The “sniper exploits” that occurred on the Russian Front during the Second World War have become something of a legend, even breaking into popular culture. Yet, the famed duel involving Vasily Zaitsev likely never occurred — at least not in the way Hollywood would have you believe. However, a generation earlier, a very real sniper duel may have taken place during the Gallipoli Campaign in the First World War.
So feared was an Allied sniper that the Turks sought to hunt him down.
The First Sniper Duel?
The term “sniper” had first been coined by the British military in India, where troops hunted the “snipe” — a bird that by virtue of its speed and size was extremely difficult to hunt. Those who were successful in shooting the snipe in flight were hence referred to as snipers. Snipe shooting was simplified to “sniping” and the term “sniper” first appeared in the 1820s.
The use of skilled marksmen as snipers was already in practice by the time the British and Commonwealth forces landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula, where the Allied plan had been to march on the Ottoman Empire’s capital of Constantinople (today’s Istanbul).
The Turks had other plans, and though few could be deemed “snipers,” the Ottoman military had the advantage of the high ground. It enabled them to shoot down onto the enemy positions in the early stages of the invasion. As both sides dug in, often with the trenches just yards apart, the Turks used the terrain to their advantage. Though few Turkish soldiers received the sniper training of their German co-belligerents, some still proved to be adept in the art of sharpshooting and sniping. This is all the more notable as the Turks had no access to optically-equipped rifles, and instead, their shots were made using ordinary iron sights.
From the moment the British and Commonwealth troops landed on the rocky peninsula, they were constantly sniped at. Dozens of Allied soldiers were killed daily in the opening weeks of the campaign by enemy troops that couldn’t be easily seen.
“Put your head up out of the trench, and whizz goes a bullet from an invisible sniper,” a British officer wrote in a dispatch noted Adrian Gilberg, author of “Sniper: The World of Combat Sniping.”
Gradually, improved defenses, with a greater sense of caution shown by the troops, helped lead to a decline in casualties. Another factor was that the British and ANZACs (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) instituted their own counter-sniper program, which sought to target and kill the Turkish marksmen, as well as the Ottoman officers.
Anyone who showed to be particularly skilled with a rifle had a chance of being a sniper.
Enter Billy Sing
The most distinguished of the Allied snipers at Gallipoli was No. 355 Trooper of the ANZAC’s 5th Light Horse, William Edward “Billy” Sing, a native of Queensland, Australia. Before the war, Sing had been noted to be a crack shot, and he had regularly taken part — and more importantly, won — shooting competitions at Brisbane and Randwick.
In addition to his skill with the rifle, he further understood the other key attribute of any good sniper, namely patience. He didn’t simply take shots when opportunities were presented, but rather he made sure that when he pulled the trigger on his rifle that it would find “its billet.”
Sing was wholly devoted to his craft, and much like today’s trained military snipers, he often worked with an observer. During his time at Gallipoli, he has been credited with working with Ion “Jack” Idriess and Tom Sheehan — and much about his legacy is thanks to the stories told by Idriess long after the war.
Using the .303 SMLE With a Galilean Sight
What is an absolute fact is that Sing didn’t have a particularly noteworthy firearm. Rather, he was issued with a standard Mk. III British Short-Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE), the same rifle issued to the bulk of the British and Commonwealth forces.
According to John Walter’s “Snipers at War: An Equipment and Operations History,” Sing’s rifle was fitted with a Galilean sight. This is notable as it wasn’t actually a “scope” we might expect, but rather was based on the technology invented in the 16th century by Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei. The sight consisted of a large convex object lens that was between an inch and an inch-and-half, along with a second smaller concave ocular lens. There was no tube connecting them.
According to the NRA’s “American Rifleman,” Irishmen Maurice Blood won a bronze medal in the 1908 Olympics in the rifle shooting competition while using a Galilean sight. It took training to use the sight, but Sing certainly benefited from it.
Moreover, Sing never seemed to be handicapped by the round nose .303 ball ammunition that was issued to the ANZACs, though it is seen as ballistically inferior to the 7.65mm Turkish Mauser round.
The tactics employed by Sing were actually fairly simple. With his spotter, the sniper would wait until a careless Turkish soldier revealed himself. Yet, as stated, Sing would only take the shot when he was confident enough to guarantee it would hit its mark. He had a confirmed tally for a single day of nine Turks killed.
