ON ACTIVE SERVICE

Marlborough Express, Volume L, Issue 61, 13 March 1916, Page 3

ON ACTIVE SERVICE

WITH THE

EXGA(rF3IEXr

SjSMTSSI

MAULBORGUGH SOLDIEIt'S

NAiIHATIVI

Qiurterma^ er ■ Sergeant Sidney Mogi-idgv. -if UlenheJJh, was one of

those wit.) too!; part in the engagement with ike Senus^i on Christmas Day. As a "icml;cr of iha Western Frontier Field Force, Egypt, he wrote an interesting icUr-r i.n January 6th, at some mineationed place on the ■odgo of Ihe desert, where "nothing trrows except i-and and niggera of a poor class."' His narrative proceeds as follows: —

■'"Wo 's.archod off at 4.45 by moonlight, joining with th-j other units of luc eohrnn -at tamp headquarters. As we cleared the r-amp boundary, marching in a westward oiro.;;sion, A Company was sent out as an artillery screen, iwo platoons on each flank. We continued ;n ihis formal ion until vo got into action just aiter day-i-rer.k, after aboiit an hour and .'•-half's :^:trclrn^ . Our firr.t- intimation of ihc enemy's presence w;;s the sight of a snv.ill :>u?ouac fire beyond "the line "l scouts. A patrr)l wa.s font unt to investigate, and exchanged a :cw shots. From this on thy firing continued inJonuitteiitly nntii wo «imc to a low ridge of hills, behind which wo expected to come to grips v iih th»*. Senussi. By this time there was corilinuou.s riile fire ahead, our scouts l-eing ' evidently halted by superior numbers of The enemy. Then the whole «]inm! haltod to form up in attack formation. The iimmunition waggons, ambulance waggons, :m<] artilV.ry e.nv.e up iro'.a the rear ;v preparation lor the advance. Ju.st ■it this time there was a boom away j»hoad, and presently a horrible scream, followed by a bursting crash jtjst close to cs, iold us that the enemy h;id op-'iied <vn us with shrapnel. * Tho of shrapnel is most imeanny. It seems tn jx-nefcrate right tkjwn into your abdomen and makes it rink tlown somwhvre towards your loots. I'Viriunatelv, no one was hit, a< their ?/in was not of the best. We opened into artillery formation and lay down. Soon came ihe order to aov.inco. We formed the .second lineWe had to ad van it- through the area, -swept by the >lirapnel fire They took little notiw «ii j'. except to collect pieces for mementoes. "As wo breasted the ridge wo came under rilio. iire. Almost the first thing we sr.w was a .-.oldier with a bullet through Ins thigh, b.-ing attended to by tho- ambulance. Here we were halted for some time, while the ambulance and an<munition mules passed through ouv lines. This would ho about S o'clock m the morning, jind we continued. under fire for upwards of V 2 hours, advancing all the tjiiK-—sometimes under hot fire, .«ome-t-ncs .sheltering behind ridg.-s el" the hills. The day was hot, and we wore tarrying l:or«vv packs—valise, containing givTitcmt, Balaclava muffler, etc., rin>. and bayonet, Webb equipment. 200 rounds <"rf ammunition. 48 hours' rations, water Vottle full, and yet we had the heaviest day of all. Unt'l ahont 10 o'clock we followed the first line, but then two oi our platoons were detached for spcoial tluty en the <«xtremc ieft fiaiik, to carry out ay. niov^mcnt by extending the firing «mo. I was acting platoon commander of No. 3. It was very baitl ?zohiii, ovor rousrh. hills under the hot .inn. At about 11.30 we c:,toc ?ir.>t into nctunl cvnt-vt with a rsvty of the enemy. We came up over a sharp ridgo, and there they were <einrenoh»H.j in a donga on. the r/ihw side, of the gully, about 600 yards awry. Here occurred our first casualty. " Sergeant Weir was shot in the abaomen just- us he was gettitjg down. He died in nbout 10 minutes.' He w;vs :\ zwr.it favorite I slept next to him on the boat, and lie us,etl to tvll w.c about bis girl in Auckland.

