MEN TOO EAGER.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume XI, Issue 530, 13 July 1915, Page 7

MEN TOO EAGER.

FOUGHT LIKE LIONS. An extract from the ■ letter of an Oam-. am boy to his parents says: "The wounded say the reason they had so many casualties was that they wer© too eager. •They were told to only take the first trenches, but after they had done that they went on their own account to capture some more, which they did,, but they fell into an ambusih. They fought like lions with, the bayonet,. The Turks axe

not recognising the Red Cross, and snipers picked off our ambulance men. The big Red Cross on the arm was as the waving j of a red rag to a bull to them, eo we have got to remove it. Shortly after landing, a big ambulance tent was erected on the b^ach. and the Red Cross flag hoisted, but ik-fore it was secured it was blown doAvn. Again it was erected, and again shot down, so it was> plainly evident that the Turks would not recognise it, and it was only serving as a. mark for them. I have heard some ghockinn- tales of wounds and treachery that I couldn't give you details of. The doctor told me that he was dressing wounds until 4 o'clock in the morning after the day our wounded araived, and that the hospital staff was not nearly enough to cope with all the work. They are very short-handed, and he told me of one fellow who had his arm badly shattered, who had only had it attended -to once since he was injured eight or nine days before. There was one officer in the Turkish lines in a, full Australian uniform, with badges and shoulder-straps correct, and even the hat hanging from his shoulder. He cried cut not to shoot, but lie was riddled with bullets. He was a German officer. The colonials have been very careless over their clothing.