Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 2, 2012 16:29:37 GMT 12
This is a simply amazingly detailed account of the landing at Gallipoli and being in the thick of fire, and being wounded there, by a young Huntly soldier, Robert James 'Kapi' Capstick.
From the Auckland Star, 26 June 1915. If you have a young person in the family, make them read this, it explains so much about why we have ANZAC Day and we remember Gallipoli.
SOLDIERS' LETTERS.
AN OBSERVANT WAIKATO. BEFORE AND AFTER BATTLE.
STORY FULL OF COLOUR.
HOW WOUNDED LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE.
"I was really glad to leave, Egypt," writes Private R. J. Capstick, of the 16th Waikatos, from Luna Park Hospital, Egypt, in the course of a racy description of the doings at the Dardanelles.
"I patted myself on the back and said 'Thank goodness, Kapi old son, you've seen the last of Egypt.' And here I am back again, in less than a month with daylight through me. While we were waiting to embark at Alexandria we came in contact with the French Foreign Legion. They are composed of every nationality under the gun, except Germans. It is said that they were locked up as soon as war broke out. Their uniform would make you laugh—big baggy red bloomers, green swallow-tail coat, and little red cap. Makes them look like gipsies. An Englishman amongst them told me that one of than was going to be shot for deserting.
LAUGH, CRY.. OR GO MAD.
I have seen some awe-inspiring sights. I never thought I could be moved so much. One felt it especially when leaving or entering a port or passing through a fleet of men-o'-war. One doesn't know whether to laugh, cry, or to mad. Lemnos Island is about two days' sail from Alexandria. We woke up one morning and found ourselves in a bosker little harbour. Auckland Harbour is pretty good, but it can't come near Lemnos. It was chock-a-block with shipping—transports and men-o'-war. Queen Lizzie was there (she is a monster) as well as a lot more battleships. I saw destroyers, torpedo boats, and submarines at close quarters for the first time.
We hung about there for over a week, and every day had to practice getting over the side by rope ladders —no easy matter with a load of 80lb on your back. It is a wonder to me how we used to carry it. A lot of chaps caught pneumonia—sudden change to cold after Egypt.
PLAN OF ATTACK.
"We have a very decent major now. He gave us an idea of the work we had to do. We were going to attack in three places; the French in one place, the English in another, and the Australasians in a third. The idea was to split the Turks up into three forces; then when we found which was the strongest, all our forces would amalgamate and smash it, and then settle the two smaller forces later on. We were told that the force which struck the strong party would get a rough time of it, and it was our luck to strike it with everything against us.
We got a very hot time of it, but we landed. It was a great sight to see all the battleships file past us, with old "Lizzie" in the lead. We always come to attention when a man-o'-war passe us. They did the same when we passed them earlier in the afternoon. Most of them still bore the marks of the recent bombardment in the Straits.
We ieft during the nigh, and as it was only a few hours' run we were there by daylight, The battleships were about half a mile from shore, and spread along the coast; about a quarter of a mile apart, firing broadsides about every minute. We could see the shells landing and burstng but of course we could not see the Turks.
AUSTRALIANS HAD DONE IT.
"A division of Australians had landed about 2 o'clock in the morning. and a destroyer came out and told us that they had cleared the beach with the bayonet and captured three guns. How they got ashore without being wiped out I don't know, as there is a steep cliff, all covered in scrub, and it was alive with Turks and machineguns.
An English force could have held it against thousands, but as soon as the Turks see the bayonet they clear for their lives. We had breakfast on board, and drank as much water as we couid. We carried the remaining portion of the day's rations and three days' besides, and water-bottles were supposed to last three days.
About ten o'clock we tumbled over the side into several big barges and a destroyer towed us ashore. We could hear the rifles and the machine-guns roaring, making an awful sound amongst the hills; more awe-inspiring than the big guns.
Two battleships were battering a fort to pieces. They take things easy over it. They fire a broadside, and then the fort would fire a few shots back. Then the battleships would fire again. It seemed very slow to me.
HALL Of SHRAPNEL.
Pieces of shrapnel were flying all round us as we were going ashore, and Several chaps were hit before they landed. As we got closer we could see the wounded coming down to the shore in dozens, some limping by themselves, some being helped, and some on stretchers. We had to jump overboard up to our waists in water, which made marching very hard afterwards. The sights I saw when we got ashore made me creep all over.
