TOLD BY OUR WOUNDED SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2523, 26 July 1915, Page 9

TOLD BY OUR WOUNDED SOLDIERS

FIGHTING IN GALUPOLI

IN SUICIDE GULLY

[From Malcolm Ross, Official War Correspondent with the New Zealand Forces.] „ , ■ , June 4. Major Loach, of tho Ist Canterbury Infantry, whom I found in bed in the Anglo-American Hospital, had rather a bad wound on his leg behind tlio knco. Tho wound was, however, healing gradually, and lie was quite cheerful. He had gone with t'ho 12th and 13th Companies of the Ist Canterbury Infantry on the Sunday night to reinforce the left flank of the Australians, which was being soverely handled by the enemy. Tho Canterbury men dug right in and saved the I'osition —a ridge running at right angles to tlio sea. If tho Turks had got that ridge they would have wiped everything off the lieacli. It was a *azorback, and the position was suclt that the Turkish .shrapnel went rislit over it unless it landed absolutely oif the razorback. The feat, of the Canterbury men in seizing the hills on the loft and in holding t'hem in tho'faco.of severe opposition was one that required initiative, daring, and great tenacity, and it had a material influence upon the situation during tho early days of the Peninsula occupation. Removing the Wounded. ■ Major Loach, who is now eu route to New Zealand, says they had an awful experience removing the wounded during those first "days. They had to get them first of aE on to the punts, but as there was 110 staging they had to rig up planks. . It was rathor an ordeal for. such of the wounded [is could do it to walk those planks. Others, of course, had to bo carried. Subsequently there was the transference from the punts to tho ships, transports in some instances having to do duty for hospital ships. "The people that won my admiration," said Major Loach, "were, tho stretcher-hearers. 13j' Jove! I never, thought they would work like that; ■ and they were under fire practically the whole time. Even when I came away the Turkish shells were following us down to the shore, and not only one shell at a time, but a dozen. Our comparative safety Jay in tho fact that tliey hurst a little too high, and also in the fact that scm6 of tliem, instead of being filled with shrapnel bullets, were filled with sawdust. Certain clips of 1 cartridges were also found with neither cordite nor lead in them. On tho Canal oiir men found similar clips., They had an Arabic mark on them, so apparently they were not 'made iii Germany."' Lady Godlei/'s Work at Alexandria. Tho convalescent home that Lady Godley has established at Alexandria as the result of private subscriptions that she has gathered and some assistance from the New Zealand Government, is in an excellent situation some distance out of t'he town, and it gets the cool .sea breeze. In these days when the thermometer mounts to 115deg.' in tho tents of the Cairo caipps such a houso forms an ideal.place iu which the Now Zealand convalescents can rest and recuperate for a fortnight or three weeks before going back to the firing line or to whatever fate the gods or tho Medical Board may send them.' Colonel Esson,' who is doing fino work on the Q.M.G.'s staff, assisted Lady Godley in establishing the home on a satisfactory basis. It can accommodate about thirty men. A number of people in England have subscribed to the home. One donor gave £30, another £300. Lady Godley, who wears the uniform of, a Red Cross nurse, lives in the home, and takes charge of all t'he arrangements,' which' seem to be excellent. A Staff Offioer's Experiences. At 'Alexandria I had a long talk with a New ; Zealand staff officer, who had gone through some interesting experiences. He said that. military experts considered the landing and. the taking aud holding of tlio positions by the Australians and New Zealanders at Gaba Tape, as an almost impossible feat. A.t Cape Helles also the British were given an exceedingly difficult task perform, and at their landing two battalions were practically wiped out.. "I saw one thing," lie added, "done by the New Zealanders and Australians that will remain in my memory as long as 1 live. It was at the top of the hill on the first day. There was a fight for fire superiority. Our fellows worked gradually closer and closer, until they got within charging distance. Then through our glasses we could see them rush with fixed bayonets across a little green patch into the " Turkish trench. Tho Turks bolted, but our men leaped tho trench and dashed after them into the scrub. Then all we could see was their, bayonets gleaming in tho sunlight amongst the bushes. . They camo back —tho bayonets not gleaming so brightly now—and occupied the Turkish trench, only to bo shelled out of it a little later." As a rule the Turkish trenches wero always cleverly placed,- so that in tho event of their being occupied by tho enemy they could be enfiladed by ma-chine-guns placed in : hidden positions, or by artillery fire, or both. "I heard officers asking for the names of men who behaved with gallantry that day," said tho staff officer. "By Jove!" 110 added, "I would not liko to discriminate, becauso I think thero wero dozens of Vic-toria-Crosses won that day.'Despite tile gruelling they had got tho moralo of the New Zealanders and Australians was absolutely unaffected. At the end of the day they wero just as cheery as when they started. On one occasion I was close a . man who was cooking his tea in his mess-tin. A shell-burst and knocked his little fire into bits and riddled his tin. Ho did not stop to offer' up a prayer of thankfulness at his narrow escape, but promptly commenced to curse tho 'bally Boer' who had done for his cooker." In the Valley of Death. Referring to "Suicide Gully" or "Tho Valley of Death," this officer said that wheu he left the front a few days ago it was still rather an undertaking to got up there, and the stench of tho dead was beyond description. The snipers had certainly levied a heavy toll -in that gully. It was tlio only way up to ono position. The route had, however, been Biade safer than it originally was by tho construction of traverses in certain places. There wero, however, still parts of the route somo 25 yards across where you were told to "wait till tho coast was clear," and then do a dash across for all you were worth. He himself had seen 0110 very stately brigade staff officer, who had never been known to hurry, doing a sprint over a 25 yards stretch as if lio were out to. break a record. Tlio last time my friend went up he was warned as 110 got to one corner of the danger. "You'd hotter bo careful, sir," a man said to him, "tho snipers _ have boen pretty busy to-day; they've just got five of us." Sure enough, a little further 011 my friend saw tho five—two dead and three wounded. Tho Turkish guns, according to this officer, were well served, their observation good, and their shooting really excellent, though somo of their howitzer ammunition did not explode, and at this time they seemed to bo using it rather sparingly. For their small arms and their field guns they appeared to have plenty of ammunition. On tho point of some of the shells thei'o was a little •inscription in Arabic—"To tho enemies , of Turkey.," (Wlica % jjjen ws iysH

established in tho trenches on the heights they were really safer than they would be on tho beach. Ono day a crowd of Australians came clown for a. spell from tho fighting to do a little road-malving. They said the beacli was just as had as tho trenches, with the road-making thrown in, and they asked to be sent back I