WOUNDED IN THE HEAD – Thu 17 Jun 1915

Private E. H. Ely, writing from Mena Hospital, to his relatives at Harcourt, says :—

May 2nd :—It is just a week since we were in what we can only describe “as hell let loose.” I mean since we were under shrapnel and rifle fire. Since then we have come a good many miles; just on 1000. It is nearly 1000 miles from the Dardanelles here; it seems a long way to bring the wounded, but it has to be. We have over 500 in this hospital, and we are only slightly wounded. Our casualty list is very heavy, nearly all of our officers are wounded; some killed. Pompy has a bullet in his ankle; Major Blezzard a bullet, through his chest, and 1 believe that. Bert. McKenna Is dead; don’t know for sure till we see the list. We are looked after great here. The Australian nurses are bonzers. Bert Biggs is here with me. We are anxious to know how the other boys got on. We have not seen them since landing on the beach; we had to reinforce the firing line, and got mixed up with other battalions. I was well up the slope of the hill when I got hit by a spent bullet it may have come two miles. I was within 100 yards of the firing line when hit. The bullet went through the band of my hat, and entered my head under the hair just above the right, eye. When it touched the bone it travelled upwards. The doctor extracted the bullet about half an hour after, and I am saving it as a memento. So you see 1 am not too soft in the head after all. Many of Australia’s sons will never see Australian shores again. 1 believe they are nearly off their heads in Australia about the lads here. There will be many sore hearts when the casualty lists are read. It was a terrible landing up to our necks in water, and the shells bursting over us, and the Turks on the top of the hill firing on us with rifles and machine guns; it is an experience one does not want to go through a second time. It was supposed to be the hardest piece of work I undertaken in the present, war. It ought to be pretty good from now on. We should be ready to go back at the end of this week, but the nurse said I we are to have a good rest, before we go back: so I don’t know when we will join our battalion again. Bert Biggs, Sam Laurenson and myself are the only Castlemaine lads here so far yet. I believe our Brigadier got slightly hit too. Our Lieutenant Grills, our Sergeant, and Lance-Corporal, got hit, but not seriously. We are shifting into another place near Cairo this week; this place has been condemned, and they have to have the men out of it by the 8th. I am quite happy here, but I have lost the run of my pack, flannel shins, sock, razor, camera, etc., but 1 may get them again when I go back to the Dardanelles,

May 5th. Mena Hospital.—Just a line or two to tell you I am alright again. In fact I feel about the best I have since I have been away. Three of us went for a walk up around the Pyramids and Sphinx this afternoon. We had a photo group taken this afternoon in front, of the hospital: there were between 50 and 60 of us wounded. So if you see a group in any of the newspapers you can look among them for yours truly. I expect, to be back at the front in a fortnight. I am getting my discharge from this hospital to-morrow to go to the base, from where we will be sent to the Dardanelles as soon as they can make up a boatload. We landed at the Gulf of Saros, at a place called Sari-Bair to the north of Gaba Tepe. It was at the battle of Sari Bair that I was wounded and all I now have to show where I was wounded is a little lump on top of my head. I am enclosing some seeds, they ought to grow well in good soil, they do well in sand here. They are a kind of acacia. There is a double row of the trees here to just the other side of Cairo (8 miles). There is not much news to tell, so I will ring off. Hoping to back some day. 1 think I ought to go through now alright after having such a lucky escape. I am anxious to get back to know how our other boys got on. Captain Weddell was killed. He was the first Captain we bad over our Company at Broadmeadows. Bert. McKenna I heard to-day was only wounded. We won’t know till we see casualty lists. I saw a lot of mail bags in the pay office to-day ready to go to the Dardanelles, so I will get some letters when I get back there. The country where we landed was very hilly, and covered with thick scrub, about 3ft or 4ft high. There were a few small pines amongst it. The kind of scrub I have never seen before. The noise the guns from the battleships made was almost enough to deafen a chap. When “Queen Lizzie” fired we could always tell the difference between her guns and the others. She did some splendid work there blowing up the forts. It is just like a grand holiday here: four meals a day sleep and read all day long to put in the time. I have been into Cairo

these last two days to get two teeth on my plate, that, cost me £3. We Top of Form

were paid £3 on the boat when we left Alexandria. A young chap on the came up and asked if my name was Ely. He turned out to be Bob Facey. son of Barker’s Creek. He enlisted from Bendigo with the second lot. The third contingent is expected to land to-day at Alexandria. It is quiet deserted here now as the camp is gone. It is not nearly as hot here as I thought it would be not nearly as hot as a Victorian summer.

Extracts from diary : —

Easter Monday.—2.30 am. arrive at the wharf at 8.30 went on board the —- at 10.

April 8.—Left the wharf at 5.30 p.m. and went straight ahead.

April 9.— Fair sailing; a lot seasick.

April 10th -Sailing at —— knots.

April 11.— Arrived at the Island of Lemnos harbor at 7 a.m. anchored with the Novian, on which were 5th Battalion and transports. Mails arrived on board.

April 15.—7th Battalion went ashore for exercise.

April I8.—Church parade; mail came aboard.

April I9.— ——– pulled alongside. She had a lot of reinforcements on board.

April 23.— A few of the transports moved out of the harbor.

April 24.—We left the harbor at 10 a.m. and steamed to the other side of the island, where we anchored at half past three, where we anchored. Leaving again at midnight.

April 25.—Arrived at the peninsula at 3 a.m. had breakfast and began to disembark. Our platoon arrived at the beach at about 5 a.m., landing under shrapne1 and rifle fire; several were wounded. We then gradually pushed ahead up to the top of the hill about a mile from the shore. Here I had the misfortune to stop a bullet, with my head. It was a spent bullet, and I am getting on splendidly. The bullet was extracted by the doctor before I left the shore. I got on the barge, and was towed over with about 100 more wounded to the hospital ship, arriving on board at 3 p.m. We left there at half-past 5 for Lemnos Island, and arrived there a few hours later. We stayed there for the day, then steamed for Alexandria.

April 26.—Six were buried before we left the harbor.

April 27.—Three more died, and were buried at sea.

April 28.—Two more died through the night; arrived at Alexandria at midnight.

April 29.—Motor ambulances were soon at the wharf to convey the wounded to the hospital. Left the ——- at 9.30.a.m. and boarded the train for Heliopolis; being only slightly wounded, we were sent to Luna Park Skating Rink, which had been turned into a hospital. We stayed the night there, and were conveyed to Mena next day in the motor ambulance. You would not think there was much the matter with us if you could only see what a happy lot we are: there are seven of C Company in our room here, so we are alright.