Of course the faces of the dead were covered up. The Red Cross were doing their best attending to the wounded and rigging up dressing stations. We all straggled along the beach for quarter of a mile or so, then we assembled. On top of the ridge the shrapnel was bursting every second, and we had orders to go up and relieve the Australians.
We had just started when the order, was cancelled, and we had to go back half way and then go up. The engineers were making a road up the cliff, and even then it was an awful climb. We struck a trench at the top, and judging by the bullets that were flying about, I thought we were in the firing line. We took off our packs here. We had to keep passing ammunition along from hand to hand, as it was getting scarce in the firing line.
There were lot of dead Turks in the trenches, mostly with bayonet wounds through them. We had to walk over them, but all our dead were placed on the side of the trenches. Thin trench opened out in a big steep gully, and as we clambered down the sides we were properly under fire.
TURKISH SPECIALTIES.
"You can form no idea of the country we had to go over. We could not have picked worse if we had asked for it. We had a rest when we got to the bottom, and although we sheltered under a bank, I got a smack on the foot with a spent shraprul bullet, which made me dance for while. Another chap got one on the belt. It knocked the wind out of him, and he thought he was killed. We then kept to the bottom of the gully for a while, and the place was like a slaughter house. Dead and wounded, and blood and bloody clothes all along the track.
The bushes were full of snipers. These and machine-guns are their specialities. Although the firing line was nearly a mile off, these snipers had managed to dodge them. They will fire at a man and then put up their hands. There was a little party of Australians there, and they were furious about one of their mates getting 'pinked" by a sniper. They knew he was somewhere near a certain bush, and they fired and got him in the leg. He stood up.and put up his hands, but it was no good: he got a bayonet right through him.
We were told to take prisoners if they would give in, but there were not many prisoners taken; the men were too wild, as the Turks were using dumdum and explosive bullets. They got no quarter when our fellows got to them. The further we advanced, the worse the scenery became. The fighting was getting thicker, and we were getting closer to it, and, of course, the wounded increased in number as we advanced. We had to climb a steep hill, and over the top was the firing line. We were all puffed when we got to the top, and I remember thinking it wars funny to see a wrist watch still going on a dead mans arm.
We had a short rest here, and formed up what men we had, and as the boys ahead wanted reinforcements, we fixed bayonets and charged in short rushes to the firing line.
RAIN OF BULLETS.
'The scrub is a kind of ink-weed, about 5 or 6 feet high so we could not see the enemy, but the bullets tore through it all the same. Our officer, Mr. Allen, fell mortally wounded in the first rush, and chaps were going down in all directions. Once, as I was stalking behind a bit of cover, a bullet cut a branch right in front of my face. It is marvellous the number of bullets that miss a man when the air is literally thick with them. We heard there were twelve machine-guns playing on our bit of ground besides the rifle fire.
At last we reached the remains of the firing line. Only half of our company reached it. As we could not see the Turks, we lay still for a while. Everybody was as cool as if they were skirmishing. I know I was cool, for I felt my pulse several times (I smiled to myself when I did so), and it was quite normal. I was not afraid, either, I am glad to say, only I seemed waiting for something to strike mc. A man felt that he could not remain five seconds in that rain of shrapnel and bullets, and not be hit.
"I SPOTTED THEM."
"I suppose that we were so quiet, the Turks thought we were wiped out. for a I small body of them crept out towards I us. I spotted them, and gave the word. The chaps of our section—a very decent mob—knelt up and gave them a volley, and we got nearly the whole lot. Of course, that turned the machnie guns on us. and half were put out of action.
It was so thick that a lot of chaps would not raise their heads to shoot. I saw them come out again, and I could not resist It. I fired, and got two before they got back to cover. They were only 200 yards off. Then they started coming away over to the left. We gave them a hot time, and they retired. Then they seemed to spring up all over the place. I had fired at one chap, and was raising I myself higher for a better view, when I seemed to feel something right through my body. The bullet struck me on the windpipe, just under the breastbone, went through the top of my right lung, and came out just under my shoulder-blade.
I did not feel it go in much: it wan too quick; but I felt it rattle against my ribs at the back, and I said jto my mate: 'One has gone right through my puku!"
I slipped off my equipment and lay down on my back. I thought to myself 'Not much chance of getting over this, if it has, gone right through me.'
