AFTER THE FIGHT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15944, 15 June 1915, Page 4

AFTER THE FIGHT.

WOUNDED TELL STORY,

FIRING LINE INCIDENTS.

TURKS FEAR BAYONET.

Already Ihe cablegrams have told you with what superb courage and dash the colonials celebrated their baptism of fire, wiitcs "Trooper Bhiegum " to the Sydney Morning Herald from Egypt. You know how nobly they played their part, and at what a cost the victory was won. Yet I would like to tell you of the little incidents hero and there which the real historian must overlook; of the vignettes which supplement the big battle pictures and tho sidelights which • illumine tho drama and tragedy of the war in the Levant..

Wo of the Light Horse are still enjoying a full measure of safety, while our brethren of the infantry are at death grips with tho foe. But We See the long lines of wounded as they are brought back to the baso; we hear tho stories of tho wild charge they made; and we wish we had shared In the glories of that fight. Some time ago I heard an Imperial officer, newly returned from Flanders, say that the 3rd Australian Infantry Brigade was the finest brigade of infantry in the whole of the allied armies. In physique they Were far superior to any of the British, French, or Belgian troops. Whether this be true or not, there is no doubt that tho sturdy Thirds under Colonel Maclagan fought like Trojans on the Gallipoli Peninsula, and covered themselves with glory. Incidentally I might mention some of them never fired a shot during tho fierce fighting of April 25. They simply trusted to the cold steel, and f|ulig themselves at the Turkish trenches. The Ist Brigado (Colonel MacLaurin), the 2nd (Colonel McCoy), and tho rest of Australians and New Zealanders fought with equal valour, but the brunt of tho attack was homo by the Thirds. So many hundred gallant lives was a heavy price to pay for a footing in Gallipoli, but those impetuous charges, absolutely irresistible in their fury, will bear rich fruit all the while till Constantinople falls, for tho Turks will never again withstand a bayonet charge by the Australians.

It was noteworthy that ouly a few thousand prisoners were token. I asked on of the Ist Battalion boys why that was. Ho replied : " How could 10,000 of us tako rrisoners when we were up against 55.000?" 1 remembered the Irishman in Flanders who single-handed captured three Germans, and when his colonel asked how he did it explained : " I surrounded thim, sorr."

The Tricks of the Turks. The wounded Australian continued his explanation i " You see. tho Germans have taught the Turks all sorts of nasty tricks. One of them is surrendering just at the last minute. One Turk in a trench shot my pal on my right and a chap on my left; then when wo got right into tile trench ho suddenly dropped his rifle, and ups with his hands. I reckoned that wasn't fair, so I jammed my bayonet fair into his ribs. Time and again the Turks would shoot till wo wero right on 'top of them, and then drop guns and surrender. Call that fair fighting?" Another chap with his tunic all clotted blood and his head in a bandage here interpolated : " Say, you needn't fear the Turks' shooting. It's safer to bo in tho firing line than in tho reserves. But look out for those machine guns; they spit death at you at the rate of ten a second. Also keop your eyes open for snipers. We drove them _ back for miles behind Sari Bair, but lliere were snipers everywhere. They never minded being killed so long as they could pick off a few officers. One black devil shot our colonel at only 50yds. Five of us got to him, and gave him just what Brutus and Cassius gave Julius Cesar."

Rifles Too Hot to Hold.

"We fought them for thrco days after landing," said a big bushman iu the 2nd Brigade, "and they made about a dozen counter-attacks. But when wo had a chance of sitting down and letting them charge us it was dead easy—just _ like money from home. They never got near enough to sample the bayonet again. But on the 27th they tried to get all over us. They let the artillery work overtime, and wo suffered a bit from the shrapnel. The noieo was deafening. Suddenly it (stated, and a new Turkish division was launched at us. This was just before breakfast. There was no doubt about the bravery of the Turks. But we were comfortably entrenched, and it was their turn to advance in the open. We pumped lead into them till our rifles were too hot to hold. Time And again they came on, and each timo wo sent them about their business. At three o'clock we got tired of slaughtering them that way, so we left our little grey homo in the trench and went after them again.'

"Big Lizzie." " Sav, what do you think of ' Big Lizzie?'" asked another blood-bespattered Cornstalk. "Ain't she the diizy limit?" It should be explained that " Big Lizzie" is the affectionate way our fellows allude to tho super-Dreadnought Queen Elizabeth. Tho soldier continued: "All the while our transports were landing ' Big Lizzie ' just glided up mid down like an old hen watching her chickens. Every now and then the Turkish destroyers from Nagara tried to cut in and smash up the transports. But the moment Eizzio got a move on they skedaddled. One ship was just a bit slow. Didn't know that ' Big Liz.' could hit ten miles off. Shell landed fair amidships, and it was good night, nurse."'

One of the 9th Battalion chipped in here. Ever tried wading through barbwire and water with Maxims zipping all round you? " Snipers Pick Out Officers. This pertinent question explained the severe losses of tho 3rd Brigade. Tho landing was effected simultaneously at several points on tho peninsula, but one spot was a hornets' and they started to sting when the Australians reached the beach. A couple of boats were upset and several sailors and soldiers killed. Others, dashing into (lie shallow water, were caught in the barb-wire. "My legs are tattooed prettier than a picture," added the Queenslauder, "and I've a bit of shrapnel shell here for a keepsake somewhere under my shoulder." "Fancy ten thousand miles* and eight months' training all for nix," said a disgusted corporal. "Landed at 4 a.m. Shot at 3 seconds past 4. Back on the boat at 5 a.m. The Turks must have been afraid I'd cut loose and stab "cm." Then they started to tell how tho snipers picked out the officers. The casualties amongst the officers were tremendous. LADS FROM DUNTROON. FIRST FRUITS OFFERED. The young officers from the Duntroon Military College fought in a way that showed their native courage and the excellence of their training. I remember seeing them laugh and cheer when Sir lan Hamilton, on leaving Duntroon, jokingly wished them "plenty of wars and rapid promotion," says "Trooper Bluegum" when describing the fighting at the Dardanelles. Only a few days ago, it seems we were dancing and flirting in a Cairo ballroom. Now many of them lie sorely wounded at the base hospital, and several will never again hear the reveille. But tho college will not forget its first fruits offered up so gladly for Empire— Hardy, Lcggo. Patterson, Smith, K. Walker, and Weir,