AUSTRALIANS IN ACTION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3197, 23 June 1915, Page 33

AUSTRALIANS IN ACTION.

DETAILS OF LAXDIXG.

MEN EAGER FOR EIGHT. THRILLING BAYONET CHARGES. (From Reuter’s Correspondent in Egypt). CAIRO, May 3. Many stirring talcs of fighting at the Dardanelles on April 25, 26, and 27 have been related by wounded Australians and New Zealanders who have been brought to Alexandria and Cairo for treatment. All the men bear a very cheerful demeanour, and speak with glowing pndo of the part they played in the great light. The casualties they incurred point to the difficulties of the task that was assigned to them, and they arc proud to think that they were chosen to perform a feat the success of which depended entirely on extraordinary dash and daring.

It was early in the morning of the 25th; that on crowded pontoons they were towed towards the shore at Sari Bair by destroyers travelling at a great pace. hho hawsers were cut when some distance from the bead), and the boats'by their own impetus were carried along in the direction of the shore. They met with a murderous lire _of shrapnel, and also machine-gun and rifle fire, and the brave colonials, jumping front the boats, ploughed through, nock high in water, to the beach. Many of them already had been hit, and marines, taking the rifles of the fallen men, made off to assist the colonials in the gigantic task before them. FIRE FROM THE CLIFFS. The Australians had been told to Take a certain ridge and hold it at all costs until supports came up. Iho troops do not appear to have met with many obstacles m the way of barbed wire entanglements or other obstacles of this nature, as cliff's rise from the beach at the particular spot at which they landed, and it was not anticipated that any attempt at landing would be made there. Indeed, it is said' that the Australians did not land at the place that was assigned to them, and consequently they found themselves subjected to a terrible fire from the cliff's above them. They made a magnificent rush, however, undeterred by the rain of lead that was being let loose on them, and they gained the ridge that they were ordered to take. The story is best continued in the words of one of the men who participated in the light- “Wo were told to stay on tnc ridge until our supports came along, ' lie said, “but we had already lost most of our officers, nicked off by Gorman snipers, and our blood was up, so off we went to take the next ridge. It was a great game—tao best we had over had. We wanted to Jet the Turks know what Australian steel was like, and they tasted it all right, they ran screaming and yelling before us, buff he added ominously, “we ran faster. Wc had a running bayonet fight for three miles, ami I don’t think wc could have ever done that without those five months training at Mena. Wc not only took a second ridge, but a third as well; but then wo mot the Turks in great force, and we had to retire io the first ridge. The New Zealanders then came along, and on wc went, again. 1 saw two Now Zealanders charging seven Turks who with terror-stricken iaece were howling and wailing. Wc dug ourselves in now and again, but this tunc finally reached the second ridge. Then things wore be ginning to get a bit hot for us again, when the Indians came along, and m another oroat bayonet rush wo gained the third ridge once again, and established ourselves there. The shrapnel and ure all this time was “hellish,” but nStmng could stop our boys. On they went, cursing and swearing, the big lads lifting the Turks on the ends of their bayonets and flinging them over their heads. Oh, it was a great game!

COOLNESS OF INDIANS. “The Indians wore splendid. They took no notice of the shrapnel falling all round and amongst them, and fought with cool and steady determination. Once wo saw something white bobbing up and down behind a hillock, and we soon discovered that it was the headgear of a German sniper, so seven 111011 were told oft to round inni up, and the Teuton met his death by seven bayonet thrusts. , .. , “ When the wounded Australians at V ictoria College, Alexandria, heard oq the reio'cing in the Commonwealth and Now Zealand over their gallant exploits they set up a cheer amongst them, and cried, “\Ve m o going to do better when we get back. A tiie wounded sneak in glowing terms of the Red Cross work. They eay their men w ere simply wonderful, and every ono ° them deserves the A icioria. Cross. They went about their work absolutely fearlessly, taking the maximum of risks, and many a brave man fell as ho was attending to a wounded comrade. The lire to which they wore subjected ■vvas not ordinary lue. It w’as simnlv hell, and yet the Red Cross men moved about in the open, never thinking of their own lives in their concern lor the wounded. FIRING ON RED CROSS. “ The Turks behaved disgracefully, firing on the Red Cross at every opportunity. One Australian said that ho saw a lurk slash out at a Red Cross soldier with a long knife as ho was carrying a wounded New Zealander to a place of safety. ‘When I jumped on him with my bayonet lie held U p hi s hands, but I could have no mercy for a brute like that, and 1 thrust my bayonet through him.’ “Another Australian, wao is lying at the Casino Hospital, Alexandria, badly wounded, tolls a. shameful story of the treachery of a German officer. I’bo officer had boon soilously wounded, and had boon attended to in a very considerate manner by an Australian Rod Cross soldier, who dressed his wounds. The gratitude shown by the German officer was to draw his revolver and shoot, the Australian in the back as ho walked off to assist his wounded comrades. “I felt very bad indeed, but the sight of such a. dastardly outrage put new life into rno. I crawled along the ground slowly, and. summoning all my strength, put an end to the life of the German with my bayonet.” MANY WOUNDS NOT SEVERE. The Australians say that the number of

Turkish killed and wounded must have been enormous, and the number ofi Gorman officers killed was considerable. W lien they reached the third ridge the second tune the Australians sang out to the retiring Turks, “ This land is our property now.” The men who had been brought to Alexandria avo simply yearning to get back again. -Tho Australians and Now Zealanders in their great fight are said to have had 4000 injured. A great number of these, however. arc very slight wounds, and most of the men will bo taking their places in tire firing line withm a month, so that actually the losses are not so groat as they seem. TURKS RUN FROM COLD STEEL.

No words can express the opinion here of the work performed by rim Australians. They are considered to have gone through some of the severest fighting during the present war. and they cal! it a great game. The men say that German officers are in

largo numbers on the peninsula. It is thought chat tiic colonials, by the dauntless manner in which they landed and went headlong for the enemy, have struck terror into tlfi' hearts of the 'Turks, and the moral effect of the rushes will bo very considerable. “ The Turks know ns new,” said an Australian soldier, “ and if they are wise Miry will always run when they see us coming. They didn't seem to like our steel a bit. As soon as we even got near a Turk lie scooted as hard as lie could, howling at the top of his voice. Many of them came along crawling on the ground, with bushes tied mound their necks. Others were holding hushes in their hands, but wo always ran to meet them, and then off they went.”