Then I started to cough blood, and I knew it was a case. I had got it through the lungs. As I lay down the air made an awfid girgling sound, as it came through my windpipe. I could not speak aloud, but I managed to ask a mate to put my field dressing on. He did not care about doing it much, as it was so dangerous. He put it on roughy, as he did not think I would last long.
"KAPI IS ABOUT SETTLED!"
"I heard him say to the rest Kapi is just about settled, one through the lung. and I could see the rest nod their heads and look away. I got my I water bottle out, and every time I drank I would vomit blood, but I was so thirsrty I had to drink.
I did not bleed so much, but I cou!d see my hands going white, and the chaps told me afterwards I was a sickly white. I thought I was bleeding inwardly. I did not feel nervous or frightened, although I was sure I was going to "peg out."
I seemed to feel lonely, and a thought came over me, "so this is what dying is." I had thought I would be a bit frightened to I peg out like this. I lay back, and made myself as comfortable as possible. I felt my pulse again, and it was going quite normally, without a hitch. Then I commenced to feel too sick to care what happened.
By this time there was not a chap round me who was not hit. Someone gave the word to retire, but I wanted to stay where I was, as it hurt me, and made me choke when I moved. One chap put me on my feet, and helped me to struggle along. Others had to be carried, and if ever the V.C was won it was won here by several of our fellows. They ran about twenty paces and lay down, but I felt that if I lay down I could not get up again, so I kept on until I couldn't breathe. It is an awful sensation being choked with blood. My lungs seemed to swell and swell until they felt like bursting, and I had not space to breathe. Just short little breaths, like a sheep, and I had to lie down.
"WAS MOTHER PRAYING FOR ME?"
"I felt easier whan I lay down and coughed a bit. I couldn't cough much, as all the wind would come out of the hole in my throat. I lay there until some chaps came and put me on my feet again. I had about 300 yards to go to get out of the fire zone, and everybody was singing out to me to lay down or I would get shot, but I felt too crook to care. Either mother was praying for me at the time or else the devil takes care of his own, for the bullets were tearing through the scrub, and men were getting hit all the time, but I was not touched.
I wanted to strike a doctor, and get him to stop the bleeding. Several times I would have lain down and waited for the stretcher bearers, but I knew they could not come up in this fire, so I would have to struggle on again. You know how you feel when you are sea-sick; don't care a hang what happens. If I could only lie down I felt t would be all right. In the end I struck some stretcher bearers, and as I was talking to them one got a bullet right through the thigh. Of course, that spoilt my ride, but a chap that had got a graze on the head helped me along.
We had to get down a steep cliff, and every step shook me to pieces. I struck that dead chap with the watch again, and found I had only been in the firing line an hour and a half. The shortest cut to the seashore was about two miles, and it took us over three hours to do it. There was a constant stream of wounded passing us on the road. I could only go a few steps at a time.
Half-way down I came upon a dressing tent, and I thought I would get a doctor to fix me up and get a ride on a stretcher, but he had a look at it, and said, "I can do nothing for you, old man; you had better try and get on to the ship and make yourself easy." I could not get a stretcher, as there were worse cases than mine, so we hobbled on again.
ABOARD A STRETCHER.
'The shrapnel was bursting away up over our heads, but as we were at the bottom of the gully we were comparatively right. A couple of hundred yards from the shore I struck a stretcher and after some bargaining I got aboard. I had stuck to my water bottle like glue, and I used it as a pillow. but it was not high enough, and as they were not used to stretcher work it was more painful than walking. The Turks had the exact range of the sea shore, and as they had German gunners they just swept the place as they liked. The shells would burst beyond us a bit, and when my bearers heard one whistle they would drop me and scuttle under the bank. It was simply marvellous again how I was not hit.
We wound round the beach until we struck a little wharf the engineers had built. There were dozens and dozens of stretchers, and crowds of wounded that could walk. They carried us aboard the boats, and we must have lain there an hour and a half before we moved off. The shrapnel was as thick as flies. Even though I waa wounded, I used to hold myself and try and duck when one burst over us. From the view I had at the bottom I could see two bluejackets get knocked over.
We got out to the transport about 8 o'clock that night, and it was half-past one in the morning before they took us aboard. The sea was a bit choppy.
MEDICAL CORPS SHORT.
