"'I know what war is like now,' writes Private J. Shanahan, Canterbury Infantry Battalion, to his mother, Mrs. J. Shanahan, of Papanui, from the hospital at Alexandria. He continues:- 'I had four days and nights' fighting myself, when I met with my little lot. I did not mind the scrap myself so much, but the ghastly part of it was seeing the other fellows falling in all directions around me. I seemed to bear a charmed life, and had some very narrow escapes. One bullet stung me on the lip. We started off with a bayonet charge, but it did not last long, as the enemy fled at the sight of the cold steel. After that, the real business started. I was with a crowd that fought for 12 hours outside the trenches. We had advanced too far, and suffered for it, but managed to get back to our trenches late in the evening. We were in comparative safety there after our day's experience, but it was still deadly. There was no chance of sleep, as the enemy attacked us at night, as well as by day. We drove them back every time, and their losses must have been enormous. We do not take a great deal of notice of their rifle-fire, although they use explosive bullets. It is the shrapnel-fire that does all the damage. I can say, without bragging, that no troops have done finer work than did the Australians and New Zealanders. Looking at the country, anyone would say it was absolutely impossible to do what we did, and now that it is done, I do not know how we ever accomplished it. I never came across one of our men who shirked it. All my mates were either killed or wounded.'" (from an article entitled 'Explosive Bullets Used', Auckland Weekly News, 24 June 1915, p. 19) AWMM