Dundee
29/9/1915,
Dear Everybody,
You will see that I am still in Dundee, & likely to be for about 7 or 8 more days. At present I am staying with a Mr Black, father of Mrs Johnston’s I was staying with when I wrote you last. Mr Black lives on the opposite side of the Tay from Dundee & Broughty Ferry, in a suburb called Tayport. A very pretty spot & about 25 minutes run in one of the trains. It is not so far in a direct line only about a mile & a half, but when going by train we have to run along the bank of the Tay for about 3 miles till we strike the Tay bridge, & then the bridge is about a mile & a half long. These people can not see the force of me going back to London where I know practically nobody, 6 weeks before my time is up. They certainly are very kind & generous, but you know as well as I that there is always the chance of one eating his welcome out. However they want me to stay here right up to the end of my time, but of course that is out of the question. I want to see a little more of London, & besides I promised to go back to see Mr & Mrs Hooper again. The position of not knowing anybody in the “Old Country” you may well say does not exist now. Had I known
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on my way over what I know now I would not have had many fears for how I would spend my time. At time of writing the “old land” is in a state of jubilation over the resumption of the offensive on the western frontier & of the great successes attained. Without a doubt it has been a bold & bonnie stroke with far reaching effects, coming as it does with the checking of the German advance into Russia, & the Russians being able to assume the offensive. By all appearances the two have been timed to take place together, & have been a great success; making Germany’s position rather an unhappy one. She has her hands full in the east & will not be able to send many of their troops on that front to assist in France. That being the case it seems highly probable that we will give them a good run for their money. At the same time there is a breath of expectancy too, for it has not come to hand yet what the extent of our casualties have been. One thing is certain, such a substantial gain has not been won without a cost. However we are now come to the point where if we expect to win our whole heart & soul must be put into the fray regardless of the consequences. There also seems to be a crisis in Bulgarias affairs, she must either plunge into
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the fray or draw back her horns before it is too late. One thing is certain, had things not taken the course they have in France & in Russia, they would be up against us by this. In this mornings paper appeared Sn.E. Grey’s warning, & it seems to have met with general approval. By the time this reaches you the “Budget” will be a thing of the past. Here it is the topic of the day, & big as it is it is going down without a whimper, without the exception of the increase in the postage rates. The papers are all squeeling over the abolition of the 1/2 stamp. However the minister seems to be firm & to all appearances is not prepared to give way. For days before it came down you could hear nothing from anybody but what will the Budget hold for us. It is simply grand the way the people are responding to it. There was rather a surprise in store for many people when they saw that whisky etc was not touched, & yet most people seem to agree that it was quite the proper thing. The new liquor laws came into operation here yesterday, that is the curtailment of hours on which whisky or any intoxicating drinks can be sold. Shouting, or as it is termed here treating, is also abolished, every man has to pay for his own now, & no drink is allowed to be taken off the premises on Saturdays. This will have a big effect on the workers
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it will enable them to get home with their pay, & also to get back to their work punctually on Monday mornings. In regard to the O.M.R. its doings & casualties etc. I am very sorry to say that it is practically extinct, there being no officers left & only 17 men. This news I got 2 days ago from Sgt. McRae of the machine gun section. He along with 23 other N.Z.s. arrived in Dundee 2 days ago to undergo treatment here. He is not wounded but developed rhimatics after the attack on Bauchop’s ridge. Altogether there has been a lot of sickness in the regt. but the casualties have been heavy also. Besides myself 3 other officers were away from the Peninsula through sickness, the rest, (with the exception of Capt Glendining & Maj Nutsford who are now attached to the N.Z. Mtd Brigade,) are all either dead wounded or missing. The officers suffered badly in the first attack, about the 6th to the 10th of Aug., then the finishing stroke came in the second attack which took place on the 21st Aug. in the first attack the Colonel Capt Hay Lieut McKay were killed, Lieuts Alley Hargest Mitchell & Capt Paddon wounded, & pretty near all the N.C.O.s were either killed wounded or came off through sickness afterwards. So you see that after the first attack our ranks were sorely thinned. However reinforce0ments went on from Egypt & they were again formed up. In the first attack Mr Perry was too ill to
