OUR WOUNDED SOLDIERS

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 9 December 1915, Page 3

OUR WOUNDED SOLDIERS

LETTERS FROM PVTE. E. MONK

"As there have been some rumours in circulation regarding ;the health of Ed. Monk, son of Mr and Mrs P. A. Monk, of Te Heke, Helensville, we make a few extracts from his letter, which, is written from No. 1 Temporary Hospital, Exeter, Devonshire, England, on September 17th last, as follows :

Doubtless you will all be anxiously and patiently waiting to hear from me after having heard (presumably from the military authorities) that I was wounded. The wound itself is not so very serious, buttjt is the results caused by it. I was struck by a bullet on the inside of the leg just near enough to the crutch, and It came out in a diagonal direction about three inches above the calf on the outside of the leg. The main nerve of the leg has been severed, with the result that below the knee my left leg is absolutely useless—paralysed, can't do anything with it whatever; it's like being in a very powerful battery, pins and needles all the time,,and it is something awful. The wound itself is healing splendidly and no pain whatever with it.

'Well, I had three weeks at the Dardanelles, and' was in two good smash-ups, and it wasn't until the second that I received my little bit of Turkish delight (a bomb in trench fighting) with trenches five yards apart, I assure you I lost no time in leaving after I was hit. I thought at first my leg was broken, and it was like a kick from, old "Nugget." I had to crawl through about \i -mile of trench 'over dead Turks, and my own mates dead and wounded who couldn't get out at all. I had about an hour of this and then managed to reach a dressing station where I was seen to, put on a stretcher, and taken down to the beach, a distance from'the firing of about three miles. After .lying on the beach some little time, cold as could be and in perfect agpny, I was finally placed on board (to my great surprise) the Maheno. Oh, it was like being placed in a palace, for she is most' elaborately fitted up and most comfortable. Well, I was dressed, washed, and felt much relieved after itWe had two days on her to an island called Lemnos, and there we were transferred to an old German capture, improvised as a hospital ship, for the trip from there to England."

Writing' again on October 7th., from the same hospital, Private Monk says :—

"I am getting on splendidly here. I had the operation after eight weeks' suffering pain (nerves, of course). TTp to time of writing this I haven't had the stitches taken out, but expect them to be drawn within the next few days; otherwise lam grand in myself. There are two other New Zealanders in my ward, both mounted men (Canterbury), and we have a great time. There are 13 beds in the ward, and, of course, we being the only and first New Zealanders in the hospital, are made a great fuss of. We get quite a number of New Zealand visitors to see ■ us, people that have either lived in or visited N.Z, and it is quite interesting to talk to someone who who knows something about our little home in the East, because the majority of people here scarcely know anything about N.Z at all. They think it is part of Australia. Amongst our frequent visitors are Mr and Mrs S (very nice people. They were at one time big station owners in the South Island, and came to England five or six years ago, and settled down in a nice home. Before my operation they took the three of us out to their place, and it was lovely motoring along through the country lanes. A couple of days after my operation the doctor informed me that when I get up and a bit stronger, arrangements would be made to send me back to New Zealand, as it would be no use me staying here, until I got right again, because it would take a long time, 12 months or perhaps longer, and that I could get electrical treatment in N.ZSo I hope to be back home again somewhere about the beginning of 1916, hopping about on crutches ; the foot is absolately paralysed."