THRILLING INCIDENTS.

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

THRILLING INCIDENTS.

THE LANDING AND AFTER.

ORDEAL BRAVELY FACED.

MANY RED CROSS HEROES.

"At last the Australian and New Zealand troops have received the opportunity they have long been looking for," writes Private John C. Mullins, of A Company, Ist, Canterbury, Regiment. "It must at once le said that they received a little more than they expected, but are satisfied with .their own behaviour under the ordeal, and that they earned the very good opinions held of them. The battle of the Gallipoli Peninsula will be remembered in history as one of the greatest battles, and the landing made by the Australasian troops will bear comparison with the best work of its kind ever accomplished.

"About 9 a.m. the first of the New Zealanders, the Auckland Battalion and the Ist, Canterbury, and 2nd, South Canterbury, Regiments, were taken ashore. Our journey was not as exciting as the Queenslanders' .had had. Only one bullet landed within anything like striking distance. I just happened to bo the unfortunate —or, perhaps, fortunateindividual to get it, for the bullet, evidently a richochet, came straight down, cutting a very small hole in my tunic and shirt, slightly cutting and bruising the arm, and then landed on my ammunition - pouch, denting one of the bullets there. It was a narrow escape, but no harm was done, and we landed without mishap. The first sight that met our eyes on reaching the shore was not encouraging. Equipment and rifles were lying about in all directions, and the dead bodies of several Australians and a couple of Jack Tars could be seen.

Up the Hill. " We quickly discarded our own packs, which are much too cumbersome to fight in, and raced up the first hill. The enemy was determined to prevent reinforcements from coming up, and shrapnel was raining about our ears like bail. Going down the hill I was with a squad led by Lieutenant H. H. Ffitch, and Including Privates Holderness, Madden, Sutton, Harrison, Franklin, and a number of others. A box of ammunition had to be taken up to the firing line, and Harrison and I raced down the hill with this huge encumbrance, and our speed, I might say, was not slow. Neither did wo pick our steps. The other boys then got away from us, and we were relieved of the box of ammunition by another pair. This was the last I saw of any of the fellows mentioned, and [ fell in with a crowd of Australians, and made for the loft flank, while, evidently, Lieutenant Ffitch and his squad went to the right. The last I heard of our officer was that ho 'had secured a rifle and bayonet from a dead Australian, and was working in great style right in the firing line.

Personal Experiences. " I can only tell of my own experiences, but, presumably, nearly every other fellow bad practically the same. After veering away to the left we followed a big gully for some time, but evidently the Turks had the range of this, and their shrapnel made tilings too warm for us, so wo forsook the cover for more open country. However, the shrapnel, which was playing hell generally,, continued to pepper us, and several fellows I was with went hurling down the hill after being hit. At this stage the reinforcements were being peppered mercilessly, but after much crawling, squirming and dashing we got into the firing line. For a time little was doing there, as the enemy was confining his attentions to the reinforcements who were coming up fast and furious. But then the machine-guns and shrapnel were trained on the ridge on which wo were, and tho casualties became awful?" Every now and again one of the boys would roll oven—sometimes with an involuntary yell, at other times with the quiet remark, 'He's got me.' If not seriously wounded he would do ' the barrel trick,' and roll away out of the firing line. Up to this time I had considered myself extremely lucky, for two men on-either side of me had been shot, two of them fatally. The enemy was well concealed, and it was only now and again that wo caught a sight of one and had a ' pot.'

How the Wounded Behaved. • The mountain' guns, handled by the Indians on the extreme left, were going well, and the enemy suffered seyerely. We wero still handicapped by the absence of our artillery, and everv now and again an agonised cry of ' Where's our artillery,' might be heard from one of • the wounded. The behaviour of the men under fire was wonderful, and their coolness in any position was marvellous. It was never pleasant. In time wo got used to the whistling of the shrapnel shells overhead, Jiut the machine-guns were never quiet.\ Back lor Ammunition.

"I think I had been in the firing line for an hour or so when a couple of us were sent .to get more ammunition. I had an Australian sergeant as mate acA companying me. We rolled back about 20 yards or so, and I was just congratu lating myself on getting out of the trouble so nicely, when something burst, and the next I "remember 'I was at the bottom of a fairly stiff hill, half-buried, with my back, shoulders and leg feeling as though they did not belong to me. The Australian sergeant was still with me, with blood pouring from his neck, but he assured me it was 'only a flesh wound,' and I fixed his field dressing on him as best I could. *

The Streams ol Wounded. "Tho Australian Red Cross, who, by the way, were doing great work, were stationed in the valley, and I was sent to the shore in charge of one of them, white my sergeant friend expressed his intention of returning and getting some of his own back. During our journey back to the shore we passed hundreds of fellows shot through tho arms, legs, or head, and some of the experiences I had I never wish to go through again. Tho slaughter was something frightful, and all tho time the wounded were going back to the boats >hey were peppered with shrapnel and riile fire. Every I wounded man was cheerful as he could be, and I can toll you that the Australians have earned a reputation that will never die. -There are many pitiful tales to be told, and the suffering of some of tho wounded men was awful. Tho Red Cross men could not cope with all the cases, bufcjthey did very well, and when I arrived at the boats the shore was strewn with hundreds of men who had suffered at the hands of the enemy. Reinforcements Cheered. " A hospital ship crowded with wounded left early in the afternoon for Alexandria, and l "am writing this aboard tho Indian liner Seangchoon Rancoon, bound for the same port with 630-odd men aboard, while ahead of us is the troopship Lutzow, with probably a similar number. At least six men have died aboard this ship during the past few days, and it is impossible at present to give anything like a correct estimate of the total casualties. Most of the Australian battalions have suffered heavily, and the New Zealanders who were in the firing line got their full share. It is stated that Colonel Macbcan Stewart is dead, and that Major Loach, Major Row, and Major Grant have all been injured, -but I know nothing definite on this point. As a matter of fact I did not see one of our officers or non-coms, after leaving Mr. fitch. When we-were waiting on the shore to be taken to the hospital ships reinforements were arriving, and the Australian artillery also put in an appear- { ance. This was the. signal for a lusty ] cheer from the wounded, for we all recog- j nised the value of our big guns at this j 'stage." |