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[Page 31]
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dead and their dead were lying about waiting to be taken back and buried. 35 young Australians killed and many more wounded. War is a rotten game anyhow. But I shall never forget one Turk. When the mine blew up he was pinned in a sitting, half standing position against the back of the trench and there he stayed, dead, grasping his rifle with both hands. Something like the Roman sentry in Pompeii. We buried a lot more dead Turks yesterday. They did not look a bit pretty. Girls you will remember S.S.S. Sargent Smith a good fellow. He was wounded to-day, smashed leg, also L.R. Halloran, who was writing for the "Sun". He was badly wounded in the thigh (Clarrie, You might ring up Mr. M. Grover at the "Sun" and tell him that Halloran was shot in the groin to-day and was serious. Will let him know how he gets on. Will send him a post card). I don't think any of you met Jordan Flannagan, a 6 feet youth from Wagga Way and an awfully good soldier. He used to be in my old troop. in 3 Squadron. He was lying asleep in his dug out when a stray bullet came and pierced his heart and he died in a couple of minutes. We buried him this evening.
Quite a curious thing happened this morning. There was a pow wow. Present, Generals Birdwood, Walker, Williams, Maclagan, Ryrie, etc and heaps of Colonels and Majors and smaller fry. I was about the smallest of the smaller fry there. The thought crossed my mind "What a haul the Turks would have if they could land a shell right in the midst of them" Just as we were walking away, I said to General Ryrie "Suppose a shell burst", Just as I got the word out of my mouth, a blankey shell did burst exactly over our heads. Fortunately the bullets and splinters all went forward and missed us, but it was hot in my face, and I had a singing in my ear for an hour after. General Ryrie exclaimed "No more of your supposings", so I ain't supposing any more horrible things nohow.
Had a walk with Colonel Cox on Plugg's Plateau this morning early. It is some distance behind our lines. The view is very fine. The sea is beautifully blue, and as calm as a sheet of glass. We can see right across down to Achi Baba and all the country to the north of it. The Turks must be angry with us to-night. Has been blazing away like fury for hours, and must have wasted quite a lot of ammunition. He is very jumpy lately and on the slightest provocation he lets off a few thousand rounds, all to no purpose. We have great fun every now and then pulling his leg. We send a couple of rockets up light a red flare, sound a bugle and start cheering like mad. Poor Abdul thinks we are after him with the bayonet and then he looses off rifles and machine gunss at a great rate. He has been very busy with his big guns to-day also. He gave us a fine healthy bombardment, both shrapnel and high explosives, but he did not do much damage. I did a fine duck yesterday for shelter. A Taube aeroplane flew over our lines and dropped darts. Then the dirty dog dropped a big bomb out at sea at our hospital ship. It was most deliberate as there were no other ships near it. Our torpedo boats and monitors and war ships were all over a mile away. It was a cowardly thing for the ship was half full of wounded Australians. It was a German Aeroplane. I don't think the Turks would do that. The bomb missed the ship by about 50 yards. To me it seemed about 10 yards, and it made a great splash in the water.
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