HOW HE WAS WOUNDED – Fri 11 Jun 1915

Writing to his relatives in Harcourt from Mena Hospital, on April 30th

Private E. H. Ely says

As you will see by this I am back in Egypt again. I will give you a few of our experiences since we left. We left Mena on Easter Sunday and arrived on board the —– at 10.30 on Monday morning. We did not leave Alexandria till the Thursday night at 5.30. We arrived in the harbor of the Island of Lemnos o Sunday morning, April 11th, at 7 a.m.

Our mail was delivered on board that afternoon. I got 11 letters altogether also socks from Ida, which I loot later on, but will tell you about it presently. We stopped in the harbour all Saturday, the 24th, when we moved out at 10 a.m. and anchored the other side of the island at 5.30. We set sail again through the night, arriving at our destination at 3 a.m. when we started to disembark. It was just getting daylight when we landed under shrapnel and rifle fire one bullet narrowly missed me in the boat. However we got ashore with only one man from our boat slightly mounded. We had to jump out into water up to our waists, but we only went about four or five yards when we slipped into a hole up to our necks. We scrambled out wet to our skins, and you can guess what we felt like with full marching order, ammunition, rifle and shovel. We took our packs off and made for the top of the hill. We reached this a little after 9 o’clock; it was about a mile from the shore. We were only 100 yards from the firing line waiting to reinforce when a spent bullet caught me in the head. It entered just in the hair over the right eye, and when it touched the bone it went towards the top of the head. The doctor pulled it out about half an hour after; it was just like getting a tooth pulled. 1 was sent back to the beach and went on board the Hospital ship Gascon about 3 o’clock.

We left there about 5.30 for Lemnos Island, arriving there at midnight and we stayed there all that day.

(Monday, April 20th), and in the evening we set sail tor Alexandra, where we arrived at midnight on Wednesday. Eleven men died on board and were buried at sea on the way over.

We left the ship and boarded the hospital train at 11 o’clock, arriving at Heliopolis at 3 ‘clock. We were sent to Luna Park Skating: Rink, which had been turned into a hospital. We stayed the night there and came out here by motor ambulance this afternoon, and are now at Mena House Hospital. When i left on Easter Sunday l did not think I would be back again within a month; we thought .we had seen the last of the Pyramids.

Bert Biggs got a bullet in the shoulder, but not serious. Sam Laurensen got wounded in the right arm, but not seriously. We are very lucky to be alive. It was hell let loose. I am anxious to know how the other boys got on. It will only be a few days and I will be ready to go back. Our landing was our severest task; it will never be so severe again. A man that got through that has every chance of coming through the rest.

When I went on board the ship my pack, with some others, was sent on shore by mistake, so I suppose I have seen the last of that camera, socks, razor, and all the other little things that were in it. You need not worry Top of Form about me. I am as good as ten dead men yet.

May 8th, Zeitoun Camp. Egypt – Just a line or two to let you know all is well. I left Mena Hospital on Wednesday and came out here by motor ambulance. Bert Biggs came out on Tuesday. We are here on what they call base details; they are forming us into another battalion, and as soon as we have enough we go back to the Dardanelles and join our own battalions. I think it will take them four or five weeks to get us away. A lot of us have to be fitted up with equipment and rifles. We went through Luna Park Hospital yesterday, and saw some of the wounded of our company. Cyril Menzies was there with a slight wound in the back. He told me Lou Lazarus was wounded in his right arm and left side, but was doing pretty well. We don’t have any drill to do here, but are supposed to do all fatigues. We were on a funeral patty the other day; went to Cairo by train, then marched to Gizreh Palace, where the body was (about three miles from Cairo station) from Gizreh Palace we marched to the English Cemetery, about four miles. After the service we came back to Cairo by train. We were tired enough, when we came back, being the first march we had had for over a month. Heliopolis and Luna Park are only about a mile and a half from here, I so it does not take long to walk across. I believe it was the Rechabite anniversary on the 25th April and that they were to have an honour board put up for us volunteers. Little did they think we were having our baptism of fire that day. We won’t really know who is wounded till the casualty list comes out, or till we get back to the Dardanelles. I suppose we will be a week or two before we get our letters, but there is a big mail in Cairo ready to be sent over. I was having a yarn to Tim Knight in the pay office the other day. He is looking well; twice the fellow he was when he came here. I have not heard how the other boys got on. I heard Herb. Ross from Castlemaine was wounded. It is pretty warm here in the daytime, but cool by night. The third contingents are expected here this week, so I might see Dave Lazarus or Arthur Bertuch before I go back. There is no more news so 1 will ring off