THE TURKS.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15489, 17 January 1916, Page 10

THE TURKS.

AS AUSTRALIANS KNOW THEM. TURKS' TRIBUTE TO BRITONS. —- « OUR HERO ENEMIES." (From Capt. C'. F. W. Bean. Commonwealth Correspondent.) (Rights Secured bv "The Press.") ANZAC, December Ist. Four days ago, just as the first light began to broaden into a bitter wintry dawn; the Australian sentries, as they blow on their ungloved fingers behind the parapets at Quinn's Post, saw about 30 Turks creeping up from behind the hummocks of broken earth which separate our front trench from that of the Turks. Their heads appeared about 13 yards away. Twenty-six of them— or thereabout—were crawling down into a small depression between the trenches, where for the moment they were hidden from this part of the line. But the other four came boldly across, straight to the centre of Quinn's trenches. For a particular reason our men lot them come. They walked straight to the slanting wire-netting screen which protects our trench from their bombs, caught hold of it in their hands, and pulled two short lengths of it down. They threw in half a dozen bombs— there was a scatter to each side amongst our men in the trench: and then into the trench jumped the leading Turk.

He had a rifle in liis hand, with bayonet fixed. Mo landed on his feet, turned to his right, and strode down tlie trench. Four men were leaning against the wall of the trench, wounded by the bombs. He pushed past them, and straight into the dark mouth of our bombproof—that is to say, a section of trench with a tight roof of earth, and beams overhead. As he strode into the darkness, just in the mouth of it, a sergeant mot him. The sergeant was coming the other way. also with his bayonet. The two laced one another in the narrow way. They parried, and guarded, and parried. The Turk seized the sergeant's bayonet, and the sergeant wrenched it away, liut bv this time an unwounded Australian was coming up the trench from behind the Turk. That sealed the man's fate. He was bayoneted from behind and before at the same moment, and a shot from a third man also hit him. lie fell dead on the narrow floor of the trench. His comrades had run,away— I believe, they scattered in front of our bombs. THE IRON CRESCENT. On the brpast of the brave man who lay dead in the bottom of the trench our men noticed a little stripe of bright colour. It was a couple of inches oi ribbon, twisted through his buttonhole—a bright, cherry-coloured ribbon, with a narrow white stripe near either edge of it. It was the redder with his blood, but there was no mistaking its identity. It was the ribbon of the iron crescent. It is the first time anyone here has seen it. The Turks have instituted—or tho Germans have instituted for them—a decoration on the pattern of the German iron cross, except that in tho Turkish order the ribbon is red, instead of black, and the medal is a crescent instead of a cross. This was the first Turk we have come across who had gained one, and he was dearly chosen to lead this exceptionally daring reconnaissance, on account of the bravery which Avon him tho cross on some former occasion. And the deed which lie performed on this occasion ■was as brave as any man could do. "NOTRE HERO ENNEMIS." Sonio of the newspapers seem to wonder whether we can fight the Turks as well as we otherwise should when the troops in the peninsula so obviously do not- hnfe them. One might ask these people how. much better they expect us to fight, nnywnv. But it is sufficient to wonder. Sinc« when lias it been impossible for the British race to fight an enemy if it respects them? For vcrv assuredly the same incapacity in that case, must affect the Turks as well as the Australians and the New Zealande.rs. Some curious incidents which ha opened a few weeks ago help to prove this.

. I think the Turks were colcbratijig either a feast or. a fast. Anyway, near daybreak one ' morning, there came out of their trench at Qninn's a packet tied to a string, thrown so that it lobbed near our parapet, and lav outside between _ the trenches. Of course our sentries waited for it to explode, or fizz, or burst into smoke, or for some such devilry. The sercreant near it looked at it verv carefully through a telescope. "While he was looking. Turkish hards must have come up and waved, and then a cautious head., A head on our side went up, too. and gradually a line of heads on each parapet: an<l before the sergeant knew what was happening, the man next him had climbed un on to tho parapet and stepped round the netting and into the dea'dly area between the trenches, and was bringing back the packet. It was a small nacket of cigarettes, and in it. scrawled in illegible ppnc.il and badlv spelt in imperfect, French, were the words "A notre hero ennemis."

"BULLY BrcEK XOX." OF course, some return had to he made, and so our men threw over a tin nr two of bully-beef. Presently back flew a piece of pa nor wrapped round a stone. it, read "Buljv beef, non." After that we threw some sweet biscuits and a tin of jam. Other cigarettes came back. I have sepji some of them. Thnv had on them, in tho same pencilled writing, in mutilated French, '"'Xotre cher enemi," or "Femcz"'

probablv meant for "Prencz"—"Avee, plessir." That was meant for "To our dear enemy"—ami—"Take with pleasure." .Another reads "Envoyez milk" (semi us milk'*. Then one of them waved down with his hands awl shouted "Fini." and our men waved back and down, gradually. went, the two lines of smiling heads, and after a pause of a minute or two, the bond}® began to fly again. Thev had oegun at half-past S. and they lasted till about a quarter past--!). The samp courtesies repeated themselves next morning. An .officer of ours was on the naraoet for a short time, mid the Turks, I believe, sent a message to say that thev were sorrv they had not the best brand of cio-ar-ettes. bur they hoped the enes they sent would be accepted. They also asked, nor for feed, but for souvenirs. Our men threw a penknife. Our officer picked no a package which turned out to be a bomb, and I'o:- a moment there wax just a suspicion of treachery but it was found to be a bomb wrapped, as the Turks do wra» their bombs, in flannel, and with a faulty fuse—a relic of some previous fight. The courtesies continued and ended as before. They were not repeated, because they were going- rather far. "HERE LIES A TURK." That is how thev regard the Turk and the Turk regards them. The most pathetic evidence that I had heard of is a little wooden cross found in the scrub, just two splinters of biscuit-box tacked together, with the inscription: ••Here lies a Turk." Poor soul, he would probablv turn in his grave if his ghost could sec that .rough cross above him. lint he need not. worry; it was put. there in all sincerity. Sonic Australian found him and buried liim exactly as ho would bury one of our own men—with that last" little homage to mark the resting-place of a mail fighting for his country.