LETTERS FROM THE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2491, 18 June 1915, Page 6

LETTERS FROM THE

HOW OUR WOUNDED CAME BACK MAJORITY WALKED ASHORE - UNAIDED Trooper Ken Walker, son of Mr. AV. R. Walker, of Feildmg, sends some most interesting notes to his people, writen on a troopship at Alexandria on May 9, on the eve of sailing for the Dardanelles with the party that reinforced the first party of New Zealauders who landed. there. He states that all the mounted men were tremendously excited on receiving intimation that they were to. go to the front, and he thinks it was the hardest kind of luck for the fellows who had to stay Utiiind and attend to the horses. There was some prospect, however, that the whole of the forces and horses would follow at the first opportunity. ''This is a fine boat, a permanent transport, and all arrangements for the accommodation of troops very complete indeed. There are all sorts of troops wandering about here; several French officers and men, Indians, Tommies, Egyptian and Sudanese regulars, Herts ieomanry, Westminster Dragoons, Imperial transport officers, and various others. We are not allowed to leave the ship. There is a motley collection on the wharf—a wonderful mixture of nationalities. Some English ladies have a coffee and tea stall at the end of this wharf, and it has had a big run. lam in the best of health and quite fit. Don't you worry much over the casualty lists, for those who got winged in the big fight last week are nearly all holiday-mak-ing now, and having a huge time. The station and camp aro crowded with convalescents. I saw 257 wounded men arrive yesterday, and all but thirty odd walked off the station in good spirits and requiring very little assistance. Tho bulk of them were shot in the arms and had flesh wounds in the legs. Tho large- majority of them will be well and on .duty again inside three ■weeks." HOW IT FEELS TO BE WOUNDED. FEATHERSTON PRIVATE'S LETTER. Private Harry Whishaw, writing from a hospital in Cairo to bis mother in Feathorston, relates his experiences and impressions when wounded at the' Dardanelles. He says: "Though I am knocked out for a while, it is really nothing, just a clean hole punched through the neck. It never caused much pam, and best of all it has kept healthy and clean. ... I think myself that I am just about healed, and ought soon to bo well enough to get into it again. . . We are in very good hands here, in a -big hospital. right in town, English nurses and Egyptian doctors. We have plenty of visitors all day; they bring us books, magazines, and papers, to say nothing of cigarettes and tobacco. Most of our chaplains were left hero at our camp, and they spend all their spare time helping where they can. Quite a number of the mounted boys have been to see us. They are all green with envy. It seems a great thing to be ambitious to get chopped up by Turkish bullets, but that is how they all are. It is foolish of people to worry and weep for thoir friends and relations that go down in' the fight. I am sure from what I saw and felt that they die happy. AVhen I got mine I thought by the amount of blood and the way I gasped that the jugular vein had gone, so did not trouble to put my first field diessing on. I just lay down under a pretty little shrub, -with my elbow on the ground, resting my head on my hand, and thought of many things; but there was no fear of death, or horror that I would be no more. I was nearly contented; just a tinge of disappointment when I thought of never seeing any of you again, or seeing any of the pleasant spots, or having .any more of the pleasures of earth. Another thing that troubled me was the fact of doing nine.months' training and then only seeing three days' fighting; I was only in : the firing lino for about two hours before being bowled over. It was hard luck. If I should happen to die next time, I am sure it will not trouble me. I think one day of real exciting life is better than a century of monotony. However, though it never put mo in misory to think of dying, it gave me great pleasure when I realised that I had a sporting chalice of getting back to tho Red Cross. I had been there quite a while, when it dawned on me that I had ceased bleeding, and -was still holding my head up, so my main artery must be all right. I gathered my strength and ran, till I gave out. "Two Australians dragged me for a while then, one on each arm, and me on my back. We went along in fine style, 'midst a hail of -lead, but none of us got bit. When we got into safety they put.the field dressing, on, and I had another go at .walking-with their help. Tben two more joined them, and they took me to the beach on an oil sheet. I was dressed again there by a. doctor, and they put labels on us, much the same as parcels are labelled for shipment, and like a parcel I was laid out amongst hundreds of others, -waiting our turn to go to the transport. Mine came about twelve at night. I was loaded on to a- barge by bluejackets, towed out to the Derfflinger (a German capture), and hoisted up by a crane. They loaded wounded all that night, and all next day, before putting out to sea. We were packed along, all the decks and corridors, so that it was hard for the Red Cross boys to get about and do their work. One does not fully appreciate the Red Cross till one sees them at work, though I did. not need them much myself, not having any pain or not being able to eat. I couldn't help admiring the way they handled their patients—just as gently as trained nurses could. We arrived at Alexandria on the Saturday morning, and were immediately loaded on to well-equipped, ambulance trains for 1 Cairo. The Indian Red Cross workers looked after us on the way."

