CHARGE OF THE ‘RUAHINES.’

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 248, 10 July 1915, Page 7

CHARGE OF THE ‘RUAHINES.’

A MEMORABLE CHARGE. THE BRAVE ‘ f RtTAHINES. ’ ’ MOWED DOWN BY THE TURKS. DAUNTLESS THEY GO TO SUPPORT THEIR FELLOWS. History gives some outstanding instances of dauntless, romantic bravery. We treasured in memory with extroraadmiration the charge of the Light Brigade, the storming of the Heights of Abraham, but nothing we have yo» read of comes anywhere near the wiki courage, determination, cool observanceof orders to rush into certain death, indifference to certain death, in the one sot purpose to stand by and. if possible, die beside their brothers-in-arms to avoid defeat or reverse. Corporal Russell, of Carterton, one of the 1 ‘ Runhines, ” tells the story of his Company’s great rush across shell, machinegun, and rifle swept plateaus, in a letter which ho has written to his people in the Wairarapa, in which he says:— “Can'anything but death obliterate from my brain the horror of that scene? God forbid that the like should ever be my experience again. I should like to write to each bereaved heart New Zealand telling how their loved ones fell under war conditions more terrible than have been experienced on the Continent, how each man responded to the commands gallantly and unhesitatingly, knowing that for the majority of them the execution of those orders moan certain death. The last rush of D Rimh.ine Company in some respects calls up to my mind the charg'd’ the Light Brigade. There, were m... non, machine-guns, and rifles in from

of us, snipers on a ridge to the left o' us, snipers on a ridge to the - right of us, and later even snipers behind uThe other three companies of the Wellington Infantry Regiment had pushed ahead in n bayonet charge, and having 'ost many men required reinforcementlo hold the position from which liter.gallant charge had dislodged the emmy. The Ruahino Company advanced by platoons in skirmishing order fro—the rear trenches for 300 yards under continuous shrapnel fire.

/ "Oh, the marvel of it? The whistli ing and screeching of shells, the!r I bursting over and amongst us, and yet j that steady, advance just as if men were i taking part in a sham fight. Regular | troops, who witnessed that advance, | were amazed at it, and paid us the tr:- | bute of saying that no body of vetcr- ! ans could have been more cool in carrying out such a movement under r, hail of shrapnel. The Ruahines passes through the clanger zone , of bursting shells and took a breather in the next line of trenches occupied by the Hampshire Regiment. Two minutes was at! that was allowed us in that temporary safey, and then we were off nt the double in platoon rushes to the third (line of trenches—unfinished for trio most part—being the one from widen our comrades, whom we were bound to reinforce at all costs and at once, hart I made their charge to the foot of the j hill, which rose up in front of the I green fields in which we were unshield- | ed from the view of the enemy well en- | sconced upon the hill. In these | trenches was now the Essex, Regiment, 1 spectators of our next disastrous advance. ' i 1 ■'■*! X:,';;" , "Can I forget it—the to all intents j snd purposes wiping nut of the original Ruahine Company 7 Never. It is-burned upon my brain. This final rush at close on 600 yards was to be made by platoons in sectional rushes. Away went the 13th platoon in this manner. There was a perfect hail of bullets, and the field every yard was swo(pt by that deadly outpouring of lead. Down went each section almost to a man upon that green grassy field sloping towards the hill—our goal. The command went forth fo rthe 14th platoon to rush by sections. They know what to expect, but faltered never a moment. They dashed forward, only to be shot down. “Then the loth platoon did likewise, and then came my platoon, No. 16. ami mine was the first section. I gave the word, and we wyere off at a-good r«fo. Tho air seemed to ring with the whizz■ng of the bn Hotel One might as well

try to avoid being struck in a hailstorm of frozen pellets as try to shun those leaden pellets from front and both flanks. Half my section fell ere 1 was hit in the left hand. All my section and all the next were down directly afterwards. Worst of all, the wounded, being in the open field, were in many cases riddled by bullets an they lay there, especially those who were unable to dig themselves in with their entrenching tools or bayonets. Some tried to get up and look for cover, but were at once shot down. I am told that a few of our Company escaped and won through, though how tliny d d it is hard to say.’’