MAORIS IN ACTION.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 November 1915, Page 2

MAORIS IN ACTION.

THREE MONTHS' FIGHTING. CONTINGENT DIVIDED. ABSORBED IN INFANTRY. The experiences of the first Maori contingent are related by a member of the force in a letter to a friend in Auckland. He wrote from the trenches on' September 1. "I have just, received your letter, and you can imagine how pleased 1 was to hear from you when I tell you that it is the first bit of news I have had form New Zealand for ek>3i> on six weeks," he wrote. "I am sure I don't know what happens to our mail in this outlandish place. It is 11 weeks now since we landed here; we have been in one or two pretty hot dust-ups and, of course, a fair number of our mates have gone down and out. There has been some heavy fighting here during the last three weeks; our ranks were sadly reduced in numbers, and so the Maori contingent

is now no more. We were divided up into four parties and drafted into the New Zealand Infantry Brigade. It was one of our saddest days when we separated from all our chums and put amongst strangers and under strange officers. The majority of the boys took it very well, treating it as one of the necessary evils of war. We are looking forward to our reinforcements coming in the hope that wo may be reorganised again, and be able to hold up our heads with the rest. Our boys have always done their share, Ino matter where it was. In every attack they have been in the thick of it, iand have paid the price ungrudgingly.

MAORIS HEAD THE ATTACK. "On the night of the first attack here, the first Friday in August, our boys with the exception of two platoons in reserve, attacked in the first line in company with the N.Z. Mounted Rifles Brigade, The destroyers bombarded heavily until we got fairly close up to the first line of trenches and then we charged. As we came over the brow of the hill, the Turks mowed us down with machinegun and rifle. We had orders not to load our magazines, so we rushed into it with the baypnet. The Turks held on until we were nearly upon them, then they got away as fast as their legs could carry them. Those |we caught in the trenches did not get much of a hearing. A cheer went up as we took the first line of trenches. A few minutes later the Eotorua boyß on the next ridge started to give a haka, which told us that they too had taken a trench. Then everybody went mad, arid what else happened that night is almost a blank. It was simply a, wild chase over the hills till about four in the morning we found ourselveß on the side of a high hill with the Turks on top resisting strenuously. Our firing line had advanced a good two miles during the night. I have a faint recollection of jumping into several trenches during the night and falling | down, only to scramble up again and ■ race after the boys. "It was on that eventful night that poor Colonel Bauehopjnet his death. The way he led his men was simply magnificent. Heedless of the bujUets that whizzed round him he gave his orders as clearly and calmly as if he was drilling men on a parade ground. He was at the head of our boys and the Otago Mounteds as we took wiat is now known as Bau&op's Hill, and as he stepped over the parapet of the last trench he was mortally wounded by a Turkish bullet. He was sinking is he was hurried away on a stretcher but he-reached the doctor! too late. He lingered for a few hours and then quietly passed away. Of course we continued the advance, but somehow there seemed to bo a lack of confidence! in the men. You have no idea what an amount of confidence it gives one when' you know you have a good leader.

FOUR DAYS IN A HOT CORNER. "As soon as daylight came the Turks started to shell, and made things very uncomfortable all day. That evening our boys were withdrawn, and the roll was called. Of course many familiar faces were missing, but we could not spare much time to think of that. Wc were told to hare a sleep, so wc laid down in our harness, with our rifles handy, and enjoyed a good sleep, although it,was very cold. We were on the move again next morning about three o'clock, and I had a few words with and , who had come up with the machine-gun section during the night. They then moved off ahead of us up to tho firingline. That was the last time I saw poor old alive, as about ten minutes later I met coming down with a broken arm, a bullet had got him just below the elbow, and he told me that was killed. Before we reached the top of the hill six more of our boys came down wounded. For two more days we held a particularly hot corner, but we did not lose many mon, considering the amount of shrapnel and bullets the Turks aimed at us. Then water and rations began to trouble us, and wo were heartily glad when some of Kitchener's army relieved us on the Tuesday night. GERMAN OFFICER'S DECEPTION. "Nothing more sensational occurred for a couple of weeks, as we were at rest in our old camp. Then came orders | to move out to the left flank for an advance. Wc reached the place about halfpast four and got right into the thick of it. The Turks simply poured shells into us, and it was no joke advancing in broad daylight under shell and riflo fire. A good many gaps were made in our ranks, but the colonial boya never thought of turning back. Things continued to fly about thick and fast all night as we chased the unspeakables out of a few more trenches. Personally, I thing the Turks lost a good number of men. About half-past ten a German officer came in front of our trenches and gave the order to 'cease fire.''Then he asked if we were the New Zealanders and Australians, and one of our officers said 'Yes.' Then the German let his revolver off as a signal for a counterattack by the Turks. As soon as we heard them moving in the scrub we opened rapid fire on them, and at daylight next morning we could see them dead in heaps During the morning we captured a woman in full soldier's kit, but tJie major sent her back to tell the Turks to surrender. Needless to say, we never saw her again. A little after daylight about 10 times our number of the enemy came np to within about syda of our trenches and told us to surrender. We said what about them doing it, and some seemed quite pleased at the idea and handed over their rifles. Others did not seem to like the idea, and began to edge around our machine-gun with tho result (that the maehine-gun opened fire, and with the help of the men in the trenches mopped the whole lot of tho Turks up. Wc arrived back in camp a couple of days later, sick, sore, and weary, to be greeted by the news that the contingent was disbanded. I can tell you it was hard lines, and every man felt it most keenly. Well that is as far as we go for the present. I suppose we will bo into it again y M y shortly,"