Doings in the Dardanelles

Horowhenua Chronicle, 25 August 1915, Page 2

Doings in the Dardanelles

N'liWS h'IULM GLNKLIALS d3IHDWUOD AND GODLIiY. In a letter from the -High C'ontlfftSsioner fur New Zealand (lion. jMuukenzie) to a relative ill Levin, tho High Commissioner gives some interesting quotations from letters sent to him by Generals liirdwood and Godley, irom the Dardanelles. L'hese make special references to the doings of the New Zealanders collectively and individually, and we leel certain that our readers will appreciate this opportunity to read of the brave doings ol our men. The extracts are as loliow - From General Sir William JJirdwood: Yerv many thanks lor your letter ul the J.SJLh May just received. 1 really have little news to give you beyond that 1 last wrote, though at the very u'nie you were writing your letter it so happened we were being subjected to a most violent atlacK here, in fact the biggest which the lurks have so lar attempted to launch againsi our troops anywhere in the peninMila. Ai ; >e time 1 was temporarily f.vil i.o 10,OUU rille.s and alum ?;•.» gnus. as 1 had had t;: send two oi my brigades the New Zealand Infantry firigade) and live ualieries to cooperate with Sir ian'.s main force in tho south. Jt was while so temporarily reduced that General Inmaii von Sander* attacked us with about M.UUU men and !H) guns on the evening of the 18th and throughout the 19th. Had lie come oil ill very great strength at otic of the weakest spots in my line, lie in lift almost of a certainty got through. As it was he went in for disjointed attacks of a more 'or less general nature, each ol which we were able to neat oir comfortably with heavy loss to him. A lew days later he had to ask for an armistice to bury the dead, when we actually buried about 1000 men in iront of our trenches, so Jiis total casualties must have been very heavy indeed. Ours, Tam glad tu say, numbered only 500. During their absence ii 0.. here the New Zealand Infantry Brigade, under Johnstone, canic ill lor .some very heavy lighting near Cape 1 idles, where I am glad to say Sir tai. reports to me that, they did quite excellently, as ol course 1 knew they would, and 1 am glad to say ihal some little time ago they leturned to my iold. Stewart, of ihe Canterbury's, vol will have seen, was killed on the day we landed here.

in speaking ol the wounded General liirdwood says: f have formed a very high opinion of Chayior, who 1 aiu .scrry to say was severely wounded a sliorL time ago with a bit oi shrapnel in the shoulder, and i.s now in hospital at Alalia. Colonel ji alone, ol the Wellingtons. has done excellently, and is a lii si-class man, in whom i have Lho greatest confidence. Colonel I'lugge,

ol i,,e Auekiaiids. in alsu exceptionally goi.U ; iie has t w ice been wounded, tin; lirsi time getting a bullet through Lho ioiearni, when he quite reliised to leave

duty. The second time he was wounded was when Li to Brigade mis away trom iiio, ami as lio was isenl .-traighL to hospital. 1 Lll ill k to J'..gypl. 1 have not seen hiiii since, but l know his valiio. i had tin* mislortune Lo be slightly wounded mysell going round i.'to trenches uiie day. when a bullet, caught lito oil Lilo lop ol Llio head, bill a.-, it lailed lo fracture tJio fikull it did no iiai'in. t know how sorry you will in; to hoar of poor JJridgcs's doath ; ho wa> going along a path which wo aso daily, niton a stra\ bullet hit him in tiio thigh, unfortunately severing botii tiie femoral vein and artery. He is a very great loms w hieli J leel much.

indeed, 1 think I may .say I havo never seen a happier sot of men, and we really are olio big happy family here, and all are keen as nnuitui'd on getting to work at more lighting.

