ARRIVAL AT FREMANTLE

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 9095, 14 July 1915, Page 8

ARRIVAL AT FREMANTLE

GRAPHIC ACCOUNTS OF FIGHTING ON GALLIPOLI. MEDICAL WORK AT SEA. (Melbourne “Age” Correspondent.) PERTH, July 4. A troopship arrived at Fremantle last evening, outward bound from the Dardanelles to New Zealand. She is laden with wounded. There are about 400 souls on board, including Major D. V. Mackenzie, Captains G. J. Mitchell and Withers, at the head of the medical staff: 10 men of the New Zealand Medical Corps, 8 Australian nurses, who are on loan to the New Zealand forces; 12 officers and 263 men, either sick or wounded. The majority of the men on board took part in the landing at Gaba Tepe. Referring to a small pocket diary. Private Tindale recited the events which led up to the action, in which he was knocked down. “After landing from the tprqedo

boats on Sunday, April 25th, on to a beach which was spasmodically peppered with shrapnel,” Tindalo stated, l ‘wo waited in readiness until the Tuesday to follow in the tracks of the Australians. It is a marvel to mo how your fellows ever got up the first hill in tho face of the fad fire of the enemy, for wo found it difficult enough to climb up after they cleared the way. The ground was very heavily covered with thick scrub, and wc got along in broken formation. Here and there a dead Turk and scattered equipment showed us where the Australians had been, but the med calmen and tho Service Corps did great work in clearing the field of the fallen. Now and again wo came across the pit of a sniper, and nearby his dead body. The snipers were the worst of.the lot, and they did terrible damage. On tho Tuesday we advanced to a position on the top of a hill, and there dug trenches. There was little for us to fire at, but as a kind of precautionary measure we fired occasionally volleys into the opposite hill, in tho hope of getting a sniper or two. Wo remained in that position for three days. One night the enemy came closer and gave us a bit of rifle practice. We were then relieved by a landing party from some of the warships. We re-embarked on the torpedo boats and went down some miles south to Cape Helles, and there joined in the attack commenced by the British and French. We were the reinforcements, hnt we soon got into action, and after lying for a day about a mile and a-half behind the firing line, we commenced to advance in tho face of heavy shrapnel fire. Then w© got into close quarters with the Turks, and their machine-guns were brought into action with deadly effect. I got my little lot through both legs.” SURGEONS KEPT BUSY. Captain Mitchell, who is in command of the medical section, has had a very busy time, and he and Captain Withers have carried out operations daily. Tho fine X-ray plant with which the ship is provided Ims been freely used. Bullets have been extracted and fractures satisfactorily set, and it is a great tribute to the skill of the medical staff that although many of the men are in a serious condition and passed a very trying time in the Red Sea, not on© life was lost. Captain Mitchell himself saw a great deal of fighting, having been ashore with the rqgimants and conducted dressing rooms right under the enemy’s fire. A bullet which entered his knapsack and pierced his “bully beef’’ tin was the nearest call he had, but he felt the unpleasant experience of seeing comrades knocked down in close proximity to the spot where he was rendering first aid.

Some of the men said that one of the greatest difficulties with which the landing forces had to contend was the organised spying and treachery of the enemy. Even some of the native interpreters brought back from Cairo proved to be enemy spies, and many who were seen leaving the Turkish trenches and returning to the British lines were shot. Spies actually mingled with the Australians and New Zealanders on the beach, and others clothed in British uniforms would creep into the lines and order the men to cease fire, adding that “Australians are ahead of you—you are killing your own men—those on your left are the Otago infantry." Many similar commands were heard, which caused no end of confusion. The officers appeared to be the special object of the Turkish sn'per. Major Mackenzie left for the front about twelve months ago with a force of New Zealand cavalry, which has been converted into infantry. The nurses, three of whom are Western Australians, were selected for the trip hero with the idea of also giving them a well-earned rest.