FIGHTING AT ANZAC.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 November 1915, Page 5

FIGHTING AT ANZAC.

TROOPER MACKENZIE'S STORY Iteittei's representative in London hail an interview with Trooper Clutha Mackenzie (a son of the High Commissioner for New Zealand), who is now in thai New Zealand Hospital, near Lqndon, having been sent home from the Dardanelles with the loss of both his cyes^ The case is probably the most pathetic to be met with in the beautiful house which has been acquired for the| heroes of the Dominion. Trooper Mac* kenzie is only a lad of twenty, who left his college studies to come to the assists ance of the Motherland. He enlisted as a trooper in the Wellington Mounted Rifles, and, notwithstanding his terrible experiences of three months in the.Gallfo, poli Peninsula, is as cheery as any of nidi fellow-New Zealanders. The High Commissioner himself flaatoken a cottage adjacent to the 'hospi* ; tnl, in order to spend all his spare thWjjj in cheering up his fellow-countryman. One sou belongs to the surgical staff, while one of Jiis daughters is nursing iat the wards, and another is busily engaged in executive work in connection with the New Zealand wounded. ' There are no officers in the hospital, but Ihej wounded privates include University graduates and sons of the richest an 4 most influential men of the Dominion.

'•ACRES OP DEAD AND DYING." In conversation with Router's repre« sentative, Trooper Clutha Mackenzie)said:— " "" •* "The New Zealand and Australian! Army Corps commenced the attack flTi the night of August B,'our special jobt being located to the left of the AnzacJ zone, in the direction of the mass of foota hills leading to Hill ft/1, the key of thej situation. During the night the fighting w.as terrific, but we advanced about two miles, and took all the ridges and) foothills leading to the .main enemy posii tion. At the same time other British divisions had effected a landing at Suvla) Bay, to support our left. "During the following day several regi, me.its actually reached tlie top of the bill and established themselves there, but only after fighting of the most awful character. The regiment to which I belonged was practically wiped out while many other New Zealanders, including tlie Maoris, fared just as badly. The scene- on the summit of the hill is beyond description. There were acres of dead and dying. "Further to our left Gurkhas and Australians had advanced well out toward* the Anafarta Ridge before they were driven had;. The fire of the Turkish machine-guns was wonderful. Of these there seemed to be nn unlimited supply, and the enemy had our range accurately. The Turk fire at a distance is .wonderful, but they will not face the bayonet. They me very proficient with bombs, and did lerrilie execution on the top of til* 'hill with these weapons.

OXf.Y TVS YARDS FTiOM THE CREST, "So far did we advance that the end of my line was only ten yjtrds f)wtant from the crest of the hill, anAiiU'e were. right upon the Turks, The trenches were full of them, notwithstanding the previous heavy bnnibard.meut'.jWJf our >hips. The} tli'viv bombs rigltfMM left in hundred*, and tile hand-to hSMj fighting was of a most sanguinary njitWßD. Tt must lie raid. However, that there was abundant evidence of the weakening of their lire. ■■! ™* "My experiences came to p. sudden tr.• initiation. At five in the morning, while engaged in sniping »ome Tom Turks along the trench, a high explosive burst immediately in front of me. It is difTicult to speak of my experiences at this time, and, in fact, as may be .supposed, t am a little hazy on the subject. T kno.v, however, that both my eyes were blown ill. but that bodily t did not have a. scratch. As soon as I was able, f crawled over heaps of dead till T reached the back of the line. There [ met a man. who. with great heroism, had come out in the face of an awful (i.e to look after the wounded. He came across me in it dried up watercourse, which was full of dead and wounded. Many of (he latter had been there without a drop of water for four hours under a blazins "un. I was the only one who .ould walk, and so T was helped down in the station. I was lorunate in reaching the hospital -hip fliirtv hours after being hit, but in many cases the diffh'uilie- were -uch that the wounded men did not get aboard for three days. Shoriy after f got on hoard the lios'iital sn,p was shelled by the Turks, "After ilnee months of the Dardanelles f would say, however, that on the whole the Turks fight a most upright fi»ht, but they played a dirty trick on us once, when, in front of a sap, they brought up a tniieliiiie-gun on a stretcher with a white Hag. ' "Tile last lighting in which 1 was engaged continued for four days, and I heard that for two ,veeks after things were fairly quiet, and the British' heroically held many of the positions they had taken. We held on for so long that the Turks were showing signs ot exhaustion, and the operations were so near a success that there is no doubt of a final victory, especially should that splendid soldier whom we all love and trust—fleneral Birdwood—be preserved.''