INTERVIEWS WITH THE MEN

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2605, 29 October 1915, Page 6

INTERVIEWS WITH THE MEN

A UNIQUE RECORD. Among those who returned from the front yesterday was Pte. Charles Kelly, of Stratford (son of Mr. J. Liddell Kelly, the well-known journalist), who went away as a member of the Otago Regiment. Pte. Kelly, who is also a pressman, claims a record.' 'He went into the trenches at Gallipoli on May 8, and came out sick at the end' of June, without having fired a single shot. It so happened that during the period mentioned there was very little doing as far as his particular section was concerned,' and as the Turks lay close in cover ho had not even the satisfaction of saying that he fired at one —a positively unique experience. After being two months on the Peninsula he had the misfortune to contract enteric, and underwent treatment in "the. hospital at Leninos, really a collection of tents. They were well treated, but naturally the treatment was rougher than one gets in a properly appointed hospital on the mainland.

MAORIS' POST OF HONOUR. The returned soldiers by tho Tofua, include about eighteen members of thoFirst Jlaori Contingent, which was so badly cut up in the big advance made from Anzac on August 6, 7, and 8 last. Among those who returned yesterday was Pte. W. H. Rangi, of B Company, who hails from Tokomaru Bay, Poverty Bay. Pte. Rangi said that the Maoris were givon the post of honour on that historic occasion—to. creep forward at night and attack the enemy's outposts and cut the barb wire entanglements in front of their trenchos. Before going forward the Maoris were mustered to do tho war haka, and possibly Europe had never seen- so curious a sight- for centuries as'those magnificent troops executing a dance before they went to battle for the British Empire, and as the blood-cuYdling yells echoed through tho hills the Turks doubtless wondered what it all portended. They soon learned. The Maoris' advance was Bwift arid silent, but when they got to the first line of defence they found that the Turks had moved backward l to a stronger position. Then after tho Maoris came the New Zealand troops, four Australian regiments, and the Ghurkas; and the Turks, now thoroughly awake to tho seriousness of the attack, fought back and back through the night. In the morning, however, it was found that the British Territorials (some of Kitchener's Army) had not come forward to support and cover the left flsnk, owing to an.oversight on tho part of some imperial officer, and the Turks, perceiving their advantage,

got down on to the left of the Allies' position, and with well-handled ma-chine-guns, simply decimated all ranks with an enfilading lire. Though all ranks lost very heavily during thut action, the Turks must have lost twice as many, and though the Allies had to retire to hotter cover, tho area of land gained was pretty considerable. SHOT IN FOUR PLACES. Private F. M.. Oilmore, of Wellington, who was .a member of the 12th Company of the Canterbury Eeginient, returned by the Alararoa yesterday, having been shot in four places—on tho hand, foot, and legs—on August 8, after being on tho Peuinsula sinco Juno 8. His wounds were caused by ma-chine-gun fire and shrapnel. Fortunately nono of his wounds should result in permanent injury, q,nd at" present ho admits to being in good fettle once <11010. THE CURSE OF BAD WATER. Private H. Duley, of the 9th Wellington and East Coast Mounteds (Main Body), who returned to Wellington yesterday, looks anything but well after a bad bout of dysentery, which developed v.diilst he was in tho trenohes at Gallipoli. Private Duley states that tho dysentery prevailing on the Peninsula is, according to the medical inch, tho very worst form known to tho profession. It was caused through drinking tho impure water taken from wells which had been sunk by - tho soldiors in likely places. Sometimes, if the men's thirst was not too keen, it was boiled before being drunk, but as often as not it was drunk without any treatment Whatever, 'and then the trouble started. The absence of a plentiful supply of good water was the one outstanding cause of a great deal of the sickness which had occurred among the troops at Gallipoli. Private Duley was a patient in the Abbassieh Hospital when Dr. Savage, of Auckland, died there, and ho endorses tho general and sincere regret that was felt in Egypt at the loss of so great a man. The comparative immunity from fever that wa% being oxperienced was, he thought, due to the three inoculations which the troops had been given—one in Egypt and two in Gallipoli. Major (Dr.) Fyffe, of Wellington, was still an inmate of tho hospital when he left Egypt. A DESPERATE FRAY. Private W. Thompson, of the Wellington Regiment'(machine-gun section), of Hawke's Bay, who returned to New Zealand by tho Tofua, was hit in the knee by shrapnel fire in the advance made from Anzac early in August, and relates over again the night march of the Wellington and Auckland Regiments, the sweltering day spent in hiding in Happy Gully, the gallant, cliargo made; and finally the enfilading of the position secured through tho British troops' failure to protect the left flank. It was after the position had been won that Private Thompson received his hurt.