WELLINGTON INFANTRY AT GALLIPOLI

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2518, 20 July 1915, Page 6

WELLINGTON INFANTRY AT GALLIPOLI

"AS BRAVE AS BRAVE CAN BE"

LETTER FROM COLONEL MALONE Colonel Malone, who so distinguished himself at the Dardanelles that he received special mention, wrote to Mr. ilarry I'enn, of Stratford, and in a decidedly interesting letter covering the operations, he speaks of the .Wellington Infantry thus:—"Harry, I love these men of mine. Heroes all —as bravo as brave can be." "I am," lie continues, "under consor mle, but I must tell you that the Wellington Infantry Regiment has turned out all that one could wish.. The men- are splendid, and .as brave as they make 'em, Being cool and enduring. There are no better soldiers in the world. 1 cannot tell you all of the great work tlioy have. done; I cannot tell you of the losses. - The hardships are solid; really solid. They have been fighting night and day ever since April 27 last up to midnight of the 12th instant. (We are r,ow having a spell in the rear lines.) ■ On tlio 27th two half-companies were detached by higher authority from mo and sent to reinforce another unit, and' they were plunged into jungle and mowed down.

How They Dug In. Still they went on, and, getting the crest of a ridge, dug in. I then got the other troops; and- their officer sent away, and put the other ono and a half company m mine: As we dug our losses became less. Wo made the place, the head of a ridge, a veritable maze of trenches, but impregnable. Tlie Turks shot at and shelled us night and day, but after the second day our losses were only one or two a day. The Turks ivero only some 300 or 400 yards away in scrub. They could see our trenches, out wo could not see them. They used to shell us with lead, continually sweeping the crests of our lire trenches. If you put your linger up' thiey would snoot it off.' They have crowds of snipers who 1 are dead shots. On two days I got howitzer fire on their positions and stopped their shooting. Our boys them got a look in, and paid back what we owed them. Wlieii they turned oii a volume of lire our men sat down and let them blaze away. Once 1000' of them got tip and attacked across our front. The Australians and our ; chaps got right on to tliom at 450 yards, and killed hundreds.

' On the afternoon of the 9th, when we left for the rear, w© managed to get the Majestic, with her 12-inch guns, on to- some new trenches we ha ddiscovered just clear of our left flank. Wo arranged to put up a small flag at the extreme end of our position on that flank so as to enable the big guns to keep clear of us. About 4 p.m. the performance began.- A big 12-inch shell land-, cd point blank and then four more right up-.the '-.trenches. Earth and Turks, in pieces, flew everywhere. Then a crowd of Turks got out of tho trenches, and started running through the scrub. 1 - Wo,poured "rapid" into them. It was great! I vowed to get Turks for every one of our men hit, and I thoroughly believe wo got it. Our men are wonderful, and their endurance, coolness, and cleverness are splendid. All our ammunition, water, and food had to be carried up a steep ridge ,500 ft. to the top, nearly a mile, under, rille firo all day. No groaning or noise whatever; moro often than not a smik. The'first day most of them passed me, and each one said, "Well, Colonel, -I've got it. I hope you are satisfied with us." This with a pathetic attempt to laugh, if only a. very little one. I love thenu Such heroes all! Their nerve is wonderful. Officers and men. have turned out trumps.

A Fine Performance. "From our old position wo were moved to a new position by a destroyer some two miles away under shrapnel, and bivouaced for the night. Next day the brigade attacked and enabled the New Zealand Infantry Brigade to demonstrate that it is a splendid one, but tho gain' was somo 200 or 300 yards, Ground which could have been got by a sap or a night advance at much loss cost. . My battalion was ;one the left, and they put iip_ a, might fino performance.' They finished about. 1250 yards from where they started., Their advance was under the Turks'shrapnel, machineguns, and rifle fire. From the very start they had to cross three lines of trenches held by British Regulars (tempting havens of safety). On they went steadily us though on parade, no lying down, no stopping, no firing— one long, splendid, steady advance, and many of theiii killed iuul wounded. At last they got within about 400 yds. of the Turkish trenches and then were pulled up by the bursting of our own shells, the enfilade fire of Turkish machine-guns from both flanks, and iii tho centre by intense, rifle fire. Down •they threw themselves and dug inclosing men all the time. The troops on our left had been told not to attack, so that in any case we would go no further, as a strong Turkish position was on our left flank. By dark' we were easily held off them. Through the night-shrapnel was slashed into the trenches, also machine-gun fire, rifle fire, and hand grenades.

In the Trenches. "The men, without their greatcoats, blankets, or oil-sheets, only cold food and water, spent the night without a whimper. By morning tlioy were safely dug in, and the Turks would have to come right up .to put them _ out, and that, tho 'L'urk, as we know, isn't keen on, "The Wellington, Battalion alone of the brigade, had gained and held on to new ground. For four days and nights it stuck in tho trenchcs it had made, getting in food and water in the dark, and losing men in so doing. No fires, except shrapnel—cold nights, very little sleep, and all the timo a, solid plodding resistance against an almost invisible foe who could not miss the new earthwork. The wounded men could only be got out in the darkness, and then with the stretcher-beard's under fire. Then, without'asking, we were relieved. .We were not sorry, for the strain, you can imagine, was great. "New Zealand has reason to he proud of her sons. The Regulars, too, have done splendid work. Scores of men, on past precedents, have earned the V.C. As for D.C.M.'s, every other man almost ought to get it."