WITH OUR BOYS IN EGYPT

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2515, 16 July 1915, Page 2

WITH OUR BOYS IN EGYPT

STIRRING TALE BY A WOUNDED SOLDIER CORPORAL PIPER'S STORY

(By Malcolm Ross, Official War Cor respondent with the N.Z. Forces.)

May 24. Every account iliafc' comes ,• to hand from the Peninsula of Gallipoli increases olio's admiration of the splendid bravery and fighting quality of our troops. A German officer of tho better class who was taken prisoner and who is now 'here is amazed at the lighting qualities of the Australian and Now Zealand troops. Ho says the German officers cannot get over it. They regard it as a miracle that a landing should have been successfully mado in the face of such tremendous odds. Indeed, they thought -the place to be absolutely impregnable. No greater tribute than this to the valour of our troops could be obtained.

On several occasions wounded men sent out of the firing line found their way back into it and had once, more to bo sent back, so keen wero they for fighting. Indeed, that, happened often. This spirit was in accordance witli tho Maori motto of one regiment: "Alee, ake, kia kaha" ("We will fight for ever and ever"), and the Frencli motto of another, "Pour Devoir," which somo of our moil freely translate into "Let .'em all come." The Australians went in at first shouting the name of their native land; but later when they were driving the Turks out of their trenches their battle-cry was "Imshi!" an Arabic word much used in Cairo to inferiors when you want them to go away. The Australian translates it, "Get out!" and "get out" it was for ; the Turks and the Germans on thoso first days of hard fighting. And «o, from latest news, it is still.

The Camp at Zeitoun. On arrival at the New Zealand camp, I found it almost deserted. The Maoris had left for , and one may expect soon to hear of them in the firing, line. Their physique and their war-dances have impressed everyone. Even the Mounted Infantry had gone away as "foot-sloggers," leaving their horses behind. News has just come through that three of their ollicers (Auckland men) have been killed. Tlieir horses are idlo in the ZeiloUn Camp, and long lines of sun shelters are being built for their protection now the summer is here. I found Major G. T. Hall (since promoted colonel) in charge of the base details here, both Australians and New Zealanders. Reinforcements were still arriving, and there were busy times ahead. There was also an enormous mass of detail work to do in connection, with the wounded who were arriving. New Zealanders, Australians, and British were mixed up in the various batches that landed, and wero sent into tho hospitals without loiss of time togethor. It was, therefore, the most difficult thing to find any particular New Zealauder or Australian. Colonel Hall had deputed Captain Caneron to make a round of the hospitals and find out exactly where tho New Zealanders were und how they wero faring. A chaplain was also engaged in similar work. No time was lost in getting a special hospital for the wounded New Zealanders. Tins was the Egyptian Military Hospital at Pont do Kubal. There the New Zealand wounded are now being concentrated as far as possible, and are receiving every attention. There are, of course, many cases that cannot bo removed from other hospitals owing to the serious nature, of tho wounds. ; The New Zealand Hospital was ■ in charge of Major Holmes. The matron was a capable and charming Englishwoman, untiring in. her efforts. Dr. Batchelor was also doing work in connection with it, his X-ray work being specially interesting. He is returning to New Zealand by the Willochra. Maior Holmes has done splendid work in this hospital. Indeed, lie has worked himself to a standstill and has had to run down to the cooler air of Alexandria for a three or four days' 6pcll. The New Zealanders are fortuliate in having such a good building. It is a cool building, and much better appointed than many of tlio hurriedly-organised hospitals.

Offioially Dead, A' pale young soldier in an ill-fitting uniform and dusty boots, his hand bandaged and in a sling was sitting on a couch in the great hall of Shepheard's Hotel. The corporal, who was sitting beside me, telling me of those stirring days of tho first attack, rose suddenly, for he had recognised a friend whom he thought to be dead. Such meetings are rather common -nowadays in Cairo. "Great Scott!" he cried, "that's Piper!" Tho wounded man was Corporal A. H. Piper, of the Otago Infantry, and from Oamaru. It appears that there wero two other Pipers—M. Piper and J. Piper —in the New Zealand Forces. One was killed in action and the other died of wounds. Corporal A. H. Piper was at first reported missing, because ho had got- among the Australians, and had been fighting'with them. It was six days before he could rejoin his own battalion, and then he found that he had been reported as dead by the sergeant who had buried the other Piper. Subsequently Corporal Piper came over to Cairo with J. Piper, who (lied in the Ksr-el-Any Hospital of a septic wound. When the former went to camp to get some clothes, and gave his name as Corporal Piper, they asked his number, and in renly they said: "Oh, but you aro dead!" The corporal—lie was the ono who' threw back the band grenade, an incident related elsewhere—however, was able to prove to them that he was still alive, even though they (handed him a letter stamped "Dead." Pralsa for tho Stretcher-Bearers. Corporal Piper said he had been splendidly looked after, and spoke in praise of the self-sacrificing way in which the women of Cairo were working in the hospitals. Amonest those who -wero untiring in their efforts was Lady Rogers, wlio not only cabled to his people, but wrote letters for him to New Zealand. He also pays a high tribute to the work of tho Now. Zealand Army Medical Corps. Doctors and everyone connected with the corps did splendid work under fire. The orderlies were moßt tender and solicitous in their care of the wounded. Indeed, said the corporal, they miglit, almost have been women so gently did they deal with ns._ In the section in which he was fighting tho stretcher-bearers did splendid work, as did the doctors. One Australia doctor clirabpd into a trench and for five hours attended there, under heavy lire, to wounded who could not be got out. Later t.wo stretcher-bearers got iiito the trench, and started to pull a badlywounded man along the trench on a waterproof sheet. By this time it was clear moonlight. One of the stretcherbearers said: "I think I must he hit; I'm snitting blood." He was hit sure enough, but he stuck to his job and got his man out of the trench, which was too narrow to permit of the taking of a. stretcher into it. Then re was one of the New Zealander. > corporal— who all through the day, ..-om 10 a.m. to 6 i).m., was under fire bandaging wounds and taking water to the wounded. He was an Otago man. Mv informant did not know his name. "But," he added, "if ever a man worked that chap did." He was under heavy firo nearly all tho time. Into the Firing Line. "Oil the second Sunday we left our .main jiaiiiifln. ail fcliA beach, .the.

