A SOLDIER'S LETTER.

Southland Times, Issue 17484, 27 July 1915, Page 2

A SOLDIER'S LETTER.

WORD PROM TROOPER NORRIE. WITH THE MOUNTED MEN. Writing to his mother from an Alexandria Hospital, Trooper Angus Norrie says that, although I have a long letter written to forward you, giving an account of a fortnight’s experiences at the Dardanelles, we are not allowed to put in any names, and, further, owing to our letters being censored wc are restricted to one page only. You will note that I am writing from a hospital to which I am sorry to say I had to come owing to having, stopped a bullet with my toe. This was due to an accident while I was on outpost duty. It had been raining very heavily in the trench and our rifles became very dirty. After the rain had ceased we made a start to clean them, and I was called away while I was cleaning mine. As usual I did not leave any cartridge in the chamber, but put it in the magazine. A mate mistook my rifle for his own. and loft a cartridge in the chamber, and when I returned. not knowing that this had been done, I. placed the rifle oh my foot to let the bolt down, and the cartridge exploded. Luckily, it was the second toe that received the charge, and. although the bone was splintered amputation was not necessary. it is healing splendidly, and I hope to be back to the firing line in a fortnight. We did not like the idea of leaving ’our horses behind and going as infantry with the heavy packs on our backs, but we soon got used to it. I suppose that by this time you have had the full account of our infantry’s great charge up the slopes of Gallipoli Peninsula, which was undoubtedly one of the greatest feats of gallantry that has ever been known. The mounted troops as infantry landed at the exact spot where our infantry landed, but eleven days later, and although wo had a number of shells of shrapnel bursting pretty close to us before landing, yet it was nothing compared with what they had to put up with, the Turks being firmly entrenched on the top of the hill at Gaba Tepe. The firing had been pretty quiet during tlie day. but about 6 o’clock a heavy fire was commenced by both sides, and what with shells. shrapnel, machine guns and rifle rifles, things were fairly merry. There was a big attack on the trendies during the night, a large number of Turks being killed, with few casualties on our side. After having rested during the night, although we didn’t sleep very much, we made our way down to our permanent camping place, or in other words the place where we could leave our packs. We were soon got into readiness to go out to an outpost where we had to stop for 21 hours, and to get there we had to crawl along the beach for a mile under the fire of snipers and machine guns all the way. We relieved the marine light infantry and soon found that we were in for a warm time from the snipers, so wo all bad to stand to arms until 2 o’clock. A battleship was standing out from us all night, flashing her searchlights around and always ready to help us with her guns in the event of a big attack, as we could very easily be cut off from our main trenches. After arriving back in camp about 10 o'clock, having been relieved, we had to stand to our beach trenches which guard the entrance to the camp, as an attack was expected, but it did not happen. We were allowed to go to our dug-outs which are made to protect us from shrapnel. About 5 o'clock—we had not been resting long—we were ordered up to the top trenches in a great hurry as the Turks had made an attack on our trenches, and a counter-at-tack by our men followed. It was thought that reinforcements would be needed, but when we arrived the attack was over, and there was a mass of dead Turks lying out in front of our trenches. It was decided to attack again in the afternoon, when we expected to have been given a chance but the order was cancelled later. It was a great eyeopener to us to see the trenches which honey-combed the ground. Wc stayed in tlie trenches until late in the afternoon, when we returned to our dug-outs, only to prepare for another night’s duty. We did not do badly for food, tbo main items being bully beef and biscuits, with a taste of rum after duty and plenty of cigarettes. T will forward you a fuller account as soon as f am allowed to forward it.

It may be mentioned that , Trooper Norrie’s people had been vainly trying to locate him. and despatctied five different cables enquiring as to his whereabouts. No reply, however, was received and tiie foregoing letter was the first intimation as to tiow Trooper Norrie was faring. It may be mentioned that this is one of the first letters that lias been received from any of tlie mounted men who have been converted into infantry.