Letters from John Wesley Hetherington to his Family, 1914-1915 - Part 5

13

April 18/1915.
SOMEWHERE.
Dear Mother,
I am only allowed to write a very few lines and
it is against regulations to say where this is being written.
I may say, however that we are in a very pleasant harbour
where there are green hill sides to view and that in itself is
quite a tonic after Egyptian Lands. Bully beef & biscuits are our
staple food and I'm very glad I've good teeth. They have to
work now as never in their time before. I got Wals' letter last
week also some papers from Fred which were welcome and we
be more so, if we are able to get them, later on. We are seeing the
world some and up to now have had little cause to growl.
I am taking a chance in writing you, and I trust it will reach 
you all right. Don't worry if some time elapses between my    
letters. I shall take all care of myself. At present I am in A.1  
health and condition. Darning socks worries me most. Wish
I'd had some lessons before I left. Everything else is easy, though
the washing wouldn't pass you without a censure I'm afraid.
It is very interesting here, and I've seen some xxxx lately
Nuff said - the censor is watching. I note re the money to
England. Joe will let you know when to send I think.
Goodbye for the present, with love to you all at home.
Wish I could write more fully, blow the Censor.
Wes/.
 R T Tarrant 

14

My Folks at Home.
May 10^th/15.
Valetta Hospital
Malta.

After keeping you on short rations
as regards news I think I may safely try to make
up for past deficiency. I am not quite sure as to the
strictness of the censorship here but the news I have will
have appeared in the Austⁿ papers long before you get this.
After we left Cairo we were embarked on a captured N.D.L
ship the Derfflinger. She was a big ship and there were two
battal^ns of us aboard the 2^nd & 3^rd. These with some reinforcement
made up a ships company of about 2,500. You can guess we
were not too comfortable having to sleep on more decks and
live on biscuits, jam and bully beef. We understood of course that
it was only for a few days so we didn't mind and I managed to
squeeze into a 2^nd saloon cabin with come others. As it happened
we were aboard her much longer than we expected having to lie in
Lemnos for a fortnight. Lemnos is a fine harbour & the countryside
is agricultural, the people (Greek) having nice clear skins and
rosy cheeks. It was quite refreshing to see the country & people
after the sand & dusty skins in Egypt. We had all tired
of Egypt & the Friday before we left (Good Friday) the N.Z^'dr
and one  men made things very very lovely in one part of the
town. It was funny to see them throwing bedsteads, wardrobes etc
from 3^rd story windows. Then they made a bonfire of them in
the middle of the street. The fire brigade turned out
and started to play on the fire and turned the hose on the

boys too, so they cut up the hose. I don't know what really was 

the cause of the row, some said a Maori had been knifed in

some den, but anyway things looked pretty serious for a time.

Anyway the authorities did the wisest thing in sending us to the

Dardenelles where there was plenty of scope for those with fight

in them. Well we've had one bit of fight now, with a

great many of us it was short and bitter not short & sweet..

We arrived off the place of disembarkⁿ during the night and at

daybreak we were awakened by the sound of big guns. XX

Going on deck we could see the warships close in to a hilly coast

blaring away for dear life at a fort or battery on a point running

out about a mile from where our men were landing. The battery

would fire a shot or two and then the gunboat (Euralysis) would

reply with double the number and to see them shooting did your

heart good. They could plant their shots as if they were planting

potatoes. We of the 1^st Brigade had to wait until the 2^nd & 3^rd

Brigade landed. On the 3rd Brig (Q'land, W.Aust, & Tasmanians)

landed first and suffered most severly I think, though it is

difficult to say as the fighting in the afternoon was pretty severe,

and the Casualty lists have not yet appeared. Our men had to

land just at daybreak and M^r Turk was waiting to receive them

on the doorstep. The Navy took us ashore in destroyers as close

in as possible and we then transferred to row boats towed by a naval

pinnace on a steam launch. The Navy chaps were as cool as a 

freezing plant. The little midshipsmen in charge of the wheel were

quite unconcerned though shrapnel was bursting above & around us. 

Some poor chaps were knocked out before we reached the shore, and

there were about half a dozen ships boats sunk or waterlogged rear 

the beach when we got ashore so things had been pretty warm.

There was a certain amount of confusion when we disembarked, sections 

platoons & companies got minced up & remained that way. All we knew 

was that we had to get up to the firing line as quickly as possible as 

there was a demand for reinforcement & ammunition. So we dumped our 

packs at the first opportunity & set off up the hills, passing ammunitions 

from hand to hand on the way up. The ground was covered with 

a sort of wild holly about 2ft to 3ft high and the Larles had 

set traps for us all over the place. Fortunately we had warnings of 

these and kept to the better foodpaths. The hillsides are fairly steep 

and the nearest country I know too it is the Blue Mountains. 

