FIGHT AGAINST THE TURKS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 145, 19 June 1915, Page 11

FIGHT AGAINST THE TURKS.

IN THE THICK OF BATTLE. A VIVID STORY. Sergeant B. N'ewgon, of the 3Td Battalioti, N.S.W., aud late accountant at the Bank of New South Wales, Wagga Wagga, relates his experiences with the landing party at (iallipoli. Writing from Kasr-el-ainy Hospital, Cairo, on May 6, he says:— "We were at sea, just off the Island of Lemn-os, where we had beet for some time, and where, by the way, I gathered the few wild flowers 1 sent you (if you ever got them), when the colonel informed us that we were to land next morning. (Ireat excitement! Before daybreak we had steamed into position, and when we were having our last breakfast on board the warships all round us were blazing away.

"On reaching the shore we found oars Moating about, kits, dead and wounded bodies strewn about, but the Turks, except for occasional snipers had gone. The Uth. I lx-ievn. simply flew at the Turks, who had all the advantage of cover and numbers, and drove them with the bayonet up and over the hills. We hear of the noble "Six Hundred," and other great doings, but had the 11th not been the men they were, and had the Turks the determination of our men, not one of our fellows would have been left to tell the talc. The only other supposition is that the Turks wanted 'them to land, and then draw them into the hills. On the second day 1 think only about six men of this battalion were left standing. The 2nd and 3rd got very mixed up; in fact, all companies and battalions did. the country being very difficult to travel, and the excitement, of being under (ire for the first :time told its tile.

SHOT ON ALL SIDES. ".rack: and a man would roll down the hi'l. right alongside of you. with a hullet through his head, and thou you would hear. "They have got me.' Our chaps were pilled' in almost every conceivable part of the body. How the dortors nnd the A.M.C. worked: Dr. Bean wa- doctor to the ,'lr.l. He was doing good work, but only lasted a couple of hours, when he was knocked out. and they had to lake him away on a strel cher Only an A.M.. . man was left, an! he. too. soon departed: 'ait he worked. oh. so well while there, caring nothing jfor the bullet- Hying past him while dressing the wound..

•About 2 o'eloik word came th.U the' wanted reinforcement.', on the left iju-t near usi. so Major Bennett sent nil tho<-e who had strayed who hal collected there alona. there wore two of our officers, a sergeant, ajoi a few men from other regiments, and we m.ido for tho thick of it. The platoon of the "trd was in reserve for tho firing line on top, and he would not let them go. of course. On the way 1 had to give a hand to a mtin who had boon bit badly, so 1 lost the ret. and when 1 started off again they were gone. I didn't get very tar. I t'outi I myself alongside a young captain, lie Mild lie wa*. exhausted, and. tolling mc ... take charge, .crawled back. I nonaged to got my entrenching tool out, and scooped a couple of inohe* away for mv heal "it was all I could do - and waited. Fortunately. I wafcn'l hit, and at dusk about n do7.en Sow Zealanders came along, under a sergeant major, and so between v- we did our l>o*.t. Hell! lt «a> ii death trap. "I made a mate of a line little chap a bugler He hid a brother ,n our company. Together we dug ourselves in. Nothing much happened in our quarter that morning. The -hi|-' hie X'"» wore -nomine away nnd smashing things up. an.l machine gum- nttlm. and rifles tiring the whole time, ami every few minute the word passed along. "Stret-i-her b-arer wanted." or "A.NLi . man wanted." I'h. how those follows worked, and often Aont right into the tiring line for wound,-.1. "When dark a dn7.cn of us went into the Iking line to bring down dead and wounded. In the morning my little bugler won; off down I ho gully with a sergeant after sniper., and I have not seen him t-inre. UOl NDKD— AND ALONE.

•'ln passing I must, stop to tell you of a corporal I handed over to in the b.atle outpost trenches. He had been there for three days, yet did the work with the grit and ability that few officers would show. vVrporal M»-;Jregor— he »a_- splendid. When mornng came, between 4 and j o'clock, some Turks were retreating on our left. I ordered a volley from tho men on my left. 'Phil liarliok' joining in. I only put my head up for just a scemd. when—ugh: a anVper got mc through the jaw. 1 thought" 1 was done. I didn't know 1 had *o much blood in niy body, and don't think there is much there now. 1 had a horror of losing my reason, so hung

on. I know it w_s u&cle-a to expect anyone to come for me—it would mean death for sure, so I crawled backwards on my stomach to the next lot of trenches and fell in one of them. 1 couldn't rvpeak. so I got my pencil to work. At last a pal gave mc a hand down a. little further, and they shot him, poor ohap. 1 .wa_ done—couldn't go any further. And at last, with desperate effort- with my notebook and frantic gesture-, ono good chap from the stretcher -bearers or ____._. came along, and. with a volunteer, they hauled mc down the bank still further. With two rides and a greatcoat they made mc a stretcher, and started on the march down the ffu'ly to the ship. All the whjle I was thinking 'Can I see it out?' My lovely shattered throat, mixed with clotted blood, etc.. made mc, afraid f -would choke— a most awful experience. For two night- 1 had a great deal of trouble with it. and was always dreading I should fall asleep and choke."

.SHOT DOWN* ALL ROUND. Corporal R. J. <Jr__am. describing the advance immediately on landing, said that the men were getting shot down al! round him. " I had three narrow escapes. One shot went, through the rim of my hat. another Wit mc on U'ne neck and bounded off. hitting mc on the wrist. All the damage it did was to make a small hole in my sleeve, and a slight cut on my arm. A piece of ehe'l went over my bead, and cut the braces of my equipment in half, tore a bole in my tunic, and cut two shirhs 1 was wearing. About 5.30 p.m. thi" enemy's fire slackened, and we thought we would advance a little further. I was just getting up when I got a crack on the arm near the shoulder. I went back to the beach, and had to wade through a creek, with -water up to the knees, being ail the time under a Vheavy ftre."