AT THE DARDANELLES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3205, 18 August 1915, Page 31

AT THE DARDANELLES.

BRAVERY OF THE COLONIALS. TRIBUTES TO THE WOUNDED. HIGH PRAISE FOR STRETCHER-BEARERS. (By Malcolm Ross, Official War Correspondent with the N.Z. Forces.) Juno 4. Major Loach, of the Ist Canterbury Infantry, whom 1 found in bod in the AngloAmerican Hospital, had a rather had wound on his log behind the knee. The wound was, however, healing gradually, and ho was quite cheerful. He had gone with the 12th and 13th Companies of the Ist Canterbury Infantry on the Sunday night to reinforce the left flank of the Australians, which was being severely handled by the enemy. The Canterbury men dug right in and saved the position—a ridge running at right angles to the sea. If the Turks had got that ridge they would have wiped everything off the beach. It was a razor-back, and the position was such that tiny Turkish shrapnel went right over it unless it landed absolutely on the razor-back. Major Loach said the landing was about a mile north of the actual point. of Gaba Tope, because the navy people knew that there was barbed wire at the latter place. The heights fronting the beach wore so steep that in places the troops had to haul their ammunition np with ropes. The whole army corps was situated in a narrow semicircle. Colonel Stewart was killed while looking for two companies that had previously gone up about 3 o’clock on the Sunday afternoon, and that had not come back. Major Loach went to find where these companies were, and to lead the others up to the position. He met the corporal, who was badly wounded, coming down, and he told him that the colonel had been killed. He also learned from the corporal that Major Grant had died of a bad wound, and that Lieutenant Barclay (son of Dr Barclay, of Temuka) was badly wounded and missing. Subsequently the 12th and 13th Companies had to come back from this position to the beach, and they wore then ordered to occupy the extreme left, and to hold it at ali costs. On the Monday they consolidated that position, and made a road up which they could carry ammunition. On Tuesday the 12th Company went to_ the top of the hill to reinforce the Australians, and scouts were sent out on a reconnaissance. as far as the Fisherman’s Hut. On the Thursday the scouts made another reconnaissance, and the hills further to the north were occupied. Under cover of darkness Major Loach led the l?th Company to occupy a ridge running towards the sea, and on Friday the position on the left was further consolidated. On Saturday ho got badly hit in the leg, and had to leave for Cairo. The feat of the Canterbury men in seizing the hills on the left and in holding them in the face of severe opposition was one that required initiative, daring, and great tenacity, and it had a material influence upon the situation during the early days of the peninsula occupation. Major Loach, who is now on route to New Zealand, says they had an awful experience removing the wounded during those first days. They had to get them first of all on to the punts, and as there was no staging they had to rig up planks. It was rather an ordeal for such of the wounded as could do it to walk those planks. Others, of course, had to be carried. Subsequently there was the transference from the punts to the ships, transports in some instances having to do the duty of hospital ships. “The people that won my admiration,” said Major Loach. “ were the stretcherhearers. By Jove ! I never thought they would work like that: and they wore under fire practically the whole time.” OTAGO MAN’S EXPERIENCES. The numerous hospitals at Alexandria were very full of wounded, and here it was that one found the worst cases. In the hospital hurriedly established in the hig Victoria College building, about three miles out of the town,-1 found an Otago man, Private M'Phcrson. A -piece of shrapnel had ripped him down the back, but he was makinggood progress, and was very bright. Ho paid a high tribute to the- bravery of the Australians. OTAGO MEN ENFILADED. On the second Sunday, Private MT’herson stated, three companies of the Otago Battalion charged and took some Turkish trenches, but they were enfiladed by a machine gun. and lost heavily. “ Our adjutant,” said M'Phcrson was shot that night. Moir, our second in command, withabout 50 men, were cut off in that attack, and when we retreated the O.C. thought they must have been captured or absolutely slaughtered. Two days later Moir turned up with what- was lelt of his company. He had been holding trenches that he had captured for those two clays.” M'Phcrson said he was sure that some explosive bullets wore used. He, like everyone else, referred to the magnificent heroism of the stretcherbearers. They brought, in even the hopeless cases. The staff were nearly all the time under tire. When he was coming down wounded he saw General Goclloy going up a gully where there was a great deal of snipTn<r.~ A lot of t’ao follows, ho added, were shot while going for water. In such rough country it was almost- impossible to got rid of the snipers. A TRIBUTE TO OUR WOUNDED. At this hospital I met a doctor who has made a name for himself as a bacteriologist, ami is an authority on tropic diseases in Egypt. Ho had come clown from the Soudan to help with the first big* rush of wounded, I was introduced to him as a Now Zealander. “By Jove!” ho said, with hearty spontaneity, “ your men are splendid fellows. 1 have never seen such soldiers. They come in hero with the most terrible wounds, and there is never a murmur or a complaint from them. They arc truly heroic —both the Now Zealanders and the Australians,” A CONVALESCENT HOME. White in Alexandria I drove out to see the convalescent homo that Lady Goclloy lias established there as the result of private subscriptions that she has gathered and some assistance from the New Zealand Government. It is in an excellent situation, some distance out of the town, and it gets thq

coo! sea breeze. In these days, when the thermometer mounts to 115 deg. in the toms of the Cairo camps, such a house forms an ideal place in which the Now Zealand convalescents can rest and recuperate for a fortnight or three weeks before going back to the firing line or to whatever fate the gods of the Medical Board may send them. Colonel Esson, who is doing fine work ou the Q.ALG.’s staff, assisted Lady Godley in establishing the homo on a satisfactory basis. In can accommodate* about 30 men. A number of people in England have subscribed to the home. One donor gave £SO, another £IOO. Lady Godley, who wears the uniform of a Red Cross nurse, lives in the home, and takes charge of all the arrangements, which seem to bo excellent. A STAFF OFFICER’S EXPERIENCES. At Alexandria. 1 had a long talk with a New Zealand Stall officer, who had gone through some interesting experiences. Ho said that military experts considered the landing, and the taking and holding of the positions by the Australians and New Zealanders at Gaba Tone us an almost, impossible feat. At Cape Holies, also, the British were given an exceedingly difficult, task to perform, and at their landing two battalions were practically wiped out. ” I saw one thing,” ho added, ‘‘done by the New Zealanders and Australians that will remain in my memory as long as I live. It was at the top of the hill on the first day. There was a fight for fire superiority. Our fellows worked gradually closer and closer, until they got within charging distance. Then through our glasses we could see them rush with fixed bayonets across a little green patch into the Turkish trench. The Turks bolted, but our men leaped the trench and dashed after them into the scrub. Then all wo could see was their bayonets gloaming in the sunlight amongst the bushes. They came back—the bayonets not gleaming so, brightly now—and occupied the Turkish trench, only to bo shelled out of it a little later.” As a rule the Turkish trenches were always cleverly placed, so that in the event of their being occupied by the enemy they could bo enfiladed by machine puns placed in bidden position*, or by artillery fire, or both. “ I heard officers asking for namra oi men who behaved with gallantry that day,” said the Staff officer. ‘‘By Jove!” he' added, ‘‘l would not like to discriminate, because I think there were dozens of Victoria Crosses won that day. Despite the gruelling they had got the morale of tho New Zealanders and Australians was absolutely unaffected. At tho end of the day they*’ were just as cheery as when they started. On one occasion I was close to a man who was cooking bis tea in his messtin. A shell burst and knocked his ’ittlo fire into bits and riddled his tin. He did not stop to offer up a prayer of thankfulness at ,his narrow escape, but promptly commenced to curse the ‘ bally Boer ’ who bad done for his cooker.”