LAST MAN ON GALLIPOLI.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16721, 2 January 1920, Page 6

LAST MAN ON GALLIPOLI.

STATEMENT BY GEMEKAL KTETE. Many Diggers have put forward the claim of having been tho last man to leavo Gallipoli at tho evacuation; but Ryrio says ho saw the last man—thero was only one of liim. Sir Granville was telling the story of the evacuation to ab: welcomo homo gathering (states tho . •ydney "Sun"). "There is ono incident,'' ho said, "that would liavo been most humorous if it were not almost tragic. A man liad been on listening duty in a tunnel. Generally, tho period of duty was about, two and a-half or throo hours. Fivo hours passed, however, and the man was not relieved, so he crawled back into tho trench to investigate. Judge of his surprise and consternation when ho found all tho trenches deserted. An hour and a-half later an exhausted, despairing figure staggered down tho beach—just in time to bo assisted into tho last boat. There was that lone man for hours after wo had reached the beach holding up the Turkish army of 160,000 men. Thero are. I believe, about 0000 last men— (laughter)—hut he wrs tho dinkum last man to mv knowledge." General Ryrio added that tho Turks xro.ro completely deceived, and that it. was all rubbish to say that they knew of the impending evacuation, and let the Australians depart in pence. For hoars after tho ships gpt undor way, rifles and bombs, cunningly arranged, exploded automatically, and they heard that soon afterwards the Turks diarged with the bayonet, to bo overcome with astonishment on reaching empty trenches.