LETTERS FROM THE FRONT.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 July 1915, Page 4

LETTERS FROM THE FRONT.

KXI'ERIRXCES OF A STKCTCHE 1 ?- BIiAKKK. Private Laurence E. Smith, of Now Plymouth, who is at the Dardanelles and is acting as stretehcr-hoai"r in addition to being a member of the band, writing to his grandmother (.Mrs. E. M. Smith), says: Our work as stretch-er-bearers is a hit risky, as we have to go »]) to the tiring line and get tic wounded away to the dressing stations, and in doing this we are often exposed to the fire of Hie enemy, but, so far, only two ol us have been hit—one with shrapnel in the baek, and the other with a bullet in the baek of Hie neck --nnj both are doing well. Dr. Home lu* earned for himself the praises of ill, as he is an untiring worker when there is anything to be done. Our boys have earned a. good name for themselves amongst the. regulars that we are operating with. The way the\- advanced under shrapnel lire through the scrub, and then entrenched themselves, won for them the nickname of "The White Gurkhas." The Australians have also earned an excellent name. Thcv are a tine body of incn. with plenty of dash, though a trifle wild. In the' rush forward of the New Zoalanders Norman Waite (another grandson of Mrs. Smith) got a slight wound in the knee, but will soon be all right. "Bruiser" Davidson is also wounded. One sees seme nastv wounds while acting as strcfchei-licurev. The boys used to think that stretcherbearers were some sort of hang backs who were afraid to go into the firing line, but they have altered their opinions now, and we get a gooA hearing.