turkish batteries across the Dardanelles, which was thought to be an unacceptable risk for all kinds of shipping.

For the same reasons, the area was not well defended. On top of the cliffs were the remains De Tott's batttery, dating back from the Turko-Russian war of the 1770's. The Turks used the position as an observation post, but apart from a trench halfway up the hill, no barbed wire or other defenses were present. Because the top of the cliff was vulnerable to Navy bombardment, only a skeleton occupation of two platoons was present on 25th April : one in the trench, and the other, as a local reserve, half a mile further inland.

The task to land at S-Beach was alotted to the 2^nd Battalion of the South Wales borderers, of which 3 companies would actually play an active part and a 4^th be kept in reserve. They would get naval artillery support from HMS Cornwallis and four trawlers that would bring them in 4 tows of 6 lifeboats each close inshore. The plan was that 2 com- panies would land inside Morto Bay itself, and the 3^rd one, in shirt-sleeves and without their packs, at the foot of the Eskihissarlik cliffs.Although the preparations for the landing started at 5.00 o’ clock in the morning of 25^th April, the South Wales Borderers were hampered in their approach by the strong current coming out of the Dardanelles, and by the presence of a number of mine-sweepers near Morto Bay. As a result, it was as late as 7.30 when the 2 companies eventually landed on the beach where they were held up by the fire from the platoon of Turkish troops in a trench halfway up Eski Hissarlik. In the meantime however, the 3^rd company of Borderers had made an unopposed landing just round the corner of the cliffs, and climbed to De Tott’s Battery, from where they could enfilade the Turkish trench.

 The whole action, during which the Borderers suffered 2 officers and 13 men killed and another 3 officers and 45 men wounded had only taken half an hour : the trench was captured, 15 Turks were taken prisoner and the position was safely in Allied hands.

De Tott's Battery, with halfway up the slope the Turkish trench that was captured by the Borderers.

From the top of Eski Hissarlik, they could clearly see that there were serious problems at V-Beach, where the landing was not going well at all. Colonel Casson, the Welsh commander, was therefore facing a real dilemma : either stay where he was and consolidate as ordered, or move on in the direction of Seddul Bahr and try to outflank the Turkish defences there. After communicating with Division, he opted for the safer first possibility. Not only was he unsure of the presence of other Turkish troops in the vicinity, but when General Hunter Weston sent him a signal saying ‘Well done, South Wales Borderers. Can you maintain your position for another 48 hours?’, that settled the question.

As a matter of fact, a golden opportunity was missed here, to turn the scales at V-Beach, where hundreds of men were losing their lives in fruitless attempts to land from the River Clyde. But little did Casson – and Hunter Weston – know at that time that their troops at the smallest of the 5 landing places alone, outnumbered the Turkish defenders at the tip of the peninsula. The South Wales borderers stayed at S-Beach till they were relieved by the French on 27^th April and a connection was made with the other Allied troops at Seddul Bahir.

Access :

S-Beach is easy enough to find. As it is situated near the extreme south point of the Peninsula, you ‘ll need a car to get there. If you come  from Eceabat, drive to Alçitepe (the old Krithia). Keep to the main road, which turns left after you enter the village and then right to leave it. You are then on the main (and in fact only) road to Seddul Bahir. Just before you reach that village, there’s a big roadsign pointing to the left, saying ‘Abide’, which simply means ‘monument’. Continue in that direction, where you can see the big Turkish monument to the fallen in the distance, situated on the Eskihissarlik cliffs.

At a certain moment you’ll drive past the Abide Moteli at the side of the road, and see that you are close to the beach. The bay in front of you is Morto Bay. Follow the road which turns left to circle the bay. Midway between you and the monument, at the left hand side of the road, you will see the (only) French cemetery and monument. S-Beach is situated at the east side of Morto Bay,  in front of you, just where the road starts climbing towards the monument.

Morto Bay in 1915 from Eskihisarlik with a Turkish shell exploding.              Morto Bay from S-Beach the way it looks nowadays

INo real traces of the S-Beach landing are left today. It can be a good idea however to park the car and take a short stroll on the beach to appreciate the objective from below. You can then regain the car or, if you are not afraid of a little climb, go on foot to the Monument that now occupies the former position of De Tott's battery, 50 m above the beach. Apart from some fragments of an old wall on the flanks of the cliff, nothing can be found of the original construction, but the view you get from the top of the cliff in the direction of V-Beach is certainly worth the effort.

Underneath the actual monument, there is a small museum, where remnants of the battle are on display. Close by, you will also find a 'symbolic' Turkish cemetery to commemorate the fallen.