TERROR OF THE SHRAPNEL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 12 July 1915, Page 2

TERROR OF THE SHRAPNEL

EFFECT ON' THE TROOPS

SENSATION OF BEING SHOT AT,

Writing', to a friend-' in Ohristchurch from a hospital in Egypt, under date May 15. Corporal L, B* Hutton, of the .Canterbury Infantry Battalion, who was an engineering student at Canterbury College .when' he enlisted, .and who was wounded, in the. early days of the fighting at the.Dardanelles, says :—\_ '"One ot the misfortune*, of war sees mo bai-k in tins 'land of .sand, sin, and Hies, when: I really thought I 'had seen the last of it. I think the- hea\\ <asualty list wTT! stagger most of the people in New Zealand. However, there was veiv important woik for us to do. and it is safe to =!iy and boa it tlntt a proper disciplined * army could, never have done what the Australians did in landing in small boatload-, and ch.ving the Turks two miles inland. Main hard things haw been said about the conduct of the Australian force in Cairo, but wlien it comes to the fighting they are out on their own. "At the-disembarkation we wore ptiilied into "boats and huined' to the beach, and had to splash ashore anjhow. They sent us straight up to the firing line, and in so doing one company got scattered, and for da,\-s some of the men were lost. I was with a party of about 15. inducting the major and lieutenant. "We planted ourselves at a convenient spot foi n spell, as the climb up the' hill was no joke. Then the shrapnel shells started. They swept the hill we were or. and the valley below -us, bursting so close l*.at my nose "and mouth staa-ted to bleed. I thought we saw shrapnel on the canal, but that was nothing. The man who says ho is not afraid of "shrapnel is a liar. I must plead guilty to a very quakey feeding, and though one majy get used to shrapnel I don't think the fear ever wears off. Bullets ire of very little account, because one never heai-s the bullet that hits one, buj> one can see_ a shell burst up in the air, and then it's a case of diving into the nearest hole or burying one's face 'in ithe ground like an ostrich. "The first three days were the worst. We did not have ■proper trenches, a-no" the sicht of so many killed and wounded' did ,iot improve matters. By the end of the week,however, were more comfortable, .and casualties were fewer. Apart from that, our main line of trenches wary made qnite safe against attacks by barbed wire and a few mines. They cannot drive us out of our position now. try as they -will. .

"On the fcnw."-ng Sunday we took the initiative, and went for a couple of their trenches. We got them all Tight. - The Canterbury Battalion star tod moving at 6 on Sunday night, trying to get into q' certain position. Finally, about 2-0, Teached there, just at daybreak, the re?t coming oh later. We had. no time to dig a trench before the Turks opened fire. From the start, there was ■some blishter firing at me. I -could feel his bullets" com.vn"' closer and 'closer, and all I can say is° that he anust -have heeri. a -verybad shot not to hit me before -ho dirt. If I remember right it was the 13th shot that hit, and I certaiplv thought-tie had made a good job of it. A" bullet goirg at the rate of 2445 ft. per second—J Am. quoting the drill book —can deliver <j nastv shock, vet such is the hardness ot Trty head- that"it never really put me out It struck me sideways on the left temple, chopped out a fair-sized piece of mf, struck the skull, smashed up the case through the top of "my hat, leaving sundry pieces of nickel and lead -in mv cranium: It totM me- just about five seconds to realise I was alive, another five seconds to throw a on, arid about half a. second to hop out*of the firing line and- down the 'lull, out ot, danger. There I sat clown and consumed a cigarette, And 'began t° wonder whether," atfter all, J was np't going trt .bleed to death, •because' T certamlv was losing some .blood. ~ However, I .got down to the. beach audi.into the ,hos»vtr' ship We left that night for Alex?<ndiia : whence 25 of us wore drafted do,wn».he"e to a small Government ophthalmic hospital, where everything* is very quiet, and all the English residents very kind. .