A WELL-AIMED SHELL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16020, 11 September 1915, Page 4

A WELL-AIMED SHELL.

NEW ZEALAND BATTERY. i ! ' TURKS LOCATE POSITION. PROJECTILE EXPLODES IN GUN PIT. Two men Corporal F. C. Bryan and Gunner H. E. Halpin, both of Palmerston North—of the 3rd Battery New Zealand Field Artillery, recently arrived in London and are in St. Thomas' Hospital. The peculiar point in regard to this battery is that it has never been with the main New Zealand force. The Ist and 2nd batteries landed at Gaba Tepe on the glorious April 25, but for some reason or other the 3rd Battery, after spending a day or two on the water, landed at Cape Helles, under the command of Major Staudish, Palmerston North. The 3rd Battery has been there ever since, pounding the Turks from the British left flank, and supporting the King's Own Scottish Borderers, the Essex Regiment, the Dublins, the Inniskillings, the Sikhs, and Gurkhas. On Jury 11 ■- -the -battery was getting ready for the great attack of July 12 and 13, when the allied troops gained a good stretch of ground. The guns had to be sighted, and when the range-finding was completed the men settled down to a few hours of ease before the order should be received to fire on July 12. Unfortunately, tho New Zealand guns had knocked up the dirt a little, and the German observers thus obtained a fair idea of the locality in which they were concealed. Howaver, tho New Zealand gunners were quite unconscious of anything amiss until the Turks landed a high explosive shell right into the gun pit. Gunner Fiszßimmons" was killed outright, and Gunner Halpin lost his right leg. Halpin admitted that. it was a beautiful shot and knocked the limber about. The strange thing is that ho was sitting on the ground with his le?s apart and playing patience. The shell pitched immediately underneath his right lea, and blew off that limb without touching him in any other part. riSl*™ 6 Jul >' 12 ' th * engagement feint' ! nd tbe New Zeala,,d S ns were C iV'% £?■ the Turkish trenches. h*l lIS fi « ht 'fl: Corporal Bryan was Beck r tio a^ V H 1 had *™ toffiVffiright arm nn ,esfc - and one *» *• A'" 11 :, th .J* a » d Halpin went, sre ayas *«£*,-S3 I P.»ibl. trouble feT^'tr*