STORIES OF SARI BAIR.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 November 1915, Page 5

STORIES OF SARI BAIR.

VEItITAULI? INFERNU IWDISR I'iNI'JLADING EIRE. COLONEL MALONE SHOT BY TURKS, NOT BV' TEE NAVY. ' Auother graphic account of the fighting in the Sari Bafr region early in August is given by Captain J. L. Short, Wellington Infantry Battalion, of Tauinarunui, vlio- came out in charge •of I lie troops on the Willoehra. Captain' Short loft with the Main Expeditionary Force, and was i.i al! the important engU'.vmonls .'row the landing until Augi»:l ?. 'i'-ie wtr. twice wounded, once at Cine ileiles o.i May B—a f,light wound ij ilie light Knee—and again on August S at f>aii liair, this kime in the right li*s». wore severely. "The Wellington j tritta'iion was ordered, before daylight that morning," said the captain, "to tak« Chanak llair. The position was hcm-ily shelled for about three-quarters of au lmur, and we had to retire. The Turks were still bombing the hill s;s we left, and as we went higher they increased the range. Wo got on to the hill with not much opposition, and took a number of prisoners, and we then began digging ourselves in. It was just beginning to get light as we reached Hie to]) of the hill. Owing to the long period of hot, dry weather, tlie ground was \cry hard, and digging very strenuous. '"Before (he trcn.-he? were half dug it was quite lighl, end the Turks commenced to shell ns. Alter a while they made their lirst counter-attack, and rrom that time until dark it was just one counter-attack after ai'otho. Of course we were losing oien all the (iiut. The Turks had a niaehiiie-gmi somewhere away on our right, which virtually enllladed our position. During the day our first trench was lost beeause every one in it was either killed or ivounded. Although attempts were made to reinforce (lit- men iu the fruit trench, tlie Turks' cross-lire was so hot that our men were shot whilst trying to go forward. CORPORAL BASSET'.r'S GALLANTRY.

■'Captain wood and about CO men o» tlu' Auckland Mounted Rifles managed, early in the afternoon, to make their way up to our trenches,' 1 (oniinuon Captain Short. These wye the only reinforcements \i'o had the entire day it was practically impossible to semi il»".n on in llio daylight, iii they wouiil llave had to cross a piece cf comparatively fiat, ground swept by a numher of Turkish machine-guns on our left* Between 10 and 11 a.m. a man had succeeded in making li ! * way across this e.vpovii uri'a right up (o our trenches, laying a telephone wire. believe this «as CorpiM-.il (\ii! Ba.-.-eu, Y.C., of Auckland, a >d ihat ts.a: was tile deed which won ill;-' Victoria. Cross lor him. :1c df-cvi-ed V .amt> aci'ih< was ail absolute deaih-traii. As a matter of 'act, a number ot our wounded who attempt to yet hack across it were killed ,n the attempt. Some did get across, hard. This rather del erred the rest of the wounded, who hi; in a liuilnw liUk v.n; down the hill until dark. ooixriNd TUP. cow "\Yc Vc'.'C very ',iu'.i!y swelled j<i . be.'or; liasd-:." raid Captain *!icr.. 'Th» shells same apparently from our right rear. At the time we thought the lire n;:s fj-uiii our own destroyers, and that thu latter had either mistaken the range or thought \vc were the Turk?, Afterward-:, however, it. transpired that this particular shelling came "rom one of the two French 73's in the Turks' possession, somewhere on ! _or.c Pine Hill, in front of the Australian position. It was during this shelling that Colonel Maione, of Stratford, our leader, wai killed iiii.tantaiu'oii.'iy, idiot thronvli tha head. "1 hud been wounded at about 7.45 p.m. when f was midway between th« front trench find the rear one, which wan afterwards held. Reing shot through the thigh 1 was nimble to move, and was lying uiiUiile until S.:ii) p.m., when one of my men came out to look for. me, and assisted me hack tu our own lines. That night the Wellington battalion—or what was left of it—wan relieved by the (.Hugo Infantry Battalion. On mustering our battalion at the foot of the hill it totalled three officers and ■M) men untouched, out of about TaO who vent i.i. We had seven offken l;i!l?d| and ic.i Wounded. I might add thr.fa when >ve got to the top of the hiU; earlier in the day we could »e? the Nar» rows, a little Bearer to Anzftc tlutß Hill «4.'»