FIRST AID BY RED CRESCENT ARMENIAN

In the course of about half an hour an Armenian in the uniform of the Turkish Red Crescent came along and bandaged my wounds. He was very gentle in his treatment of me and cut off my socks to get at my wounded instep. Furthermore, he gave me a drink of water and a couple of cigarettes.

Just in front of the dug-out in which I lay was a main track along which Turkish horse trains were carrying stores from the boats. I noticed barrels of water passing along on pack horses. The Armenian stopped an empty pack horse and instructed the Turks to have me put on it. Then he left. The Turks fairly threw me and I landed on that pack horse. When I came to, we started off, one Turk leading the pack horse.

While on guard on Anzac Beach I had learned the Turkish words for "bread" and for "water". I asked the Turk who was leading the horse for "soo" (water) and he left me to get some. But just then our shrapnel opened up and the Turk came running back. He hurried me along across a small field. In this field there were quite a number of dead Turks - about 30 or so I should say. We passed some Turks drawing water at a well. They called out; "English!" Thinking that if I took no notice of them they might stone me, I waved my hat. I was taken into a dressing station where there were already a number of wounded Australians.

SOME WOUNDED AUSTRALIAN I SAW

Among the wounded Australian's I remember having seen there were –

Hennessey, a North Melbourne man of the 14th Battalion. He afterwards died as a Prisoner of War in the Turkish military hospital at Tash Kishla.

Barney Woods, also of the 14th, who used to work in the Quartermaster's Store. This man already had three wounds in the arms and three also in the legs. A German nurse afterwards told me in Harbia Hospital that Woods died that night.

J. Leyain, also of the 14th Battalion, was wounded in the head and also died that night.

There was another of our chaps, badly wounded, who died that night, using my folded coat as his pillow. I cannot recall his name.

While we were at this dressing station our shrapnel opened up and poor Woods received another wound in the arm, making four.

At about 5 O'clock in the evening Turkish Red Crescent carts came for us the wounded. Each ambulance cart carried four stretcher cases and in them we were taken adjoining up some 10 miles to another dressing station. Here there were two German doctors and we were put to bed on pallets of clean straw. The German doctors gave us tea; in fact they were good to our wounded in every way. But we only remained at this dressing station for about an hour. Then we were carried about a quarter of a mile on stretchers and placed on other carts. These were Turkish transport carts - wide at the top but narrow towards the floor. They were jolty and uncomfortable and riding in them under our circumstances was something to remember. They were also short in the body, these transport carts; the tail-board appeared to be too close up, and we could not stretch our bodies. I had to hold up my wounded leg the best way I could. Then the Turks in charge were very bad drivers. They loafed along over the smooth patches of road and trotted over the bumpy patches. Moreover the surly driver we had refused to allow us to do what we could to make ourselves comfortable.

At about 2 o'clock in the morning two of us were capsized out of our cart into the middle of the road. The cumbrous cart had lurched and thrown us out. We narrowly escaped being run over by the carts that were following up but the drivers managed to pull up in time. My comrade in misfortune had been shot through the stomach and we both fairly succumbed with pain. Our sorry plight learned to highly edify and amuse the Turks. They gathered around and laughed heartily at us. We were too badly done up to properly cuss them. The Turks heaved us back into the cart and we journeyed on without mishap until about 8am. I can't say precisely where we were but it was on the coast. Alongside a pier there lay a small steamer, probably a pleasure launch before the war. She was flying a hospital flag but I rather fancy that she had been carrying stores also.