AT GALLIPOLI.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 January 1916, Page 6

AT GALLIPOLI.

ON THE SLOPES OF CHUNUK BAIR. WHERE CALLANT NEW ZEALANDERS FELL. (From Malcolm Ross, Official War Correspondent with the N.Z. Forces), Gallipoli Peninsula, November 7. 'A visit to the fire trenches on the forward slopes of Chunuk Bair and Rhododendron Spur is always interesting. It is to this spot, if we ever win and hold the Peninsula, that visitors from Australia and New Zealand will come with the keenest interest. There are glorious'views of the coastline north and south, and across the Gulf of Nubros, Samothrace, and even to Europe. From the highest points—still in possession of the enemy—the Dardanelles and Asia, on the other hand, will' make another enchanting panorama. But. in addition to all this, the ground has been sanctified by the blood of many of the bravest and best of the sons of the CommonI wealth and of New Zealand.

THE FIRST OBSTACLE. As we walk up the narrow track at the bottom of the winding "Dcre" —'• often in full view of the Turkish position on the summit and liigaov slopes of the Cliumik Bair Kidge—we are in danger of being sniped; 'but our men are keeping the Turks down. And, in any ease, it is a long range. At every turn of the valley and every.slope and ridge memories pi the gallant deeds of our brave Xew Zea landers crowd in upon one. On the left of our path are the remains of the barbed wire entanglenientts demolished by the engineers and the 'Maoris in that memorable night onslaught, when the Maoris and the Mounteds went in with the bayonet, not firing a single shot. Tt was here that "W. AVatson, of the Xew Zealand Field Engineers, by splendid gallantry in the demolition of this entanglement. , won his fi.C'.M. He' was wounded by a Turkish bullet, I>ut, notwithstanding that, lie bravely helped a wounded officer out of the fire zone into safety. .Tust a few yards .away, zigzagging up the hill on the left, is the first Turkish trench stormed in the darkness. The case's of numberless Turkish cartridges still lie thick along the parapet, though many have 'been gathered as souvenirs.

HOW COLONEL BAUCHOP FELL. On the left is Bcuiehop's Hill, \v~cra the gallant Otago colonel, after whom it was named, fell mortally wounded after the heights had been won. T'o; half an hour before the operation-, enmDiencod I "yarned" with, him at the mouth of his dn;:;-out— p. low, narrow hole in the hard, sandy cliff—and was the last to say pood-bye to him as he buckled on his revolver and went out into the diirkness to lead his men to victory. He was in a thoughtful mood, apparently thinking of those far away who were near and dear to him, but he had ever the same pleasant smile and the same cheery word for any of his men who passed that way. He prevented re; with his stick and his dugout. "Xo man is anybody on the Peninsula." he said, "who does not carry a stick." For some weeks during those strenuous times his little unpretentious dug-out was my home. >"i-tI day I saw him in the clearing sti 1: ••■•■• and when my name was mentioned i'rr same pleasant smile of recognition played over his features. He could not sneak, but he was cheery and brave to the end. In the dug-out just above. Co!. sf:inrlors. our A.D.Af.S.. was shot through the head while talking to Major Holme". He, also, was beloved by us all. I)i the words of one of our mess, ''He was a sahib!"

