THE GALLANT sth

Evening Post, Volume XC, Issue 92, 16 October 1915, Page 9

THE GALLANT sth

HOW THEY WENT INTO ACTION THE SCENE AT MUDROS. Some 'very interesting details covering the experiences of the sth Reinforcements, and other matters connected with the Turkish campaign, are contained in a letter from Corporal W. J. Hill (formerly of the Evening Post staff), who was wounded and sent to London, but is now well enough to bs back in Egypt. "Our reinforcements spent only ten days in Egypt," he says, "but I saw enough in those ten days to satisfy me that all the New Zealanders are angels in comparison with the denzins of Cairo, which is about the loveliest sink of depravity in the whole wide world. They bundled us out of Zeitoun ai> about eight hours' notice, and we only remained at Alexandria about eighteen hours, leaving subsequently in a dirty tub named Saturoia, for Lemnos. There were 2700 of us on board, and the trip occupied two and a-half days. Submarines were reported in the vicinity, and a squad of men with loaded rifles were kept on duty all the time. But entry into Mudros more than made up for the discomfort of the trip. The harbour is oval-shaped, and in size about half as big as Wellington. When we arrived there were about 240 ships of all shapes and sizes at anchor in the fairway, there being no wharves or quays. We steamed right through this mass of shipping, and the reception we received from the crews and the troops on board absolutely beggars description. First we passed the Aquitania, the largest steamer in the world, crowded with 7500 troops. Then we scraped past the battleship Swiftsure, and down the line we went — battleships (English and French) on both port and starboard side, hospital ships, transports, colliers, traders all round us, all crowded with soldiers and sailors anxious to honour the latest New Zealanders. I can tell you it made one forget the discomfort—made one realise the wonderful spirit of the Empire, and it certainly had the effect of heartening any waverer amongst us, if there was one on board, which I very much doubt. I counted 50 warships at anchor ... of transports there were dozens, and, counting us, there were 40,000 troops afloat at that moment On shon* tenU were everywhere. OFF TO THE FRONT. " Two days were spent in this harbour, and then on Saturday at 5 p.m. a big tug, -the Redbreast, came alongside. She. was to take us to the front. I can assure you the boys wasted very little time in boarding her. By 6 p.m. we were outside the heads, and at 8 o'clock we could hear the thunder of the guns and see the flashes in the sky, which denoted that the great battle, of which you have read full particulars, was in progress. By 12 o'clock we were at anchor close to a shore which was a mass of tiny pin-points of light— a shore which echoed and re-echoed with the reports of rifles and machine guns. We were at the front at last, and us we tumbled into huge lighters wp realised this fact, for ' splash ! splash !' the taolleta into thg jvaier, and

' ping ! ping !' went more lead, close enough to our heads to make us duck down and wish we were at home in bed. It took us half an hour to get to the shore, and fortunately no one was hit en route, though many had very lucky escapes. The first big realisation of what war really is like came to us as we stumbled across the beach, which was just littered with wounded men — English, French, Indian, New Zealanders, and Australians. They were all waiting patiently for their turn to be taken on on the boats to the hospital ship in the roadstead. Taken in conjunction with the fiendish noise of the guns, the wounded V-d a nerve-wracking effect ■upon us, but we wera given very little time to think about anything, because we were still two miles from our post, and we had to reach it before daylight. So on we trudged, through an opening leading to a trench, and as we passed a point we were each handed a respirator and additional ammunition — a big box between two men. ARRIVAL AT. NEW ZEALAND BASE. "At daybreak we reached the New Zealand base— just a strip of level sand between the sea and a huge cliff. Not a tent to be seen anyhere, the homes of the • big bugs ' were the homes of Thomas Atkins, Esq. — holes in a side i of a hill which resembles a big colander. | On the .flat were piles and piles of boxes I and cases, and working amongst them at top speed were the Army Service Corps and the Indian Mule Corps. We were told to make ourselves comfortable where we stood. We just lay down and longed for cooling showers, clean sheets, and comfortable beds. But soon the bullets commenced to fly about, and in a trice one of the sergeants of the B Company stopped one with his leg. That made us sit up and take notice, and when three others received leaden presents in the space of five minutes we began to think how nice. 1 a big cave or a deep well would be. However, we just had to sit and trust to luck. Not many were fatally hit. We saw many wounded awaiting treatment, and most of them were our own fellows — New Zealanders and Australians, and you will be proud to know that although many were wounded almost unto death I did not hear a single complaint." UNDER FIRE. After describing the battlefield, Cpl. Hill says: — "The realisation of war came to us with an intensity almost bewildering. But you will be glad to know that the sths (I'm not boasting) behaved equally as well as their comrades of the Main Body. They had landed but a few hours before, and were now in an environment calculated to shake the nerve of almost anyone. And suddenly they were under fire with a vengeance. The Turks had got, wind of our advance up the gully. Whizz! Bang! Shrapnel exploded right over us. Several of the D (Otago) Company were hit, and the next shell depleted the ranks of the B Company. Then came A Company's turn, out only a couple of our men were wounded ; and so it went on for some time. Every thirty seconds the trees and shrubs were torn by the rushing bullets, every little while some one was hit, but still the men kept on and on, until a friendly slope gave them needed and longed-for shelter. Her© A, C, and D Companies dug in, and prepared for the night, while a portion of B Company went on,.

to the trenches, where trouble came with startling suddenness. Just after nightfall the Auckland Company was ordered into the support trenches. . . . To put one's head up was to court a bullet, even though night had fallen. To remain crouching was almost to be poisoned. So we risked both bullets and poison in turn. Thank goodness, we didn't remain long, as it was found that our presence was unnecessary, and we were told to remain in shelter until the morning. Morning came at last, and with it an order from Major Hume to go down hill, and make ourselves comfortable. Just then the Turks made a big attack. . . . The Turks were breaking through, and then eor^ebody called out, 'Where are those New Zealanders? Send them up! 1 Lieut. Ellisdon was sitting just a few yards away from me talking to Capt. Wallingfofd, Major Hume, and Lieut. Jack, and he called out to me — I had stayed behind : 'Corporal, hurry down, and tell our men to fix bayonets, and be ready' . . . We got at the Turks soon. In one place there were only fifty-five Aucklanders, but we gave 'John Turk something to remember. Soon they retreated to a ridge 200 yards away, and opened on us with machineguns. We were without protection of any kind, and the bullets swept the hills like haiL" Corporal Hill saw many of his mates go down ; then he was wounded _ himself, but the wound was not so serious as it might have been had he not carried a book in his haversack. He then received a lump of shrapnel in his side. That finished him, and he made his way to the beach.