THOUGHTS FOR THE TIMES.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 April 1923, Page 2

THOUGHTS FOR THE TIMES.

Wiiiin Nationhood was Fiivmi 25th. Amur., 1015. If was a tiling moment, hut the Australasian volunteers resit t's a man to the occasion. 'lhey waited neither for orders nor for the boats to loach the beat'll, but, springing om into the sen. they waded ashore, and, forming some sort- i f a rough line. rushed straight on the flashes of the enemy’s rifles. Their magazines were not even charged, so they just went in with cold steel, and t believe I am right in saying that the first Ottoman Turk since the last crusade received an Anglo-Saxon bayonet in him at five minutes after live a.in., on April 2ulh. It was over in a minute. The Turks in this first trench were bayoneted or ran awav. and a maxim gun was captured. Then the Australasians found themselves facing an almost perpendicular cliff of loose sandstone, cove re d with thick .shrubbery, and somewhat half-way up the enemy had ;i second trench, strongly held, lrom which they poured a terrible fire <n the tnmps below and the boats pulling hack to the destroyers for the second landing party. Here was a tough, proposition to tackle in the darkness, hut those Australasians are practical above all else, and they went about it in a practical way. They stopped a few moments t > pull themselves together and to get rid of their packs, which no troops should carry in ail attack, and then charged their magazines.

Then this rare of athletes proceeded to scale the el ill's without responding to tile enemy’s lire. I hey hsi some men, hut did not worry, and in less than a quarter of an hour the lurks were out of their second position, either bayoneted or in full flight. - Ashmead Bartlett.