"AKE! AKE! AKE!"

Taranaki Daily News, 19 October 1915, Page 6

"AKE! AKE! AKE!"

"COME ON THE MAORIS,*' MAGNIFICENT FIGHTING. "This bad news I will give you first," writes Sapper Francis H. Bedford, of the Divisional Signal Company with the Main Body, and a son of Dr. Bedford, of Auckland, in a letter to his mother. "Poqr Stanley has been killed. The dear old boy died gamely, and his end was sudden and painless. Jack Maunsell was also killed. He was a fellow despatch runner of mine, and I saw him afterwards. I miss them both greatly. Our rank 3 have been greatly depleted, nigh£ attacks and a few days' hard fighting have played havoe with our poor boys. I have been fortunate as yet, but I thank God for his protection. I was hit on the forehead and knocked down, but the bullet did not pierce ray cap peak. I felt, expecting to find blood, but imagine my relief when there was not any. Merely a red scratch. I have seen the Ghurkas in action; they are food, but the colonial infantry is supreme. The Maoris are magnificent. I will never forget their wild charge breaking upon the stillness of a very still night. Above all, the great noises of their leaders rang out, 'Come on the Maori?!' and they went. The Maoris and Ghurkas are my well loved brothers. The latter are very fascinating. They are stoics and always smiling. In the wild charge of last week one was badly shot through the leg. I tied him up and Bat him beside me, making him a 9 comfortable as possible. I had to keep him back, as he wanted to join his comrades, trying to crawl after them. Good, game, men, and we have an understanding between us. It's 'Ake! Ake! Ake!"'