"Heroes All."

Taranaki Daily News, 17 July 1915, Page 5

"Heroes All."

TARANAKI MEN PRAISED. BRILLIANT CIIAIMiJO UKSi iilliKJ). LV.TTF.II FKn.U U'I.OXKL MAIONK.

l'rom an interesting letter received in New Plymouth from Colonel W. (!, .Malinic, who i-i in charge of tin- Tara naki iin-n at tin-. Ihirdanclles, the followin;; < .\lra..ts ghe glimpses „r what tinmen from tliis district have done. The coloiii-I writes: -- " We landed with what ■«(■ stood up in and what we could carry- oliicers and men alike-in our pack* and no blankets. .-<» we have bee,, „,, to ~!i , uris ,„■ !„,. tents to protect in from the weather and the cold, and it i, cold at night. though the days have been lovely. Our ration,, are all ri-lit. Biscuits' fe,vat ,iain,iniN,le deMdopers), btlllv beef, jn.ui. cheese, bacon and sugar. These, with a. good appetite for .since, go down cheerfully. Wo are all very well and fit—never 'better in our lives. There was a. great shortage of sleep up to the thirteenth, but now (May 17) we are making up arrears fast.' Except for being scparnl/'d from mv wife and family, r am enjoying life as 1 never enjoyed it before. The fighting part is full of horrors and dreadful things, hut to us there is no horror or dread. ]!'''■ , ' ,) ""t altogether understand it. \ou know our casualties (I am not allowed to mention the number) iul ,l y,,„ can imagine what the fighting Ims heen like and what we mu.-t see. Yet very few even wince. The reason is that there is 'an absolute acceptance of fact' nn our part. "War is war. There is one thin? w do not like, but it does not wo'rv us. and that is the impossibility in many case., to bury the dead, rt was impossible to >burv' the dead ll'ound us.; if we put a fiinger above the trenches, it would he shot off. "As to my men, thev are splendid. Brave as thev make. "em, patient, endiuTiff, clever, cheering, and nothing imsets diem. Ileros all. I am proud of them. >tnngs of wounded men go I>v me s-iv- ".!,' ' Well, colonel, I've got it , '-, iope von are satisfied witli us.' And this alivuvs with a smile, often with a ittle laugh or an attempt at one. So •I'ies or groans, not a, whimper or comilaint. NYw Zealand can he justly >roud of her sons. They are gallant •entli'inen. Mv men have earned tile lobrkinet from the TVritish regulars, who *"' ~|r' r i advance .over |->cr> v im [ s „f •hell, marhine-srin and ride fire swept T'-n sxound. of 'The White dnrUms." never saw or read of anything finer. They -of out, of a. rear line of trenches -tnree companies .in one lini—each ending its four platoons, one behind the ither, at an interval of about five pa-es, he rear platoon carrying picks and hovels. Thev advanced as though on i. show ground, steadily 'walking forvard. no lying down, no firing; thev vent over three lines of trenches filled nth British regulars," who 'were spectaors-. These trendies were havens of afety. hut my men got into them and nit again or else jumped them. Then hey met miichinc-gnn and rifle fire, and nen began < 0 fall, 'but the rest, bored teadily on and on. At last, thev reach(l the front line of British trenches, ome ;,00 to 700 yards in front of the Turkish trenches. They passed over hem and went, 200 or 300 yards furher, and were then struck by enfilade naehine-gun and rifle fire from both' Links, as -well as shrapnel. At last, lown they had to go, and only now lid they begin to fire. Then dig and' ig. It -was impossible to go Itarth'er. Flic, troops on our left had been ordered jot to attack, so thai when our- left ine got some distance, past them it wag gainst all reason to go further. The roops on our right had had their ad■ance stopped, and thus we were unsupported on our right. We had got ritliin 300 or 300 yards of the first Turliali trencher and had gained some 200 j o 300 yards of fresh ground, The posiion was somewhat tike this. (Here I he censor stopped a more detailed' dfc- ■'. eription of the advance.) A general adance was ordered with the bayonet. I ent in my reserves and they advanced": nagnifieently, and reinforced my right, rfiicli advanced , until it was stopped >y our own shell fire, not to suy anyhing about the enemy's. 'My 'battnion was the only one to gain fepsh round and hang on to it. We 4ft in nd were in the trenches for Tour whole .ay s and' a night. Tlien without Truest by us we were relieved when the rhole brigade, was relieved; "The price we paid you know. (But 'ou can understand'why I love my men. n the trenches—no 'fires—no blankets, nd in most cases no greatcoats—food :ot in during the night under firehelled l>y the Turks and at times hy air own guns, field' artillery and naval runs. They mistook us'for Turks, 'layed searchlights on us one night irom , man-o"-\var. I am proud to say that vliat my men get they hold. Tlic lads ro great, sportsmen—so keen and lever. We have lost less than any ither battalion, and this I attribute to letter discipline and training. Mv men ire great, diggers. ' Eat to live' 'is the dd and 'dig to live' is the new motto. )ne night I calculated we had 2,700,000 ille bullets fired at our trenches (at a listance of ."500 to 000 yards), and preumahly at us. Result: All the shruibs md small trees were cut off close to .he ground and our trench crests were evelled olT: but only one man killed mil one wounded. We sat at the hotom of tile trenches and neve" tired a .hot. We couldn't. We fire in the day im\ We tliink the Turks get the jiuiams and lire like mad to keep us from stacking them. One night we all .sat ip and kept up a tremendous cheer to mzzle 'em. Didn't* they let fly! The nore they fired, the more wo cheered, "inally we could chcTr no more. We vere dry and every drop of water had ,o be carried under lire of snipers. " Everybody has done well.' Kvcu our n-pe.aco-timo-niuch-n'buscil bandsmen as tretchers bearers have done "I'lit ■hingi. working night and day. walking, limbliug. carrying wouiuled, 'mostly unler lire. Thev render first aid and hen carry them to the I'oginientul Aid station. Captain Home is'a. brick, lie lad no doctors or sura 'o is lo heln him nd he worked long, long hours. T supwse everybody did, :h„t, .somehew his mist be a rotten job. far from free from (anger, too. Tell all the Taruuakj peode who have sons ov relatives her- who lave heen easiialtied fhiil. I would like u write to each one and tell them of heir lad-, hut that is not possible. Mime dar 1 '.one to s >.. them and tell hem pei'-oiKilly what I think of their ads and how great is my regard and afeefion for them. The whole battalion ins done excellently and f am not, preinved to distinguish between anv ,„•' he cohk. fdo not think I could."