THE FIRST BRITISH WOUNDED.

Otago Witness, Issue 3199, 7 July 1915, Page 25

THE FIRST BRITISH WOUNDED.

LACK OF MEDICAL ATTENTION. . LONDON, July 4. The Times, in a leading article, says: “The story of the experience of the earlier batches of wounded from the Dardanelles represents one of the most discreditable phases of our participation in the war. Three shins were first sent to transport the wounded ’ from Gallipoli, with a total accommodation of less than 1000, not properly equipped, with very few doctors and orderlies, and no nurses. They crammed in the wounded and sent them to Alexandria, where they found no accommodation had been provided. The ships were left lying at Alexandria for three days, during which period the unhappy wounded received no attention from those ashore. They were not even washed, nor received clean clothes. The shins then went to Malta, where better preparations had been made, though even there they were inadequate for some time. When the authorities in England realised what had happened they made swift amends, and the Mounded are now well cared for.” INVALIDED HOME. NEW ZEALANDERS AT FREMANTLE. FREMANTLE, July 5. Although many of the wounded New Zealanders aboard the hospital ship are gravely injured, none will be permanently incapacitated. The most serious case is that of Lieutenant Peake, who has lost an arm. Others, who are not wounded are suffering from a kind of paralysis through concussion. One explained that a bullet struck a lifted rifle barrel. The force of the impact utterly shattered his nerves, leaving him a shaking, half-paralysed mass. Another bears a long black line like a bruise across the stomach, and is paralysed from the hips down. He does not know what struck him. In his case the doctors anticipate a complete recovery. Many are suffering from bullet and shrapnel wounds, and will remain partial cripples. All pay a tribute to the coolness and gallantry of the landing parties. They fought like old campaigners. The men confirm the statement that Turkish women participated in -he fighting. One saw the bodies of three women equipped with ammunition belts. LETTER FROM THE FRONT. A DOCTOR’S EXPERIENCES. (Fnou Ouh Own* Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, June 16. Captain Eric MacKenzie, R.A.M.C., son of Dr Wallace MacKenzie, of Wellington, is now at the front —“somewhere in France.” Ho is medical officer in the 6th Gordon Highlanders, other regiments in the brigade being the Scots and the Grenadier Guards, the 2nd Gordons, and the Border Regiment. In a letter received by this mail ho says:— “ We are at present holding 400 yards of trenches about 100 yards from the German lines, and I have an aid post in a cheery old well-battered farm about 300 yards from the troatlios. I am not allowed to have my horse up here, as the country is so flat. It is considered dangerous, and T Inyo some quite sporting journeys to our headquarters, about half a mile behind, and backwards and fonvards to the trenches._ There is not a house for miles here that is not a ruin, and yet one sees peasants ploughing well within range of the trenches. The Germans keep up a continuous rifle fire just uow, and the thing that strikes one most is that very few men here have even seen a five German except in rushing the trenches. You

can stay behind the sandbags for hours wit! a periscope and never see one, but if you put your head over you would soon lose it. We hope to hold tins part for weeks, but we are awfully weak—only about 400 men instead of 1000. However, our second line is as sound as a bell, with the Grenadiers, who are magnificent in the forts. The aero* planes are cons.dered the safest jobs out here and we have got them simply on toast in the air. I only wish wo had them aa beaten down below, although we are going? to whack them to a cinder before we are done.”