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[Page 9]
you fully thereon.
MacLaurin was killed on Tuesday April 27th. His dug out was near the top of the ridge – now known as MacLaurin's Hill – just behind the firing line. He had just come out of his dug out, when a sniper got him through the head. He lived about an hour & twenty minutes, but never regained consciousness & of course suffered no pain.
Irvine was shot almost the same moment. He was bringing a party of men across the valley, and was warned about the snipers, when he was shot through the heart. Death was instantaneous.
King was shot on Friday or Saturday April 30 or May 1. Not a bad wound, through the fleshy part of the thigh. He had no complications & was back again in 3 or 4 weeks.
There is now a certain amount of organisation at Alex. but one would naturally expect that after 5 months.
Nasty thing to say, but I am afraid this Dardanelles show has been most grossly mismanaged from the very start. I cannot of course write very much, but really some of the things have been quite appalling – there is an old saying "The mistakes of Politicians & Staff Officers have to be paid for by the infantry" This show proves it. When I left Alex. we were very little nearer the Narrows than on the landing in April, but the casualties have been enormous. I do not think I am wrong in saying about 80,000. Thanks to a merciful Providence, I have been blessed with good nerves – if not I could never have stood some of the things I have