"BY JOVE, THE BOYS DID FIGHT!"

Taranaki Daily News, 10 December 1915, Page 3

"BY JOVE, THE BOYS DID FIGHT!"

THE NEW ZEALAXDERS AT GALLIPOLI. TIUBL'TE TO LIEUT. lIARTNELL. Writing to his father from Leinnos island, under date September 29. Sergt. IVrtrand (of Waitara), who has been twice wounded, says:

"•lust a line to let you know how things are going. I am still on the island here; in fact, all the New Zealandcrs are here at present. We have been relieved, and ale now enjoying a muchearned rest. We do not know yet what is going to he done next with ns. J expect we may be sent to the Peninsula again. There are. very few of us left, so we may be given a good spell somewhere. ] am doing fairly well; been enjoying fairly good'health till a day or two ago. when I caught a heavy cold. I. go! three letters and four papers, and I was glad. 1 can tell you, as it was Hie first mail . had got since early in May.

"We had a great go with the Turks on the ,hiy 1 was hit. "We started out on a night march all night. Friday, Aug. (!, charged several poistions on the way, and early on Saturday morning (7th), alter marching all night and fighting, too. charged a position known to 113 ns tlie 'Apex.' This we took and held all day Saturday, under very heavy rifle, machine-gun and shell lire. Cover was scanty, but we dug in with our trenching tools. The real Turkish position, however, was a hill about 300 feet higher than us. "We charged this hill at dawn on Sunday morning, August S. and, by ■Jove, didn't tilings hum! The Turks charged back on us again and "again. We could hear the German officers, just a few yards away, urging the Turks on to charge. Then there would be yells and cries oi ''Allah! Allah.'' and up would pop the Turks. And didn't we give it to 'em! Not one. to my knowledge, gov up to our line. They would get as close as a few yards sometimes, lint down thev invariably went, riddled with bullets'. "All the time big guns wore libuina shells into the Turks, and tjie Turks were banging them into us. Bombs were flying around: dead, dying, and wounded all around, but they couldn't shift ns. They c oon learnt that it meant sudden death to charge us. T never saw a Turk get nr.ok at all who came up to charge Well, if was while all this was going on that 1 was hit in the head by a living splinter from a shell. They were bursting all around us. This was early on Sunday morning, about 7 o'elo.-k. We charucd at about -I a.m.. so that T was there for three hours. Tin- rest of the boy- hucg on in thai position all day Sunday and part, of Monday, when thev w.,;'o relieved. The hit .[ got was like a «inacl: from a big lump of butter—-no pa'n. no anything, just 'smack.' I was out for a few minutes, and when I came to 1, was lying in the big hole in the ground (made by a bursting shell, when f went for cover), with blood all over the shon. Nice state of affairs, to be sure! "I was wondering whether my brains hud been blown out, or whefhr-v a whole shell bad taken all my head oil', when Sid Okey rushed over and tied me ii]i. That was just about all there was to to my hit. ' The boy? did light like heroes, though, every one of them! Lieutenant llartnell, from New Plymouth, was twice wounded badly. I believe be lias lost tlie sight of 'one eve and is being sent back to New Zealand. What 11 line soldier he is! The boys would do anything for him and follow him anywhere, lie was a great favorite with u«. When he was wounded he crossed over a lire-swept ridge to get dressed, and then went; back again to dress wounded, carry water, collect ammunition and send it up to the firing line, and all this time with a great wound in the face and one arm useless. Tn fact, he gave me his revolver to use in case any Turks broke through on to us. tie is so quiet- about himself that. I. am sure no one at will ever know what he meant to us 'or what a grand example he set the men. Always cheery, always in front, and always ready with such sound common-sense, you can easily imagine how he came to win a place in our hearts, which I don't think can be again filled."