IN THE THICK OF THE BATTLE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2606, 30 October 1915, Page 11

IN THE THICK OF THE BATTLE

! ' GALLII'OM IN AUGUST. In the course of a letter, dated Anzao Cove, August 10, Private ft. MacDonell, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles MacDonell, of Taihape, writes as follows: — , "We landed' in the Dardanelles. three ..onths' : ago—May 10—since then we have been taking turns in the trenches fortnight about. Just at present we are down on the beach for a fortnight's holiday. We ail live in dug-outs, and some of these holes are big enough to hold four or six men, while others are only big enough for one to camp in. Id,is great sport to see everybody divo for their dug-outs when a shell bursts, in tho neighbourhood. At present shells nro bursting on both -sides of us, but' they are pretty harmless, and they are not likely to get at us. I think they are trying to get the battery just be-', yond us. I suppose you heard about Bill Overton, Clapham, Eric Lynch, and Neil Campion. 1 was close handy and saw all four hit, and saw Bill and Neil die. We wero all sitting down having tea on May 26—a1l dog tired after a hard day's sapping. Suddenly, without any warning, a sjieil, hurst overhead. 'Altogether it hit eight''different men, It only wounded Eric Lyncli, but Neil Campion died about toil minutes later. Two of the others that were hit also died ' (Gangs and Somerset). At the time the shell burst five of us were sitting .together, and it was a miracle how wp other three escaped; pellets hit the bank all round us. The following day only three of our men were hit (Short, Robieson, and Cooper), but none very seriously. On May 28 Bryant was shot dead by a sniper. "On May 30 we and the Wellington Mounted Rifles took a group of trooches on what is now known as No. 3 outpost. The 6th Squad held the trenches until the following night, when they wero relieved by the 9th Squadron. During the nest day and night the W.M.R. had to fight to keep the trenches, but it was no use, the Turks got tho upper hand, and forced us to retreat back on to the next spur. During this little skirmish, the casualties amounted to 67.

"I will give you -tile names of the killed and wounded in, our troop up to the present. When we loft Alexandria the full.strength of our troop waj 36:— Lieut. Char'es Watt, shot dead onedge of Turks trenches; Sorgt. Kebbell, Old Boy, shot dead while looking over the edge of the' trenches; Sergt. Motlies, wounded in shoulder; Corporal Clapham, Danbin, Bourke, Holston, Cole, Lynch, Eobioson, 'iSliortjv.alliseriously wounded,-' S6in'6y©t,"i""'died'' t "of wounds.' .' :

_ "What with killed, wounded, and sick, the troops' strength worked down . to 13 men and two non-coms. It was ! afterwards, made up to 30, and is now down to 16 : again, so you mil see that there are very few of the first lot left; a,bout 10/1 think; therefore, 72 per cent.' of the original troop have left us.