I'loin General Sir Alexander Godley. - I take the earliest* opportunity oi writing to let you know* how excellently our men have since we lauded on tliis (jeiiinsula. mey have had a very hard time and the lighting tiao be!i incessant. Landing, as they did, with nothing on their persons, and with liu sleep 01 rest, aiid little food or water lor the iirst three days, they diove back I lie eiieiny strongly entrenched, t-o the positions we now occupy, and have .since .succe.ssiuliy repelled many deterinined attacks on his part. It is diliicult to single out individuals, when all have done so well, but Coluiiel Stewart, who commanded the Canterbury Ualtalion, and who, I am norry to say, was killed while gallantly loading rciniorcomeuLs. dj hia men to the attack, proved hinisoll a most valuable leader, as did also his second in command, .Yiajor Jvoach, ui Kangiora. Colonel J'lugge. commanding the Auckland Battalion, lias also behaved inert gallantly. iJ.e lia.s oeen twice wounded --the lir.si time, .soon alter landing, a bulleL lodged in his wiist, but he .-.tuck to Jus post and continued lo lead his men. lie has cilice been again wounded and, i am

pii'jrry to say, this time lias been iorced to go back to Alexandria, J'he Utayo Battalion, I am sorry lu say, sullorod very heavily in a sortie which had tu be made on the night of .May 2nd Ihi; battalion have behaved inosD gallantly, and gained a coii.sidorai.ilo amount. oi ground in lace ol very lioavy lire, i* ii'ii sorry to »ay tho casualties were very heavy -in the Ith Ota go Company, Major I'rioe and Captain tepedding killed ; ill the bill botHhlaiid company. Captain I'leniing missing, and believed killed; in the JOUi .North Otago Company, Major Mitchell missing and believed killed; and in the Lith South Otago Company, Captain Smith missing and believed killed. In addition to this many jnnior oflicers and non-commissioned oiheers and men killed, wounded and missing. The V\ ellington Battalion has al.so done most valuable work, especially in the trenches, and has been most ably commanded by Colonel Malone, oi Taranaki. Ilis second in command, Major Hart.

.Mr. J. B. Sheffield, adverLisiLg director of Gimbol Brothers: "Probably more money is wasted in advertising by running consistently in a publication for a long time and then suddenly dropping it than in any other way. It amounts to deliberately throwing away the. goodwill which the readers of that publication have built up for :he advertiser's name and produett. It's bettor to advertise moderately, than to use larger copy spasmodically." —

of the 17th Uuahiiio Regiment, lias been woiiilded, and Captain I'Yaaidi and others killed. .Some outer casualties have occurred further south, in an attack from Cape Uellcs, where tho Brigade was sent temporarily. lam glad to say that the Mounted Rifles Brigade, under General Russell, has arrived dismounted. It has now gone" to the trenches where its services will be most valuable. Our lield Artillery, especially the howitzers, nave been invaluable, as also have been our Ne;v Zealand Engineers; of the latter Captain Waite, of Dunedin, has been wounded; also Captain Sinison ami Lieutenant Skelsey, who are with your British contingent. The Medical Corps lias done most valuable work, especially Colonel Tearless, Laptain Crnig and -Major O'Neill, of whom the tivn former have been wounded. I ca-iao. 1 - tell you how splendid the spirit of tho officers, non-commissioned offic.rs an:! men has been, in spite of the heavy casualties and harships they have undergone. We have been most fortunate in the weather, aim in getting plenty ol food, which lias made up to . a great extent for the. want oi rest and sleep. on will be pleased tu hear that Captain lialsey, late ol our '/atiTeship, lias been promoted to Admiral >Sir -John ' Jellieoe's staff, and I quote what the < Admiral says in that connection: • - i Your presence at the annual meeting ; oi the British and Foreign .Sailors' So- < ciety on the 10th -May is my excuse tor i this letter. 1 cannot but feel great > interest in the work ol the (Society, t seeing what gioat service is being per- i formed for the Empire by the officers and men of the mercantile marine during the present war. and t know quite I well that your efforts were very largely 1

responsible for adding a considerable sum of money to the fund* of the Society. 1 feel it a great honour to ■write to you as representing New Zenland, as the recent work of the New Zealanders in the Gallipoli Peninsula, and their magnificent courage and tenacity have filled us with feelings of'the deepest- admiration. Von may bp interested to learn that Captain Tlalsoy. of the "New Zealand.'' is about to "join illy staff. I feel that 1 am depriving the '"'gift ship" o! a most valuable officer, but 1 hope, and believe, t-liat his successor will maintain the high standard of efficiency of the t-hip. The first part of this letter refers to the effort that was made on behalf of our soldiers and sailors, in which 1 was •happy to assist.