THE ROLL OF HONOR.
Captain Hay.
Captain Bruce Hay (killed in action), who left New Zealand as second in command of C Squadron, Otago Mounted Rifles, was a son of Mr A. R. Hay, who owned a sheep station at Dacre, in Southland, and a nephew of the late Mrs McHutchison, Arrowtown. He was born at Dunedin, educated at one of the primary schools at Invercargill, and afterwards at St. Andrew's College, Auckland. He joined the Volunteer Force in 1895 and received a commission in the 1st (Auckland) Infantry Battalion. He was in the South African war, and on his return in 1902 was appointed captain of the 3rd (Waikato) Rifles. In 1911 he joined the New Zealand Staff Corps as adjutant of the 5th (Otago) Mounted Regiment, and occupied that position at the outbreak of the war. Captain Hay, who was well-known in this district, leaves a wife and one child, a girl aged about seven years. -Lake County Press, 19/8/1915.
LETTER FROM LIEUTENANT R. F. MITCHELL.
HOW SOME OF THE OTAGO OFFICERS DIED.
The attached are a few notes from a letter received yesterday by Mr D. G. Mitchell, of the Telegraph Department, from his brother (Lieutenant R F. Mitchell), giving a few details of how Lieutenant-colonel Bauchop, Captain Bruce Hay, Sergeant Jack Fea, and Lance-corporal Norman Baxter gave their lives for the Empire. The above deceased soldiers all belonged to the Otago Mounted Regiment, and are well known in Dunedin:
"I arrived here last night (Heliopolis. Palace Hotel, 14th August). I had two cuts on my hand, probably due to shrapnel, and they turned septic. I am pleased to say they are just about all right, and will again soon be with my men at the front. I came away from the peninsula, though, because I needed a rest. I was a bit run down, couldn't eat or sleep, so I am going to an officers' convalescent home at Helouvan for a spell. I had 11 weeks on the peninsula, and the heat was awful, so I can tell you the change is the thing I wanted. It is almost too sad for me to write to you, but really one can get used to almost anything. The sights seen here 'beggar description.' Our little squadron got it hot and strong. On Friday at 9.30 p.m. (August 6) we moved cut to take a position on Bauchop's Ridge, which was about 1,200 or 1,400 yards away. We had to take it with the bayonet, not a shot to be fired; and well and noble our men did it. But at what a cost. I think there were only nine left in my troop. Our poor old captain, Bruce Hay, died like a soldier. He was dictating orders to me to send to the general, when he suddenly said 'oh,' and putting his hand to his heart went right down. I asked him if he was badly hit, but he just turned and looked at me, and said 'Good-bye'; he only lived a short time. Two hours previous to the charge, he said to me: 'By this time to-morrow morning, "Mitch," we will have earned the right to wear the King's uniform. I've soldiered 20 years for this.' He earned the right, if ever a man did. Poor Norman Baxter, he was a good boy; he died of his wounds. I saw them take him away, but I did not know where he was hit. You can tell his parents that he was one of the bravest, and died as a true British soldier, well in the front, and righting like his men. He was one of the favorites in the squadron, loved by all. He was a great worker, and of a very kindly nature. They must not grieve for him, but must be proud to have had such a son. He had not passed away when I saw him, but I believe he did shortly afterwards. I saw old Jack Fea. He was alive when I saw him last, but I hear he passed away. It may not be true, but I am inclined to think it is. He was bravery personified. The last position we charged, we struck more Turks than we thought, and had to form a firing line. Sergeant Fea was well ahead of it, so I sent out two volunteers to bring him in. He was wounded very badly, but even then he called to me and showed me where the Turks were. That shows the piece of stuff that our late sergeant, Jack Fea, was made of. Our colonel (Lieutenant-colonel Bauchop) was shot just after we had consolidated our position. He was a game one, and was always in the thick of it, dealing it out well and hearty. He lived for a short time, but was paralysed, and even had he lived would never have been able to move. Trooper Sise was wounded, but not seriously. He also was playing the game. Trooper Bridgeman was splendid, and was as cool as a cucumber. He never got a scratch, and was in the thick of it all the time. I could write pages of the doings of our fellows that night and of their bravery. Lieutenant-colonel Moore came over in the same boat as me. He had a bullet through his leg, but is getting on all right. The sister is corning to dress my hand, so I must finish.'' Word has since been that the writer of this letter has been invalided home. -Evening Star, 30/9/1915.
BACK FROM THE FRONT
NEW ZEALANDERS’ EXPERIENCES.
SOLDIERS’ STORIES.
HEROIC OFFICER.
[BY TELEGRAPH — SPECIAL TO "STAR.”] (excerpt)
Every unit that went into the fight paid heavy toll. The Otago men were always in the thick of it and lost terribly in officers and men. A trooper who fought through all the battles of the previous four months with the “Dandy Fifth’ (Otago Hussars) says that they pushed right on and found themselves opposed to Turkish headquarters, where the enemy had rallied in great force. “Bruce Hay,” he says, "was the best officer I ever went into action under. We could have cried when we knew he was killed.” The same trooper pays a fine tribute to a soldier who, in the South African campaign, might have been a V.C. had there been a superior officer present. “Colonel Bauchop,” he says, “like Captain Hay, was a hero — game as you make them. He was out there in front calling for cheers for the Canterbury men on our left. He was a gallant leader, every inch. Yes, he and Bruce Hay were, in, the estimation of their men, absolutely heroes.” It was hard fighting all the time, and the Turkish rifles and machine gun fire made big gaps in the ranks of the New Zealanders. They are confident that, had there been more colonials present, they would have won through. “Five thousand more colonials and there would have been another tale to tell today ” was the firm conviction of a sturdy soldier. -Evening Star, 26/10/1915.
I cannot conclude my personal references without mention of our gallant captain - Captain Bruce Hay. Of all the company and squadron officers who have left New Zealand it is safe to say that none have been more competent and efficient than Captain Hay. Known among his men as "Bully," he was a familiar figure at Tahuna, Miramar, Zeitoun and Gallipoli. One had only to glance at the square, firm jaw to see the iron determination of the man. Always cool and never at a loss, "Bully" inspired absolute confidence among his men; they would have followed him anywhere and there was not a man in his squadron who was not genuinely grieved to hear that "Bully" had fallen. If at times he seemed to use the "heavy hand" on us I am quite convinced it was for our good. Captain Hay is gone and he will be very hard to replace. While one grieves over his friends and comrades who have fallen, they will not have died in vain if their death carries a message to those selfsatisfied, selfish young men who are in a position to join the Forces but who so far have not done so. -Mt Ida Chronicle, 19/11/1915.
As is often the case of a pitched battle, especially when it is followed by a retreat, Bruce Hay's body has no known resting place. It can be assumed that he and his fellow fallen soldiers were hastily buried by the Turkish who reoccupied the position. His name can be found on the Chunuk Bair Memorial on Gallipoli.
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