"The R.A.M.C. was very poor—short of everything. They reckoned they could cope with 50 per cent of casualties, but did not have enough men or appliances for 5 per cent. They took the stretchers aboard in slings, took us below, and laid us on the deck. This was pretty hard on the chaps with bad backs and shoulders. The blankets were all dirty. I never want to spend another night like that again—groans, cries, and moaning all night.
Two of them died quite close to me that night; best thing for them, poor chaps. There was one doctor for the 600 men on board. The only thing he could do was to go round and give morphia to the worst cases. There were two doctors operating all the time. The Red Cross man looked at me, and left me to attend to some other chaps, as he thought I was on my last legs.
I was wounded on Sunday between one and two o'clock, and it was Tuesday midnight before I could get anyone to see to it, and then it was only an orderly who bad been pressed into the Red Cross service. I had to tell him how to use the gauze and iodine. I wanted some iodine on it, as it stops gangrene and poisoning. I never got it attended to again till the following Saturday, although we got here on the Friday.
Those few short hours on the field hardened me so that I was quite unmoved, and I was determined not to let my spirits sink. We got to Alexandria on Thursday midday, but they did not take me off till Friday afternoon. It seemed an awful sight as I was lifted over the side to see the crowd below—the soldiers and the hospital trains.
MEMORIES OF HOME."
'The trains leave nothing to be desired. Large, cool, and white carriages, the beds so soft that I sank in and hurt my shoulder. I could not get used to them for some time. The first soft bed since I left home. I felt nervous of the. nurses. First English women I had seen for months and months. I kept grinning to myself like a big kid. Fancy being in a soft bed and being fed on bovril and biscuits! I had to cover my old "dial," 'so they would not see me smiling to myself. Even when we were wounded we only got bully beef and dry bread on the boat.
I happened to catch sight of my face in the window, and talk about the face of a devil or a Turk! It simply frightened me. While we were on the boat I got my hair clipped, a la gaolbird. I had not shaved for over a week, so you can imagine the dirty, hairy, gaunt, ugly phiz I saw. I never thought I could look so wicked.
We got to the main hospital about midnight. The motor took us like lightning from the station. The hospital was crowded to overflowing, and I had to wash myself all over in the open. I shivered like a dog in a wet sack. Very cold nights here. I had a good bed, but it was in the open; no room inside. I was examined next day (Saturday) by a doctor for the first time. On Sunday they shifted me to this place, a kind of convalescent hospital Every doctor and sister I have seen whistles and marvels that I am still alive. They cannot make it out. According to where the bullet went in and came out they reckon I should be dead. I have had a crowd of them round me, arguing, and almost pulling me to pieces. Can't make out why it didn't kill me in three places and how it is I am up and feel so well so soon.
LIKE "WONDERLAND."
"Where I am now, Luna Park, is like Wonderland at the Auckland Exhibition. Scenic railway and water chute. There are more attractions, and they are of a better class than wonderland. We are in the skating rink, about the size of Miners' Hall, without any sides. There is any amount to amuse us, and the chaps in the hospital have just reached the mischievous stage. There is a kind of pianola-barrel organ that plays the drollest music you ever heard. There is a dummy nigger on the top that beats a drum that sounds like a kerosene tin. It is funny to see chaps on one leg dancing the can-can and cakewalk.
I seem to see the funny lining to a lot of things, and the other chaps don't know where the joke comes in. At first it hurt me to laugh, but I can do anything now. I will go back to the firing line with the next reinforcements, I expect. One good thing, we will never get it so hot again unless we have to take Constantinople The South African veterans reckon they never had it nearly so hot all the time they were in Africa, and they were in the thick of it there.
AS HOT AS IN FRANCE.
"Our Turkish interpreter, an officer who was in the retreat from Mons and a lot of other battles, reckons we had it every bit as hot as they had it in France. The shrapnel is the worst of all. You hear your mates yelp, and then you hear it burst. It makes you 'duck' and hold yourself tight at first. If you hear it scream over your head you are fairly all right, for it is about 200 yards by the time you hear it whistle. When it bursts you hear a noise like a loud whip crack, then you hear the report, and the bullets fly all over the place. Rifle fire is not so bad, but you are powerless against shrapnel.
We only had the fire from the men-o-war, and although they do great work when they hit anything they can't find the mark like field artillery. Our field artillery wasnt ashore when I left. We had to take strongly entrenched positions. They outnumbered us over three to one and they had artillery and any amount of machine-guns, and for a long while we only had rifle fire and bayonets."