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to go into action & was left in charge of the out-post position. The attack took place at night commencing at 9. P.M. all bayonets were fixed & rifles unloaded, orders were that no shots were to be fired until they had gained a footing on the objective. The machine gun section stayed in the out-post position until day started to dawn when they too moved out to join in the fun. They got right on to the position without mishap & were doing good work. It was at this time that Bertie Hutton received the wound from which he ultimately died. It was not until after they had firmly established themselves on Bauchop’s Ridge & just as day was breaking that Colonel Bauchop was sent to his untimely end. He did not died immediately although the was wounded just above the heart, but lingered on for a few days. It was some time before daylight that Capt Hay was killed, & Capt Paddon was knocked out early in the night, also McKay. I do not know what news you have in regard to Mr Perry, but what new I am going to give you about him you must keep to yourselves, unless it is officially reported correct. Sgt. McRae tells me that he along with Lieut Watson are reported missing, that is after the second attack on 21st Aug. But in conversation with some of our men who took
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part in second attack Sgt McRae, says they told him that although these two are reported missing it is generally believed that they were both killed. The nature of the country made it very difficult to find the dead & wounded, & it is quite possible that they may be dead & not found. On the other hand it is hardly possible that they could have been taken prisoners as the Turks were retreating all the time, quite different to what it would have been had they been driving the O.M.R. back. Should our worse fears be confirmed, it will be an awful blow to his wife & family, & to Mr Gilkinson too. That is broadly the fate of the O.M.R., I can not manage to get hold of a detailed list of the men yet, but am to have one as soon as one is completed. Just how the men fared & who is killed or wounded or sick I am not yet aware. It is very sad about young Bertie Hutton isn’t it. I just got word of it a couple of days ago. It is very funny how you meet people it seems these people I am staying with know Bertie & Miss Hutton very well, & it was from them that I heard he was dead. His father sent some of his friends, McCradies by name I think a post card saying that Bertie had died of wounds & that
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Miss Hutton was leaving for London the same day as he got word of the death. whether she knew or not before leaving but I guess it would be an awful shock to her. The bullet went in just under the arm somewhere & into his stomach, causing him a lot of pain. That being the nature of the wound it was hardly to be expected that he would get over it. I was speaking to him just a day or two before I left the Peni. & he seemed to be in pretty good form. He was a good & trusty soldier young & all as he was, one of the best in the section. I am going to call on his people on my way through Edinburgh, & will in all probability see Miss Hutton when she arrives in London. There are three of the officers of the regt. in London now, all in hospital there may be more for all I know. I got your letter Ruth written on the 16th Aug, but not the box you spoke of; also the letter Annie wrote addressed to Netley Hospt. along with the Witness. I must say I am glad to see Thornbury has managed to send a man or two more. However there are quite a number left yet who have every right to be stepping out. The Otago Inf Regt suffered again, have not seen the list, but do you know that out of all the officers that came over on the Hawkesbay with us
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I think the half of them are killed, & with the exception of Glendining there are none left in action. Pretty hot isnt it. What has come over the people round Flints Bush & Fairfax, what with the Peters & Marshals affair, the coming out of Harry McNeill, the place is thoroughly alive. Do you not think Harry will get homesick if he stays away for a week.? It might be just possible that he would join the forces when he reached Well., I would give a good bit to see him shouldering a rifle & digging trenches, have to be less argument & a little more bustle I am thinking. What wont he have to say when he gets back. Oh! Bob Tapper was in the fun on the 21st Aug. don’t think he got wounded, invalided to Malta really had no right to be out of Hospt I believe, his throat is giving more trouble than enough. Sgt. McRae said he was practically a wreck when he saw him last, fair washed out, not serious of course. Bob was not near the man he looked, he had a great deal of trouble in Egypt. Now I think it is near time I was bringing this to a close, as it is getting near mail time. Remember me to all relations who might ask for
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for me, & other folk too. I have on several occassions sent a P.C. to some of those who I came in touch with in N.Z. on my way through. Some of them have been kind enough to send short replies & others I have no heard from. Of Frank Bath I have heard nothing of late. On the strength of Annies letter I sent a letter to George Menzies addressed c/o N.Z. Record office, should he happen to be in England that should find him. Don’t forget to remember me to the Greenslades Lottie, I have sent them a P.C. on one or two occassions, hope they got them all right, & tell them that they will hear from me again sometimes. My correspondence is getting to be a pretty big business now. Very funny how the cables should have arrived the way they did. The Fosters certainly are very kind indeed, to put themselves out the way they did. Au rêvoir for the present.
Your Sincere
Brother E.S. McI.
P.S. Don’t forget little Jessie, & the children at cornation. xx
[Written on back of Page 9]
Send to Lottie.
