A LUCKY ACCIDENT

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2693, 12 February 1916, Page 14

A LUCKY ACCIDENT

SOLDIER'S REMARKABLE EXPERIENCE ON STEAMER WIMMERA "Broken in the war," tlie phrase so tragically familiar to the whole of tho civilised world fitly describes the appearance of Private F. W. Fisher, of Melbourne, a member of 14th Battalion of the Australian Expeditionary Force, who arrived from Melbourne by the Wimniera yesterday. The visitor has been sent round New Zealand for tho benefit of his health, and states that ho is feeling the benefit of such soothing treatment, though still a couple of stone short of his normal weight. Over his right eye Private Fisher ivoro a "blinder," kept in its place by a bandage right round the liend; the uneven contour of his jaw showed where a Turkish bullet had been busy, and his shoulder had been "messed about" by shrapnel. But he is not the least downhearted; on the contrary lie is as cheerful as a robin, and insists on talking of the "really terrible injuries" that some of the others with him suffered at Gallipoli. "It was at Quinn's Post." "It was at Quinn's Post I got it," said Private Fisher, "away back in last May. It was a pretty' hot corner, as you know, and it accounted for a good many of our fellows. We were having a pretty' bad time, when I went out. It was shrapnel that hit me on the top of the left arm and shoulder. J got a bullet in the cliin here, which took away most of the right side of my jaw, and I was struck by a part of a bomb in the left eye. That made me blind for three weeks, and gave me a lot of trouble. This side of the jaw (feeling the right sjde) is artificial. The bullet went ii) just to one side of the point of the chin, shattering the jaw." A Wonderful Accident. Noticing that Mr. Fisher's right eye was black, the reporter asked if the eye was still so bad—after , so many months. "That, oh, no I" said the battered one, "that's the result of an accident— a wonderfully lucky accident. I was coming out of the saloon on to the deck last Tuesday, when I tripned on the edge of the matting, and fell lieavily on to the deck. I struck my mlit eve, and cut the top lid pretty badly. I began to bleed profusely—it spurtod out. It was really the best thing that could have happened, as I was troubled witli clots of blood from my wounds which could, not be got to dissolve. The doctors in England told me what it was, but could do nothing for mo. _ I suffered from headaches, and hoaviness at times which arose from the presence of these clots. When I fell on tho deck tlio second steward_ fixed me up, and, would you believe it, the clots have come away. As soon as the Wood spurted, I felt great relief, and have felt fine since, so it was a luckv stumble I had —those terrible clots of blood were beginning to worry me!" Happy "Jock" M'Pherson. "After I was wounded at Gallipoli," said Mr. Fisher, "I was forwarded tc the 14tli General Hospital at Alexandria. One of the boys who was in mj ward was a New Zealander, and he camo from Wellington—'Jock' M'Pher son, d'ye know him at all? I well remember the day he came to the hospi tal. Ho was bandaged pretty well al over.' " 'Hullo, anything the matter wit'! you?' I said. " 'Nac, nae,' said Jock. 'I've onl; had a shot through ma hand, a hulle in the -back of ma heid, and_ my, aril broken. A'm no an interestin' case. 'Jock's' reply made us all laugh, an he became very popular with th patients." Men Treated Well. ,0n being questioned as to how .tli returned men wero being treated i Melbourne, . Private Fisher said th treatment was very good indeed. The were paid regularly, and if a man di happen to run out. of "the ready," hi pals would always stand to him unt pay-day. "I've no complaints to mak about the board. They wanted to pi me into a military convalescent- htim when I got' back, but I was sick 1 death of soldiers at the time, and sai so, so they put mo in a private coi valescent home, and it was all right! Private Fisher will journey rigl round the South Island and on to Me bourne by the Wimniera.