DEATH OF TROOPER J. J. ORR.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XL, Issue 12705, 26 November 1915, Page 1

DEATH OF TROOPER J. J. ORR.

COLONEL BATXHOP'S GALLANTRY.

Accounts ot the death of Trooper J. J. Orr, an. Oamaru boy. and of the gallantry of Colonel Bauchop are contained in a letter from a member of the C.Y.C. as follows: •'We had the honor of opening the

attack by rushing a scries of Turkish trenches with the bayonet in the dark, on the night of August 6th. Poor Bob Lusk and Frank Jarman, in my section, were both killed. Jarman fell in the first burst of fire from the machine-gun on the ridge we were attacking. Poor Frank, he got a very short run for his money. We found Bob Lusk the

nest morning, dead, with his wire cutters in his hand right at the muzzle <>t the gun, which, of course, was taken, and a good few Turks were lying bayoneted here. It was about here I got separated from Jim Orr. A party of us, under our troop officer, worked

our way up to the spur called Bau- ! chop's Hill, meeting several small j batches of Turks on the way. who were I giv,en very short shrift. It was deadly i wot- in the dark with the bayonet. We j didn't fire a shot until we reached the top. About half-way up the spur we were joined by a small party of the j Otago Mounted Rifles, under Colonel I Bauchop himself, and we continued to dear out the enemy's trenches until we reached the top. About this time two of us ran into six Turks. Moore got two ;ind I got one, and the others took to :keir heels. I chased one for

about halt a chain, but couldn't quite reach him. However. I made a lunge, and got about two inches of my point into his back. He gave a yell and wriggled off, and I was- too pumped to continue the chase. The party I was with outstripped the rest of our men by a long way, and the Turks got in behind us again, and we were cut off on top of Bauchop's Hill until dawn, when the advancing Gurkhas drove off oui assailants and carried the advance far past us. Great Scot! I was glad to see them. It was a terrible night we spent on the plateau, fired on from all sides, and listening to the attack waxing and waning behind us and away on our left Tear.

Colonel Bauchop was the life and soul oi us that night. He was here, there, and everywhere where danger threatened most. He took great risks, and exposed himself continuously. walking about the plateau. He asked for a volunteer to hold a place a little down a spur, and I said I would go. He asked my name and remembered me. Two of our fellows went with me, but we were shortly recalled without mcident. He shifted me about a pood bit that night. The Turks crept up close all round us, and made several halfhearted attempts to drive us out. On' rose up_ just in front of me, so f • "pipped''' him. About dawn poor Coionel Bauchop was badly hit. Foriv pcr cent, of us on that- hill were hit that night. Poor young Yvay was lying just on my right'wheii he .vas h ; r in the stomach, and Reg. Atkinson was lying on my left talking to me when he got two bullets in "the hand and wrist. I consider I was awfully lucky to get off without a scratch. I remained on that hill for the rest of the following day.

Shortly after daylight on Bauchop Hill I was bandaging up an Otago man. who was hit through the thigh, and when I was doing it the poor beggar got another through the knee of the

same leg. The snipers in this broken, scrubby country are hell. Yesterday I was sent out to do some sniping at "the enemy, who were getting water from a well 200 yards away. I took poor •rim Orr with me. and we wenj back to our supports and were going to make :i detour from there. We went down a little gully for about 150 yards from ifie bivouacs and decided to leave our neavy gear there. Orr got his off first, nnd said he would .just take a peep over the ridge to see what the country was like. He had only gone a few "yards when a shot rang out on our rear, ana poor old Jim fell shot through the heart. I ran up to him and carried him into cover. He never spoke, except to say, -'l'm done, old chap," and died quietly in my arms in about three minutes. I called out for a doctor and stretcher-bearers, and they came immed;ately. but it was practically over when they came. What bad luck to be shot by a sniper in your bivouac, practically, after surviving ten days' lighting. So you see 1 am the last of my section, the sole survivor of four mates who got together because of friendship.