st love--Mabel," and the date was
April 2 (March 16 it should have been). This had followed me all the
way from Avonmouth where it failed to find me as I was leaving for
this expedition.

The amount of horrors Thomson and I came through yesterday and this
morning was most sickening and depressing to both of us. The
Australian Aid Post was a perfect shambles, about an acre of stretcher
cases, horrible wounds, and all the surroundings soaked with blood.
But such brave fellows!

_May 10th._--We were very busy last night erecting tents for wounded,
being the overflow from the casualty clearing station, which, along
with the hospital ships, is absolutely full. We had sixty-seven to
find shelter for and succeeded. Two died during the night, and
nineteen more in other parts of the camp. Thomson and I were still on
duty and we were busy changing dressings, setting fractures, etc., up
to 2 p.m. to-day, when an order came to evacuate completely to a
hospital ship which had arrived. Welcome news! This gave us an
afternoon's rest which we much needed. I spent the time making
"couples" for our dugout, which was arched over before with two
stretchers interlocking at a slope.

The chief topic of conversation to-day is the brilliant dash of the
Australians on the 8th, in their bayonet charge over 300 yards of
ground without cover. The Turks with five machine-guns mowed them
down, but they dashed on. Their casualties were about 2000. We were
all eager to assist them, their own Ambulances being unable to cope
with the work.

_May 11th._--What we know as "Helles" is the point of the peninsula as
far north as Achi Baba. It is five miles long, and varies from two to
four in width. The whole valley is saucer shaped, with a more or less
complete high edge, except at a small part on the Dardanelles side,
where the land shelves to the sea at Morto Bay, this low lying part
being moist and fertile, with fairly heavy timber and huge downy
topped reeds 12 feet high. Across this valley there has once been an
aqueduct--perhaps centuries ago--the "Five Towers" being the remains
of the structure. While Achi Baba remains in the hands of the enemy
there is not a safe inch in what we occupy, the whole being within
easy gunfire.

Thomson and I are at present at the Five Towers Dressing Station for
twenty-four hours' duty. From the amount of heavy gun ammunition that
is being hurried past us we expect a heavy bombardment this afternoon,
with a r