RETURN TO NEW ZEALAND

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 16 July 1915, Page 4

RETURN TO NEW ZEALAND

INTERVIEWS WITH WOUNDED MEN-'

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, Tins Day. Corporal K. R. Squirrell, son of Mr G. Squirrell, of Gordon, Road, *Mt. Eden, of the Third Auckland Infantry Regiment, who has returned with ia ; fbullet wound through the right wa« loudin his praises of Dawson, who. had command of, tilts section, of the New Zoalanders. "He seemed to have had nine lives," remarked Corporal Squirrell, "for ho was right in.the thick o;f,it all the time. Indeed, it was -wonderful what ho did do. It was a,, great blow when he fell "wounded." Corporal Squirrell. spent a fortnight in the' firing line, serving, in. many different positions. Some places we.ro hotter than others, but all were bad. The worst experience our company went through, the corporal went on, was when we were sent down tho coa«t to Cape Helles and took part in the advance on Achi Baba. Wo were told wo would be able to. have. a. go at the> Turks in the open. We went ashore on Friday, - May 7th, and dug ourselves in about a mile and a half behind tho firing lines. In the afternoon we wero selnt to reinforce the left flank and to. go into tho first reserve, trenches. It transjpired afterwards: that the wrong order had reached us. We should have gone to reinforce the centre. As it was wo wore heavily peppered with shell fire.' When it was discovered that wo wero an the wrong- place we; had to retire and dig ourselves in again . Immediately wo had dono so -we had to shift again, this .timo to the centre of the lino, where* wo passed the rest of tho night undor heavy fire. All the timo there was more danger back behind tho firing lino than an the line itself. "We wero ordered forward at 10.30 a.m. on Saturday, May Bth. Theire was very littlo cover, it. 'being aH' agricultur-al-country with, beautiful paddocks full of wild flowers. Wo sta-rteKTio advance, taking what cover wo could. As the enemy's fire grew heavier wo had to advance in short rushes. At on© stage tho Turks had us undetr a cross maxim fire. An hour after we started' forward I was drilled through the right, arm with a rifle, bullet;- The, limb was-, paralysed' .for, a. lon.'gtimei. When., I was,, hit 'I turned- a somersault a, pick I was in the...left-hand, having previously, dropped-my rifle also. Juat as I fell another .bullet cut a pieco out of, my. right ear." , , Private C'. H. Canton, of. the Taranaki Company, of- the Wellington- Infantry, suffering from a bullett wouxidi iri; the foot, received his injury in' tho Capo . Helles fight during the. adynaco oh Achi Baba, on VWe were sent into the -firing line from., the rear,''" ho.-ssaid.' "The «, v New Zealand' Infantry lost>, the open country. Tho Turkish .infantry are not great shots, but their snipers Were. The. latter, .were,-mostly Germans. They used to paint their if aces and'rifles green to prevent us from distinguishing them,. Wo caught one man who was. concealed, alone. He had, supplier, ft>r a, m6nth and 14 cases, of., ammunition, ■When ; ,l, was hit I was,- resting, and not firing at all'."- . . kl , :■ "'■'.•.•'■■■ f Private, Canton conciuded, by. declaring; the opinion, that New Zealand .should.-, send out more reinforcemenl&.iHan "wero. being eent,.' Ho, added.', that, 'soyera} . oft, the returned; wounded' had -volunteered to. return to. the. frent, andi were to igd a month's furlough. " ■ ■'■'...'..''■" A merrycare-free is LanceCorporal ..Samuel,', of, Auckland, <fu|l -oJE. stones about pranks on.the , voyages to and frpn. the front. '■ he is suffering from nerves. ,''A billet •hit me in the.arni and did'some.;damage/ to my nerves, there,'' he relates,,'.'.' thought it was a, ibrick at first, and. I wish it. had been,. , .This nerve, trouble,.':"? far "Even, yet when a, door bangs Ifeelasif I had an electric shock. What worried' me most of all" at the", front was the noise. The hills echo and reecho and the roar and; rattle, is frightful. You cannot be. sent back behindVihe lines, for a. rest, because there is nowhere. to' go. There, is no •'behind' the lipee'/ fe are just holding on, and you caji't gejfaway - 'from the row anywhere;"; ."• • . V ",. : ;. . He had stories about Turkish fighters • and snipers. "Did you hear about-the, : Turks' mutilating our wounded? "Well it was all true. They have shopped it now, 'because they know they will have to' give in at the end,! but in that first engagement, when the Australians- had to retire, leaving a lot'of* their woundtsd; the, Turks finished them off. The Australians found' this out when they wont o nagain, and'we got the tip to -take -no prisoners. Then, the Turks' lUsed'itq. hold up their, hands, sayingj 'Very goodi Bngr lish,' the only,-words they knew; 'Allah-!' Allah!' They got' 'Afiaih!*'all: iright.' They hate the >a'yoent, and a© »• rulo, they don't, wait ior iti' Now.-ai tttupjrigv they are., amazingly clever. landV cheeky.' They got, through qur-. lines,,somehow, . hide in the scrub „or. somewhere ol*e> and; sitoot,our. ni€(n • from , the. back,' : Some. &ave been in the., scrub, with J. their-:faces painted ©re,eni. to,ayoic"., ; being .seen.... 'Ot/hetrs "have, 'been, caughfct wjita. «v ,fu|lv Austra,lian, .uniform; with,.- identification disc and, pay bpok; cornpAfeto,i"v .