WHERE THE DEAD LIE. ] We walked up the valley past the burying places of several of our menmany of them nameless graves. On some were rude wooden crosses. One that we eame upon in the'first days of the fighting had now at its head a larger cross, on which was an inscription that stuck in the memory—. Aged 2S. 0. HAXLEOX, 10th New Zealand, Regiment. "My final offering—Life," Erected by his Cousin. 'Down the winding sap at the next bend, grievously injured and unconscious, borne along on a stretcher, came one of the N.Z, Engineers, injured by a falling boulder where he had boon dig' ging in the deep trenches on the apex. The path grew steeper till we came to a little colony of dug-outs, where the men were endeavoring to make themsolves ppinfortable for the winter, It is a llttlo bit, pf dead ground, now, comparatively safe from buliots and shrap: ncl. In the first days of the forward fighting one trod the path with apprehension, but in spite of all the enemy could id in s>ose trying times in early August, qui bt'fiVP i'cw Zealunders "stuck it out" there*, ]n tlip early dawn of the first morning we saw them clustered there among the prickly ilex scrub and the arbutus. For four days they had little food and water—and the want of water in that terrible beat was a sore trial! IHit (jij.pl) dawn found them still sticking tlieie. We callpij )f "the Mustard Plaster." JN THE TRENCHES. To the left of tllP little colony of dugouts we entered the front fifp t r «)pl> e3 > looked down on "the farm" arid up at the Turkish trenches on the upper slopes of Chunuk 'Bair, dominating our position, ' The helmets and rifles of unburied oodles of Drifish soldier, New Zealander, fitirkha mid M a flfi, wpro still to be seen. We climbed steep stairs, where bits of ammunition and provision boxes held the earth up; walked through deep trenches, where men were ever rosily lyitb rifles and bomb and dived into dark funnels and cave dwellings. We peered out of narroiy iron loopholes, and, finally, from "thfi Apex" and "the iPinnaclc," looked out upon other trenches, and upon the most glorious vjpw attainable from any of our positions. Jti nne place the men had just cleared up the cl&bjjs from the spot where one of the big Turkish, broomstick bombs had burst, killing three men and wounded and stunning other*. A man who was standing on one of the rifle 'benches escaped miraculously with a wound in each of his legs. At the Apex one gonerally hioks for Turkish shrapnel. It w*s now 11.30, ''They usually give it to us about this time," tain pne of the officers to the general. "4fter the heavy 4Hff in France," queried one of our party t» 4 young Scottish officer who had eome up with us from Brigade Headquarters, '•'! sup pose this seams very light?' 1 "JUtther!" replied the cheery sou),

On the Kill above us, only some JOO or ."00 yards away, is the trench where the New Zealanders reached the crest of Chunuk Baii\ Here Major H. Statham and his brother were killed in action by a shrapnel shell, while talking to each other in the shallow trench. Major Statham had displayed great gallantry in leading every charge on the successive ppsitions captured by the Otago Battalion on August 0 and 7. He was most highly thought of by his men, »nd had proved himself a capable and gallant soldier.

COLONEL. MALONE'S DEATH. .1 On that hard-won summit, too, died the breezy, lion-hearted Malone, colonel of the Wellington Battalion, which in this attack and in the face, of exceptionally heavy losses had fought so magni-' licently. From first to last he had proved himself capable and brave. At Anzac, on April 2(i, the day following the landing, when Brigadier Walker, D.S.O. (since wounded) proceeded to the assistance of Lieut-Colonel Braund, who was in command of \mous detachments of Australians, the Wellington Regiment was sent forward to support them. Malone pushed forward vigorously in support of the Australians, .and at 4 critical moment reorganised the firing line. By his initiative he mido good the position that the New Zealand Brigade was holding when Brigadier Walker was relieved by Colonel Johnston. He' worked strenuously at the trenches, reorganised his defences, saw to the feeding of his regiment, and generally showed that he was possessed of high qualities of resource and leadership. In the attack on Chunuk Bair bis resolutu leadership was an inspiration to his men. He was ever in the van, scorning all danger. Early in the day a rifle that he carried was pierced by a Turkish bullet. This interested him, and he said he would keep it as a memento of the fight. Whenever he moved forward or along the trench he picked up the battered rifle again and carried it with hjm. Finally lie was shot through fie head by a bullet from a shnpneil shell that hurst over the trench. 11-i sank back into the arms of one <>f his officers and died painlessly on the highest point on the Peninsula attained by our arms.

The flolotion of a lino in t.ic. reports of t'.io English, and possibly ih} o: tlic colonial, war correspondents' report?, makes it appear as if the New Zealanders had won and lost this position. It is only fair to state that it was not the New Zealanders who were driven from the position, though whether or not they could have held it without fresh reinforcements must now ;ei";i ; n for all time a matter of uncertainty. As it is, our present position i> oniy three or four hundred feet below t.ie point gained in early August, but that three or four hundred feet maßcs all 'he difference. With.the positions reversed —the Turks in our trenches and our men on the heights—we should long ore this, have done wha't Liman Pasha threatened, but failed to accomplish, tt'o should have broken throng':] and driven the enemy into the sea. But, after their past experience in attaoking the colonial troops, the Turks nre. for (he time being at all events, not at k all keen on attempting a farther advance.