Letter From The Front

Horowhenua Chronicle, 2 July 1915, Page 3

Letter From The Front

4 FROM A LEVIN SOLDIER, The anxiety of the relatives of Private Geo. France who was reported wounded some weeks ago has been relieved by the receipt of the following letter from Malta:— Imtarfa Hospital, ' (Malta, May 20th.. "1 would have cabled from Alexandria, but I was told that in all probability my cable would 'be held up and also that the authorities were publishing a fairly detailed account of our wounds. I hope you have not worried or thought it worse that it really is. 1 had been in the firing line for a fortnight when I got it; I was lucky as a lot of the poor boys went right out iu the first hour or so. .\\e got it hot and strong right off the mark and poor old Jack Mills and six others out of No 3 iwere killed before we were properly into it. 'When we counted up that night we found that we had seven killed, six -wounded and one missing. it was bitter for a first taste, wasn't it? And you. know all these chaps are like brothers after being constantly in their company for months. Lieut. Bryan •was very badly wounded, but even this is a let-off for him as we all expected he 'would ;be killed in the first fight, ne was so reckless.

"After our seoond advance 1 was one of a party of five to carry ammunition and supplies to the firing line. AVe had to go about 800 yards under fire and had not gone far when shrapnel began to burst right on Us, and although the boxes we were carrying and our rifles ■we're splintered, my carrying mate, was the only one hit. His name is West; lie is in the ward here with me now. After binding uplhis arm we went on again and managed to reach the supports'of the hring line and back again fo the base. The next load of Jiot tea and-biscuits was a bigger" job as we had to go right to the firing line. We did not expect to reach there; the snipers soon got on to us, and again my mate was shot, this time through the leg. This left only three, and we had to drop some of the stuff. After another hundred yards I was hit in tEe shoulder. The other two were having a council of war when I started to crawl .back.

"P.S.—We have not seen a mail for over six weeks. [No. 3. mentioned in the letter is No 3. platoon A Company, Welling-ton-West Coast" Infantry to platoon most of the Levin boys (belongJ.