The Turks Seek to Stop Sing
It is worth noting that Major T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia) wrote in his biography and later seen in the film version of his story, that the Turks put a price on his head. That is likely fiction, and few Turks ever heard of Lawrence until the film “Lawrence of Arabia” came out in 1962.
Yet, the Turks at Gallipoli certainly knew of an Allied sniper who they decided needed to be stopped. It is even possible they may have heard the name Billy Sing, as he had become notorious among the ANZACs. What isn’t disputed is that the Ottoman military actually grew so fearful of the Allied snipers that they sought to employ their own counter-snipers. This included one who was soon known as “Abdul the Terrible,” although his actual name is seemingly lost to history.
What we also know is that the Turkish sniper apparently was just as patient and methodical as Sing. He reportedly had already been a successful sniper, targeting numerous Allied officers. After being directed to hunt the ANZAC, the Turk examined any man who was shot through the head to help try to establish the trajectory of the bullet, but also to confirm the shot came from the ANZAC sniper. From there he sought to determine the likely location of Sing, and his calculations led Abdul to believe that his rival was operating near a location known as Chatham’s Post.
As the legend tells, Abdul planned carefully for the encounter.
The Ottoman soldier worked through the night, cunningly digging a foxhole when he couldn’t be spotted. He then climbed in there before dawn and waited all day, staring across at Chatham’s Post. According to the long-told tale from Idriess, Abdul remained patient and even ignored other targets.
He wanted the deadly ANZAC sniper.
The ANZAC spotter claimed he and Sing were in position when Idriess noted a potential target. Sing, at least according to Idriess, found that Abdul was looking in his direction. It was too late for the Turkish sniper, however. Sing got off his shot first. Though Abdul the Terrible had been a successful sniper he had met his match. So dismayed were the Turks that they immediately retaliated by aiming their heavy artillery at Chatham’s Post. Fortunately for the Australian sniper and his spotter, they had already evacuated back to their trenches.
Whether the story is actually true, it was almost certainly embellished. Yet, there is no denying that the Turks knew they were being hunted, and the most effective snipers would have been charged with eliminating the Australian.
It is also true that Sing’s efforts were recognized by his commanders.
For his role in the Gallipoli campaign, Billy Sign was “mentioned in dispatches” by General Sir Ian Hamilton, the British commander of the Allied forces during the campaign, and awarded the British Distinguished Conduct Medal in 1916 for “Conspicuous gallantry from May to September 1915 at Anzac (Cove) as a sniper. His courage and skill were most marked and he was responsible for a very large number of casualties among the enemy, no risk being too great for him to take.”
Sing’s Legacy
Though no Turkish sniper was successful in stopping Sing, one came surprisingly close, when a bullet ricocheted off spotter Sheehan’s spotting telescope, hitting Sing in the shoulder. Sheehan was more severely wounded and was eventually sent home. The ANZAC sniper recovered, but in early August 1915, he was also hospitalized for four days with influenza. Neither time in the hospital seemed to affect his sniping abilities.
For his skill with the rifle, Sing earned the nickname “The Assassin” and “The Murderer.” His regimental records credited him with 150 confirmed kills, but in October 1915, General William Birdwood, commander of ANZAC forces, issued an order complimenting him on his 201 unconfirmed kills.
After his service in the Gallipoli Campaign, Sing was sent to the Western Front, but there seems to be no evidence that he returned to sniping with the dramatic effect he had in Turkey — possibly due to the differences in terrain. His health also declined following wounds to his legs and then from poison gas. Yet, he was reported to have led a counter-sniping sweep in the Polygon Wood in September 1917 and was unofficially credited with multiple kills. He returned to Australia in July 1918 as “Permanently unfit for Service.”
Sing was the second-highest scoring sniper of the First World War after Francis Pegahmagabow of the Canadian Army.
The remainder of his life was largely uneventful, and he lived in anonymity. His marriage — the result of a whirlwind courtship while recovering from wounds — failed soon after his return to civilian life, and he was also unable to find permanent employment. It is now believed he likely suffered from post-traumatic stress after the war. Sing’s health steadily declined, and he died in Brisbane, Australia, in May 1943. He was just 57.
In April 2015, to mark the 100th anniversary of the initial Gallipoli landings, Sing was remembered with the unveiling of a Brisbane cemetery monument. He will forever be remembered as a son of Australia who served with honor.
