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[Page 38]
Walker's Ridge -- Pope's Hill – Quinn's Post
ears of dead men whom they thought were alive. Everyone lay still. The wounded were crying out for stretcher bearers who dare not venture out amongst such a hail of bullets. Some poor fellows were left where they fell. Towards evening we were ordered to advance further down the slopes of the hill, and I cannot say what happened to the unfortunate wounded. The Turks had probably retired to the further ridge to prepare for a defensive campaign, and so we dug ourselves in temporally by means of our entrenching tools while the New Zealand engineers worked hard to consolidate our position in the rear.
We were dog tired by this, and at intervals we took draughts of water which was brought to us in kerosene tins, and ate bully beef which was passed from hand to hand in large tins. Early in the
Early in the evening, which was intensely dark, Turkish bugle calls were heard on our right. As the sound drew nearer our men dropped aside their entrenching tools, [indecipherable] their rifles and waited.
Immediately a sharp, but terrific rifle fire was opened on both sides. Our line which was in a horseshoe bend became subject to enfilading fire, and though our casualties were slight we were glad when the fire became lax and, at last, died away.
When everything became normal again the Turks, having ascertained our position, evidently prepared their line of defence along the crest of the foremost ridge passing which ran parallel