WINTER AT ANZAC

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2644, 15 December 1915, Page 5

WINTER AT ANZAC

o —— OUR MEN IN SPLENDID FETTLE '! THE SILENT BATTLER Tho following speoial message, dated December 3, has been received by the Government from the official New Zealand war correspondent (Mr. Malcolm Ross); — . : ' The army on Gallipoli has experienced its first taste of the winter storms, few weeks earlier than was antieipatcct and under tho circumstances has stool, the ordeal well. ■ The weather broki with a gale fronr the south-west and some fain, which mado'tho trenches and bivouacs slushy and uncomfortable. Tha sea in the Anzao zone became littered with floating debris from the barges and boats formerly stranded along the shore. Afterwards, the wind changed to tho north, increasing in velocity to a gale, accompanied by sleet and eventually snow. The Gulf of Saros was lashed into foam, and communication was temporarily interrupted. How Our Men Fare. The New Zealanjlers and Australians were fairly warmly clad, and although they have not yet received all their wetweather clothing, their splendid physique enabled them to stand the blizzard satisfactorily. Even the Maoris bore.it well, and the novelty of seeing snow for the first time carried the Australians cheerfully through the ordeal. Though twelve degrees of frost were recorded, and they are unused to severe winter conditions, indications are that they will, owing to their fine physique and resourcefulness, stand the cold well. The English troops at Suvla had rather a bitter experience in their somewhat more exposed situation on the plain. The water was rushing deep in the trenches, and making the position very uncomfortable, and in some cases frostbite occurred. Tho Turks felt the severity of the weather still more, many having no. blankets or underclothing. : Numbers must have perished during the height of tho storm, Several bodies and mules were washed down into our trenches. In. order to escape the rushing water, a' number of Turks climbed on their own; parapets and jvere shot by our men. The prisoners taken were poorly clad; and stated that they were on half rations. Tho weather, combined with our airs craft and the ships' guns, hampered their communications by land and sea, One of their aeroplanes, flying low,visited Anzao. , "Tha Silent Battle." The Turks heavily bombarded tho' trenches recently taken by the Australians at Lone Pine with 8 and 10-inch howitzers, but failed to follow up with an attack. The New Zealanders easily repulsed au attack on the Apex, which we have now greatly strengthened. Our casualties were infinitesimal, while tha Turks lost about fifty. • Opposite . Anzac, the Turks, evidently thinking we might be evacuating, on two. occasions crept, under cover or the darkness, towards our trenches. In one place a body of a hundred crawled forward, but was unmolested by tha Australians, who, wishing to encourag< their belief, did not fire. This adreri' ture became known_ as "the silent battle." In one section the Light Hors fired, killing and wounding twenty. General Birdwood, who is now com manding tho Gallipoli array, issued i proclamation conveying to Lord Kitchener a message extolling the splendid valour and work of the Anzac troops, After the storm there were some beau< tiful calm clear days.... A New Zealand General now com mands the army corps. SOLDIERS' WINTER CLOTHES SHEEPSKIN COATS WHY THEY WERE NOT MADE HERE The news that winter has come upon the Anzac troops in Gallipoli before they have,'been fitted; out'".'witH'"sheepskin clothing in the way that men on the "Western front are equipped for the winter campaign calls to mind a 6chema which the, Government once had in hand for the making of about 50,000 sheepskin coats for soldiers. The Government inquired of the Imperial authorities whether they might assist in the preparation of any supplies, and th» Imperial Government suggested that wo might make some sheepskin clothing. It was impossible to procure suitable skins in New Zealand—our skins being too heavy—and the Government' purchased some 15,000 or 20.000 Bkina in Australia. At that time trie Australian authorities were ondeavouring to get skins, and they objected to New Zealand invading their market and spoiling it for them. As both Australia and New Zealand were proposing to make these coats at the request of the Imperial authorities, and not for local needs, the Now Zealand Government acceded to the wish of the Australian Government, surrendered tho already made to the Commonwealth Defence Department, and ' abandoned the work. This sheepskin ' clothing, _ it should be understood, was not specially ordered for the Anzac troops. Tha coats when made, were to be sent' to London. Since then the Now Zealand people have been sending forward waistcoats for our men made of tanued sheepskin, without wool, but these are very, different from tha garments used by the British soldiers in France and Flanders. s The arrangement made by the New Zealand Defence authorities about winter clothing for our troops is that aft that is necessary shall he supplied by the Imperial authorities. The Defence Minister stated yesterday that tho New Zealand Government could not now vary this arrangement, and that we could not therefore sot about fitting our men out with winter equipment, such as sheepskin coats and watertight trenchboots. He believed that tho Imperial Government would supply all that wais necessary.