Australasians under fire

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 5, 6 May 1915, Page 5

Australasians under fire

Stories of Dash and Courage Running fight of Three Miles TURKS HOWL WITH FEAR AT THE BAYONET. CASUALTIES HEAVY, BUT MANY WOUNDS SLIGHT. Press Association Extraordinary. (Received 9.0 a.m.) London, May 5. Reuter’s Cairo correspondent says that the reports of the Dardanelles fighting reveal many stories cf dash and courage on the part of Australians and New Zealanders. The men Jumped into the boats, and afterwards waded ashore neck deep, and then took three ridges in succession in a running fight, which extended ever threi miles. ONE SOLDIER SAID: “Nothing stopped us. Our big lads lifted the Turks with the ends of their bayonets and hurled them over their heads. The Turks ran screaming and howling with fear. After the first rush, others cann up and helped us to storm the ridges and consolidate new positions. The enemy’s fire of shrapnel from their machine guns and rifles were terrific throughout, but our men never wavered Our casualties were heavy, but very many of the wounds were slight, and the men will reappear in the fighting line in a few weeks.” The wounded say that the Red Cross worked magnificently. The ambulance men wore under fire continually, the Turks making a dead set against them and shooting them down mercilessly. It has been established that the Turks used dum-dum bullets. The Turks’ losses were enormous, our bayonet rushes doing great slaughter.