GALLIPOLI FIGHTING.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 290, 7 September 1915, Page 3

GALLIPOLI FIGHTING.

.. A PEEIOD OF COMPARATIVE CALM. BOMBING, MINING, SHELLING

(From Malcolm Eoss, Official War Cor respondent with the N.Z. Forces).

GALLIPOLI PENINSULA, July 9

The week's doings have provided little for the war correspondents to write about, and it would he no use dealing with the general position — even if one were permitted to do so—for .by the time this letter readies New Zealand the situation in alii probability will have altered materiality, even if it be not completely changed. It has now been decided to establish a war correspondent's camp on one of the islands. This change makes the work of the colonial correspondents a little more difficult, because considerable time is taken up in the journey between the island and the peninsula, and during the periods we are on the island we may miss some important happening on the mainland. In addition a spice of further adventure is added to our work, owing to the fact that, we are liable-to be shelled during pur landing or our departure. Sir lan Hamilton, however, has placed facilities in our way as far as possible under the circumstances. The journey, which takes from three to four hours each way, is made by steam pinnace and trawler. The pinnace in which I came from the trawler back to Anzac the other day had a shell clean through her bows, and the portly captain of the trawiler pointed with pride to a hole in an iron, plate and a patch in the deck where a "Turkish artilleryman had left his mark upon his little craft. Of the two English correspondents here, one has gone to Malta to buy provisions for the mess, but three other English correspondents are expected shortly, so that there will be in all seven men to chronicle important coniing'events. This, it must be admitted is a fairly liberal allowance, but the fighting in and around Gallipoli has presented some of the most picturesque incidents of the war. and the whole world has now become greatly interested in it. The change means that we of the Australian and .Xew Zealand press have to establish two camps—: sort of town residence at Anzac and ? country residence at Anzac. Personally, I felt quite sorry to say good-bye to my little dug-out at Anzac. on the hard earthen floor of which I used to sleep, oblivious to the noise of the adjacent cannon and rifle fire or the more distant thunder of the guns at Helles, except when one howit- I zer, nearer at hand than the other « guns, used to shake the dried marl down into my hair and ears.

In our island camp, on the other hand, one enjoyed a blissful immunity from shelling, but when one woke up in the night it was difficult to get to sleep again, because of the absence of gunfire, to which we had got so used at Anzac. Still, we do not have shrapnel bursting over us nor chunks of an 11-

incher hurtling to earth through the startled air. And that is something to be thankful for. SPASMODIC FIGHTING.

I Returning- to Anzac after getting my island camp fixed up, I found that there had been a period of comparative quietude on the peninsula. Nevertheless, there had been the usual incidents connected with trench warfare when there is no general attack and each side is content to lie low. On the 4th of July the enemy bombarded our position with their field guns and guns of position, firing in all between 250 and 300 shells. As the result of this bombardment we suffered no casualties, and very little damage was done to the trendies. At 9 a.m. the enemy, with a heavy gun, shelled the position at Anzac. Again on the 7th July there was intermittent shellfing without serious damage. One of our howitzer batteries engaged Mortar Bidge whenever the enemy guns there opened fire during the day. At 6.50 p.m. a 0-inch gun was firing on the Australians from the west slopes of Battleship Hill. One of our batteries replied in the direction of the enemy gun, and it ceased firing. Numbers of our men commenced some important road and trench work. On July Bth an enemy mountain gun fired on the front of Counternay's Post without doing any damage.

This evening the enemy used a sling for bomb-throwing. The Australians and the New Zealanders are much better throwers than the Turks. They can throw farther and their aim is surer. This is no doubt because they are nearly all men who have played the game of cricket. Between 5 and 6' p.m. the garrison at Quinn 's Post succeeded, by bombing, in setting fire to the enemy's overhead coyer in front of No. 3 sub-section. To this the enemy replied, and a severe and continuous bombing engagement ensued. Some damage was done to our fire trenches, but this was soon repaired. Later in the evening the bomb-throwers at Quinn 's wove successful in setting fire to some fifteen yards of Turkish trenches with bombs. The Turks, however, managed to keep this fire down to a certain extent, but it burned tDI 4.15 next morning. A ruse at Quinn's —it is colloquially known as "a stunt''—drew heavy rifle and machine-gun fire from the enemy. H.M.S. Rattlesnake did some sheling on our left, and Turks seen digging on Lonely Pine were also shelled. On 9th July, at 9.30 p.ro

thoro was a general burst of enemy rifle-fire and some shelling. Tber" were also sharp bursts of rifle and machine-gun fire during the night, started by bomb-throwing on our partThere was also some good shooting at one of the Turkish positions by IT.M.S. Colne. EXPLODING MINES. At noon on the 10th Juty a 501 b mine was fired at 1.30 p.m. a second mine was fired by the engineers at Quinn's, and at 1.30 p.m. a second mine was exploded. Each explosion was followed after a few seconds by another explosion, as if a Turkish mine had been detonated in each case. After the second explosion fire was seen

rising from the Turkish fire trench

'The rest of the day passed quietly. At 9.30 p.m. a lieutenant and three men proceeded up a valley in front of Pope's and exploded seven bombs among a working party of Turks on the crest of Dead Man's Eidge. The Turks replied with a burst of fire which was taken up all along the line to the ridge opposite Courtenay 's, and a Turkish machine-gun on our left kept up bursts of fire for a considerabie time. At 3 a.m. there was again a short burst of rifle fire in front of Courtenay's and Quinn's, and at 3.45 a.m. a few Turks were seen in front of No. 2 sub-post crawling towards our trench. They were driven off by a bomb.

Tor some time past a place known as. Sniper's Nest has been greatly strengthened and improved by the Turks, who could be seen engaged upon a large earthwork on our left flank north of Walker's Eidge. In the evening H.M.S. Chemer did some good shelling in this direction. At night we endeavoured by machine-gun fire to get the Turks to waste some more ammunition, but our ruse did not succeed. The Turk is getting more

wary. A BOMBAEDMENT. On returning from the island I went to the trenches to witness a bombardment of one of the Turkish positions.

known as "Johnston's Jolly." Hov the position eame to receive its nam* I does not seem to be definitely known. 'Some say-it'was because Johnston—an ! Australian officer —used to get "jollied '' by his brother officers because he could not get his sheils into the po | sition. Another story is that when Johnston got a bit depressed he uscri to plank a few shells into this Turkish position, just to cheer, himself and hit battery up a. bit. Anyhow, the gun ners this afternoon made no mistake about it. The shelling started at . r p.m.. the New Zealanders working v conjunction with the Australian bat teries with the objeet of destroying the enemy's overhead cover and trench parapets. With this object percussion shrapnel and lyddite were used. From our point of view it wr most interesting to witness the gren J bursts of high explosive sending clouds of dirt and smoke high above thf

trenches. The Turks replied with ? small gun, firing shrapnej, and with some larger guns, firing high explosive.

,We saw a number of shells fall in a gully just below us, where there were numbers of our men, but apparently no I one was hit. There were bursts of j rifle-fire during the night, but nothing eame of it all. Thus we are at present somewhat monotonously holding our ground on GallipoM, yet never knowing what a day may bring forth in the way of added interest or fresh adventure.