BRAVE AUCKLANDERS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2514, 15 July 1915, Page 3

BRAVE AUCKLANDERS

TRIBUTE FROM GENERAL GODLEY. In a letter received by Mr.: Arthur M. Myers, 11.P., from Goneral Sir Alexander Godley, and dated May 21,. from A., N.Z.A.C. Cove, Gallipoli, the General says:— • "I must write a line to tell you how well tho Auckland Battalion has done since wo landed on this Peninsula. On April 25, the day _ive landed, they were tho first of tho New Zealand troops- to bo engaged, and V,"CVO at once plunged into tho thick of tho fight. They fought most gallantly all day, and Plugge, their colonel, though severely wounded in the wrist, by a bullet which lodged in it,, continued to lead and command his men, and refused to go to the rear. For the first three days the fighting was' absolutely continuous, and your Battalion was in the thick of it the whole time. Later, our New Zealand Infantry Brigade was sent down to Cape Helles to assist in the southern attack, and the Auckland Battalion was the one of the four to whom' fell, the honour of leading that portion of the attack, which was made by the New Zealand brigade. They advanced most gallantly, and came in for a terribly heavy enfilade ajid cross fire from maxims, with the result,that,they suffered very heavy casualties. But nothing daunted, they pushed on and reached their objective, where with very attenuated numbers they dug themselves in and maintained their position. I hear nothing but the most glowing accounts of their performance, and I hope that you will let all the Auckland, people know .what credit they, have done to New Zealand and to the Auckland Province in particular. "I am sorry to say tho casualties among officers .were desperately heavy. Young 1 Steadman, . Colonel Steadinan's : son, young Carpenter, a. very nico boy named' Screaton,' who commanded my escort for, some time, Morgan, and Reid, were all killed, and- prior to this Dodson, Flower, Richardson,. and Allen had been killed. It is curious that Allen and Carpenter, who, you may remember, went to'Duntroon, but were returned because they could not quite reach the standard required,: should have "pl'oved theirworth so thoroughly and died such gallant soldiers'deaths. ■ "Plugge was ■ again wounded', aa also were Barrowell, Dawsoni Bartlett, West, Macfarlane, "Weir,' Fletcher, and Craig (their: doctor), and prior to this Stuckey, Alderman, Macdonald, Fraser,, Prater, "VVoolley, ■ Westmacott, ' Peake, Morpeth, and Baddeley'had also been wounded.