TURKEY AT WAR

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144668, 30 April 1915, Page 3

TURKEY AT WAR

THE DARDANELLES.' TURKISH DEFENCE AGAINST LANDING. ADVANCE OF THE TROOPS. LONDON. April 29. The M ar Office states that the Turks’ preparations against the landing of the allied troops included entanglements on land and sea. Deep pits with spiked bottoms were amongst the obstacles to be overcome. In face of continual opposition tho troops established themselves across the Peninsula north-east of Eski-Hissarlik. Titov have beaten off all attacks at Scdil Bahr and are steadily advancing. CEski-Tlissarlik is a fort just inside, the Dardanelles on the European side.] •THE BRITISH FORCES. ON THE EUROPEAN SIDE. (Received April 39. 10 a.m.) ATHENS, April 29. The British forces are operating on the European coast and the French on tho Asiatic side of the Dardanelles. Tuesday’s bombardment lusted twelve hours, ami was mainly against the Kilid Bahr forts at the Narrows. FIERCE BATTLE REPORTED. TURKISH BATTALION CAPTURED. (Received April 30. 10 a.m.) LONDON- April 29. Greece reports that there was a tierce buttle on Wednesday at Suv’.a Ray, in which the Turks-had heavy losses. Tho AlUc.v captured an entire battalion.

AN AUCKLAND BOY IN EGYPT. OBJECTS TO MIXED BATHING. Jack Penn, an Auckland boy soldiering with the New Zealand troops in Egypt, writes to a friend in that city. The Observer, which publishes bis-brisk and brew letter, remarks that it is, unlike most letters, frank and truthful. He does not exaggerate the importance of the little skirmish on the Suez Canal, a little affair that lias given the daily papers more ‘‘copy’' than the terrible light at Neuvo Chapellc. thus Jack: -Cairo. Egypt, March 12, 19!o: Scones, yon otd sinner, why did sou not answer my letter? Surely the censor left .something to read in u r It svas not all State secrets. Anya ay , how are von? Keeping ill the best of health, I‘liopo, and not worried with insects like 1 am. Whoever that said that New /.calami was "God’s Own Country" spoke a true word. I’m not surprised at Moses and tile Israelites wanting to leave Egypt, and you can take it- from me it was not Pharaoh that made them troU. It was uiosQuitoes, ants, .worpious. beetles and other alligators. (Excuse the scrawl, but I'm writing with the pad at an obtuse angle on mv knew.) Why, last night 1 went for a hot bath. Nothing extraordinary' in that, you 11 say. hut wait a minute 1 1, of course, naturally thought L’d have it on my own. But not so. Ants and beetles nocked into the water —mistook it fur the Jordan cvidentj.r—and now I’m abso-bally-lutely dead against mixed bathing. Ugh 1 It makes me shudder to think of it.

1 only returned to Cairo last week, after being down the Suez Canal for a month at Knbi. five miles, from Suez. The first night there was rather exciting. my rod corpuscles were chasing each other like ftiry at first. We were all awakened hy the sound of firing about two m tho morning—a most inconvenient hour for an attack, for me anyway, as ■ 1 object idqsl strenuously to having ,iny peaceful slumber.-, disturbed. Did we rush for our rifles and ammunition and givo battle to the Turks i No, wo discussed which was tho safest side of the haystack to sleep on, but as now bullets whizzed our way. wo sat up and watched tho display of fireworks, and the Turks got it hot from the war-ship, J can tell you. There would bo a spluttering rifle fire from them, and then bang! and the warship threw a bouquet. The Turks evidently thought it wasn’t fair, and made tracks for homo.

Jack continues;—That was about all the active service we saw. Most of tho lighting occurred higher up the canal at Toussoun, near Lsiliaiha. I used to ride into Suez and Port Tcwfik occasionally, but there is not much of interest there. Cairo 1 have explored thoroughly, climbed Cheops Pyramid twice, paid tho Sphinx a visit, also tho buried temple and tombs, also consider myself able to write a book on mosques, give lecbmV’s on Biblical scones and plaqcs, tell lies about the victorious battles on the canal, etc. X have dug up skeletons at Mataria, oaten spaghetto at Greek restaurants, drunk beer and talked politics with the highest in the land at .Heliopolis House Hotel, have sat in tho coronation chair of the Sultan Hassicn (on whom bo peace) at the mosque, of that name. In fact, I’vo done Cairo, and want a change. Tho writer is a son of Mr. A. V. Penn, of H.M. Customs, Auckland, and is one seven cousins (four Malones. -two Liardets, and himself, all grandsons of' the late Mr. Thomas Penn, formerly of Stratfoid), who have joined tho New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Three of tho boys are, or were, in Egypt, three have been in. Samoa, and the seventh is now in camp at Trentham preparing to go with a future contingent.