UNKNOWN

Taranaki Daily News, 3 July 1915, Page 10 (Supplement)

UNKNOWN

xo vEAXi of d::ath. l.AliKi.-, lA' :-OUl)lk:RS. ■ Private Harry Whi>haw, writim.; from \ a In.spital ii: Cairo to his mother in l-"i-;itlii-r-itoi-. y.-i.-.tos Ms experience's and improve,:.-, -.vi'ei, v.oiiiided at the Dardaim!!,..,. lie -.ay-: "Tlum-h i am bnov.keil oiii- .1 r a. while it is really nothing—in-!, a eii-i'! lode punched through the neck. It never caused much pain, and, i'e-i, ;:< a:,, it ii:isi<e;it lioalLln- and clean. I think that f am just about healed, and ought ..on ta'he well eiuuie.ii to get Into it again. \\'e are in vorv c'ood hands i.here in a Id- ho.-i.dial rieht'in town, with | I'kc'i.h nurses and Kuvptian doctors. We hav, plenty ef visiters all ,hy. Tlioy bring ih boohs, magazines and paipors, to I »:iv nothing of. cigarettes and tobacco. ' Most „f ear chaplains were left here at ' I our ri'iiii. iiinl they spend all their spare time iielping where they can. "Quite a number ( if mounted boys have been t„ -ee i,,.. 'I hey arc all green with envy. It seems a great thin;' to be ambitious to get chopped up bv Turkish bullets, but that; is how they all are. It is foolish of, people to worry ami weep. tor their friends, and relations who go down in tin; light. I am sure from what T saw and felt fhat tliev die liß'p-pv. When 1 got mine r thought by fho amount of 'blood and the way T gasped that the jugular vein bad "tone, so I did not' trouble to put my Hold-dressing nn. f jusfi lay down under a pretty little 1 ishrub . with my elbow on. the grtffnid. frosting mv head on mv hand, and'lb/ought of many things, but there was no fear of death or horror that I would he mi more. T van nearly contented—just a tinge of disappointment whei'i T thoug'tt of never seeing any of y?,e again, or se.-f--- any of tile pleasant spotd, <,r'having any more of the 'pleasures .of ."earth. 'Another thing that troubled nn- was tli/fiu-t of doing nine month*' di'iinning and then only seeing tlireft days' fighting. T was only in the 'I i ring line for a'iMut two hours before being bowled; ovoV- It was hard hide! If 1 i'viioniil happen 1o die. next time, I am sure'it'will nyt trouble me. I think J;hnt one day of real exciting life is bet-tor-tljnn a-century of monotony. "Ticwcvcr. though it never put me in misery to' tiiii:'.; of dying, it gave me great 'pleasure when T realised that T had a sporting chance of getting better. I bad been there cuiito'a while when it dawned on mo., that I had ceased Weeding,: and .was sf'dl holding my bead up. so mv main arterv must (be all right. T gathered my stren-th and ran till r gave 'out.' Two Australians draped mo for a while, then one on each arm and me on my hack we went along in fine style amidst a haii of lead but.none of us got bit.' When we got into safety tliey tint 13'e ■field-dressing on, anfl T had another ..co at ..walking w'fli their help. Then two' more'joined them, and they .tpok me to the. beach on an oil-sheet. I was dressed again there by a doctor, and they put labels „n us. much the same as parcels are la'bclled for shipment "l.'ike a parcel T was laid out amongst hundreds of others waiting our turn to go to the transport. Mine came about twelve o'clock at night, f was loaded on to a bnrgo. bv iblnejae'ket.s, towed out to the. Dei-flinger (a Oonnan capture), and hoisted up bv a crane. They loaded wounded all that night and all next day. ■Before putting out to sea we were packed along all the decks and corridors, so that it was hard for the Rod Cross J>oy4 to get about to do their work. One does not fullv appreciate the IRed Cross till one sees them at work, though. I did not need them much myself, not liavin£ any pain, smd being aWa to eat."