WITH THE WELLINGTON BATTALION.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 36, 12 October 1915, Page 5

WITH THE WELLINGTON BATTALION.

"ALL THAT REMAINED OF THEM."

LIEUTENANT MURRAY URQUHART'S EXPERIENCES.

SIXTEEN WEEKS IN FIRING LINE If Lieutenant Murray Urquhart writes a very interesting letter to Mr J. B. Hine, M.P., from Muclros Bay. Leninos. while on board the "Scotian." He J says:— 1 am on my way to the base, "or the purpose of resting. There are only , myself and one other officer in our ' battalion, who have been right through everything without a break, and could keep going no longer, being thoroughly run-down and very ' weak. 1 have had sixteen weeks solid going, and under fire every day. I managed to hang long enough to take part in the big advance which commenced on the 6th of August, and which provided the hardest lighting we have yet had, as we were cornered at "Anzac," up till the 6th August we were practically holding the same positions which we gained immediately after the landing. These 7iad been con- . solidated, and were practically impreg- | liable. On the night o fthe sth August we moved from "Quinn's Post." which we had been garrisoning, to "Happy Valley." As this advance was intended as a surprise, the moving of troops was carried out with all the concealment possible. We lay low during the day of the 6th. Our objective and the method of attack were made known to us (the officers), and we passed the information on to the N.C.O's. and men. A night attack over strange country, is a difficult country, and great care has to be i used to keep in touch. Each attacking party was given its objective. Orders were issued that rifles were not to be fired, but the bayonet was to do the work. The Wellington Battalion was to attack a hill-crest named "Chunuk Bair," but not until some other positions had been taken. Owing to some of these positions not being taken until later than expected, and as we . would not have had time to carry out our attack before daylight, we occu'pied a crest called Top." At 10 p.m. on the 6th, we | left "Happy VallSs'«and iuOved aloii-gi a lap to No. 3 outpost. Here we' waited a slioi-t and then ceeded up 'the Deri," which is a narrow valley wi'fli (at present), a dry stream bed. "We were ! how 'out-' side, ouij own" lines, ''arid'-in 'country occupied 1 by the enemy. Our progress . was jiiecessarily'slbw. (EVery iioiv and then throughout the night we would hear a sudden heavy burst of firing as an attacking party was discovered by the Turks, then rousing cheers from our men, as they charged up the hillside to the trenches. The next sound would l>e cries of fear and surrender 1 from those of the enemy who could not 'get away. I believe in every instance the attacks were a success, and it was quite evident that our move Mas not anticipated by the enemy. About 4 a.m. on the 7th we occupied a high ridge called "Rhododendron Top." We at once jcamie^under;frontal fire, and; also ''hji'm: "Chunuk on our lieftJ . We;i|Sg^n'to IpKe men, so dug-ii? as best we}could. Later in the day we moved along the ridge to a more sheltered position. In the early afternoon the Auckland Battalion, followed by some Gurkhas, were ordered to charge and take some trenches to our front. We were in support, but were not required to go forward. They had an awful task, as the ground was swept by machine-gun and rifle fire, and owing to the nature of it (the ground), they had to move in, practically, close formation. Well, they went off like heroes, followed by the Gurkhas, and took the trenches, but at a heavy cost. As darkness fell, we i were put on in two-hour reliefs entrenching our position. The stretcherbearers were also working all night, getting in the wounded, who had to lie still all day, as it was not safe for them to move. At 3 a.m. on the Bth we received orders to lead an attack on "Chunuk Bair" at 4.15 a.m., supported by some I of Kitchener's Army. As the time arrived we were all ready, each man with bis bayonet fixed, and we moved off in file down the slope of Rhododendron, across the intervening ground, to the foot of Chunuk Bair. From there we advanced in lines. So far we had evidently not been observed, but as soon as we neared the crest we were, subjected to a heavy shrapnel and rifle-fire. Some Turkish trendies on our left at once fell into our hands, and these were utilised as battalion headquarters. Daylight was now breaking, and we experienced great difficulty in digging-in,"owing to the heavy fire. Our four machine-guns at once got to work, but owing to being unable to dig-in sufficiently to obtain decent cover, the crews and guns were soon knocked out, and thus our best means of defence was lost to us. I. cannot do justice on paper to the splendid and heroic defence our fellows put up. Time after time the Turks, who were in overwhelming numbers, charged, but each time as they reached our front trenches, through the heavy scrub, our lads stood up and cheered, and poured a heavy fire into them, driving them back each time. They also gave us a very hot time with bombs, which they threw at close quarters from the cover of the scrub. The Turks must have lost very heavily, but they were greatly superior to us in numbers. There must have been thousands of them. By mid-day our position was desperate, practically

only a handful of us being left, and we were being fired on from (almost all round. Despite the fact that it was practically impossible for reinforcements to get through in daylight, the Auckland Mounted Rifles gallantly came through to our aasitance, and temporarily relieved the situation. By late afternoow we were in a worse plight than at mid-day. The enemy made sonic very determined attempts to wipe us out, but failed each time. By Idlis time the ground we were holding was an awfnl sight. We realised that we must hold on till night. I Well, we did; but how, 1 don't know. ! At last night fell, and with it arrived the Otago Battalion, followed by the Wellington Mounted Rifles and others, including some fifth reinforcements, which had only just landed. You may be able to realise what a relief to us this was. We had been practically without water all day, and it was very hot. And besides that, we were absolutely "done." I regret to say that on this occasion the, Turks used some dum-dum or other soft-nosed bullets, inflicting some ghastly wounds. About midnight an order came up that the Wellington Battalion was to be relieved. Was ever news more welcome? So the few officers left gathered together the little that remained of I what, 1 venture to say, had been the 'finest battalion in the Xew Zealand I Brigade. I cannot mention casualties, but you will probably have received ,them ere you get this. Boor Colonel I'M was killed with shrapnel late in .the day. At any rate he lived to see what his battalion, the battalion he had trained with such care, was eap[able of. His heart must have swelled 'with pride time and again that day. 1 helped to carry Ids body out of the trench, where he felt. No troops in 'the world could have put up a better fight, or died more gamely. All here are full of praise for the New Zealandei's and Australians, and 1 honestly believe they are are finest infantry in the world. In any case then 1 are none better.