KILLED IN ACTION.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 39, 16 June 1915, Page 5

KILLED IN ACTION.

(May 19th.) Auckland Battalion. Private Edgar Francis Sheppard. WOUNDED COMING HOME. Pee Punas Association. Wellington, June 15, The names of the wounded New Zealanders who are returning to this country on a transport probably will lie available within the next few days, but the first news on the subject will reach the next-of-kin direct from the Defence Department. It is understod that the ship will not reach the Dominion for at least four weeks yet. Hospital accommodation will be available for any of the men who may require it. but it is anticipated that most of the invalids will be able to go to their own homes. Wounded men who are indefinitely incapacitated from further service will be given their discharges soon after their arrival, but the Defence authorities will make what arrangements seem necessary in connection with pensions and allowances. This matter has been receiving the attention of the Minister for Defence, who has stated that as far as possible the Department will avoid inflicting hardship, even of a temporary character, on any man. Soldiers who have suffered permanent injury will be entitled to a military pension under the defence regulations, but the allocation of the pensions cannot b e made until the Pensions Board has had time to investigate the cases, and some additional legislation will be required for tbe discharge of the Government’s promise to liberalise the scale. WOUNDED MAN’S LETTER. Private John Petrie who was wounded at the Dardanelles describes the landing at Gahe Tepe in a letter dated May 5 received by his father, Mr John Petrie. {Che text of the letter is as follows;—*

Just a line to let you know that I am still in the laud of the living and hack once again in Cairo for - sp'll. I thought T had left it for good, when we went away, hut was forgetting all about the chance of being wounded. I did not have a very long spell in the firing line, just about twelve hours. We landed on Sunday night, and about 6.30 on Monday morning I received a bullet in the shoulder, so I was “hors de combat” in a very short time, that was last Monday week, so 1 am getting along first-rate now. The bullet went right through, which was lucky for me. so I did not have to go through the painful operation of extracting the bullet. I suppose you will have seen the casualty list by this time. As far as I know at present, only one Stratford boy went uudei, F. R. Brown, be was in the same tent as myself and also Sergeant-Major McGlade'; he was close beside me when I got hit, so am beginning to think myself rather lucky that 1,-pftly K ofc winged. There are some pretty bad cases; we had 17 deaths on our way to the hospital. It was very exciting, shrapnel bursting all the time that we were landing, but luckily none of us in our boat were seriously hit. It was very cold in the night. I was in the trenches, and we have no blankets with us. Our section suffered more than any of our Company; we had one killed and .six wounded out of thirteen men, all Stratford boys. Bob Woods has got off so far I believe; of course we don’t hear anything about the boys now. I. think I will be right in another week. OFF TO THE FRONT.

YESTERDAY’S LIST AT HAWERA. G. H. Clary, Te Roti. H. L. Simpson, New Plymouth. W. R. Free, Elthani. H. J. Thompson, Stratford. J. R. Needham, Taumarunui. Arapata Whitau, Raetihi (Maori • ' contingent). N. Chadwick, Taumarunui. A. E. Jennings, Taumarunui. H. C Armstrong, Raetihi. W. J. Bodmar, Taihape. Wari Raumiri, Raetihi (Maori contingent.) _ , Heremaia Wari, Raetihi (Maori contingent). L. G. Bullott, Matapu. K. Harvey, Kaponga. C. H. Tate, Waitara. W. P. Feeke, Waitara. H. Longstaff, Waitara. S. M. Jones, Waitara. A. Blanchard, Awakino. J. M. Crow, Waitara. P. Sparrow. Awakino. V. G. Payne. Awakino. F. Backliolm, Waitara. F. j(i. Buckler, Stratford. M. J. Rea, Douglas (Stratford) I). Needham, Douglas (Stratford). A. McGregor. Xgaere. I). J. Temper. Midhirst. • TO-DAY'S STRATFORD LIST. • K. A. Walsh, Stratford. Harry Williams, Stratford. • George Lcpper, Stratford.