A LUCKY ACCIDENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 February 1916, Page 8

A LUCKY ACCIDENT.

SOLDIER'S REMARKABLE EXPERIENCE. "Broken in tlie war," tlio phrase bo tragically familiar to the whole of the civilised wotld, fitly describes the appearance of Private F. W. Fisher, of Melbourne, a member of the 14th Battalion of the Australian Expeditionary Force, who arrived at Wellington from Melbourne by the Wimmrra on Friday (says the Dominion). The visitor has been sent round New Zealand for the benefit of his health, and states that he is feeling the benefit of such soothing treatment, though still a couple of stone short of his normal weight. Over his right, eye Private Fisher wore a ''blinder,'' kept in place by a bandage right round his head; the uneven contour of his jaw showed where a Turkish bullet had been busy, and his shoulder had been "messed about" by shrapnel. But he is not the least downhearted; on the contrary, he is as cheerful as a robin, and insists on talking of the "really terrible injuries" that some of the others with him suffered at Gallipoli. "IT WAS AT QUINN'S POST." "It was at Qninn's Post I got it," said Private Fisiier, "away back in last May. It was a pretty hot corner, as you know, and it accounted for a good many of our fellows. We were having a pretty bad time, when I went out. It was shrapnel that li it me on the top of the left arm and shoulder. I got a bullet in the chin here, which took away most of the right side of my jaw, anil I was stmck bv a part of a bomb in the left eye. That made me blind for three weeks, and gave me a lot of trouble. This side of the jaw (feeling the right side) is artificial. The bullet went in just to one side of th e point of the chin, shattering the jaw." A WONDERFUL ACCIDENT. Noticing that Mr. Fisher's right eye wa9 black, the reporter asked if the : eye was still so bad—after so many months. "That, oh, no!" said the battered one, "that's the result of an accident—a wonderfully lucky accident. I was coming out of the saloon on to the decklast Tuesday, when I tripped on the edge of the matting, and fell heavily on to the deck. I struck my right eye, and cut the top lid pretty badly. I began to bleed profusely—it spurted out. It was really the best thing that could have happened, as I was troubled with clots of blood from my wounds whicli could not be got to dissolve. The doctor in England told me what it was, but could do nothing for me. I suffered from headaches, and heaviness at times which arose from the presence of these clots, When I fell on the deck the second steward fixed me up, and, would you believe it, the clots 'have come away. As soon as the blood spurted, I felt great relief, and have felt fine since, so it was a lucky stumble I had—those terrible clots of blood were beginning to worry me!" happy "jock" Mcpherson. "After I was wounded at Gallipoli,' 1 said Mr. Fisher, " I was forwarded to the 14th General Hospital at Alexandria. One of the hoys who was in my ward was a New Zealander, and he came from Wellington—'Jock' McPherson, d'ye know him at all? I well remember the day he came to the hospital. He was bandaged pretty well all over. " 'Hullo, anything the matter with you?' I said. "'Nae, nae,' said Jock. 'l've only had a shot through ma hand, a bullet in the back of ma heid, and ma arm broken. Ah'm no an interestin' case.' 'Jack's' reply made us all laugh, and he became very popular with the patients." MEN TREATED WELL. On being questioned aa to how the returned men were being treated in Melbourne, Private Fisher said the treatment was very good indeed: They were paid regularly, and if a man did happen to run out of ".the ready,' his pals would always stand to him" until pay-day. "I've no complaints to make about the board. They wanted to put me into a military convalescent home when I got back, but 1 was sick to death of soldiers at the time, and said so, so they put me in a private convalescent home, and it was all right!" Private Fisher will journey right round the South Island and on'to Melbourne by the Wimmera.