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Taranaki Daily News, 22 June 1915, Page 2

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ACCOUNTS OF RECENT ACTIONS. THE ATTACK ON ACHI BABA. GALLANTRY OF COLONIALS. :y Cable—Press Association —Copyright. London, June 20. Reuter details the fighting on the ront at Aclii Baba on Friday, June 4. ''or an hour every Britisli and French ;un on tlie peninsula poured shells of arious calibres into the Turkish ■vouches, while the British battleships m the right and the French on the left mttered the flanks. Tho whole latidicapu waa obliterated by a curtain of smoke. The tower at Ivrithia, which survived the previous bombardment, ;oppled over, anil the village was set on Bre. The infantry charge began at noon. Iho first few trenches were easily takan, the enemy being dazed by the avalanche of shells, and merely firing a few shots upward at tho Britishers, who were stabbing down at them. A large number of dead in the trenches were victims of shell-lire. We had the enemy fairly on the run for a time until our centre held the fifth trench. The armoured Touret motor-cars of the naval air service did useful work, but the roads are mainly unsuitable for this method of warfare. Using two fairly good roads from Seddei Bahr and Cape Helles to Ivrithia, which cut the cnenmy's trenches at right angles, the light cars advanced, crossing lour trenches over special bridges, and ran close to the enemy's lines, opening mach-ine-gun fire. The deep entrenchments of tho enemy made further progress impossible, and the cars at the same time offered a good target for the Aiemy's guns, and shells began to drop around, but the motorists backed out of the danger zone. ' Two cars were slightly damaged. Our centre dashed so far forward that it was unable to maintain all the ground, although the naval division fouglit with the utmost gallantry. The Turks reserved vigorous counterattacks till Sunday, when the reserveß came up from beyond Aclii Baba. Our men were very hard pressed, and aban- 1 doned two of the conquered trenches, but held the remainder of~the ground, repulsing the Turks with great loss. Tho storming of Aclii Baba is a difficult problem. It presents a series of smooth slopes terraced at intervals, as difficult to mount as a glacis. It ia an old-fashioned fort. A Turkish officer taken prisoner said: "Germany is our ally. We know our country's hours are numbered, but we fight for her as you would fight for yours."

Sydney, June 21.

Captain Bean, writing on June 8, saict everything was quiet at Enzac, except at Quinn's Post, where fighting by small parties had resulted in a slight advance. Tho Maorilanders, after gallantly holding a trench for eight hours, were driven out by a fusilade of bombs. They again took the same trench, and were again driven out, leaving things as they were. Cairo, June 20.

A striking tale is told of an Australian lieutenant named Sutton. He volunteered to go out with a small party to blow up a Turkish trench. Before it was possible the Turks made a sudden attack, and forced the party hastily to retreat. Sutton took refuge in a Ghurka trench, and amused himself by returning hand grenades to the Turkish trenches until one exploded and blew off his right hand. He received a field dressing, and was sitting in the trench nursing tho stump when the Turks made a rush. He suddenly found a huge Turk above him with a bayonet. Quick as thought Sutton snatched the jurrio from the hand of a dead Ghurka and slashed the Turk's neck. The Turk fell upon him, and Sutton grappled with him with his left arm. During this wrestle ho embedded his teeth in the Turk's ear, and held him for ten minutes until assistance came, when the Turk was lifeless. Another Australian had his foot riddled with shrapnel, and was being assisted down a gully to Gaba Tepo when he met General Godley, who inquired how he was. The man replied, "I am a blooming kangaroo now, ain't I General."

Paris, June 20. A communique states that French destroyers captured, between Cape Matapan and /Crete, a small Greek vessel with forged papers and a number of Turkish officers on board. It was voyaging to Tripoli, conveying Enver Pasha's present to the Senussi. London, Juno 20. An officer, -in a letter from the Dardanelles of recent date, writes: "I havii been a great deal in the firing trenches. They are most interesting, mostly deep enough to walk upright without exposure. I went round with General Birdwood and Admiral Thursby one day. They fired at us a lot, never getting nearer than six inches. We saw the mountain guns at work. The enemy caught one of the Australian guns a fair smack, killed the officers, wounded seven men, and killed 26 horses and mules. Subsequently we sat on the top of a hill where four days before it was highly unsafe even to lie. Returning, we delayed to collect firewood, which undoubtedly saved our lives, as four shells suddenly burst thirty yards away. We bolted to a dug-out in- a precious funk. I felt like a tortoise on whose shell someone was tapping with a coal hummer." Cairo, June 20. .The majority of the wounded deny the Turkish atrocities, and state that the Turks are fighting most fairly. In oni' case n- Turk dressed (lie wounds of a Britisher under fire. Another left a water-bottle witli a wounded Australian. Another Australian, who was taken prisoner and escaped states that he was well treated. After a furious attack on Sari Bail' on May 19, the Turks sent a message; "We are going to drive you Australian devils into the sea to-mor-row." A Turkish aeroplane dropped messages at Calm Tepe saying: "Australians and New Zen landers surrender. We will treat you well." The messageexhorted them not to fight in an unjust war. The wounded state that the Australians and New Zealanders get or splendidly together, They are like one big family. The Australians recently

sent a message to No. 2 New Zealand Battery, which was doing excellenl work upon Colonel Plugge's plateau, "Go it, mates. No ueed for us to use rifles while' you fire like that." The men are so keen they do not desire to leave the trenches. The 10th Battalion of the 3rd Australian Infantry wen five weeks in the trenches before tlif-y were relieved. The Australian war cry on the peninsula is "Imshi Valla,' Arabic words which mean "be off, move on." Before the Triumph was sunk she' did excellent work in cutting olf Turkish reinforcements coming up the gullies near Gaba Tepe. Captain Wallingford, the champion shot, and his mach-ine-gun, were one of the mainstays of the force at Sari Bair. Melbourne, June 21. In the Senate Mr. Pearco announced that arrangements had been made for the United States Ambassador at Constantinople to supply information regarding prisoners of war in Turkey. Mr. Pearce emphatically contradicted the statement that the casualties amounted to 10,000 monthly. Our men had been fighting over a month, and the casualties had not reached 10,000. Many of those reported wounded had already gone back to the firing line. The hospital ship Kyan-a has left Suez with eleven officers and twentynine men, en route for Australia. Colonel Lcgge's appointment has been gazetted. He lias the rank~oF BrigadierGeneral.