ON ACTIVE SERVICE

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIX, Issue 250, 21 October 1915, Page 8

ON ACTIVE SERVICE

LETTERS FROM THE FRONT.

The fighting at the Dardanelles -early in AuKiwt in which the Waikatc> Mounted Kiflea conducted themselves so jrallautlv and suffered so ■ severely is clfscrilod in a letter received 'fioni Troojer Harry Bonnington (h gcand<r»n of: Mr E. Rabbits, of this town), who wits born in Blenheim and lived here for mr.ny years. Trooper Bo»mington. >v'io joined the Waikato Rifies, vvrrte on August loth fiom the Australian1 Hospital at •Gezireh, Cairo, arc! stated that 1.0 was iap;dly recivc.nng from the ir>jiirieN he received on Ai-g>'.i?t 9th. A fcullet went clean through his ••i^ht leg nbovo the ankle; but as, fortunately, it nursed the shin bone, he was rible to hobf It* about. He writes: "I reckon my luck was ri.prht m on thai day. It was a perfect hell upon ■ earth. " T w>is hit at three other different times —rw.e on tho •mivle with a lit of spent shrapnel; again by a piece from a bomb, which cut my ic»aMici vmist belt and wire-* utter*, and vent through my trousers, <nly just "i-iizir.g u\e: nnd next thing I was hit by ;v sniper- shooting from the I-::ck hill". H> put a bullet through the pack >>n mv l.;ifk, and it passed through an cnan el mug. a tin oir bully beef, some, bis-snits, etc., and flattened out in my shirt, ft is marvellous* the escapes some fellows have.

The .Austiallnn- Hospital in which ha fl?.s I^\ intc, says IVoooer Bonr'ngton, '-'contained iOOO patients. It is the <>]■! Geziit-ii Pa lace built by the Bult.Ui (who ueser paid for it) to receive? delegates ruiin all over the world at the opening .if tlio Suez Cnnnl. Jt is pieM^Hitly situated on the b; nks of the Xile.''

Tn-eoor Bomiington writes: "All the r.fneors ill' cur squadron were killed in our last action, and only 1C of ,; inswero:! the roll call after leav:!".: the firing imp, these including .-.no -erg";::it ,uui one lance■corprrnl Ko \ov may guess that thin^ wptv hot. We had rim out of born 1, after taking such a strr-tel of coituii v t while ihe Turks wore throwing oV<;ens of iiie.ni. Some of our chap.- <-fr>> )>lou-n to ';its wivile cntch-irigl'-ai :hkl tl.row ing then, back before ' y bi-r.st. The Turks' clothing was . all (icsenptions, sonte of Them boiii; i civilian dross. Their boots hsu'c .'ways !>eon bad, judging fiom tlios"• ■■! the prisoners we got. But it>. t:> 'ui-Ixer,' :hcy seem +n have jjlent A\'e huii fresh meat, onions, gi-af hiejifi. y.-ast, and other stuff in V ■•renclies We reckon ilia: at one ;-e lrlii'h we norei' distnr?;f:d or w Pf'.u t!.ty had their families. The 'furies hare rifles of all kind. One of (>ur chaps in the A.M.?'" lecem-ff t hot wounds in the • i"-c :■•: shoulde--.,. We ;I lsa got some rifl car!, mrv, U,A -, hrn we tried them they v. nid riiiry ;; bnilei: only a'«3ut ..')«> vault. Tl.e Tr,vh< h : .ve so far 1 i'-i': ':> .'• di-att way. Tl-ev are ! v;:. ■ ! 'U-t. ii,iu. Ji-cters but tlrr-v '"Jon't ! ]!..■• ■;- b-hind i! : .. l, : ,yon< I \n one ',■-" (" •'•"•^ ••.-.■ «er,. so I I»l"- '. -; '.-: ■■- M.5;;,..-! r1,.» .}„.,- ---•<:JiliJlj;-;i tlie;i i ti .;i.i.s on l.:xii'iy (-.hat

they wore not to be shot. We have , cr.nie iuross some pretty deadly Gcr- < ■riiau »)»\cnets. The Turks have tho latest .Vfauser lifle, point blank at COO yards., and it beats our rifle- easily ; for 'mechanism. One of the guns, •

called .Nnafarta, accounted for 7DC casualties, just being fired occasionally up the bench, sometimes getting 16" or 17 in a shot—mostly while the men v tre bathing."