""We killed about 15 of this party, wounded several others, and captured jtijont I€. '• had my camera with ire aaid photographed them. I also ions: some photographs of our men sdv-.incin.si under five, while the bullets tr».-iv- acuuiliy whistling about our heads. *■ ■ .•-•,•

''After A\e l::i'i finished them off we wntinuod to adrance, still uuder fire, tiking ndvan';age of a brief halt to <t-nt a. bit of a snack. Ju.st after this another oi our men was hit in the leg, and. coming in contact with B Coirmany we «er« told xhat a cor|:or«i3 \)f Jheirs oad been shot through the head m the same position, while nnovhLT chap was running round »«ider fire showing a bullet that had gone through his tunic and trousers rml lvrai^ 4d his '.high The coolness or otir ch.ips for the first time under fire \v"is a.-nazing. ■"'Soon attorwards we hrpasted :i. ridge overloolcing ihe left flank of the biggest 'onga of all, the stronghold *)t ihe S-?nnss;. Aft°r lyin;^ on this ridge for some time, we were ordered to move round to the right and rein-foi-ce G Company for the final assault. In retiring iron this position another o 4: our m»*iii was shot, in ihe back. We reinforce! C Company's line, and every second man was ordered to fix bayonets and advance tf> the edge of the donga. Hero the fire was very hot,- About twenty of us rushed rjght down into the donga through a s?nail dip, and after a sharp fight got the ener.iy on the run. Then, wo advanced right down with troops on •vtch side, rooting them out and shooting them down like va-bbits. Our V"«rt'Orv was 'ion- assured, but apX'Toaciiiing nig'it made it impossible to sheet it properly home. So we collected ail the r.ooty and prisoners (all being won.en and children, no men being captured here). W-u captured scares oi ea^iels with full burdens, censistin^ "f becking, fodder for tents, water vessels, rooking utensils, Uv;<js:inJs of rounds of ammunition, (.onic boxes of .shrapnel shells. We burned as much of it as we could, hut we had to leave a. good deal.

"TPe were ordered to report back In our companies jnst ns dusk was -.•omiuir <-n. prepiratrry to marching I'flclc tr» e-in-p.

*'I. ft"ir£T;)t to >-.ny thr:t when our arti!le:y was preparing to «;o into jx'tioii the aeroplane came sailing up from che «nnp. She gave the range l.y moans of dnvnping smoke bombs, and ;,hns dirertel the fire of our artillery and also of a .sniall gunboat janohoroil just off the coar-t.

"la the finish we had the Senussi t-OTr.pletely r-urrounded, and Tould proh-sljly h:\r>* captured great ■m-.mhors had it not been for the flppronrSi of darkness. As it was their casualties must h;n re been bp--Iw-"e-n 200 and :^CO. besides the lorn'tle vnn> we sinvo them.

The^nsiialties in our hattalion were f> lulled ar.d 2G woiuided inelndiiis oii-o siiir-e died of woiincis. . . .

:iTt was ot)!v \> hen wo got ha^k to tt^o c-ompmnos ;>.n<l liotmi to inarch lir-ino ttvil we r.»njiso<] how avcii'V \vo -woi-c. Tlv.- riinvch iwV to t'io nivonrc position was a horrible nightmare.

Kvery .step was an agony. From our ieet "up to oiir shoulders we ached with fatigue. To add to this, we were without water. Men. fell out or Jagged behind the column to drag their weary .scops along ;>..s best they could. At last we came to a place where it was decided to bivouac for the night. Here nrater was issued a full bottle per man. [ jiave "ever appreciated water so ranch in my life. %<lt was ll o'clock at night when we arrived at this place. We turned in for a while m bivouac. At 3.30 we moved off to the camp, which we •v-ached just at sunrise. We were very weary, and glad to take rest in our touts and enjoy ihe privilege of a bathe. We must have inarched about thirty ."liles altogether, fighting fcr about 12 hours 'n tho time.

