WOUNDED MAN'S LETTER.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 41, 18 June 1915, Page 3

WOUNDED MAN'S LETTER.

Private It. Real, son of .Mr A. W. Iteid, cf Strabtord, who was wounded ;it the Dardanelles, writes from Helioplis Hospital under date May 8, 1915 as follows: I expect you are all very anxious io get a letter from me a.nl to hear my experience*., which, i can tell you. ivere none too pleasant. We had been working a long time for ic, and 1 would not like to have to nave missed it for something, it is a great experience. We got to the spoi oi operations at about 3 p.m. on 'solh April, and the guns were ripping into it at top from tlie warships. Thefirst o/ the troop.-, got there at daylight, and the landing was all done in surf boats and barge*. The furies on the shore did deal it into them; out of some boat-loads, only live got ashore, but we were much more successful, as i think we only had our Captain slightly wounded with shrapnel, it is marvellous that many morewere not hit. \Ve did not get the riiie lire and machine guns, the first lot did. We landed on a very decent beach just under some very rough hills and scrub similar to that of \it. Egmont and about as rough io get about on. They picked the best troops in the Australians and Xew Zealanders for that particular part. The British Tommies were on oar right, and the I'Yench on our left. After we landed, we inarched inland about a mile arid ahalf and entrenched. Rifle lire was going on the whole night, and to make things worse it was raining. 1 don't know how oar lads are doing, as J got popped over early on Monday morning. H was an awful night with

Hashing of rifles, rain, and the groans of the ivounded who did not-'get shifted, and there were a lot of dead lying about. When J got'hit, I thought my head had been blown oil. The bullet went in at the right of my nose and came out just in front of my left ear

—plenty near enough for me!, They say that ;i bullet from a modern rifle will pass through you without you knowing it, but that is only a rumour. Well, alter i was hit, 1 slipped off my year and got out of the firing line, and Sergeant- bonar and Lieut. I'rquhart tied u;y face up, and I made my way brick to the ship, where we had a very rough tiine, as there were .some' hundreds of us and only two doctors, if was impossible for them to attend to all of us, as it was only a. troopship, and so had no conveniences. Tin; Hospital Ships were soon (iiled. We layoff from the battlefield for a day and then came to Alexandria and lay there another day, so it was five days before we got to a hospital, which was lovely to get to. i am in one of the finest hospitals in Egypt with a splendid staff, and if would be /impossible to get better treatment) 1 am doing remarkably well, just about ready to go out again. J did not think it would lie possible to get better so quickly. 1 think you will have a job to see the mark when they have finished with me. It is the Australian staff that control the hospi-

tal, and it is a great credit to them-. A In-other of Mr A. Walker, of Xgaere, is in the same ward as me, lie had his right arm fractured with a bullet. I hope to have another go at the Turks shortly. 1 don't like coming off second best. iistimamaimmmmmmmimimMi