LANDING AT THE DARDANELLES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1414, 22 June 1915, Page 3

LANDING AT THE DARDANELLES.

LETTER FROM ONE OF OUR BOYS. The following letter, received from Lance-Corporal McAlister, of Foxton, who was wounded at the Dardanelles, should prove interesting to our readers. The letter was written on May 9th, while the writer was in Luna Park Hospital, Egypt. After dealing with private matters, the writer continues ; ‘T was wounded in the left shoulder and arm. It is nearly healed now, and I hope soon to be well and back in the firing line. No matter how much more fighting we see, 1 don't think it will be as hot as it was those first few days—it only has one name, it was hell on earth. I was very lucky, lor once a bullet just shaved along my head, dn ■ • blood, but nothing to mm... it was about one or two o’clock on Tuesday when I got hit. It’s weeks since we had a mail, and oh, how eagerly we are all awaiting it. Little I thought when I left Egypt that I would be back again so soon. We occupy the skating rink, and the total beds on the gallery and floor are about 700. We are well looked after, and a lot are going to the convalescent home to day, all the minor wounds being nearly healed. Its just a real holiday I’m having now, and it’s just ‘boska’ to have clean beds and sheets and pillows, and a jolly change of food from bully-beef and biscuits, Then on the lockers are bowls of flowers — on mine there’s roses, such beauties, red, cream, and pink, They remind one of home. This fighting is a game that wakes the primitive in man, and makes him once more a cool, alert, reckless being, with a lust for killing. Well might the people at home be proud of their boys, for they have made history and done what seemed an impossible task. The cruisers started bombarding, and the Australian boys set off to land, Three of their boats did not reach the shore, and the men had to swim ashore. The rest of the boats touching the shore, the boys jumped into the water up to their waists, and, fixing bayonets as they charged forward, swept up the sides of the rough, rugged hill, sweeping the enemy before them. Had it been a few of our side that had held such a position, they could never have landed. The cruisers kept up an incessant bombardment of the bills. The Turks had a battery concealed in the hills which the cruisers could not find. The Elizabeth was there firing her big 15 inch guns ; once she dropped a couple of shells right on a Turkish battery, and when the smoke cleared the battery was missing. We are told that she blew up a train with Turk’s reinforcements. They kept up a pretty hot shelling of ns all the while we lay at rest, and the Red Cross caught It very hot. We did not land till early on the Monday morning. By this lime we had a light mountain battery in action on the hilltop, and they were just landing the heavier guns and getting them in position. All day Monday we lay in dugouts. On Monday evening we were moved out to the top of a ridge just behind the firing line, and then were sent back to the dugouts. Early on Tuesday we were ordered to get ready. After starting we had to take cover twice from shrapnel fire. The enemy had managed to sink one of the mine sweepers this morning. We were all well provisioned, and started off again. When we got about two miles along the beach, a steady string of wounded began to come down. We got a little further on and were ordered to throw off packs and advance at the double. I, along with another chap, was given a box of ammunition to take forward ; was relieved of this, and advanced past the first Australian trench, from which some of our boys were picking off snipers, and a machine gun was playing on the Turks. I was given a bunch of machine gun ammunition, got rid of it, and went on. Then the word came, ‘Fix bayonets, and charge!’ but I was hit, so I had to lay there. The boys charged forward about twenty yards, and then got down and poured a steady fire Into the Turks, who could be seen as thick as bees, Oue of our boys stayed and bandaged my arm, although he was risking his life in doing it. I crawled back and got to the stretcher bearers. They put a splint on, and fixed me up. Then I got helped down to the beach, and along to a temporary hospital ship. We landed in Alexandra the following Saturday, and reached the hospital the same night.