The War on Gallipoli.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 72, 24 November 1915, Page 8

The War on Gallipoli.

(By C.S.K.)

NOTES BY A RETURNED NEW ZEALAND SOLDIER. MORE ABOUT LEMNOS.

Going on from where one lliii, and another came along auu lunmi my Lemnos tale a seven and brcLe ic oh in the middle; Tiro hospitals are not tire oh id feature of Lemnos, though they are the most permanent. The most striking feature is the shipping. The individual ships change irom day to day,' but the number of ships uevei seeups to go down, and, to use a prohibiten term, the harbor is always lousy with snips oi all kinds, there is a. certain degree oi what might be called “native” snipping—a lew strangely-rigged schooners, some dirty ugly “tramps ' and the smart vessels oi Lho mail line, then there are tire transports—JJritish and treium. Anj ship is a transport, auu at neuuios the variety of them is quickly noted. They range from old “tramps' which look as if they were looking for some soli, quiet spot where they could sit down and peacefully come to pieces, to tne splendid Atlantic liner Aquitama, which, by general report (not always reliable j brought seven thousand troops from the United Aingdom in between are all kinds oi cargo and passenger vessels, gathered up from a multiplicity of lines, in one thing all (except the Aquitauia) were alike—they were uniformly dirty on the outsme, tnat is tlie sides ol tne ship. They all looked as If they wore terribly busy and were putting oil their wash, haircut, and shave until after the war was over and they had time to think of sucli small matters, borne oi the transports could bo picked by the naked, lay eye as T rench, because they belonged to a certain line, the vessels of which have three masts and one funnel, which is not so bulky as British taste looks for on vessels oi the same size. Then there are the warships, also changing day by day, from a small destroyer to the Queen Tliizabetlr. The big ships look hue, and they convey at rest an impression ol strength, which is> Heightened when they lie oh the -Peninsula and send their big shells up the mils; but perhaps the most attractive class are the destroyers, which seem always to be at work—of one or anotrier. They have a general “hurryup ’ look about them, but they sometimes descend to the menial task ol carrying troops Irom the transports to cue shore, at other times they condescend to go slow and cautiously where acting as scouts to the larger warships, and sometimes one will busy itsell with the work ol shelling a Turk battery ou the Peninsula. Also on view at Mudros harbor is a submarine—perhaps there are more, and perhaps some are Trench, but, at least, i saw one. in the harbor lay the Trench repairing ship—a iouudry alloat. it looked something like a warship, something like a sliore iouudry and something like something you d never seen before. The Trench warships could be picked by the lay eye because ol a certain buikiuess in build and a certain style ol funnel, i believe there was only one Kussuiu warship on the spot, the Askold (i believe her name is), but she was much in evidence, She has the honor oi having had bestowed on her an appropriate British nickname. She is familiarly called ‘ the packet oi Woodbines, ’ because the most prominent feature oi her consists of her live high, thin funnels, which look like enlarged models of the live. “Wild Woodbine” cigarettes, which the soldier can purchase for the nimble penny. The British warships are ol every kind, style and age, including some which have proved extremely useful in the operations on the Peninsula, though just about ready for the scraphead and though (perhaps) they might have been useless for work of any other description. (A notable example of tbo usefulness ol these oldfashioned vessels is tire Philomel, which is as small, and as old-fashioned as the next, but which has made a unique name for herself in the opeiations in which she has engaged). One warship seemed to have been specially fitted for the receipt of long-distance wireless, having ridiculously tail and slender masts, fitted with the necessary “wires” for the “wireless. Theie were not wanting hospital ships. Sometimes there were a number lying at anchor and there always seemed to be at least one. These were mostly trim-built passenger liners, which looked well with their white-painted sides, a baud of green round the hull, and a big red cross amidships; and their - red and green lights right round the top of the hull made a grand sight at night. Another class of ship there ivas at Lemnos —the supply ships. I

These were of every description, some rather queer builds beiug in evidence, some of them having been built for a special class of trade. A few of the. British trawlers can be seen at Lemnos, but they are not so much in evidence as oyer at the Peninsula, where there is plenty of work to do for which they are particularly fitted. They come to Lomnos only semi-occasionally and get back to the Peninsula quickly. The trip to the war is of great educational value in many directions and perhaps in none more so than in bringing the soldier in touch with ships of all classes. Coming out of the harbor once I endeavored to make a rough count of the number of vessels at anchor, but I had to give it up; but it would not be far out to say that on the occasion in question there were fifty transports, twenty-five warships,

and seventy-live odd craft lying in the harbor.—Here we are again ! Certain extraneous (and probably uninteresting) matters have obtruded themselves into this tale and my space is all gone and still there is more to toll. However, never say die, and with one more spasm the little island of Lemnos should die a natural death so far as I am concerned.