"The chaps who weio left in camp men of other units—gnvo us a hearty reception, because w? had wreaked vengeance for those of their men who had been killed nr mutik.ted in the previous scrap. .. . "When a. unit has been in action for the first "time the men are supposed to have iivo days spall in canrpThe two days wo had were very busy j)ii.?.s J'or .me, becnuso I had to make up returns of clothing and equipment lost and worn out in action, and put in requisitions f'^r them. On Tuesday 'normng we received orders to march out '-vi mid-day for a three rlays' expedition—this time in the opposite direction. We inarched out at 2 p..p.. That night at 7—well after dark, o'.' ■"ourse—we arrived at Ihe first/well. 1-5 miles from camp. T:iere we were issued with water, cooked our tea, and bivouacked for ihe night. Reveide next day at 4; march off at 5 This time we were to march 17 miles. The rough desert road lay over r- series of level plains. We had tra verse J two or three of these when the column halted and formed up into attack formation. It socms that parties of the enemy had been seen ahead; but as these retired' in a, hurry the. column advanced. When we had reached within two or three miles of tho next well, where we expected to ineftt another body of Sonusci, we crossed a. big plai'i. Here ■,vo pa.ssed several camps of the enemy, nil thi> contents of which were burned. On th?s plain were nearly a hundred camels and' hundreds of sheep. These

were gathered in and driven along in rear of the column W» also "cap-tr-.red" several wo.no.i, rill of whom were alter ivards liberated. When v.'ithiii :übout ;i mile oi' the veils the aeroplane, came along, and after scouting ;-hea.jl signalled to the CO. that the enemy had retreated iv. 1 aste. Wo were unable to pursus them, so we marched hack about, three miles ond bivouacked for the night. Nations ;ind vvater were again given out, and also an issue of rum

"Next day we were up again before daybreak, and marcued off at 5 a.m. We dia not expect to li.ive 1o do the whole distance oi' 2b miles that day. We arrived at T.he> first well at 11 a.m. TJ;ey men. were allowed to decide whether they would camp there for the night, or push .>n to the camp that day. They decided almost unanimously to push on. Water was it-sued, dinner cooked, and the column given throe hours for a rest. At. two o'clock we started back 10 camp---15 miles—all the men in high spirits. After a very weary march we readied crimp at about. 7 o'clock, ::nd were glad to find that tiie cooks had prepared hot tea and stew i'or us.

"W»j ha-i r/'archtMl over 60 miles in 2J days, mclading 28 miles on the last day, with : cull packs, ammunition, ri/les, etc.

"Iv was very ironical to see in ihe weekly papers glowing accounts" of the "great march' of the 7th aud >■■".}i liei'.itorrremei'ts over the Kiinu-takas—-17 miles in uvc days! 1 notice' also that the papers reckon that the Fighths- are the de'st disciplined and trained body who have !e"t New Zealand. They might be interested to know that Colonel- Fulton ■ does not consider that they arc sufficiently trained for the Rhlo Brigade, and that he is putting 6nr deiachment of the Sth Reinf-rcements rhrough. n speci*u course of musketry, etc. "Friday and Saturdfly were fairly oirietv but on Saturday we received orders to take our Luri1 at outpost tluty. We had to march on- at 5 a.m. the nexc day to relievo another unit.

"It was a '.yreat march out. Some of ;:he chaps did not take it very seriously, and di-1 not think it necessary to get i>i>t of bed until it was lime to fall in. The Major came along and found nearly Juil.C his men missing. Of course, he was wild and ?narched oft; those who were fallen in Following the column •''here was a suragglin^' line of men like so many beetles, with their packs, on.

"We were up on the outpost line for 60 ,hours. On the, first day it began to rain, and it'has continued ever since—that is, six days. It seems as though the rainy season has. set in. Our chaps had a rough, time up-there for 60 hours- without shelter in* the pouring hail and rain. I was r,ot so badly off, being quartered with the Sergeant-Aiajor 'behind the outpost line with ihe inlying pjcqnet. We .slept in tents both nights, but were wefc practically all the time. The first night we slept on one of the tents with the unit who provided the inlying', picqu^.t. There were other inmates besides men. I caught on© in my shivt last night. Fortunately 1 have a tin of Keating's The second day I brought, up a tout, .from the pji'mp to shelter the stores for the cutpost, ond we slept in that. "Next day it rained so hard that we were flooded out and had to move camp in the rain.- When one shower was at Its height a, yellow stream ran right through the middle of the store teut. Until to-day we have jnot known what it was to be dry since' last. Sunday. ... "Things are going along smoothly now, but we may receive orders for a fresh move y'.t any time. We get no war news, but you can guess there are plenty of rumors. Ships come and go every day, but we get ..nothing from them. So we hare to wait in patience."'_ .