THE BRITISH ADVANCE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXV, Issue 9155, 1 June 1915, Page 5

THE BRITISH ADVANCE.

VALUE OF YOUNG OFFICERS.

ARMY FULL OF OPTIMISM.

LONDON, May 30.

The correspondent of the "Times ?! at the British Headquarters, in hi story of the Festubert battle which commenced on the night of May 15,, in an advance upon the German lines botween Neuve-Chapellc and Givenchy, states that the result of the fortnight's fighting is that the British have driven back the German front for more than a mile, ; < The German line now re-

sembles a string of beads, each' head being a fortress capable of enfilading any attack. To achieve any further advance it will-be necessary to destroy the fortresses piecemeal before a connected forward movement is possible. At the outset of the advance the enemy attempted to "barrage" (block) the movement by a heavy fire behind us, making it perilous to send up men and munitions. Rain, However, nullified the cannonade, numerous shells sinking into the earth without bursting. Bombs played a large -part- in the attack, clearing the enemy out t the trenches in good style. Seven' Welsh Fusiliers, by means of bombs, seized 500 yards of trenches and took. 102 prisoners—an unparalleled, exploits A company of Scots' Guards was cut off and fought to the last man. They were found afterwards lying dead, surrounded by swathes of the enemy. The Festubert advance was due to the magnificent initial work of the Engineers working under'heavy fire. The most important lesson of the present phase of operations is the value of the young officers. All the battalions at Festubert, with the exception of the Territorials, had been fighting since October, including the first battle of Ypres, where they suffered desperate losses. In consequence of this, new officer drafts were necessary. It seemed a risky experiment to use these young men, but it workedperfectlj'. The are popular, keen,, and highly competent. The Army is full of stz-enudus optimism .and; unshaken confidence, and is; deter-/ mined to finish the job.