ENEMY DISCONCERTED.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 June 1915, Page 6

ENEMY DISCONCERTED.

METHODS OF THE COLONIALS. TOSSING TURKS. 810 AUSTRALIANS' WONDERFUL FEAT. Private Frank Hudson, who left Australia with the lirst contingent of the Expeditionary Force, returned from Leinnos Island and Cairo a few days ago in charge of about 11)0 troops, who had contracted various complaints which hampered cflieicncy—from rheumatism and chest complaints to scarlet fever. It seems that the majority of the men complain bitterly at their lot, and are ready to pit their opinions against the medical stall's as to their fitness for the fighting line. A great deal of heavy rain fell at Leinnos while the troops were encamped there, and it w-\s thought that the bombardment of >'.-.• forts by the. Allied fleet was in some way accountable for this. Tli super-Dreadnought Queen Elizabeth seems to have been something in the way of a revelation to friend and foe alike. The booming of her guns was distinctly heard at Lemnos, and 6ome idea of the accuracy of her shooting was gained when it was casually stated that she fired only three shots at the Turkish transport she sank some weeks ago. The vessel was then nine miles away, and it could not be discerned whether she was carrying troops or not. She was struck amidships by the third shot, and went down quickly in deep water.

WONDERFUL SHOOTING.

But that was not the only hint Australian troops received as to the accuracy of the shooting in the British Navy. It seems that a "cheeky little Turkish gunboat shot out from nowhere," and "tired a torpedo" at a British transport. The .troopship got a sudden "wriggle on," and the deadly engine was avoided. - Meanwhile the wireless operator was vigorously at work, and a British destroyer hove in sight on the horizon. In this case, also, the third shot did the damage, and the enemy craft was sinking to her doom when a concluding salvo hastened the end.

The gravity of the military operations that were about to be carried out was still being instilled into the men when Private Hodson, who had sustained an injury to his right hand, left Lemnos. Upon' arrival at Alexandria he found that not only had tho historic landing been effected, but that hospital ships had outstripped him on the voyage, and that a number of former companions were already being tended in the hospital at Heliopolis. Of course, he obtained many interviews with those among the "slightly wounded." It was then apparent that the Third Brigade, constituted of the West Australian, South Australian, New South Walc9, and Tasmanian Battalions, had been in the thick of the fighting.

PITCH-FORKING TURKS.

It was absolutely true, Private Hodsou said, that Turks had been bayoneted in the trenches and flung over the shoulders of the troops. This, according to statements by wounded comrades, had been done in many cases. There were wagers among the. heavyweights before the landing as to who should lead the tally in this vigorous method of warfare. Ono New Sou Mi Welshman—who went by the name of the giant even amongst the heavyweights—was seen thus to dig five Turks from a trench before he fell with seven bullet-wounds through his body. According to a comrade, his last words were: "At any rate, I won the wager." The "wager" was a new hat.

The landing operations wore quite as perilous as early descriptions have depicted them. In one case, thirteen men out of fifteen sank, either wounded or lifeless, to the bottom of one of the boats. The remaining two sprang overboard and clambered over barbed wire entanglements to the beach. In their excitement they had left their rifles behind, but seized a couple that had fallen from the hands of two other men who had been killed, and rushed for (he trenches.

NO WITHSTANDING THIO 1-VKY. There was no resisting Ihe fury of the onset. The training on tinEgyptian sands had been hard—almost exacting hard—but, as the outcome of it the men were like quivering balls of muscle—sense, vigorous—and, as Private Hodson puts it, "keen as mustard." The list of casualties was heavy, biit tho men who engaged in the battle are proud of the work they did, and their pride is augmented by the generous measure of recognition it had won in Australia. Terrible destruction was wrought by the machine-guns that lav in concealed positions and were manned by Turks, whose hands and faces were stained green to harmonise with the foliagebut effective as this method of repression was, the German officers were somewhat disconcerted by the manner of the Australian advance. It had been expected that those of the troops who succeeded in landing safely, despite the hail of shrapnel and the assiduity of the deadly sharpshooter, would form up and deliver an orthodox "charge." Such dash and grit, such determination and bravery in the face of positively unknown odds—and this is generally regarded as one of the most amazing facJ tors of the feat of arms—had never even entered into the enemy calculation. And so by threes and fours, and then by httlo clusters, and again with larger numbers, that gained with the success of tho brave pioneers, the position was won. The men, says Private Hodson, did more than was expected of them In many cases their officers had been shot to a man. They penetrated into the country for miles, and it was a case of "mob rule." But it was this reckless impetuosity, it is believed, that really conserved the Australian position. It prevented tho terrified Turks from re-forming at a too close proximity; but, on the other hand, there is a story that they thus came within tile section that was covered by the Queen Elizabeth's guns, and that "at least one non-com. was struck by a portion of a shell that was,intended for the enemy

EFFECTIVE TRAINING.

Private Hodson speaks highly of the cilcctiveness of the training in ]<>ypt' and expresses the opinion that there is scarcely a man in the first contingent who is not capable of taking non-cuiii-missioned rank. So thorough was the work done, he says, that a sprinklinoot the older hands among men with but a few week's training would turn them into effective lighting men. ir or> ]„, observes, the "pass-it-on" method of imparting wrinkles in the manner of fighting u]ion which the troops are en<*ao-ed had marvellously effective results" After a time the esprit de corps that is established among the men simply will not allow them to do a thing the wron" way. He is also eulogistic of the bene" ficient work of the Y.M.C.A., and though he has no time for the parson as a rule," can find no words to e*»rcs« his admiration for the chaplains at the trout.