FROM THE DARDANELLES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 87, 12 August 1915, Page 7

FROM THE DARDANELLES.

AN INTERESTING EETTER. I Corpowl E .H Kivell, of tlio NBiv Zealand Infantry Brigade Headquarters, writes chattingly of the operations of the New Zealanders in the iDardanelles. He says: We loft ZeiAoun on April 10 to join our transport, which was a German prize, the “Goslar.” Slie was awfully dirty and in-sect-infested in an awful state, and our Officer Commanding would not allow us to go aboard, so all the ambulance had to set to work and clean her somewhat. We steamed out at six o’clock on Saturday, April 17th. On Monday we sighted a cruiser, which escorted us; after we were met by two. other transports—then the three oi us were handed over to a torpedo boat destroyer, which brought us to this island (Lemnos). There was grdat excitement as we reached the entrance at noon on Wednesday. Troopships, battleships, cruisers, submarines and destroyers were in the harbor every-where-—numbers could not be counted. . Two big hospital ships are in harbor here, also the Queen Elizabeth, so I suppose all the bombarding ships are here. . . This is a lovely looking island, especially after Egypt- AM green cultivation right down to the waters’ edge—other places hills. It is very much like Wellington harbor from where we. are anchored. We cannot see the town, but rumor says it has a population of about 30,000. It is cold here. Bain falls very frequently. On this boat are Tom Gorton, Charlie Holt. Len Brown, Tom Hancock. and me (all Stratford). . . •

We left Lemnos at 9 a.m. April 25 and reached the shores of Turkey at 2 p.m. A huge bombardment had already been proceeding for 24 hours and still continues. About 8000 Australians had landed and forced their way up cliffs, the like of which has never been done by British soldiers before, and they were followed about twelve hours afterwards by another 4000, and also 4000 odd New Zealanders. They did marvellous work, and proceeded to take precipitous ridges for about one mile inland from the beach. Oh. the glorious, valiant, galknt Australians, how can one give them their deserts in praises ? But they lost about 4000 in a week—killed or wounded. It was a great sight in the harbor—the bombarding going on continuously by our fleet of the Turkish positions. On Sunday we left our transport and went ashore. On the way bullets were dropping all around and on the destroyer conveying us. One man dropped a finger—the only casualty. Next day we, three P.O. men were kept for postal work at Divisional Headquarters—first Post Office in Turkey. We got picks and shovels and built a dug-out. Wo have slept, eaten, and worked in it ever sinice. Sometimes for half an lionyou daren’t stir outside, as shrapnel shells and lyddite are bursting all over the place. Then a lull and more came. Rifle shots pass overhead, but ne are safe from them, but perhaps not if you go Tip to the top of the hill. Chaps coming down from the trenches say it is more dangerous here and they duck and dodge all the while, whilst we laugh and joke at them . They simply sweep the bench from each end—but most of them land harmlessly in the water. T saw one shell land light into the hold of a transport in the harbor. I do not know what damage was done. On May 7, my birthday, I had just moved from a mail bag when a shrapnel shell burst and one bullet went through the bag from which I had just risen. I am keeping the bullet as a birthday present. This place (where the letter was written) is called Sniper’s Alley, off Shrapnel Gully, round Suicide Point. We get well suppled with clothing and cigarettes and matches, and the food is all we could expect on active service. I dive for Turkish shells in the sea off a destroyer, and they give me milk, fish, and coffee, and I swim ashore with my prizes—so I am still catching trophies for aquatic events. It is very rough country here, but down at Cape Hellos it is not so bad, and there much cultivation has been done, and the farms looked lovely. Seddel Bahr, at the entrance to the Dardanelles, is a town blown to pieces. I was through it, and the forts, where big guns are twisted into all sorts of shapes. * v .