In spite of many difficulties however, the Aust^ns went at them 

for all they were worth, and when our Brigade got ashore & ∧when we had

climb the first hill passing few dead Turks here and there, I was

quite surprised to see how far they had pushed the enemy back. 

After we got over the first hill we descended into a gully an here the 

blasts where's zipping here & there. We came down in single file and 

it was remarkable to hear a bullet "zip" then go between us without 

actually hitting. Down in this gully the ground was mined here &

there and guards were stationed to warn us off these danger spots.

Then we have to clamber up another steep hillside, not an easy job when 

you have bully beef etc and 200 lbs of ammunition to carry. I was quite 

blown when I got to the top anyway & when I did arrive there I got 

"blown out". I was into a hot corner straight away, shrapnel was

bursting overhead incessantly it gives you a queer feeling. 

Rifle bullets don't worry you as much, but the shrapnel, especially 

when 3 ounce shells bust quickly, make you wish you were invited

out to tea somewhere else. We hadn't time to get into trenches and scrub

is of no use where shrapnel is concerned as the bullets swish among them 

like hail, as you begin to wonder how long it will be in you will get one,

and where you'll get it. I got a slight tap on the wrist first, and

had flopped down to get the hang of the Turks as I knew we were

very close to them. One of our sergeants got hit in front of me and I 

watched him roll down the hill. Then a private pointed out he was done 

for and just at that moment I got hit in the thigh halfway between 

the knee & hip. It feels like a large size mule giving you a kick, when the 

bullet strikes, and you don't want much more. I got out of the firing line pretty 

quickly made tracks for the beach where the dressing station was, and that 

beach seems to good away especially when you had shrapnel to watch 

or all the way down. I didn't mind being  hit once but I didn't want a 

second dose and when I heard a shell coming I ducked  for all I was 

worth. With another chap's help I got down to the beach there again the 

shrapnel was busy, bursting right above the dressing station where all the 

wounded were lying. Our batt^ln had left the ship about 9.30am & I was back

to the beach about 1pm, just a little walk to the firing line & back again, in

fact I never had time to get a shot-in, though I was looking for them.

After waiting on the beach a good while we were taken off & got on the Clan 

McGillivay to be sent to Alexandria, & a mixed lot we were too.

Aust^ns , New Zeal^ds & Indians all mixed up together, some very badly

wounded among them too. One of the Indians had his hand blown off

and he didn't seem to worry much about it either. A chap lying 

near me at his arm badly fractured, his head cut, & his hip cut 

with the shrapnel. He stuck it like a Briton though he didn't get much 

attention, as they were about 1200 wounded aboard. We also had to 

wait until the remainder of the cargo was discharged so it was Tuesday 

night before we left the scene of operations. While we were lying there 

occasional shells kept dropping near this ship & our ship nearly got 

one, in fact they had to up anchor & get out further. The warships 

usually gave them a few in return & just before we left I hopped up on a 

deck to see "Big Liz" sending a few hot ones out to the [Nusret].

Another of the ships raked a hill with Lyddite and we cheered the way

they did it, I don't think they left a corner of that hill unsearched.

Well we said goodbye but for a while and got back to smelly Alexandria 

on the Thursday night putting off the officers & the worst cases there and

left the next night for Malta with about 300 more, some were pretty bad

too. Some of the slightly wounded stayed aboard at Malta & are going 

back in the ship to the Dard^lls others were taken off some sent to one

hospital some to another, some were convalescent some nearly so, myself

among the latter. I am leaving Valetta Hosp^l tomorrow for the convalescent. 

My bullet went right through so I was spared a second operation and the

bullet wound is mainly closed now. I have not seen a list of the

casualties on that day yet it but I expect they are heard of as things where 

very warm I can assure you. I believe things are much better now 

& our men have a better chance to beat them as I'm sure they will. 

There are all sorts in this hospital now Imperials & Colonials. 

Malta is full of hospitals & the climate is just lovely. I don't

mind staying here a week or two. The Territorial A.M.C. men

look well after us & the nurses sisters are very clever too. 

The City of London Terriers are here.

We have a big D^r from London as consulting surgeon 

Capt. Fitzwilliam a big man physically too as he stands 

about 6 ft 6 and weighs accordingly.  Our Maltese D^r

is quite a little chap & we have Christened them David &

Goliath. Goliath is very clever with the knife and he's

anything but gentle they say so its just so well I haven't

had to make acquaintance with him.

