AN EXCITING THREE WEEKS.

Northern Advocate, 18 December 1916, Page 1

AN EXCITING THREE WEEKS.

LETTER 'FROM "TED" McMAHON,

THROUGH WITHOUT A SCRATCH

OLD COMRADES GONE,

Mr S. McMahon, of Whangarei, has just received from his nephew, the popular "Ted" McMahon, a letter which is full of interest for Whangarei people, and unfortunately it contains many sad passages. He says, writing under date September 20:

I am well. I have just come through the most exciting three weeks that ever I have spent in all my life, and now, when I have time to realise it all it makes me wonder how anyone gets through it at all. As you know, Watchorn, Wilkinson and Mick were killed, and my step-brother is missing. Wilkinson was killed outright. Watchorn lived for a few hours, and Mick lasted only one hour. Poor old Mick! " We were in our second charge and only 100 yds from the German trench when a shell caught him, taking the left leg off above the knee. It so happened that we had to halt at the time to allow our "wings" to come up, and I spent the seven minutes with him. He was quite conscious and game to the last, and as we shook hands he pulled me down and kissed me good-bye. We took the trench five minutes later and I can assure you my rifle was hot. 1 had to go over again 36 hours later and we took two more trenches, making my third advance iv ten days and not a scratch.

I hold out no hope for young Claude for to be missing down there means death. The German dugouts were exactly as you have heard, 30, 40, 50 and 60 feet deep. T have the key from a piano that I found in one. The idea that Fritz is hungry is wrong, for he has plenty and to spare, but there is no doubt that his morale has gone for we met his best Prussian Guards and Bavarians, and only once did they put up a deceut fight. The transport and the control of the traffic is an "eye-opener." In fact, one could write for a week and then not tell you half the news: We are now back very close to our first firing line and are having our first touch of winter, and what would I not give for a bottle out of the keg. My leave in England will not come off until some time in January, so you will hear from me ere that. I was pro. moted to a Lance-Corporalship and given one stripe ere going into our recent fighting and have since been further promoted to acting-corporal, carrying two stripes.