SOLDIER'S LETTERS.

Grey River Argus, 7 August 1915, Page 2

SOLDIER'S LETTERS.

IN HOSPITAL, CAIRO

Writing from Cairo., under date June 16th, to his parents ci Westport, Private J. Leslie Douglas says he was wounded in action at the Dardanelles, in tHe 'eft leg in two places by an explosive bomb. The piece which did the damage went in at one side and out at the other, tlie escape from death being miraculous. These bombs explode as soon as they hit -the ground. The authorities are sending all the wounded who do not recover in two months back to New Zealand, and Piivate Douglas expects to be amongst them. The writer . says he will never forget April 25th the day he landed on Gallipoli Peninsula. It was awful to see his mates fall beside him. . Tt was . not fighting; it was just murdering one another. H. Wismett has been to. see him in hospital. Wismett was hit in the jaw while advancing alongside Douglas, who thought he was killed. "In action we are not allowed to stop and bandage a wound, ed man — not even if he was a brother — but have to keep going on." "When we landed," he says, "our platoon was 60 strong. We have been reinforced . three times .with about 15 men, and a fortnight ago there were only 18 left out of the platoon, but I do not know how many remain now." The climate, at'- 'Cairo 1 is very trying. The temperature had been up as high a3 130, and that is why the authorities are sending the worst cases to a cooler country. : . .