HEROIC RED CROSS MEN

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2508, 8 July 1915, Page 2

HEROIC RED CROSS MEN

INCIDENTS OF THE TRIP HOME.

A letter from Private James M'Nish, Otago Infantry, who is in the Birmingham Hospital, suffering from a wound in the eye, sustained during a bayonet charge at Gallipoli,' states that tho Otago Battalion lost heavily. "I was -within 12 yards of the enemy's trenches when I was hit," says tho writer. "It was like being hit with the side of a house. I dropped like a log, thinking it was all over with me, but I soon came round. Oiir boys wero mown down by the Turldsh machineguns. With great difficulty I made my way. to the Australian trenches. One of their boys dressed my wounds, and then I was taken down to the beach by stretcher-bearers, who wero doing fine work. They were heroes, and deserve great praise, and if you have a chance do not forget to let the people of Dunedin know how these boys with stretchers have done their work. They go out iutoJJie thick of it ; being sniped at .all tho time, bringing in the wouftded. While on the way down through 'Suicide Gully' to the beach we were being sniped at 1 all the time, bullets flying all round us. In spite of it all we reached the beach safely at about 12 o'clock at night, and I was taken aboard a troopship and sailed for Alexandria. There I was re-shipped to the hospital ship, and left for England. "Everything went'well until "we were 40 liiles from Gibraltar, when we-came into/a thick"fog. Our foghorn was going, every minute, aiul I thought wo were getting into Gibraltar,- so I went upstairs to liavo a look, and had just reached tho deck'when I saw a small coaster making for us. Our sliipper gave three blasts of the horn to reverse the engines, and the 1 next thing was' a bang, and the engines stopped. All the boats were swung out ready in quick time. We were badly knocked in at the bow —quite a big hole on the -water-line —but the coaster sank in about seven minutes. Her crow were all saved. We put into Gibraltar for two days to patch our vessel up, BJid then made for Home, arriving at Southampton on May 20.

"Oil the way to Birmingham we were given a great reception all along the route. It was a sight to;see old and young wiping tears from their eyes and waving to ns at the same time. They all seemed to feel it more than we did. It was a fine sight going through tlie South of England on the Midland Railway. In places the .country was very much like New Zealand. AVc were driven to hospital'in private motor-cars, and all along tho streets were lined witli people. We have fine nurses, with a Scottish girl in charge, so wo are all right." . /