COMPARATIVE QUIET.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 281, 25 November 1915, Page 6

COMPARATIVE QUIET.

ON GALLIPOU PENINSULA. A WELL-EARNED BEST. PREPARING FOR THE WINTER. HEAVY BOMBARDMENT BT TURKS. (By Tclejraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. Mr. Malcolm Ross, the New Zealand war correspondent, cables: — . "There has been comparative <juiet along the whole front for several meeks, no lighting of importance having taken place beyond usual bombing of trenches, sniping, and exchange of artillery iirc. "The troops are settling down for tho wjnter campaign, but the present indications point to the main scene 0/ action changing to the Balkans. "The enemy has recently been concentrating gun fire largely upon our perimeter, and, apparently, because of promised Germanic assistance, has been slightly more prodigal in the expenditure of heavy ammunition. The Turks have also brought somo heavier guvs to bear on the Anzac zone, including one battery of eight-inch howitzers. They recently bombarded one ol our positions for threequarters of an hour with 10 guns, including eight-inch, firing salvoes with common shell, a. six-inch battery, firing shrapnel, and two smaller high-velocity guns. Considering the expenditure of ammunition, the casualties were surprisingly few. "Our battleships, cruisers, destroyers, and land batteries replied whenever targets were discovered. "Considering their dormant situation, the Turks show no enterprise in attacking. Occasionally Turkish deserters wander into our lines and surrender; others in the trenches hold their hands above the parapets with a view to being wounded by our snipers rather than continue in the firing line. This, however, must not be considered an indication that the Turkish army as a whole will not continue stubborn resistance of the Zcalanders. "Only artillery and the engineers have taken part in the recent fighting, both the infantry and the mounteds having been eight weeks in the rest camp on an island beyond the sound of the guns. Having recuperated, refitted nnd absorbed reinforcements, they returned to the peninsula. They were loudly cheered by -the incoming New Zealanders on a troopship an<j by sailors on the warships. "The infantry have now re-entered the trenches. The mounted men in reserve in the bivouacs as reinforcements are a finelooking lot and keen to enter the cam-, paign. "Colonel Rhodes, after inspecting the hospitals and postal arrangements at Alexandria, has been for the past 18 days visiting the dressing stations and casualty clearing stations on tho peninsula. He also made an extetisive round of the firing trenches practically along the whole of Anzqc, Helles and Suvl* fronts. He is returning to Egypt to in- ' speet the Cairo hospitals, and will proceed tbence tn Malta and perhaps to England. "The Maheno has returned here after conveying sick and wounded men to London."