From the Auckland Star, 26 June 1915. If you have a young person in the family, make them read this, it explains so much about why we have ANZAC Day and we remember Gallipoli.
SOLDIERS' LETTERS.
AN OBSERVANT WAIKATO. BEFORE AND AFTER BATTLE.
STORY FULL OF COLOUR.
HOW WOUNDED LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE.
"I was really glad to leave, Egypt," writes Private R. J. Capstick, of the 16th Waikatos, from Luna Park Hospital, Egypt, in the course of a racy description of the doings at the Dardanelles.
"I patted myself on the back and said 'Thank goodness, Kapi old son, you've seen the last of Egypt.' And here I am back again, in less than a month with daylight through me. While we were waiting to embark at Alexandria we came in contact with the French Foreign Legion. They are composed of every nationality under the gun, except Germans. It is said that they were locked up as soon as war broke out. Their uniform would make you laugh—big baggy red bloomers, green swallow-tail coat, and little red cap. Makes them look like gipsies. An Englishman amongst them told me that one of than was going to be shot for deserting.
LAUGH, CRY.. OR GO MAD.
I have seen some awe-inspiring sights. I never thought I could be moved so much. One felt it especially when leaving or entering a port or passing through a fleet of men-o'-war. One doesn't know whether to laugh, cry, or to mad. Lemnos Island is about two days' sail from Alexandria. We woke up one morning and found ourselves in a bosker little harbour. Auckland Harbour is pretty good, but it can't come near Lemnos. It was chock-a-block with shipping—transports and men-o'-war. Queen Lizzie was there (she is a monster) as well as a lot more battleships. I saw destroyers, torpedo boats, and submarines at close quarters for the first time.
We hung about there for over a week, and every day had to practice getting over the side by rope ladders —no easy matter with a load of 80lb on your back. It is a wonder to me how we used to carry it. A lot of chaps caught pneumonia—sudden change to cold after Egypt.
PLAN OF ATTACK.
"We have a very decent major now. He gave us an idea of the work we had to do. We were going to attack in three places; the French in one place, the English in another, and the Australasians in a third. The idea was to split the Turks up into three forces; then when we found which was the strongest, all our forces would amalgamate and smash it, and then settle the two smaller forces later on. We were told that the force which struck the strong party would get a rough time of it, and it was our luck to strike it with everything against us.
We got a very hot time of it, but we landed. It was a great sight to see all the battleships file past us, with old "Lizzie" in the lead. We always come to attention when a man-o'-war passe us. They did the same when we passed them earlier in the afternoon. Most of them still bore the marks of the recent bombardment in the Straits.
We ieft during the nigh, and as it was only a few hours' run we were there by daylight, The battleships were about half a mile from shore, and spread along the coast; about a quarter of a mile apart, firing broadsides about every minute. We could see the shells landing and burstng but of course we could not see the Turks.
AUSTRALIANS HAD DONE IT.
"A division of Australians had landed about 2 o'clock in the morning. and a destroyer came out and told us that they had cleared the beach with the bayonet and captured three guns. How they got ashore without being wiped out I don't know, as there is a steep cliff, all covered in scrub, and it was alive with Turks and machineguns.
An English force could have held it against thousands, but as soon as the Turks see the bayonet they clear for their lives. We had breakfast on board, and drank as much water as we couid. We carried the remaining portion of the day's rations and three days' besides, and water-bottles were supposed to last three days.
About ten o'clock we tumbled over the side into several big barges and a destroyer towed us ashore. We could hear the rifles and the machine-guns roaring, making an awful sound amongst the hills; more awe-inspiring than the big guns.
Two battleships were battering a fort to pieces. They take things easy over it. They fire a broadside, and then the fort would fire a few shots back. Then the battleships would fire again. It seemed very slow to me.
HALL Of SHRAPNEL.
Pieces of shrapnel were flying all round us as we were going ashore, and Several chaps were hit before they landed. As we got closer we could see the wounded coming down to the shore in dozens, some limping by themselves, some being helped, and some on stretchers. We had to jump overboard up to our waists in water, which made marching very hard afterwards. The sights I saw when we got ashore made me creep all over.
