GRIM FIGHT FOR A TRENCH.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLV, Issue 3998, 3 August 1915, Page 6

GRIM FIGHT FOR A TRENCH.

“MAY GOD FORGIVE US!” By Telegraph—Special Correspondent. AUCKLAND, Aug. 1. A Waihi boy bugler, C. J. Coutfcs, who was erroneously reported as having been killed in action, writing from No. i Australian Hospital, Heliopolis, gives a graphic description of an attack on a Turkish trench in which a party of the 6th Hauraki took part, lie says:

“Oil Friday, tho 4th June, about j eight in the morning we came back from the firing line into the reserve trenches for a couple of days’ “spell.” About 11 a.ln. a message came to our captain from headquarters asking for 70 men from tho Auckland Battalion to volunteer to charge a Turkish trench. About 20 of our good old Hau raid Company volunteered and lined up before the captain to get particulars. The captain was very frank with us. Ho asked us if we were mute sure of the seriousness of this attack .and said it was going to he a dangerous undertaking. Before wo left headquarters we were each.given two hand grenades and were told we were not to retire under any consideration. We were told that our signal to charge would be a bomb fired into the Turkish trench at three minutes to eleven. I must say the worst part ot the whole business was the few* minutes we were huddled in our trench waiting and watching for the bomb and the word “go.” They were minutes of torture. At last after wo had trembled ourselves tired and given our hearts a gentle push down' our necks with our fingers we heard that dreadful bomb ami also, “Come on, lads.” Almost immediately we jumped out of our trenches and dashed where —straight for what looked like a red hot fence. The rifles of the Turks seeming as close together as the pickets ef a fence. The moment I put my head above the trench I saw the most dreadful sight—one I shall never forget. The flashes of rifles and explosion of shells and bombs were terrific and the noise was deafening. When at last we did reach the Turks trench there were only seven of us alive and six of those were wounded. .The front of the trench was built up with sandbags and the Turks were firing through little portholes that had been left between the bags, so that they could not see us until wo put our heads up over the trench. _ But we did not show our heads until wo had thrown our bombs in and while the confusion caused by the exploson was going on amongst them we jumped into the trench and then got to work back to back with tho much dreaded cold steel. One of our seven had his hand blown off by the Turks and another’ was shot through the heart while getting into the trencTi. Ko it left live of us not only to fight for our country but for our lives. All five of us wore Haurakis. We were soon in command of about fifty yards of trench which, wo held until our engineers had slipped through and our supports came to our relief. The five of us were Ossy Delaney (Waihi), Norman Campbell (Waikino), Charlie Nield (Karangahaki), Jack Harris (J’aerda) and myself. All of us with the exception of Delaney are in hospital. Here we stood firing back to back and stabbing continuously and at last we gradually got them on the more both ways. ' A mate and I had hardly moved two paces away from the others-when on glancing a bit to our side we saw two Turks crawling out of a hole in the side of the trench with their hands up and pleading for mercy. But it was not a position in. which we could take prisoners and there was no time for thinking. So may Cod forgive and 1 for killing undefended Turks in such cold blood. If the Turks had known there were only five British in tho trench what would our fate have been. \Ve two kept up a continuous fire in front of the trench towards Canterbury, but it seemed ages before f got an answer to my incessant calling for “New Zealand.” At last after about half an hour of shooting, bayoneting and yelling and floundering over dead we got ail answer. How mv heart heaved, but only for one second because the next second a Turk and I met face to face on equal defence. I don’t know whether I pulled tho trigger ot my right side.” Coutts then describes same time and had the pleasure of seeing something glittering going past my right side. Coutts then describes how they took 21 nrisoners and joined the Canterbury men. He concludes as follows: “For an hour wo worked taking the dead out of the trench and changing bags to our new front. An officer came along in a little while and cue wounded were helped to the dressing station.'’