NEW ZEALAND GUNNER'S MISADVENTURE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 28 September 1915, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND GUNNER'S MISADVENTURE.

A REMARKABLE INCIDENT

Mr J. Halpin, of Palmerston North, has received particulars of how his sou, Gunner H. E. Halpin, was wounded at the Dardanelles. Gttunei Halpin, who lost his leg in an engagement on July 11th, has arrived in London, and is at present ait inmate of St. Thomas's Hospital. Corporal F. C. Bryan, also of Palmerston North, and a member of the 3rd Battery of New Zealand FieM Artillery—the battery to which Gunner Halpin "belongs—was, singularly enough wounded a day after Gunner Halpin was sent to London, and is also an inmate of St. Thomas's.

A peculiar point in regard t«- the 3rd Battery is that it has never been Avitii the Main New Zealand Force (says the Mana\Aat<i Standard). The Ist and 2nd Batter.es landed at Gaba Tepe on the glories April 25th, bat for some reason or otner, the 3rd Battery, after spending a day or two on the water,_ landed at Cape Helle3 ? under command of Major Standish, Palmerston North. The- 3rd Battery Has been there ever

since, pounding the, Turks from the British left flank, and supporting the King's Own Scottish Borderers, the Essex Regiment, the Dublins, the Innisldllmgs, the Sikhs, and Gurkhas. On July 11 the battery was getting ready tor the great attack on July 12 and 13, when the Allied troops gained a good stretch of ground The guns had to be sighted, and when the range-findiii" was completed, the men settled down to a few hours' ease befpre the order should be received to firoon July 12 Unfortunately, the New Zealand guns aad knocked up the dirt a little, and tne German observers thus obtained a fair idea of the locality in which they were concealed.

However, the New Zealand runners wore quite unconscious of anything amiss until the Turks landed a high explosive, shell right, into the gun pit Gunner Fjtzsimmons was killed outright^ and Gunner Halpin lost his right leg. Halpin admitted that it was a beautiful shot, and knocked the limher about. The strange thing is that he was sitting on the grouiyl with his legs apart and playing patience. The shell pitched immediately undeinsath his fight leg, and blew off that limb without touching him in any other part. The next day, July 12, the engagement started, and the New Zealand guns were blazing away on the Turkish trenches. During this fighting Corporal Bryan was hit by shrapnel. He had two holes in his neck, two in his chest, and one in the right arm. Both he and Halpin went -on board the hospital ship Astunas, and were brought to England in almost record time. Corporal Bryan is still under treatment, having pieces of shrapnel extracted, and is doing well. Gunner Jjalpih, of course, is confined to bed, but, like the other wounded New Zealanders, he hides any possible troubles,behind a smiling face.