LATE DR. TOLHURST.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 July 1918, Page 2

LATE DR. TOLHURST.

HIS DEATH tAT THE FRONT. Writing under Hate May 18th. to a friend on the New Zealand Times, Private Vernon ilaydiai, of Wellington, relates how the late Dr, Tolhursfc, cf that city, was killed at the front. Incidentally, as can. 'be seen from the letter, Private Haydon, who is well known in Wellington, had a. 'very narrow escape from death. The letter runs as follows: "I had spent mcist of the day with Dr. Tolhurst, for my 'bivvy' adjoined' his—he slept in the regimental aid post, a sort of dug-out some few hundred' yards from the front line. In the early evening I went to return a book 'he had lent me. When I gpt inside the aid post, I found the doctor, Padre Allen (of Dunedin), Arthur Worsop, a Main Body Medical Corps boy to the same ambulance as myself, and another Medical boy, reamed Murray, attached to the aid post.. Leaving soon after, I had just reached the door of my 'bivvy,' when I heard! a shell coming. I did. not wait upon the onliv of my going, hut I fell down the dug-out steps, for when a shell arrives it arrives mighty fast. Inside the dugout we heard the crash of the pxp /osion, and some earth came down on the roof, but this being a fairly common 'occurrence in that particular corner cif our sector, we did not pay mucli notic*. We never gave a thought to tho EA ' p . thinking that the shell had missed that place easily. A few minutes la&r, Murray, covered in Wood from head to foot, ami as (black as the ace of Spades from the dust and smoke of the explosion, burst in upon n-. and managed to gasp out, 'A shell has landed us,' j 1 land then collapsed. We rushed out, and found a scene oif chaos inside the R.A.P. | The doctor, the padre, and Arthur Wor- | sop (who at one-time was on the staff of j Whitcombe and Tomibs in Wellington) were lying about dead, being killed instantly by the force of the explosion. Two other %oys inside were Ircidly woun- ; 'led, and to these we attended, and got !■ them away as quickly as possible. W'rYthbig possible was done for Murray, had. acted like the hero he was, and -"me, in, great physical pain, to tell us what h:«d happened. Unfortunately, he !ied from, his wounds " '