A SOLDIER'S LETTER.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume IV, Issue 432, 11 August 1915, Page 3

A SOLDIER'S LETTER.

Il MIDSHIPS I.EAVE THEIR MARK. The following is in extract of a letter received by Mr. Riggs of pawa, from a se n ot Ins with the Austraji: l it Expeditionary jori-<*s at rhe Da re lam-1 les : I will tell you a Id ile ot tlie fight : it is not pleasant. That is the reasoti it ought to l><* forgegfen. The land is thickly shri'bhcel like 1 Long Bay with high steep cliffs and deej> gullies. Vie- were separated after landing and maele our '"'.y to thefiring line, ft v.as awful. Men were* dropping like Hies. (fibers wer<* rushing bark, some crawling, others dragging back the poor rlevils who i ciild not walk, and Im od - 1 never thought there could be so milch ol it. The shrapnel played hell vvirh

it'. and I had some niarvelloii* escapes, 1 v.as struck with splinters but no .iamnu© was done, and wc managed to stick Io :t t ill help came.

That night whilst digging trenches a corpora wt's killed and ;m officer and private* wounded in the* samespot leeside* me. in the space of half itin lioui. Several men whom you i met are gone, the old Scotch sergeant and Rodgers, tin* good na-tu-red shy boy who used to look alter my clothes when you c-aier*. Lyle, t lie boy with the- pince-nez. is woun tied or missing. The first night was wet and we had no coats, in fact w.* wen- six rlays .--nd live nights in the trenches without rest. It was verytrving. and we had to drink from a puddle. I was separated ft’om Marshall and Brooks the first day. but nu t them when we were* relieved arid we were pleased to sec* one another. The next dav we ha<l a charge of Sot) yards. \V<* reached the enemy’s trenches. I m they had ns under shrapnel and machine gun, and we had to fa 1 hack. How any one got back is a wonder. How [ got back without a is a miracle. Tlie hail of bullets was terrific, and honestly I was with the Itli Battalion and we lost some big men including the Colruiel. After this w* had the t renc!i**s dug and were w©H protected. On Tuesday our gnus landed and relieved ns great’.v. They simply s\vep! the ridges in front of us and I enjcivecl myself immensely shooting at tin* running enemy. .Sleep was out < ; f the quest ion and I was done to a standstill when relieved. No doubt you will see a great change- in me. hardships like the se If*a re t heir m;t i k.