With the Twenty-ninth division in Gallipoli, a chaplain's experiences . iliers, to his brother. Major Shawwas killed on June 4. What can one say, and where can one begin, afterten days and nights of hundreds of hairbreadth escapesfrom death ? To-day is the first time since landingthat I have been out of the firing line night or day,and when I say the firing line I mean the enemy nevermore than 1000 yards from one. Put your head upout of the trench, whizz goes a bullet from an invisiblesniper with telescopic sights; walk about outside, andbang goes a shrapnel close to you. The word is, Getin an
With the Twenty-ninth division in Gallipoli, a chaplain's experiences . iliers, to his brother. Major Shawwas killed on June 4. What can one say, and where can one begin, afterten days and nights of hundreds of hairbreadth escapesfrom death ? To-day is the first time since landingthat I have been out of the firing line night or day,and when I say the firing line I mean the enemy nevermore than 1000 yards from one. Put your head upout of the trench, whizz goes a bullet from an invisiblesniper with telescopic sights; walk about outside, andbang goes a shrapnel close to you. The word is, Getin and get under; dig like mad. I write this in adug-out in the Divisional Reserve, with an unpleasantdust-storm blinding me. To-day is a holiday, and Ihave been to the sea and had a swim; my last washwas on board a battleship. Plenty of rations, notmuch water, no marching, but nervous exhaustion,and no sleep, that is the trouble as of yore. I alwayshave and still contend that you cannot get used tobeing under fire; it is purely a case of hardening your- > > ? c c. < is < o c f-H < O u s < ^ ri ?a 1) O a, ; o IN GALLIPOLI 61 self for the worst and shoving along. This is nottrench warfare. We have been in the open till a fewdays ago, and are just on the defensive pro tern. Ifwe move we expect to gain at least two miles ofcountry. The enemy have been hurling themselvesagainst our trenches nightly. Rockets going, gunsbanging, and a roar of rapid fire commencing at duskand ceasing at dawn. The last time (night before last)they had a real go at us. We did well : heaped up200 dead and captured loo. Our small band ofremnants cannot be budged. We hardly lost a soulin this effort. I was very pleased. The second dayin attack I was sniped in the fleshy part of the rightknee—clean hole, but not lamed much, so have notbeen out of action or reported wounded, and am nowhealed up. The enemy got through the British lineonce, and the French once by night, but were ejectedby the re
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookpublisherlondo, bookyear1916