AN AUCKLANDER'S LETTER. MAJOR STUCKEY'S INJURIES A letter from Corporal Rex Heskath, of Auckland, to friends in Auckland, written from Zeitun on May 6; contains some remarkable information. "I think," states Corporal Hesketh, "that this will be my last letter before I get into the tiring line. As you know, our boys are now at the Dardanelles, and we have been ordered to join them without our horses, no doubt as third or fourth reinforcements. This is Thursday night, and we have orders to be away by Saturday. By the time this reaches you you will have experienced some shocks, for the iS'ew Zealanders have already put up a glorious light in a glorious cause. Thank God, they have proved themselves men. Poor old Trip was killed outright, and was slot before he ever landed. Major Stuclcey was shot through' the stomach, and, .brave fellow that he was, held on for two days before he gave in. "Noel Ross is here in hospital, and the poor fellow is paralysed from the body downwards. A shell burst beside him. Luckily he was not hit, but the shock, which must have been terrific, knocked him out. 1 think he will be all right later on—they say 60 at the hospital. We have not been able to ascertain yet who are killed amongst the non-coms, and troopers. Only a list of the wounded is available. Tho fighting is terribly severe, and tile hoys who have brrivccl hurc amongst the wounded Istsfo that I he Turks have some very I excellent shorp-shootorn, <vlu> pick out lan* "{ our men. wearing stripes of aaj

sort. They are up to all sorts of tricks, and cases have Seen reported of men who feign to be dead and who, after our officers and men have passed them, shoot them from behind. The Uermau officers have actually been known to don our uniforms and get into our trenches, I where they give ordws to cease fire. On one occasion, at night time, German officers _ in this way nearly succeeded in getting the men to obey ail order to cea6e tire on the flank line. They called out that the Indians were coming up tho hill to help. Our outposts discovered the ruse just in time, otherwise tho whole lot would have been annihilated. i "We are all very excited at the oppoitunity to get away, and by the time this letter reaches you we should ho in the fighting-line. May you soon have news of further brilliant New Zealand achievements." A WANCANUI MAN'S LETTER. & HOW CLAUDE DUSTIN DIED. Writing to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. David Brown, of Durie Hill, from hospital at Shebin El Kom, Mmfi'h District, Egypt, under date Sunday, May 9, Private Arthur Brown says:—"l got a bullet wound under tne right shoulder. Lucky it is a clean wound. The bullet is still in, but the doctor says it will not affect me. Tho Australians were the first' to land, at 3 a.m. on April 25, the Now Zealanders following on at 8 a.m. the same day. The former lost heavily in making a landing. They soon drove the Turks at the bayonet point over a high rongh scrub ridge facing our landing place. There were no shots fired when we landed at 8 a.m. Our fellows were not long before they got into the firing line- I had to wait on the beach until my regiment, nmved (they came on a different boat) at 6 o'clock on Sunday evening, the iioth. Wo then went out to the left flank of our position, staying there till the following Saturday, May 1. On Wednesday, 28th, the 13th .Regiment were told off to bury some of our dead nloiig the beach. We were fired at by snipers in the thicket. on the terrace. It was here Bob Currie, of Ross, was shot dead, and two others slightly wounded. We had only buried three I of our dead when were were ordered to rotire having the same number of dead as wlien we started. The Wellington Battalion passed our trenches on the left flank on their way to the faring lino on Tuesday morning. 1 was speaking to John (brother) as he passed. He was looking splendid. The. warships right up till when I left on Monday lait were still firing their big cannons. On Thursday evening, 29th, John passed down along with others for supplies, rations, etc. He said, they had been having it pretty warm, and tba; they were in good trenches. He told me h had heard that Claude Dustin was killed while trying to save a wounded Australian. Poor little M'Gregor was awfully cut up about it when he heard about it.. I heard, the nest day that he (M'Gregor) was taken away wounded. I got my wound on Monday last, Mav 3. lam now in a native hospital, along with other New Zealanders, and am doing fine.; By the time this reaches yon I will be back at it again.

