A NEW ZEALANDER'S HEROISM.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16591, 14 January 1916, Page 7

A NEW ZEALANDER'S HEROISM.

Au officer of the Royal Navy who took part in tho landing in Gallipoli last April, i writes to tho Times relative to an erst- ! whilo Auoklunder:— "It has been unfortunately my sad lot to write of tho ending on this earth of many lieroea, for I havo been through much sinoo August, 1914, but I smooroly fissure you that I iiavo never seen moro daring j uud gallant deeds performed by any man, naval or militiry, than those performed I by tho man I now know to havo been Sublieutenant A. W. St, Clair Tisdall, Anson Battalion, It.N.D., at tho landing from tho River Clyde, on that terrible 'V' boach. Throughout the afternoon of April 25 a boat containing an officer (unknown to all) and three bluejackets, one of them a potty officer, did tho most daring of tihings, and were seen by very many. Time after time they visited that awful boacii and brought back wounded officers and men. Darkness came on, and that officer was nowhere to be found. All tho petty officer and bluejackets could say was ' He's ono of those Naval Division gents.' Days and weeks passed away, and I and others never ceased trying to find out if we could who and v:here the unknown hero was. Over and over again wo discussod in tho River C?lydo and in dug-outs on the beach, how thoso two had escaped. At last, on Juno 13, a note came from tho trenches to 'V' beach (I hare it now), stating that tho only R.N.D. officer on the River Clyde had been A. W. St. Clair Tisdall, sub-lieutenant, Anson Battalion, R.N.D. Thus wo knew who the hero was. The very next day I learned of his death. I was grieved like many others though we had not the pleauro of his acquaintance), but not surprised, for a man of his daring notwithstanding his perfect ooolness and nonchalance, could not live through a war like this. What must this extr lordinary fellow's death have been like on May 6? His very saving of the wounded and the handling of them was in itself the work of an artist, and a very great ono." HEROIC NURSES—A QUERY. From tho current issue of the Nursing Times: — "It has been suggested that some inquiry should bo held into the Morquette j disaster with a view to learning whether j tho loss of so many nurses was inevitable. ! It is a fine thing for women in the first shock of disaster to stand aside and insist that fighting men must have the first chance of life, but, after that first shock, when the tragedy wore itself out through ! seven or eight icng hours, and the heroic j women gradually succumbed to exhaustion, | was there no possibility of helping them? | Every nurse will subscribe to the rule that the fighting man is of first importance, but those who look on at the wastage of war realise that the nurse is as important as | the man, for it is on her that his power of j resurrection depends. It is she who draws j him back from the jaws of death."