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[Page 61]
He said that he only got 2 hours sleep for the first four days, & also showed us where a bullet passed right through his coat at the shoulder. Our casualties on the whole Peninsula up to May 1st have been 7,000, but the majority are wounded & only slightly, mostly head wounds from shrapnel. This is much lower than had been expected. We are landing reinforcements from all the Troopships the whole time. Seven ships went away this morning to Alexandria & some that previously went, arrived back last night with more men.
We have quite a lot of visits from Military Officers, who come aboard & have a good hot salt bath & a square meal. We also always give them, tinned fruit, sandwiches & cigarettes etc to take away with them & we are getting quite popular as a recuperating rendezvous. There are twenty Australian gunners now taken into the 26th Indian Mountain Battey in place of wounded sihks. It is good to hear of the bravery being displayed by the Australians & they are also making a great showing as scouts, in getting through bushy & mountainous country & sniping.
8 p.m. It was arranged that another position was to be taken at 7.30 p.m. today so at 7.15 seven of our Battleships started a fusilade of the Turkish trenches, letting go broadside after broadside & tearing up the hill. It was the biggest attack on any one position, by Warships since we have been here.
At 7.30 they ceased fir & the guns & rifles ashore started more merrily & they are still going strongly. Probably our boys