GALLANT NEW ZEALANDERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 January 1916, Page 2

GALLANT NEW ZEALANDERS.

BRITISH OFFICER'S TRIBUTE. London, December 3. An English officer writing from the Dardanelles to his people hero, gives tongue to his admiration for the Xew Zealand soldier, thus: — "So much has heen written about the magnificent hearing of the Australian tioops that I feel hound to mention a few instances of the bravery of their cousins, the New Zoalanders. As T am of neither colony, hut an Englishman, my testimony may interest you. "During the famous attacks on Lone Pine tli? 2nd Battery, under Major (now Colonel) Sykcs, repelled five Turkish attacks. The infantry have acknowledged that they were done, and if it hud not been for this battery they would have hud to retire. During this action twenty-one gunners brought up ammunition over eighty yards of ground that was subjected to shrapnel and cross machine-gun and rifle lire. Several were wounded in doing so. hut unless very seriously so carried on the self-allotted task. Again and again the guns ami emplacements were hit, but if workable fresh crews at once took their place*. One man (a telephonist) went out five times to replace wires and to mend them. '■Another instance of heroic bravery is that of the Mounted Rifles at Hill 00; 250 of these men charged and captured a Turkish trench. Gradually by coun-ter-attack only a hundred remained; these charged again and added further trenches, holding them with their, usual gallantry until the relieving infantry arrived.

"I can mention a case whore a telephonist five times carried messages from the observation station to the guns because the wires had been taken away, and the entire time this man was under direct fire from both rifle and machine guns."