Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-10-13
BRITISH SOLDIER FORMERLY RE.
SIDING IN IOWA WRITES TO
FRIENDS.
WAR ON TURK PENINSULA
DAY AND NIGHT TRAGEDY
Soldier Declares Men Wsrs Kept on
Firing Line When III and in Need
Of Hospital cars-ons Battery Of $50
Men Reduced to $50 in Few Minutes
Fighting.
Special to Times-Republican.

Cedar Falls, Oct. 13.-The terrific
casualties in the ranks Of the British
expeditionary force at the Dardanelles,
the awful conditions surrounding
them, how the firing line Is the safest
place on Gallipoli peninsula, how the
British are exposed to machine gun
and shell fire from the Turks at all
times, the horrible deaths that many
die and other almost unspeakable hor-
rors in the Dardanelles fighting are
told in a letter just received by Coun-
Gilman F. E. Birch from Theodore
Rosenberg. a member Of British
machine gun battery, who spent the
summer Of 1914 here with Birch and
Francis Gilkey, of the Cedar Falls
National Bank, following their return
from trip abroad during which they
were guests Of Rosenberg at London.
The letter says In part:
Il am now in a hospital at Malta,
where I'm slowly recovering from
very severe illness. have been hav-
ing pretty bad time Of it. The at
tention one got back on the firing line
was naturally very meager and. as at
the time was taken bad. there was
a big attack due, the doctors had or
ders that no one was to leave the
firing line, or rather the Gallipoli
peninsula, which is absurd. I got So
bad that finally they just had to send
me away, 30 after Journeys on two
hospital ships I eventually reached
here. an st!l OF milk foods. Yes
terday man two beds from mine died
from the same complaint as mine.
There are now thirteen in this ward,
ten Of whom are either Australians or
New Zealanders.
Command Cut to Pieces.
Did ever write and tell you how
we were cut up in the Dardanelles?
OF course I'm not allowed to write
much on account of censorship, but let
it suffice that when we were attacked
the strength Of our battery was about
$50. and inside Of twenty minutes our
numbers were less that 350-practical-
ly two-thirds Of US wiped out of exist
ence almost in the twinkling Of an eye.
The colonel. second in command, was
killed, and all but four Of the officers
either killed Or wounded. You can
take 1t from me 1t was hell. and 1t was
not too easy any time after.
MY last Job was out in front OF our
trenches and in front of the Turks,
putting up barbed wire entanglements.
Out Of eight OF US, two were hit.
Life Full Of Tragedy.
They tell me that after I'm better
and can walk without topping over,
they will send mo to England for con-
valescence. Gee!' Won't that work
fine! Anyhow I'm away from the
firing line for some time. and believe
me I'm not broken-hearted. Some day
we well be meeting again, feel sure
Of that, and then maybe I'll be able
to spin yarn or two about some OF
the things I've seen happen since I've
been in active service. 1t does not
make very pleasant reading. Out there
life was too full Of tragedy with too
little humor, for man to enjoy things.
Jokes were very few and far between.
sudden death too frequent. and the
uppermost thought in most mems
minds was whose turn next. And,
God! some Of the deaths we're hellish.
And again there were those who didn't
die and yet again there were those
who fingered on in devlish pain. Of
ficer or man, death or wounds, were
handed out to them in the same man
ner. It Is not like it is in France
where, when you are out Of the firing
line you can GO back into rest camp.
There one could get hot bath. a
change Of clothes, and be out Of the
way from shell or rife fire. Not so in
Turkey. The amount Of ground was
so narrow, the front so long, that we
were always under fire. II we had a
bath in the sea, the Turks could gen.
orally see US, and on the three oc-
occasions I took the risk they trained
their machine guns on us, and once,
when there was rather a large crowd.
they put few SHELLS amongst us. OF
course there were casualties.
DAY and night there was, and still
is. always something doing. And at
all times the best place was the actual
firing line. In the early days water
was scarce, and even now It is none
too good. Our chief constituents in
the food line were a rasher of bacon.
hard biscuits damned hardy bully beef
(made in U. s. A. and any affection we
fellows had for the states. this has
caused to vanish) sometimes rice or
-four and Of course there is an issue of
tea and sugar. and, on rare occasions.
some condensed milk We always cook
our own grub so you bet we had some
rummy concoctions. I'm not feeling
too good again. it's awfully firing sit
ting in bed writing, so will conclude"
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