AN OFFICER'S EXPERIENCES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16415, 21 June 1915, Page 2

AN OFFICER'S EXPERIENCES.

TO THE RESCUE OF LEADERLESS NEW ZEALANDERS. Lieutenant Macfarlane, the son of Mr Edward Macfarlane, of Chailis House, bydney, who was wounded at the Dardanelles, writing to h;s fatner irom the hospital ac Alexandria., says: —

" Wo started landing , last Sunday morning' at 4- o'clocK, under a Heavy hail ol iiro irom everything the lurks could bring to bear on us. We landed at about 4.30 on Gallii>oii t'eiiiiiiula. Ihe Murks Diougnt their uiaciune guns and rilles r.gtit to tue water's edge-, juet inside the sctud, where they entreneiuo. When the boats reached tlio beach tho 'lurks brought suc-li a heavy lire on fcieni trom the trenencs, whilst a Jxail of shrapnel poured down from tho torts, that in some ot the boats every man was killed or wounded betoie he got to tno shore. Some of wie lhird Brigade were so close when thcv reached tue snore that t»hey jumped from "the bouis and made a bayonet charge. The Turks however, did not wait for tncin, but cleared as hard as they could go. When i landed it wiis fasrly dark, and l was told to go up to tho firing line at once. In fact, I think I wus one of the iirst of the 3rd Bittalion that was sent to the tir.ng luie. I was acting second in command, ot rny company, and I took file company Jess one platoon, and was going to the centre ot tho tiring line when a staff officer told me to reiniorce two rignt of our position, as they had had a lot ot casualties, and were likely to be pushed 'back at any moment. The rest ot tue 3rd went to the lelt, so I saw no more of that battaLion. I was never so tirixl in my l>:e as when wo were going to the right. We had hills and gullies to climb, and the hill*; were steep. I kept mv men at it as hard as I could go, a:<ied by my sergoaiit-majoj, a man m .splendid condition. \Ve had a couple of slight halts betore wo got into position. By this tune we had all dropped our packs— it was absolutely essential tnat we should get into tho iiririg lino as quickly as possible. When we got there the enemy's tiring lino was only 2uO yards from us; but we could not sec them because they were entrenched. Wo were on a perfectly Hat piece of ground without any cover, ana with low scrub about 18in high between us. Wo could not entrench, because We would have been shot doing it. All we could do was to lie a., fiat on the ground as possible and keep our fire, under at times clouds of rifle bullets and shells. That was the worst of it— being fired at and not being able to firo back at anything. On our left our men were entrenched. At 2 p.m. some Now Zealand troops coming to reinforce us lost all their officers. I van back to bring them to the firing line. I brought them up, and was just falling to my face when a bullet hit me on the lelt shoulder, oommg out in the small of tho back.

a- , 4 roP -m - was tho first we sa -w of tho lurks. They came within 100 ycrds of us in three different parties, to make a bayonet charge. \\ hen they got to within 100 yards we could see them plainly, and firod as hard as we could. They got up to charge, and we got up to meet them, firJng. They charged within 50 vards of us, and then turned and bolted—that was when we got some firing in. I was firing my revolver and pistol as hard as I oouid go. Just then the shrapnel owned on us. I was hit in the side, but it did not go deep. At 9 pm. somo soldiers cut my equipment off and "ofc me down to the beach. A*t 1 a.m. on Monday I was dressed and sent here. I am doing well, and hope to bo back soon "