RECOVERED HIS SPEECH.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1512, 19 February 1916, Page 4

RECOVERED HIS SPEECH.

GUNNER DUNN’S DUCK

A REMARKABLE CASE.

Further details were received recently of the remarkable case in Sydney when Gunner D. Dunn, who was rendered dumb by a shell explosion at Cape Helles, found his voice as the result of shock at a theatrical performance. Gunner Dunn’s father formerly resided in Auckland. One of his brothers, Captain Dunn, is a medical officer at the front. The gunner was a member of the 2nd battery, which went into action at Gallipoli and took the field at Cape Helles. Quite early in the campaign an enemy shell burst right under the gun which he was helping to serve, and blew all the gun detachment into the air. Dunn himself knows nothing of what happened, but learned afterwards that he went skyward with the rest and came to earth unconscious.

Taken to Ghezireh Hospital, Dunn remained unconscious for three weeks, and even when he gained his senses he still suffered from concussion of the throat, and was unable to speak at all. On September 15th he first spoke in a whisper. His voice did not improve, either in hospital or on his return to Australia, and he resigned himself to endure this almost complete loss of his voice for the rest of his life.

On the night of February ytb, in the company of his friend, Private Forrest, Dunn went to see ‘‘Under Covet” played in Sydney. In the third act there is a realistic explosion, full of sound and fire, when a German aeroplane is supposed to drop a bomb on the British trench 27. With the roar of the explosion Dunn collapsed fainting in his seat, and was helped out of the theatre by his friend. Mentally, he was probably back beside his gun at Cape Helles, for as he recovered from his faint he turned round and said to Forrest in a clear, natural voice, “My God, that was terrible.” Forrest stared in amazement. “You’ve got your voice back,” he exclaimed.

“No!” Dunn cried, not realising that he was speaking again. Steadily it dawned upon him that he really had recovered his voice, and he said in an incredulous tone, “Good Lord, so I have!”

The following morning the recovered patient saw Captain Elliott, medical officer at the 4th General Hospital, and communicated the news to him.