BETWEEN TWO FIRES.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 November 1915, Page 12 (Supplement)

BETWEEN TWO FIRES.

NEW ZEALANDER'S HEROISM. There have been many sad incidents at the Dardanelles, but hoik; are sadder and more regrettable than the mistake which led to the deaths of Privates Jameson and Onne, mistakenly fired upon by their own comrades while on patrol duty before Krithia Private K. S. Jameson was the son of Mr. W. Jameson, of Fondalton Canterbury, and the story is told in a letter written to the latter on August 8 by Henry Kitson from the Hyde Park Hospital, Plymouth. Mr. Jameson lias given publicity to the letter so that young Orine's noble act of bravery and sacrifice in giving his life in the attempt to save the life of a comrade may be recognised. Kitson says:—"The story of K. S. Jameson's death is a sad one. and one which so often crops up in my mind, as I was closely connected with it. Our company were attacking the Turkish trenches in front of Krithia. We had advanced under heavy fire, and had got as far forward as possible, driving the Turks out, but further advance was checked by the heavy casualties. K. S. J. came through the charge unscratched. Night fell and ,thc battalion were ordered to dig themselves in. The Turks were not far away, and in such cases it is usual to send out patrols or screens, so that the main body of men working are not surprised by an I attack from the enemy. The first patrol was fired at by the Turks, and the sergeant (Sergeant Ross) was killed, and the men were a bit shaken. A relief had to be sent out to take their places. The Major ordered me to take six reliable men and go out. I chose K. S. J. and five others, We crawled out some 100 yds or so towards the Turkish trenches. The orders were that we were to hang on and not to retire unless heavily attacked, as the whole safety of the battalion rested with us. We were some 25yds. to 30 yds. apart. "The night was dark, and objects were hard to distinguish, so we moved up a little closer to the Turks. We had not been out 20 minutes before we were discovered and fired at. At first the firing was not heavy, and I considered it did not warrant our return. Suddenly the whole line of Turks' trenches opened out. I was on the outside, K. S. J. next. I got along to K. S.J., told him to make for the right, and rushed on to collect the others By this time our own men opened out on the Turks, and we were between two fires. K. S. J. did not follow me. Two men were badly wounded, and one missing, besides K. S." J. A man named Orme went straight away back to look for K. SJ. The firing was terrific—the bullets like rain. Our own men by this time, thinking the patrol was killed, and we were Turks, fired at us. I dashed back to our trenches to stop the firing and get assistance. I went out again and found K. S. J. and Orme side by side, dead. Orme had evidently found K. S. J. wounded, and had started to bring him in, but was killed. "There they were, side by side, locked in each other's arms. I cannot speak too highly of Orme's action. He knew he had not one chance in a thousand, yet he did not hesitate a second. I carried them in, and we laid them down behind our trenches, and at dawn we dug one grave and buried them side by side. They both died smiling, for the smile was still on their faces when we buried them. Orme was a man who would make you laugh even at most desperate times.

"K. S. J was one of the most popular men in the company—brave and steadyto a degree. Even in our hardened condition, through losing day after day our friends who fought beside us, we felt the death, of those two men more than I can express. We made a small wooden cross, and put their names and numbers on, the regiment and date, and perhaps to-day it still stands at the head of their grave by Krithia, before the great hill of Achi Baba."