FIGHTING OF AN AWFUL CHARACTER.
Acres Covered with Dead and Dying.
Rec Sept 21, 12.30 p.m. London, Sept 20. Mr Clutha Mackenzie, son of Hon. T, Mackenzie, who was wounded at the Dardanelles interviewed, sairl:— "The New Zealandsrs and Australians were given a special job on the night of August Stn to attack the foothills leading to Sari Bair, which formed the key to the situation. The fighting was terrific. During the night we advanced two miles and took all the rid»ea and foothilli leading to the main Turkish position. Meanwhile, the British landed at Suvla Bay. Several regiments on the following day reached the hilltop after fightirg of a most awful character. My regiment was practically wiped cut. Many other New Zealanders, including the Maoris, fared just as bidly. The scene on the summit wa* beyond description. There were acres of land covered with dead and dying mm. Upon the left the Gurkhas and Australians advanced well out towards the Anafarta Ridge before they were driven back by Turkish machine gunnery, which was wonderful.
"Apparently the Turks had an unlimited number of machine guns. The Turks are proficient in bombing and there was terrible execution on the hilltop. We advanced until the end of our line was ten ysrds from the crest. We were right upon the Turks, whose trenches were fully manned, despite the warships' previous heavy bombardment. The. Turks were throwing hundreds of bombs right and left and the hand fighting was of the most sanguinary character. High explosives burst immediately in*' front of me, blowing in both ray eyes; otherwise I was not scratched. I crawled over heaps of dead rearwards, assisted by a stretcher-bearer who was heroically exposing himself to the awful lire and attending to the wounded, many of whom had laid for forty-eight hours without water in the blazing sun. 1 was the only one able to walk and reached the hospital ship thirty hours after being wounded. Some of my comrades did not reach the hospital ship for three days. The Turks'unsuccessfully shelled the hospital ship."
Mr iMackenzie paid a tribute to the clean methods adopted by the Turks.
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Bibliographic details
Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 6494, 22 September 1915, Page 5
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357FIGHTING OF AN AWFUL CHARACTER. Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 6494, 22 September 1915, Page 5
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