THE INITIAL ENGAGEMENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 3197, 23 June 1915, Page 49

THE INITIAL ENGAGEMENT.

YIYID DESCRIPTION BY PARTICIPANT. HOW PRIYATE HUNT WAS WOUNDED. “BULLETS EVERYWHERE.” (Feom Ode Own Coeeespondent.) WELLINGTON, June 16. The terrible experiences of the Australasians on landing at the Dardanelles are vividly described in a letter received by the Rev. A. E. Hunt, of Wellington, from his son (Private A. J. Hunt), of the Canterbury Battalion, who was badly wounded in the engagement, and is now in hospital at Malta. The letter (dated May 6) runs: “ I will say I am getting on all right now. The wound is a beauty, just below my neck. It is about bin long and 4in wide, and I don’t know how deep. I was very lucky to come out of it so lightly. 1 was hit five times altogether, but there is only one wound of any importance; the others were shrapnel hits. My haversack stopped two from going into my thigh, and only left bruises. The entrenching tool stopped another from going into my leg. The other got me on the head, and it knocked me senseless for about half an hour, and only made a lump as big as a tennis ball at the back of my ear. I can t hear out of my ear now, but that is a trifle. “I will just tell you what happened the day we landed. We arrived at Gallipoli Peninsula about an hour before dawn. The Australians began to land. My word, they did well! We were taken off the transports by torpedo-boats, and had to wade up to our shoulders with all our pack on, and I can tell you it was not easy. The Australians fixed bayonets before they left the boat, then jumped out with a yell, and charged the Turks up a terribly high cliff. They scarcely fired a shot, but cut them to pieces with the bayonet. MACHINE GUNS CAPTURED'.

“The Turks had some machine guns on the beach, and as each boat came up they opened lire. In one boat of Australians only two got out alive, and the boat was covered >n blood. However, the next boat was more fortunate, and when they got on dry land they charged down on three machine guns, and captured them. We could see all this from our boat, and, of course, we were all dying to get ashore and give them a hand. “At last our turn came. We were about the first of the New Zealanders to land. We got on the torpedo-boat from the port side, and the Turks couldn t'soe us, but as we went round the bow of the transport three batteries opened fire on us. Of course, when they started the warships ail started to silence them, and you should have heard the row. You couldn’t hear yourself speak; and wdien at last we landed we couldn’t hoar one another for about five minutes. We were lucky in not getting hit going over. Some of the shells lan tied five or 10 yards from us, and didn’t explode until they reached the water. Had they exploded in the' air we should have been blown to pieces. “ INTO IT.” “After we got ashore we at one© took our packs off, and went straight into it. It was something awful climbing that cliff. There was only a narrow path, and everyone had to keep to it because all the bushes were mined. At last we got over it, after continually ducking our heads to dodge the hail of shrapnel and bullets that was flying round. First of all we went into one of the Turks’ trenches. The first sight that met our eyes was a Turk with his head blown off. A bit further on we saw another with both his legs lying beside him. Wo were in the trenches for about an hour and a-half, when the order came, ‘ Reiiilorceraents wanted ou the right flank.’ Wo had to double out of the trenches and go for our lives across an open space that was being swept with shrapnel. We got across all right. * Three of our chaps w ere killed, but wo kept on, and at last got.behind the tiring line that was wanting more men. We were crawling along on our stomachs, when one of our chaps saw three snipers hiding behind some bushes. We told the lieutenant, and ho ordered four of us to fix bayonets and charge them. We could not Are because of our chaps in front, so we crept back, fixed our bayonets, and waited till the shells stopped buzzing a bit. Then we up and at them. We took them by surprise, and when we were on top of them they dropped their rifles and yelled for mercy. They igot a lot of it, too. Our bayonets went in up to the hilt about a dozen times. Then we took the bolts out of their rifles, throw them away, and left them. They are the biggest cowards out. When once they see they are caught they won’t make a fight for it. They want mercy. They know that word well enough. BULLETS EVERYWHERE. “ We went to our own platoon after, and got up to the firing line. I had a surprise when I had a look up. I thought the Turks were 300 or 400 yards away, but they were scarcely 100 yards off. We were going to make an advance, so we got up two at a time ran forward about five yards, and then’ drooped. I had just got down when I was hit. A sniper caught me sideways on. The bullet went in my loft shoulder, then came up, made a hole in the middle of my back, and dived across to my right shoulder. It was only taken out yesterday, and now I’ve got it in my pocket. The worst part of it all was getting back to the beach when one was hit. Of course, * I was knocked senseless, and when I came to 1 was alone All the others had advanced. 1 crawled back as best I could, for 1 couldn’t stand up. The bullets were iyinrr about evcrvwherc. When I reached a little hollow I tried to stand up, but my head seemed too- heavy mr me, amt 1 couldn’t hold it up. It seemed as it my neck ■ was broken. I ted a hit, of a ic.~i. and then I scrambled on a bit furtuer. I came to a steep bank, and just as 1 was going to slide down it I h ard a saoll coining. ” I bobbed down, and when I thought

it had gone I got up. Then I was knocked on the head, and I didn’t remember any more. All I know is that _ I must have rolled do >vn the bank, and in doing so I put my shoulder out. One of the ambulance men said he found me and carried me down to the beach. _ I don’t know where I should have been if it hadn’t been for him. My shoulder is all right now. It was lucky I didn’t break my neck, for it was a steep bank, and I must have fallen heavily. However, it is done now, and I only hope I shall soon be able to get back to the front again. I must get some of my own back again.” MEN WELL CARED FOR. In the course of a letter received by a resident of Dunedin from his son who was wounded in the Dardanelles, and is now an inmate of the Casino Hospital at San fetephano, Alexandria, the latter states:—“We lay off the Dardanelles for about three weeks, waiting for operations to commence, and then wo had our fight—and it was a fight. Our men landed early in the morning—the 3rd Brigade composed of Australians landed first, and we followed about 4 in the afternoon. I lasted till 11 o’clock next day, and then got a bullet through the knee, which has settled me for a couple of months. I cannot give you any particulars in regard to the tight, as our letters are censored. I was out with a patrol party when I got shot. A Turkish sniper got me. The bullet entered on the outside of the knee and came out on the inside. We are having a grand time in the hospital. They treat us real well here—we want for nothing. The sensation of a mattress bed after eight months’ sleeping on hard ground or sand or bpard is grand. We have not been in a position to enjoy it properly yet, but now our wounds are healing a bit we will be able to sleep. We have good doctors here, so I am quite confident that the best will be done for my knee, whatever is wrong with it. This hospital is about five miles along the coast from Alexandria. It is a lovely healthy spot, where one gets all the sun of Egypt, without any of its plagues of dust, flies, etc.”