ABOARD THE HOSPITAL SHIP MAHENO.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1483, 9 December 1915, Page 3

ABOARD THE HOSPITAL SHIP MAHENO.

INTERESTING NARRATIVE BY FATHER SEGRIEF. We are privileged to reproduce portions of a most interesting letter written by the Rev Father Segrief, of Wellington, one of the chaplains aboard the hospital ship Maheno, written from Anzac Bay, Gallipoli, under date September 24th : "On reaching Alexandria the purely enjoyable part of the expedition came to an end, and all were glad as they wanted to be at work. We were delayed five days at Alexandria while some repairs and alterations were carried out. Our first business mu was to Mudros Bay •in Lemnos Island, about 40 miles from the Dardanelles and on the way up vye passed many Islands famous in ancient and New Testament history. At Mudros our fate was decided. Till then we had feared we should be loaded up with wounded convalescent for England. None wanted that. We wanted our loads first hand, just off the beach, and also we wanted to remain near the scene of action where our ship could be of genuine assistance. England we looked upon as a kind of reward for labour and we hadn’t yet earned it. Great was our relief then when the Admiral in charge of Marine Hospital Transport ordered us to proceed to Anzac, Gallipoli. After having Mudros Bay—the base of supplies for the front, crowded with warships and transports of every kind —we went north-east and after a three hour run came in sight of the opening of the Dardanelles. On the southern side is Kum Kale, the fort stormed by the French at the first lauding, and opposite it on the northern side is Cape Helles, the place where the English landed. There we saw the fleet bombarding the Impregnable hill fortress of Achi Baba. It was truly a great experience and it was difficult to realise we were really on the scene of such great events. Our base, Anzac, lay about 10 miles to the north, and we reached it about 4 o’clock. At first we noticed nothing strange or unwonted about the beach and hills, except for the occasional bursting of shrapnel shells and the cracks of rifles. But on getting the glasses to work the scene was changed. Men in khaki were moving about in every direction, piles of stores of all kinds lay on the beach and at the depots. On the bill sides were the dug outs of the men and there are no tents except for field hospitals. The men hollow out of the sandstone cliffs and hills little recesses 4 or 5 feet high, and as many deep into the hill and in these they live and sleep when not in the trenches. These are their only serai-safe shelters from the incessant shrapnel fire and machine guns, which play on to the beach all day and most of the night. It is really most weird to see the shells bursting and throwing up piles of earth—but it is still more uncanny to see coming off to the ship in lighters and barges the men who have been hit by the shells we saw bursting. Their wounds are horrible beyond words. Huge gashes and lacerations are caused by the flying splinters of shell and shrapnel pellets, and the pain they inflict is really distressing to witness. Our ship lay about a mile off shore, in easy range of the guns and rifles, but the Turks have never purposely fired on a ‘.white’ ship. On one occasion they did fire by mistake, but next day they forwarded an apology for the mishap. All the mfen concur in saying that the Turks are clean, fair, honourable fighters—foemen worthy of our steel. People whose sons or relatives may be captured need have no anxiety about the treatment or safety of our men prisoners. Many instances of very humane treatment are on record, where the Turks have succoured and dressed our wounded. It is quite a pleasure and relief to hear so many expressions of praise on behalf ot the enemy. Our men have a wholesome regard for Johnnie Turk as artillerymen, riflemen and bombthrower, but above all as sniper. The snipers —who abound —are the bane of ' our troops, there is no valley, ridge or track free from the fire ot snipers ; and the casualty list from this source alone is very considerable. Our people, of course, have to meet them at their own game, and usually they equal if not surpass them in ingenuity. Though .our losses are high it is quite sure that those of the Turks are much higher, for the incessant gun fire of the navy on to the Turkish positions is murderous in its effects. All day and night too, the light cruisers and destroyers move about, picking up messages from the hills and dropping shells into the trenches. It is wonderful, if gruesome to behold. The gunboats fire off and a few seconds iater we see a column of smoke and earth rising into the air trom one of the Turkish positions. All night the search lights pick up the targets and in a second or two the shells are bursting with a ghastly flare on the very spot selected. All kinds of crafts are engaged, from small torpedo crafts to the huge i4ln. monitors, specially built for the work. Well, we reached Anzac on . Thursday. {Continued in our next issue.)