HOW WALDO THOMPSON "STOPPED ONE."

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 31, 5 October 1915, Page 6

HOW WALDO THOMPSON "STOPPED ONE."

Advice was received in Napier that Private Waldo Thompson, of the .held staff of the local Lands Department, who was recently wounded, is how on his-May to New Zealand. In a letter to his brother. Mr Hi C. Thompson, of the Gas Company's staff, Private Thompson gives an interesting account of how he was wounded and other matters. He says;— . . "As per my cable I-have at last stopped one. I managed to get legbefore wicket as a Turkish gun was bowling a -yorker, and the head of the shrapnel shell (which always blows off to allow the Bullets to spread) caught me-as I lay flat on the ground. 1 was lucky;* hot td be blown to pieces, but it was only one of 100,000 narrow escapes a chap has, and one gets into the habit of taking things as they come. I heard the shell coming, and lay flat on the ground on my face. The shell burst nearly on me. and the head caught me a glancing blow just above the left knee, making a .slight cut. and bruising th,e knee. ; A N FAX ZEALANI) CHARGTO.

"The start of the wholei.,business was a genej-'al'advance from our Gaba, Tepei position « which yop .have P. , T.'" bably read in- the Zealandens made an 'eih-eloping movement on the left flank, and caught the Turks quite unprepared at night. We got them, propei'lv' on the run.. The ; advance started ' hist,;Friday (August H) night. I was hit about mid-day,on Saturday when we had got about two, miles inland, and when the Turks were beginning to make a bit of a fresh stand, and to get together again. Our line, was about three .miles long, and we were supposed to advance round and over hill 971 (a height near.Anafartaf< which dominated the whole district; and was'held by. the-Turks, so getting a line from Cape ' iSuvla to Maitlos. The left got onto the hill on Friday night after hard- fighting,, ami we were half-way up it on. Saturday; at mid-day, when I got hit. _,... t ,„ j "A new'army coups of Kitchener's: landed Me;ir Cape "Suvia,, and , ftjeri gave us gi'eat help. The British < a*cj ualties were- exceptionally heavy, especially amongst the New Zealanders. The fight was only getting hot towards Saturday .night. I am afraid very few of the main body men will be left after this terrible battle, but the New Zealanders did specially b-d----liant work.

"I got on the hospital ship on | Sttndav. and, reached Cairo On Wednesday, the 11th. My wound is not serious, and I can already walk- with the. aid of a stick. "The arrangements for handling the thousands of wounded are marvellous —and it is work getting the wounded up for treatment. "The strain at Gaba Tepe. during the last three and a-half mouths has been very great on all who were there from the start, and great numbers, bracked up' from sickness, etc. I helped to bury the Turkish dead during the- armistice. After our machine gun section had been in action, with four guns, a week we had lost our officer (lieutenant), both corporals, one sergeant killed and the other wounded, three privates killed, and lo wounded out of a 'total all told ot 10. PRAISE FOR THE MAORIS.

"The Fifth Reinforcements were just about to go ashore at Gabe'Tepe when the big fight started, so they may have got an early taste ot fighting* The Maoris distinguished themselves in the advance, but they suffered fairly heavily, too. I think." Private Thompson concluded that be was anxious to get back to theline, and expected to do in a few days, but apparently something else has happened, and he is now being sent home.