FROM GALLIPOLI PENINSULA.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 310, 6 October 1915, Page 3

FROM GALLIPOLI PENINSULA.

NEWS FROM, FRED CODY. The following letter has just been received by Mr. Joe Cody from his son Fred, who wrote it only a week before lie was wounded in action against the Turks: — Canterbury Rest Gully, The Dardanelles.

Dear Dad, —Just a few lines to let you know I am still alive and well and right into things at last. It is a revelation ,to see men getting killed and wounded all round you, hut one gets

used to anything in time. We landed-here about a week ago

and the first thing we get as soon

our punt pulled up alongside the homemade jetty was shrapnel bursting just beyond us. Fortunately, it doi nnt damage beyond giving us our first real

fright. The Turks have some guns that command tlio beach, and our warship’s guns are busy locating them, but at present the Turks send a shell or two over every now and gain and almost invariably catch somebody either bathing or getting water or doing work of some sort on the beach.

Our first night on shore was occupied by digging graves in a bit of a cemetery which is commanded by Turkish long-range rifle-lire, snipers, of course, and to hear the bullets zip zip all round gave me a scare or two. I never dug anything quicker in my life than that grave, as it is much safer in the grave than out of it. Next morning as wo were having breakfast in our rest gully~we are supposed to be resting for a week before going back to the trenches—Johnny Turk sent shrapnel over and killed a chap, who was eating Ids breakfast where he was supposed to be having a rest and safe from tire of all sorts. He was only n few yards from me. In the Rest Gully we all bivouaeed on one side of a ridge in digonts, into which we dive when onr dose of shrapnel comes along.

The arrangement here is ten days in the trenches and eight days in the Rest, Gully. We take our rest by digging saps, making roads, gathering wood, or carrying water. Very restful—l don’t think.

We have had a few Turkish aeroplanes tlirowing bombs about and making themselves generally disagreeable, but aviators soon return the compliment by bombing the Turkish trenches. I don’t know how much of this will be censored, as the censorship is fairly severe, but I don’t think there are any fetate secrets iii this letter given away. Well, Dad, I must knock off now as I have some more letters to write and I never know when they will be ye Id rig out for me for fatigue duty. Good-bye for the present.