Of course the faces of the dead were covered up. The Red Cross were doing their best attending to the wounded and rigging up dressing stations. We all straggled along the beach for quarter of a mile or so, then we assembled. On top of the ridge the shrapnel was bursting every second, and we had orders to go up and relieve the Australians.
We had just started when the order, was cancelled, and we had to go back half way and then go up. The engineers were making a road up the cliff, and even then it was an awful climb. We struck a trench at the top, and judging by the bullets that were flying about, I thought we were in the firing line. We took off our packs here. We had to keep passing ammunition along from hand to hand, as it was getting scarce in the firing line.
There were lot of dead Turks in the trenches, mostly with bayonet wounds through them. We had to walk over them, but all our dead were placed on the side of the trenches. Thin trench opened out in a big steep gully, and as we clambered down the sides we were properly under fire.
TURKISH SPECIALTIES.
"You can form no idea of the country we had to go over. We could not have picked worse if we had asked for it. We had a rest when we got to the bottom, and although we sheltered under a bank, I got a smack on the foot with a spent shraprul bullet, which made me dance for while. Another chap got one on the belt. It knocked the wind out of him, and he thought he was killed. We then kept to the bottom of the gully for a while, and the place was like a slaughter house. Dead and wounded, and blood and bloody clothes all along the track.
The bushes were full of snipers. These and machine-guns are their specialities. Although the firing line was nearly a mile off, these snipers had managed to dodge them. They will fire at a man and then put up their hands. There was a little party of Australians there, and they were furious about one of their mates getting 'pinked" by a sniper. They knew he was somewhere near a certain bush, and they fired and got him in the leg. He stood up.and put up his hands, but it was no good: he got a bayonet right through him.
We were told to take prisoners if they would give in, but there were not many prisoners taken; the men were too wild, as the Turks were using dumdum and explosive bullets. They got no quarter when our fellows got to them. The further we advanced, the worse the scenery became. The fighting was getting thicker, and we were getting closer to it, and, of course, the wounded increased in number as we advanced. We had to climb a steep hill, and over the top was the firing line. We were all puffed when we got to the top, and I remember thinking it wars funny to see a wrist watch still going on a dead mans arm.
We had a short rest here, and formed up what men we had, and as the boys ahead wanted reinforcements, we fixed bayonets and charged in short rushes to the firing line.
RAIN OF BULLETS.
'The scrub is a kind of ink-weed, about 5 or 6 feet high so we could not see the enemy, but the bullets tore through it all the same. Our officer, Mr. Allen, fell mortally wounded in the first rush, and chaps were going down in all directions. Once, as I was stalking behind a bit of cover, a bullet cut a branch right in front of my face. It is marvellous the number of bullets that miss a man when the air is literally thick with them. We heard there were twelve machine-guns playing on our bit of ground besides the rifle fire.
At last we reached the remains of the firing line. Only half of our company reached it. As we could not see the Turks, we lay still for a while. Everybody was as cool as if they were skirmishing. I know I was cool, for I felt my pulse several times (I smiled to myself when I did so), and it was quite normal. I was not afraid, either, I am glad to say, only I seemed waiting for something to strike mc. A man felt that he could not remain five seconds in that rain of shrapnel and bullets, and not be hit.
"I SPOTTED THEM."
"I suppose that we were so quiet, the Turks thought we were wiped out. for a I small body of them crept out towards I us. I spotted them, and gave the word. The chaps of our section—a very decent mob—knelt up and gave them a volley, and we got nearly the whole lot. Of course, that turned the machnie guns on us. and half were put out of action.
It was so thick that a lot of chaps would not raise their heads to shoot. I saw them come out again, and I could not resist It. I fired, and got two before they got back to cover. They were only 200 yards off. Then they started coming away over to the left. We gave them a hot time, and they retired. Then they seemed to spring up all over the place. I had fired at one chap, and was raising I myself higher for a better view, when I seemed to feel something right through my body. The bullet struck me on the windpipe, just under the breastbone, went through the top of my right lung, and came out just under my shoulder-blade.
I did not feel it go in much: it wan too quick; but I felt it rattle against my ribs at the back, and I said jto my mate: 'One has gone right through my puku!"
I slipped off my equipment and lay down on my back. I thought to myself 'Not much chance of getting over this, if it has, gone right through me.'
