Port Pirie Recorder and North Western Mail (SA : 1898 - 1918), Tuesday 14 December 1915, page 1


Our Boys at Szliipofi.

THE DAY'S WORK.

Private Yivian Bartlett, of the 21st Battalion; gives a brief account of his: experience" in connection with the torpedoing of the Southland, and of the work, in the U'/acnes, in a letter written on Septfmb!er> 12, to his ' brother,1 Mr; Eric Bartliett; of the Recorder Office.The letter is typical of" thfe matter-offact pay in which the Australian soldier ti'eats the —perils.c£ his job. He says :—"Our battalion is in the trenches at last, alter an exciting trip from Egypt. - Ws left caanp at Heliopolis 'two. "•weeks ago' to-day, and . started from - l»emnos a few days latei*. All went well for four or five days, and then we were torpedoed.- I was in the cabin when it happened; so I put my lifebelt on and went on deck. -1 then went upto the boat I had to pet into. I got in alright, but could not have got out quieter had I tried. We were a.I ready to be lowered when some chap walked up and let' one rope- go. We all fell out of the •'boat. I swam round for a bit, and would have enjoyed it- i£ the" water"; had not been so cold. After, a while I s-;ot int> a boat; 'and ;-usr, after that a. destroys picked us up. They were a good lot: on the warship. As soon as we -got on board the coptain brought us cigarettes, and we were supplied with hot coffee ; and had dinner. We had a good time with the crew. When we get to Lem nos, wa were transhipped tl> another .fcoat and eventually came on here to the front. We don't take much' notice of the shells now, but I don't thin5? we shall ever get quite used to them. When1 you have been here for n while you -know a thing has to be done and you get at it. and do it. The track wo have to tuk'e

wit'i 'the] wounded is terribly-.rough, . arcd in placcs, exposed to the Turkish snipers. But if anyone pets Jiit we know he has to be tafcen down, so we just go as • if nobody could

ua. It has to be done, and the sooner we', fret a "man down to the doctor the better it - is for' him. The

srpner"l.!y hiv^e „ n at •about fi^e in the evening, and some-.;tinies at. about dinner time, but it Is harmless as far as we are con

,'cerriedf The bombs :"ir.ie a terrible. ?*ow when they expio le,* l-ut t'ny do very little d:ima?e. 'f r.-u heard V%i- ? . gjp Vf»J ,WC"lJ4: i till* A\1;Ole. 'hill; was to be blo^vn »p. ifcsir>inrk -'9 worse tbpn- ' bite. The

^11 tbp. i raise torot

over, the landing. If you- saw .-.t&ff

voider bow tTx>v Itret )?»tj all. It was a wonderful hit Of Wor'~. F.^C" -now n4" so—« of <tbe rinsts the bovs h-n^e to use a rope to pull themselves up with. ,Thjs is t,b« • nVfCP- they bs'd to • pet s-ir> ;'at the ve«"inrin«' with-^'t rone?

n'1 o'i *h"ir backs_