DEEDS OF HEROISM.

RELATED BY A NEW PLYMOUTH BOY. Writing to his mother at Kiua road, Private Frank Shirley, a New Plymouth . boy, says:— I suppose by now you are all 'beginning ~ to wonder whether I am still alive, as . you have not had a letter in my own j writing since I was first wounded. Well, have had a long job with my arm ~ and shoulder, and it is nowhere near : right yet. lam getting strong again, but I have had a terrible time of it, and |, prayed for death or somebody to shoot 1 me. The doctors say it was marvellous that they did not take the arm off, and if it were not for the great skill of the r Birmingham doctors they would have had to take it off to save my life. Thank ~ God, I was so fit and well when we made r that terrible landing, or else I could 3 never have lived through this. As it was, I contracted jaundice on top of it . all through getting wet while landing, . but I managed to shake that off after i two months in bed. I have had three operations, and I have to undergo an--1 other to remove some pieces of dead 1 bone. There are many sad homes in New t Zealand now, and it seems terrible to . think so many fine, -strapping lads have . fallen, but it's a great thing to die fighting for your country, and I am proud , to know that one of your sons fought t side by side with such fine, brave lads 8 who have made such a great name for New Zealand. Fight! My God, they r did fight! They charged with clubbed . rifles, swinging their rifles around their heads and laying them out in all direc- . tions. Amid this awful shower of shrapnel, machine-gun and rifle bullets we j held a position on a big ridge, and although our boys were falling fast and . our line was getting thinner and thinner . the Turks could not drive us out, and all through that awful night of April 25 ! and t&rough the next day our boys hung j on without a single reinforcement, they not being able, owing to the terrific lain . of shot and shell, to get near u 3 to fill up the gaps. It was early the next day t (Tuesday), about 10 o'clock, that I was 3 hit by a sniper while loading up after a rapid fire. I was not at all frightened j after I was hit. I made a grab for my • rifle, but found that my hand would not (trip at all, and the arm went dead I knew then that the game was up, and . that if I moved the black devils would be on to me again, and it proved lo be . right, for when I turned round to look for a dug-out to crawl in to I was met [ oy a fusilade of bullets, so I san» out \l Ar^ ur Carbines that I was hit" and that I would crawl over to him after the fire had died down a bit. Later I managed to throw myself down in front , of him, and G. Somerville pulled me over and tried to stop the bleeding by tying myputtee above the wound, but they'had to push me over into an empty dug-out, for the Turks had spotted us again amiwere trying hard to get us. I then found out that I was next to one of my tent mates, Will McMunray, and it fa to him I owe my life, for all through that long day while I was lying there and could not get out for the rain of bullets, he kept asking how I was feeling and giving me water. When night came he crawled over to me, and half carried and dragged me over a hill to safety. How it Was that he was not hit is a marvel to me. He had carried another man out earlier in the day, and had come back to the firing line as if nothing had happened. What do you call that? Risking his life to save others, and now he is reported missing. I hope to God that he is a prisoner and not killed. He was such a fine fellow, was poor Mac, and he was liked so much by us all. We had a visit from the King and Queen, and 1 had quite a nice talk to them both. The King asked me a lot about the other hospitals and was interested in the nature of my wound. Their Majesties spoke meTrilv to all the boys, and hoped we would spend a happv time at Waltan. They both seemed much impressed with the stalwart New Zealanders. We have also Lord and Lady Piunket living near us, and all their daughters work here in the kitchen, waiting on the sisters. They are fine girls and real sports. Lord 'and Lady Ranfurly also are helpers, and have done great work for the comfort of the New Zealanders, We are verv near Loadon and often get motor trip thither. '