THE HAWKE'S BAY BOYS. A PRIVATE'S LETTER HOME. In a letter from the Convalescent Hospital, Cairo. Private 1. L. \ ickers, of Hastings, writing to his sister. Airs. J Cowan, says:—"l am still alive, although- I had some narrow escapes since i wrote last. ."I have been in the game known as war, and it is a great business." , . He saystho Turks fled like scalded cats" before the Australian advance, but that was only a ruse to dra.w the Australians into tlie scrub, with which the hills were covered, lhey hid in the scrub and brought the Australians down ill large numbers. The Australians stuck to theni, aud drove them to the top of the cliff. ■The Auckland and Canterbury battalions were also under fire, but he did not think they suffered so much as the others. . ' His battalion got ashore at daybreak on April 26 under fire, but landed dry shod and saw a number of dead Australians lying about. . , . Continuing he says. "In reinforcing the Australians we had to climb a steep hill, and it was the hardest day s K-ork I ever did, carrying 200 rounds of ammunition, three days' food, and a rifle. The ordor was given to fix bayonets and charge, so away we went like a lot .of blood-hounds, cheering and yellincr. The' Turks fled, and we gained about 200 yards. We were again ordered to advance, and this, time we drovn the enemy back 300 yards across a vaßey. We got down on one sido and they were up on the other, from where tlioy opened fire. I was lying near my lieutenant (Jardine), and the bullets ploughing the ground all round. A chap named Rands from _ the Hastings Power House got hit ill the leg. Lieutenant Jardine was next, to suffer. He was hit by a bullet in the arm, and I got his place. The fire was so hot that Jardlue told me to get back a few yards to better cover. "As soon as I stood up I got in front, of a bullet, which went in my left shoulder at the back, and came out at the front. It did not pain very much, but my shoulder got very stiff, and .1 had to drop my rifle. _ I have only been eight hours in action, and only ■fired 13 shots. Jardine said the bullet which hit his arm would have got me in the head. ' After getting hit he said he would go back for another officer to take charge. He turned to go and a piece of shrapnel hit him in the back. . "We got him to the Red Cross station, where our wounds were bandaged, and I am now in the convalescent ~ , "I saw some terrible sights, the description of which woula make your hair stand on end. "My wdund is healing fine, and I hope to go back to the firing line, to do a bit _ more to wipe off this little score. "The Australians had the hardest job because they got ashore first, but the New Zealanders fought equally as well. "Phil Blake had a gruesome experience. He landed on Monday, and his section bivo'iaced on the beach.- They had no particular spot to sleep on, and iust dossed down anywhere. In looking round for a doss, he saw two Australians sleeping a few feet apart so he laid down between. Imagine his, feelings when he awoke next morning to find himself between two dead men who had been killed the previous day. "Jack M'Quirk was going ashore with the Red Cross Brigade iust as our hospital ship was'leaving. Jack.Brathwaito has got his sergeant's stripes."