Then I started to cough blood, and I knew it was a case. I had got it through the lungs. As I lay down the air made an awfid girgling sound, as it came through my windpipe. I could not speak aloud, but I managed to ask a mate to put my field dressing on. He did not care about doing it much, as it was so dangerous. He put it on roughy, as he did not think I would last long.
"KAPI IS ABOUT SETTLED!"
"I heard him say to the rest Kapi is just about settled, one through the lung. and I could see the rest nod their heads and look away. I got my I water bottle out, and every time I drank I would vomit blood, but I was so thirsrty I had to drink.
I did not bleed so much, but I cou!d see my hands going white, and the chaps told me afterwards I was a sickly white. I thought I was bleeding inwardly. I did not feel nervous or frightened, although I was sure I was going to "peg out."
I seemed to feel lonely, and a thought came over me, "so this is what dying is." I had thought I would be a bit frightened to I peg out like this. I lay back, and made myself as comfortable as possible. I felt my pulse again, and it was going quite normally, without a hitch. Then I commenced to feel too sick to care what happened.
By this time there was not a chap round me who was not hit. Someone gave the word to retire, but I wanted to stay where I was, as it hurt me, and made me choke when I moved. One chap put me on my feet, and helped me to struggle along. Others had to be carried, and if ever the V.C was won it was won here by several of our fellows. They ran about twenty paces and lay down, but I felt that if I lay down I could not get up again, so I kept on until I couldn't breathe. It is an awful sensation being choked with blood. My lungs seemed to swell and swell until they felt like bursting, and I had not space to breathe. Just short little breaths, like a sheep, and I had to lie down.
"WAS MOTHER PRAYING FOR ME?"
"I felt easier whan I lay down and coughed a bit. I couldn't cough much, as all the wind would come out of the hole in my throat. I lay there until some chaps came and put me on my feet again. I had about 300 yards to go to get out of the fire zone, and everybody was singing out to me to lay down or I would get shot, but I felt too crook to care. Either mother was praying for me at the time or else the devil takes care of his own, for the bullets were tearing through the scrub, and men were getting hit all the time, but I was not touched.
I wanted to strike a doctor, and get him to stop the bleeding. Several times I would have lain down and waited for the stretcher bearers, but I knew they could not come up in this fire, so I would have to struggle on again. You know how you feel when you are sea-sick; don't care a hang what happens. If I could only lie down I felt t would be all right. In the end I struck some stretcher bearers, and as I was talking to them one got a bullet right through the thigh. Of course, that spoilt my ride, but a chap that had got a graze on the head helped me along.
We had to get down a steep cliff, and every step shook me to pieces. I struck that dead chap with the watch again, and found I had only been in the firing line an hour and a half. The shortest cut to the seashore was about two miles, and it took us over three hours to do it. There was a constant stream of wounded passing us on the road. I could only go a few steps at a time.
Half-way down I came upon a dressing tent, and I thought I would get a doctor to fix me up and get a ride on a stretcher, but he had a look at it, and said, "I can do nothing for you, old man; you had better try and get on to the ship and make yourself easy." I could not get a stretcher, as there were worse cases than mine, so we hobbled on again.
ABOARD A STRETCHER.
'The shrapnel was bursting away up over our heads, but as we were at the bottom of the gully we were comparatively right. A couple of hundred yards from the shore I struck a stretcher and after some bargaining I got aboard. I had stuck to my water bottle like glue, and I used it as a pillow. but it was not high enough, and as they were not used to stretcher work it was more painful than walking. The Turks had the exact range of the sea shore, and as they had German gunners they just swept the place as they liked. The shells would burst beyond us a bit, and when my bearers heard one whistle they would drop me and scuttle under the bank. It was simply marvellous again how I was not hit.
We wound round the beach until we struck a little wharf the engineers had built. There were dozens and dozens of stretchers, and crowds of wounded that could walk. They carried us aboard the boats, and we must have lain there an hour and a half before we moved off. The shrapnel was as thick as flies. Even though I waa wounded, I used to hold myself and try and duck when one burst over us. From the view I had at the bottom I could see two bluejackets get knocked over.
We got out to the transport about 8 o'clock that night, and it was half-past one in the morning before they took us aboard. The sea was a bit choppy.
MEDICAL CORPS SHORT.
