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[Page 65]
3 p.m. (May 4th) Our late 2nd Officer who was taken off this Ship in Mudros Bay, to take charge of a Tug for the Admiralty, doing work in the landing of Troops at Cape Helies was aboard here just now. He has had & seen some terrible experiences up there. In the landing on the 25th when the River Clyde was run ashore in order to make a landing stage, he witnessed the annihilation of the men who attempted with great heroism to get ashore, under the withering fire of a fort. Later on at this spot, from the Ship to the shore, he saw through the clear waters of the Meditteranean, the poor chaps who had been killed. The weight of their equipment on their backs held them down. Some of our wounded are coming off in a dreadful condition, as the enemy are using dum dum bullets which makes a large open wound.
One English soldier had his leg blown away at the knee & whilst he was being brought in by stretcher bearers they were shot, but he was rescued by others & was quite cheerful, his only worry being for the two poor chaps, with red crosses on their arms, who were shot whilst rescuing him.
Some of the atrocities the Turks are committing are dastardly & our chaps will not take prisoners now. 200 Turks dropped their arms & ran towards our Trenches hands up, but they were mowed down. This is a frequent occurrence & it is said that they are full up of fighting, but their German Masters make them stick on & have taught them that the Australians are cannibals.