We have had one or two deaths and it is touch & go with others,

but the staff work very hard to save them, as any who have 

friends here can rest assured they are treated with skill and

extreme tenderness. Now I haven't anything more to say. I 

can't tell you anything about Malta yet, not having been

outside the hospital yet. It is much sweeter & cleaner

than Cairo I can see that much & I feel in A1 health

as a result of the stay here.

Trusting the cables reached you all right & that you

are all in the best of health.

Yours with best love to Mother & all.

Wes/.

[*15*]

Imtarfa Hospital. Malta

May 10/1915

Dear Mother,

I xxxx know you will always be anxious to hear as to

how it fares with me and I shall try to write every week if it

is possible to do so, though if my letters should have a break

at any time don't worry at all as we never know for certain

where we are going to be moved to next. The ways of the military 

in these days are most mysterious and strange. They sent some 

of our chaps to France this week, those likely to take over three months to 

get right again, and also some convalescents where likely 

enough to get the chance in order to fill up the number. I missed

this latter as Valletta was the only hospital where they got the

chance of it. I sent  an old Turk rifle Home with one of the

chaps to for to keep for me, and it also told time to try and get

it sent out to Fred if possible that is if he could guarantee

it reaching Australia. If it does reach you all right, Fred 

may keep it as a memento of our landing in Turkey. I

picked it up near a dead Turk in a place our chaps have 

name Shrapnel Gully. It had the stock smashed off it 

when I got it but the best of it is all right and it came in 

very useful as up prop or stick to help me down to the beach 

on that fateful day, April 25th. I shall always remember 

that day and so will many more of us. I suppose the people

in Aust^a would get a shock when the first casualty list 

were published, and without doubt these are serious. Very few

of our original officers are there now, and they have had to

make officers out of sergeants and even corporals.  Our chaps

where sorry to lose the Colonel (Braund) though we said many things 

about him before yet he was a brick in the trenches I believe, and 

stood with a rifle in the trenches for 2½ days when they landed 

first. He's supposed to have been shot by one of our own sentries 

behind the firing lines altogether, some say because it didn't answer

the challenge, but that is very unlike "Georgie". He was always

very particular on those points. We have lost some fine chaps and 

there must be very few of the regiment that left Kensington in the 

firing line now. The other two armourer corp^ls that left with me

in the 1st and 3rd Batt^ns are both killed , one of them was at

Randwick with me, Alf Bailey is his name, and I am rather

cut up about him. He was such a quiet decent chap and we 

were on the same ship going to the Dard^lls. I only saw his

name in the list yesterday as I don't know when or how he

got killed. The other chap came from N. Sydney I think, and

his name was Ferguson, though I didn't know him as well as Alf

Bailey. The Arm^r Sergt of the 1^st was killed too I believe, he went up

to the trenches just to have a look at them and got it in the head.

He kept Alf on and I and more particularly Ferguson out of the 

Serg^ts job and it didn't turn out too well for him poor chap after all.

There is one thing to be said for the Doctors they don't hurry you 

away from here and if our Corp, the convalescents I mean, behave 

themselves we'll be alright here. There is a big armiders shop 

at the base now I hear and there ought to be decent jobs going 

for such as I. I'm going to give them a try any how. The 

leg is practically all right now, the muscles still a bit stiff, but

I'm thankful to get off so light. We got a lot of Home even in 

yesterday mostly legs, head and arms cases. They had been in

an attack on Achi Baba hill last week, and thought the casualties

are fairly heavy they are not so heavy as when we landed. They

are in a different part of the country to the Aust^ns of course. We 

haven't had any of the latter in for quite a while now. I have a 

Sergt Major of the Manchester (Terriers) regiment next bed to me now. He is

an ex Bisley man and his greatest delight is to be lying potting 

Turks at different ranges, and I think there'll be a few Turks the less 

out there now as a result of his shooting. Most of the chaps are of the 

opinion that the Turks will collapse if we are successful in 

taking Achi Baba Hill. It plays a very important part in 

our operations and a superhuman effort will be made to 

take it in June. Jolly good luck to them say I. We get very

well fed here and are quite content, thought we do kick about

the non-delivery of mails. I didn't get that bit of lace

sent off yet as I haven't been out of the grounds this week 

and I want to take the precautions of registering it, not that 

it is very valuable of course but I want to make sure you 

get it. Nothing more to talk about, hope you are all well 

and comfortable 

Yours with love

Wes/.