"The R.A.M.C. was very poor—short of everything. They reckoned they could cope with 50 per cent of casualties, but did not have enough men or appliances for 5 per cent. They took the stretchers aboard in slings, took us below, and laid us on the deck. This was pretty hard on the chaps with bad backs and shoulders. The blankets were all dirty. I never want to spend another night like that again—groans, cries, and moaning all night.
Two of them died quite close to me that night; best thing for them, poor chaps. There was one doctor for the 600 men on board. The only thing he could do was to go round and give morphia to the worst cases. There were two doctors operating all the time. The Red Cross man looked at me, and left me to attend to some other chaps, as he thought I was on my last legs.
I was wounded on Sunday between one and two o'clock, and it was Tuesday midnight before I could get anyone to see to it, and then it was only an orderly who bad been pressed into the Red Cross service. I had to tell him how to use the gauze and iodine. I wanted some iodine on it, as it stops gangrene and poisoning. I never got it attended to again till the following Saturday, although we got here on the Friday.
Those few short hours on the field hardened me so that I was quite unmoved, and I was determined not to let my spirits sink. We got to Alexandria on Thursday midday, but they did not take me off till Friday afternoon. It seemed an awful sight as I was lifted over the side to see the crowd below—the soldiers and the hospital trains.
MEMORIES OF HOME."
'The trains leave nothing to be desired. Large, cool, and white carriages, the beds so soft that I sank in and hurt my shoulder. I could not get used to them for some time. The first soft bed since I left home. I felt nervous of the. nurses. First English women I had seen for months and months. I kept grinning to myself like a big kid. Fancy being in a soft bed and being fed on bovril and biscuits! I had to cover my old "dial," 'so they would not see me smiling to myself. Even when we were wounded we only got bully beef and dry bread on the boat.
I happened to catch sight of my face in the window, and talk about the face of a devil or a Turk! It simply frightened me. While we were on the boat I got my hair clipped, a la gaolbird. I had not shaved for over a week, so you can imagine the dirty, hairy, gaunt, ugly phiz I saw. I never thought I could look so wicked.
We got to the main hospital about midnight. The motor took us like lightning from the station. The hospital was crowded to overflowing, and I had to wash myself all over in the open. I shivered like a dog in a wet sack. Very cold nights here. I had a good bed, but it was in the open; no room inside. I was examined next day (Saturday) by a doctor for the first time. On Sunday they shifted me to this place, a kind of convalescent hospital Every doctor and sister I have seen whistles and marvels that I am still alive. They cannot make it out. According to where the bullet went in and came out they reckon I should be dead. I have had a crowd of them round me, arguing, and almost pulling me to pieces. Can't make out why it didn't kill me in three places and how it is I am up and feel so well so soon.
LIKE "WONDERLAND."
"Where I am now, Luna Park, is like Wonderland at the Auckland Exhibition. Scenic railway and water chute. There are more attractions, and they are of a better class than wonderland. We are in the skating rink, about the size of Miners' Hall, without any sides. There is any amount to amuse us, and the chaps in the hospital have just reached the mischievous stage. There is a kind of pianola-barrel organ that plays the drollest music you ever heard. There is a dummy nigger on the top that beats a drum that sounds like a kerosene tin. It is funny to see chaps on one leg dancing the can-can and cakewalk.
I seem to see the funny lining to a lot of things, and the other chaps don't know where the joke comes in. At first it hurt me to laugh, but I can do anything now. I will go back to the firing line with the next reinforcements, I expect. One good thing, we will never get it so hot again unless we have to take Constantinople The South African veterans reckon they never had it nearly so hot all the time they were in Africa, and they were in the thick of it there.
AS HOT AS IN FRANCE.
"Our Turkish interpreter, an officer who was in the retreat from Mons and a lot of other battles, reckons we had it every bit as hot as they had it in France. The shrapnel is the worst of all. You hear your mates yelp, and then you hear it burst. It makes you 'duck' and hold yourself tight at first. If you hear it scream over your head you are fairly all right, for it is about 200 yards by the time you hear it whistle. When it bursts you hear a noise like a loud whip crack, then you hear the report, and the bullets fly all over the place. Rifle fire is not so bad, but you are powerless against shrapnel.
We only had the fire from the men-o-war, and although they do great work when they hit anything they can't find the mark like field artillery. Our field artillery wasnt ashore when I left. We had to take strongly entrenched positions. They outnumbered us over three to one and they had artillery and any amount of machine-guns, and for a long while we only had rifle fire and bayonets."
