IN THE FIRING LINE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2594, 16 October 1915, Page 14

IN THE FIRING LINE

A HOT CORNER

WAR HAS ITS COMPENSATIONS

Writing from the "Iluskards," lugalestone, Essex, an invalided New Zealand soldier depicts graphically tho character of the work at Gallipoli during the big attack from August 7 to 12. Ho writes:—

"I arrived down at tho Dardanelles 011 August 6 at miduiglit, slept on tlio beach, and roported ncr.t morning. After breakfast wo rejoined our section, and .found out that of our original number only 24 remained. That same night the big attack commenced. Wo loft our position at 8 o'clock, marched all night, and in the early morning commenced an attack. This has been going on over since. They are trying to rush tie positions, in spito of losses, because if they do not capture tho hills soon they will have to winter here, and the monsoonal gales will prevent the landing of food and troops. For the first day I stayed at | Brigade Hoadquarters. Tho next evening Mr. A ' called me over and said that lio wanted me to tako a (telephono) wire out with the companies of the Otago Infantry wlio were going to reinforce tho 'firing lino. In tho early morning we had three machine-guns smashed up, and their crows wiped out. Tho Brigade Headquarters wore behind tho crest of a hill, and our trenches wero on tho slope of the next lull, with tho Turks dug in on top. We could not advance during the day, becauso from tlie time we left tlie crest at headquarters wo were under fire from snipers, etc. Wo waited until dark, and then Ave crept down.into the, valley and up to our trenches. "This valley was full of dead and wounded—our fellows who bad been hit in the morning attack. When wo.laid tho' wiro up to the trencbes we could not find the colonel in cliargo. Wo already had a wire out to the Wellington Regiment, so I sent one chap out to find it. Ho found it and took it lip therc._ -There wero sliells and bullets dropping round all the time. When wo got to tho,- trench we found it only about ten yards long, with two wounded . men lying at ono end of it. One man had his knee shattered by a bomb, and the other had a. bad ankle. We found that tho wire to the Wellington 'phone had been cut, and also tho two which we had just drought out._ Of the three operators who were-with the Wellington 'phone, one had a wound in his cheek, ono was missing, and one was lying in a hole just In front of the trench. A piece of'shrapnel had hit him in the back, and paralysed liim from tho bins down. . . About two hours after a linesman came out and mended the wire, and- wo got through on the 'phone. Just before ho arrived I had quite an exciting time. A Turk had got round our left, and crept down right behind tho trench wo wero in. Tho sand-bags round tho side were about live foot high. There was a. wounded man sitting by the entrance and another chap was dressing his wound, when tho Turk bayoneted both of them, and he was just coming at me when a chap from tho end ol the trench shot him dead. After that we stood to attention with revolver* ready, as we did not know how many more were about. A little while after that tho officer in charge was wounded, and. went back to Brigade Headquarters, and another Colonel came out and took charge. . . . Shortly after this a piece of shrapnel shell caught mo in tho leg, and went nearly through it. -1 put my dressing round it, ard lay thero all day. That night scmo English •Tommies' relioved our boys, and I hobbled back to headquarters. I think if I had stayed there another night I should have gone inad,- . . I was taken over to Lemnos, and thero we wero waiting for nearly a week. They did not know where to send us, kecauso Cairo and Alexandria were full up.

"At.Lemnos was the Cunard liner Aqultania, tho second biggest ship in the woriJl. She had brought out troops fi;oin England, so they turned her into a hospital ship, and brought us 10 England. Sho only took eight days to do the trip. Sho is a lovely ship, and if you want to go np or down you do so by electric lift. The nurses had to work very hard, but the two we had in our ward wero very kind. We' arrived at Southampton on Monday, 23rd, went up to Clapham by tram, and from thero to No. 3 Loudon Hospital. It is t'ho Patriotic School on Wandsworth Common, near tlio prison. As there were exchanged prisoners arriving from Germany, there was a clearance 011 Wednesday, August 25. I was sent to a convalescent home. We came down in a mctor-bus_ along the Embankment through Stratford and .Romford. AA'o saw St. Thomas's and the London Genoral Hospital 011 our way down. The place wo are at is owned by a very wealthy major. It is jitst such another place as Mr. John Dutliie's "Balgownie." Thero are beautiful flowers, tennis and croquet lawns, swimming pool, a moat with two boats, swings, rock gardens, and a motor-car. Mrs. Hilder has '1G patients here, all told, and she bears all expenses herself. Sho is an officer-in the Red Cross, and lior daughter aud one of her guests • are acting as sisters. Besides, thero are about five, other sisters. The day's routiuo is as follows:—Breakfast, 8 a.111.,lunch (milk and biscuits), 11 a.m.: dinner, 1 p.m.; tea, 4..'10 p.m.; and supper, 7.30 p.m.; glass of milk, 9 p.m.: lights out, 9.30 p.m. And at each mea! you got enough to last you all day! Thero is one other New Zealander hercj a sth Reinforcement boy, and lie and 1 got up early and go for. long walks before breakfast. I fill in tlio day playing tennis, croquet, ctc. Tlio '.sisters hero aro very kind to us—they cannot do enough. I expect I will be'here for another fortnight or three weolcs, .md then I will have to report to the Nmv Zealand depot. I arrived here in my 'shorts,' - aud -my brown knees seem to. attract attention. Everybody is very kind to us. It is countrified round here—Chelmsford is twelve miles away. It is harvest time, awl the air is beautiful."