left at 5.30 in tho evening, went round to the right, and up the nisun gully in comparative shelter to take up a new position 011 the extremo left, 'l'o get to this position wo had to climb up tho sides of a cliff with the aid of a rope, and all the time we wero being sniped at. Then we had to walk along a narrow track cut by the Engineers just about six feet below the top of the cliff in dead ground. When we got to tho end of this little track we had to jump up on to the side of a gradually sloping hill swept by machine guns and heavy rifle fire, amongst which there appeared to be a large number of explosive bullets. Wo could see them exploding as they struck t'lio hill opposite. This was at night, it being 8 o'clock when we got on to the ridge. Colonel Mooro was in charge. We had to hop up on to tho top of this ridge and run to tho extreme left. It was so dark that you could not see six feet in front of you. The man in front of me went over the edge of tho cliff- I just managed to pull myself up in time, but before I could get going again I had lost touch with the rest. Several ethers had a similar experience. The result was that there were numerous batches of men only four or five strong scattored over tho hillside.

_ "I had lost all idea of funk by that time, and 1 spent about an hour trying to link up these little batches of men to make one firing line. We eventually managed to get a single line, and I wont along to the extreme left, and entrenched with some others. At times we were within twenty yards of the Turks. Indeed, so close wero we that I was able to throw back one of their hand grenades int<S their own trench.

"We worked all night up till daylight entrenching. Stragglers kept coming in on the left, and early in the forenoon our trench was too small to hold all the men, wo had'. About .8 o'clock next morning the enemy worked round and fired on us over the rear left and the left proper. Up till then we had in this adventure lost only three killed and one wounded. One man was shot through the head. We could not get word to tho rest of our battalion on the right, so, about 10 o'clock, I got out of the trench and went along to the right.

Hit Thrice. "I had to 'run across soma twelve yards of open ground, and in doing so 1 got three in the shoulder, one grazing the wrist, and an explosive bullet that smashed my rifle and my thumb. I managed to get into a littlo dug-out, so small and narrow that there was not room for men to bandage m.v arm. The Turks were • watching ini» closely, so I liad to lie on my back from 10 in the morning till 8 at night. It was t'W longest day I ever spent; During the afternoon, however, I had tlie pleasure of witnessing the marvellous lire of the' Na' y. 'lnoy were placing lyddite shells into the enemy's trenches only thirty yards in front of me. I was nearly stifled by the fumes, which smelt something like buruiug linoleum. "Then word was sent along that wo were being reinforced by the Australians. Eventually I got out of my little hole as night fell, and after crawling along "for about 150 yards, I fell over the cliff amongst a lot of Turks who had been killed on the first Sunday. My word, they wero bad, too! I assure you they were not drawing-room Turks by any means! I got into the bottom of the gully, which was mud up to my knees in places, and finally 1 roachod the first dressing station. There' an awfully nice young fellow—a doctor in the Third Brigade—dressed my wounds and gave me a cigarette. Front there I got to the field' station, where 1 was well treated. I had two mugs of bovril' and some biscuits, and I was jolly pleased to get it, too, as I. had had nothing for 24 hours. "At 2 o'clock in the morniiig I went over in the naval pinnace: to the Gloucester. Castle, a. transportwhich had to do'dutyas a hospital ship. The stewards of that ship treated us splendidly. I fainted and two stewards put'me to bed. Next day one of them took me into the bathroom and washed me. Most of them refused to take'money for their trouble, though it must have Dcen rather a ghastly business for them. However, before we left we collected £9 for them. No landed in Alexandria and I was sent 011 to hospital here, where I have been absolutely treated like a lord. You can take it from me that tho fellow who 'grouses' about his treatment lias never" had such good treatment before in his life."