STORIES FROM THE TRENCHES

Otago Witness, Issue 3214, 20 October 1915, Page 31

STORIES FROM THE TRENCHES

“HELL LET LOOSE.” FINE WORK BY THE MAORIS. A HERO KILLED. An interesting outline of the part taken by the New Zealanders at the Dardanelles was given to a Sydney Daily Telegraph reporter by Lance-corporal Foster, of Wellington, who is attached to the Ist Company of Field Engineers. Foster joined, in London, the British section of the Expeditionary Forces—a body of 50 men, who went into an engineer company, and took part in the landing operations on April 25. “ That was when hell broke loose,” said Foster, recounting his experiences. “ Wo worked all night taking trenches and gunpits. On tho Tuesday following iiie landing, wo went to Qu.mi’s Post, and were under fire for a month. Then we had ;v rest of three days, and went to tho beach. Wo returned again to Quinn's Post lor another month. The work at.this time consisted mainly of making new trenches—advancing our firing line, making underground loopholes, and mines. Most of our men were lost through bombs thrown inter our sap-heads’. When you get out into ths sap-heads there is nothing to prevent a Turk creeping up and throwing a bomb on to you. The engineers are at a disadvantage because of this work, and having only a spade for defence. One morning wa lost five men while they were cooking their 1 breakfast. They were the victims of sniping. Before we had been there a month we had lost 60 per cent, of our men. “ On tho first, second, and fourth days wo lost officers, and a month later another officer was killed. Ho was sniped by a Turk. One of our men—Spr. Carlyon—wont out and brought him in on his back. Carlyon was recommended for the_ Y. 0., but two days later he was killed in his own dug-out, being struck by a fragment of shell. Ho was a real hero. Everyone in my section looked up to him. even more than to the officers. lie would climb on to parapets and hand over the wounoed, or do anything else. He was a rare daredevil. The officer ho brought in was sniped while reconnoitring round a trench. Cavlyon was having his tea in his dug-out when ho was killed. It just shows you the luck of tho game. Carlyon and 50 others were all in dug-outs—in a safe a position as it is possible to secure in the arena of danger, yet, when this man took every chance in tho world amongst bullets, shell fire, and shrapnel, ho never received a scratch. “ About three days before I left, one of our company had his side blown out, while another Now Zealander lost a foot.” MAORIS GRAND SHOWING. “The Maoris made a grand showing,’ said a lance-corporal. "Their work on tho peninsula was really fine. They landed at 2 o’clock in the morning—in June—and went straight into tho trenches. They held them until the August advance, when they made a world-wide reputation. All tho wounded men are talking about the Maoris. They have been cut up, however, and have had to be abandoned as a separate unit. Two of the Maori officers are now on their wr back to New Zealand. The Maoris who were left behind have been other units. There are probably not 200 left out of over 500 who landed at the Dardanelles.” FOUR BULLETS AT ONCE. To bo wounded in four separate places and lose an eye all at the same moment was tho unfortunate experience of Sapper J. Coyle, of Auckland, who is with tho 2nd Field Company Engineers of tho New Zealand Expeditionary Forces. _ “ The damage was dene by a bomb,” said Coyle, relating the experience. “ There was a general charge, and a ‘ smack-up ’ resulted. I was at Quinn’s Post, where tho New Zealanders occupied Nos. 4,5, and 6 posts. Soma of the trenches were about i 5 yards apart; in some places tho distance was less on this part of the line. Tho majority of my company were cut up badly. We had a great number wounded, but not so many killed. 1 was in the firing line for 10 weeks, working night and clay sapping, before being put cut of action.” PRAIf® FOR RED CROSS. An officer, referring to tho Red Cross and hospitals of Malta, said tho wounded soldiers were loud in their praise of the manner in which their comfort was studied. “At the wharf,” he said, “Red Cross ladies met the boats containing the wounded soldiers, and provided them with plenty of comforts. As soon as you arrive at tlic hospital you arc presented with a bag of Red Cross comforts, and tnen tho ladies come every day to see how you are progressing, and to cheer you up. there are 14 hospitals in Malta, and every week a concert is given to each institution. I would like to say that Captain May bin. the white officer in charge of the Maoris, who is now in charge of tlio Pembroke Convalescent Hospital at Malta, under Lord Methuen, where there are 1700 patients, cannot bo too highly praised. He did excellent work for the ‘wounded men, and not only did he provide them whip every possible comfort, but on the morning we left, ho saw that we got, the men 35s and the non-commissioned officers each, so that we would not go away ‘broke.’ We were the only men who got that._ When wc arrived in Egypt we were paid again, being allowed to draw up to £5 each.” “ AN AUSTRALIAN BOMB.” A little bunch of New Zealanders were loud in their praise of Lie Australians as fighters. Private Bowis, one of their iuim« bo.r, told the following story:—" Australians and New Zealanders wore alongside one an< other in tho trenches at Anzac. At this time the Turks were bomb-tlrrcwing, and an Australian caused great amusement' h'f

filling up a small jam tin with cotton waste. After putting some petrol in the tin, he lit it and hurled it into the Turkish trenches. The commotion among the enemy was astounding, and they scampered away until it burnt out. It was a new kind of bomo, unknown to them.’’