It was while we were in this position that W.O.  Henderson was hit; the bullet came through the tent, through another man’s arm and into Mr. Henderson.  He was a serious loss to the Ambulance, as since its inception he had had sole charge of everything connected with the supply of drugs and dressings, and I missed his services very much.

We were now being kept very busy and had little time for rest, numbers of cases being brought down.  Our table was made of four biscuit boxes, on which were placed the stretchers.  We had to be very sparing of water, as all had to be carried.  The donkey conveyance was kept constantly employed.  Whenever that party left we used to wonder whether they would return, for one part of the road was quite exposed to fire; but Betts and Walkley both pulled through.

One night I had just turned in at nine-thirty, when Captain Welch came up to say that a bad casualty had come in, and so many came in afterwards that it was three o’clock in the following morning before I had finished operating.  While in the middle of the work I looked up and found G. Anschau holding the lantern.  He belonged to the 1st Field Ambulance, but had come over to our side to give any assistance he could.  He worked like a Trojan.

We still had our swim off the beach from this position.  It will be a wonderful place for tourists after the war is over.  For Australians particularly it will have an unbounded interest.  The trenches where the men fought will be visible for a long time, and there will be trophies to be picked up for years to come.  All along the flat land by the beach there are sufficient bullets to start a lead factory.  Then searching among the gullies will give good results.  We came across the Turkish Quartermaster’s store, any quantity of coats and boots and bully beef.  The latter was much more palatable than ours.

Our men had a novel way of fishing; they threw a bomb into the water, and the dead fish would either float and be caught or go to the bottom—­in which case the water was so clear that they were easily seen.  Wilson brought me two, something like a mackerel, that were delicious.

As there was still a good deal of delay in getting the cases off, our tent was brought over from Canterbury Gully and pitched on the beach; the cooks keeping the bovril and biscuits going.  We could not maintain it there long, however, as the Turks’ rifle-fire was too heavy, so the evacuation was all done from Walker’s Ridge about two miles away.  The Casualty Clearing Station here (the 16th) was a totally different proposition from the other one.  Colonel Corkery was commanding officer, and knew his job.  His command was exceedingly well administered, and there was no further occasion to fear any block in getting our wounded off.

Amongst the men who came in to be dressed was one wounded in the leg.  The injury was a pretty bad one, though the bone was not fractured.  The leg being uncovered, the man sat up to look at it.  He exclaimed “Eggs a cook!  I thought it was only a scratch!”