"HOLE THROUGH NECK."

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15949, 21 June 1915, Page 9

"HOLE THROUGH NECK."

NO FEAR OF DEATH.

LABELS ON SOLDIERS.

[nv TFXKGSAPH.—OWN' CORRESPONDENT.] Wellington*, Saturday. Privato Harry Wliishaw, writing from a hospital in Cairo to his mother iii Featherston, relates his experiences and impressions when wounded at the Dardanelles. Ho says: "Though lam knocked out for a while it is really nothing—just a clean hole punched through tho neck. It never caused much pain, and best of all it lias,kept healthy and clean. I think taut 1 am just about healed, and ought soon to bo well enough to got into it again. Wo are in very good bauds here in a big hospital right in town, with English nurses and Egyptian doctors. We have plenty of visitors all day. Tlioy bring us books, magazines, and papers, to say nothing of cigarettes and tobacco. Most of our chaplains were left here at our camp, and they spend all their spare time helping where they can. " Quite a number of mounted boys have been to see us. They are .ill green with envy. It seems a great thing to bo ambitious to get chopped up by Turkish bullets, but that is how they all are. It is foolish of people to worry and weep for their friends and relations who go down in the fight. I am sure from what I saw' and felt that they die happy. - When 1 got mine 1 thought by the amount of blood and the way 1 gasped that the jugular vein had gone, so I did not trouble to put my first field-dressing on. I juso lay down under a pretty little shrub with my elbow on the ground, resting my/ head on my hand and thought of tnany tilings, but there was no fear of death"-or horror that 1 would be no more. I was nearly contented—just a tinge of disappointment when I thought of never seeing any of you again, or seeing any of tho pleasant spots, or having any more of the pleasures of earth. Another thing that troubled mo was the fact of doing 111110 mouths' train ing and then only seeing three, days' fighting. I was only in the firing line for about two hours before being bowled over. It was hard luck! If I should happen to dio next time I am sure it will not trouble me. 1 think that one day of real exciting life is better than a century ct£ monotony, However, though it never put me in misery to think of dying it gave me great pleasure when I realised that I had a sporting chanco of getting better. I had been there quite a while when it dawned on mo that 1 had ceased bleeding, and was still holding my head up, so my main artery must bo all right. I gathered my strength and ran till I gave out. Two Australians dragged me for a while, then ono oil each arm and mo on my back wo went along in fine style amidst a hail of lead, but nono of us got hit. When wo got into safety they put the field-dressing on, and I had another go at walking with their help. Then two more joined them, and they took me to the beach on an oilsheet. I was dressed again there by a doctor, and they put. labels on us, much tho samo as parcels are labelled for shipment.

" Like a parcel I was laid out amongst, hundreds of others waiting our turn to go to the transport-. Mino came about twelve o'clock at night, I was loaded on to a barge by bluejackets, towed out to the Derflmger (a German capture), and hoisted up by a crane. They loaded wounded all that night and all next day.- Before putting out to sea wc were packed along all the decks and corridors, so that it was hard for the Red Cross boys to get about and do their work. One does not fully appreciate tho Red Cross till one sees them at work, thojigh I did not need them much myself, not having any pain, and being able to eat,"