SHOT IN THE THIGH.

Colonist, Volume LVII, Issue 13826, 22 July 1915, Page 3

SHOT IN THE THIGH.

EXPERIENCES OF COLONEL

PEARLESS

WOUNDED WELL LOOKED AFTER

We have been permitted to make the following extracts from a letter received by Mrs. Pearless, of Wakefield, from' her husband, Cclonel-Surgeon W. R. Pearless, who' went with the main New Zealand Expeditionary Force: — Gallipoli, Friday, May 7th. This afternoon, about 4 o'clock, we were moved off about L}- miles to support the 29th Division. Of course we were moved off in broad daylight, and the. enemy at once saw us when we got on to the open plateau. They started to shell' us "before we could entrench, and I very soon had.a shrapnel bullet through my right thigh.; Luckily it missed the bene, though I don't know hpw it did it. . It is a sickening sort of feeling. I felt a tremendous blow on the outside, of my thigh, and then felt the beastly hot bullet tearing its way to the other iside. However, it did not last long, and I was scon able to have a smoke.' 'Cyril Baigent attended to me, and then my men very kindly carried me down to the dressing station on the beach, about two miles away. The Turks, however, frequently shell it, and also the boats putting off with wounded. I lay on the stretcher all night with a couple of blankets over me, but it was bitterly cold and uncomfortable. It is not the fault of the men at the hospital. They are run off their legs, as. .wounded were being brought in continually. The next morning I was carried down to a jetty and out on a barge, which was towed by a pinnace to a trawler. The trawler then took us alongside the Franconia—a Cuhard liner—a magnificent ship of about 20,000 tons. We were hoisted up by cranes in a sort of wooden compartment. It did not hurt in the slightest." There were 1600 wounded' on board when we left, and about 30 died on the trip te Alexandria. I fell asleep as soon as I» got into my bunk, and did not wake for five hours. They'were all awfully kind and attentive on bo^yd., and it is like being in heaven after the hell we have been through for the last fortnight. We left for Alexandria next night, the wound doing all ri^ht. The doctor ha* just dressed my leg;_it is getting oil fine. He is a very nice fellow, named Thacker. He tells me that of the 29th Division which landed here 19,000 strong, there have been 11,000 casualties. It is thought the majority will soon return to their regiments, the same as I hope to do soon. May 11th.—Have just arrived at Alexandria. Hospitals all pretty full. Cannot speo,k too highly of the kindness and attention shown by everybody on board to the wounded. Dearsley,' the dentist, and the Salvation Army chaplain came to see me and arranged about my removal. May 12th.—Was taken off the boat and put on a motor ambulance, and taken to the Deaconesses' Hospital, which is a fine large building, quit© up to date. It' was formerly a German hospital, but now taken over by the English authorities, and has. about 300 beds. ,

May 18th.—Wound doing: very wellj though I have not much power in my leg yet. Hope, however, to rejoin my regiment in about 10 •■ days, - especially asDr. Craig has been wounded, and i A makes the brigade short of doctors. I don't know when I shall be able to write again. ■ •• ■■ ■■-.■-. Colonel ;Peal'les9 has suffered the same hardships, as the, men/ sleeping on the ground with arf' overcoat cnV for coyer^ and he alsfo had a- busy time with ttie wounded. For foxir and -five days at a time he did not have his t uniform off, and on one occasion wore his boots for nearly a fortnight without removing them..