A GREAT SIGHT.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 January 1916, Page 7

A GREAT SIGHT.

AND A SPLENDID HAMPER Qi.artormaster-Sergt. Atliol McTsaae Writes to his people in New Plymouth as follows: We have been back here about a week, and find that Oallipoli Peninsula has not been turned into a tourist resort while we've been away. The Turkish bullets are still made of hard stuff, and if their shells hit you they make a big hole. Shells are our greatest danger here now. There are several different kinds and one gets to know them. Some of them are called "Whizz bangs," because they just whizz and then bang. Others go overhead like railway trains, and luckily for us, am on a non-stop run, at lea.st, they haven't called here yet. We are a flag station, I think. We saw a good sight yesterday afternoon. Oui guiis started to bombard a position on our left. From our position we looked down on the whole affair. You would see' a flash and then a big cloud of smoke and earth. Wo were dead interested watching things until Johnny Turk fired a few shells at us, and then all we could see was the little square of earth that we had our faces pressed into Not long after the bombardment ceased a thunder storm came lip, and it was one of the most brilliant I have ever seen. During the flashes of lightning yon could see everything round you. Then the rain started, and if anyone had asked me I could have told tiiem a thousand places more pleasant than a dug-out in Gallipoli in which to listen to a storm. Apar.ti from incidents like these life goes on with a deadly monotony,, and it's a great wonder that some of us don't get scooped into the "loony hutch." By the way, before we left Lemnos <we received a hamper from the people of New Plymouth, it was the most sensible hamper s«nt—Three Castles cigarettes (which we very seldom see), pipes and pipe tobacco, a cake, chocolates, note paper, etc. Another good and much-needed thing was a set of hair clippers. The whole thing was evenly divided amongst the boys of .the Taranaki Company, and if the people wlio sent it knew how that hamper was appreciated it would repay them for the trouble and worry in despatching it. If you want to know anything about the war you get a returned Maori and ask him about it. He will invariably start "Py korry the war he all right," and he will talk to you for hours. Nearly everyone of them is* a humorist, and they are the gamest lot of fellows going.