TOUGH TERRITORIALS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 146, 21 June 1915, Page 9

TOUGH TERRITORIALS.

CAPTURE THREE LUTES OF TRENCHES. FOUGHT THEIR WAY THROUGH. <By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright.) LONDON, June 20. An officer of the B Battalion of the jLondon Territorials describes its share in tlie advance at Bois Greiiier, near Festubert, in the operations in the Richebourg region at the 'beginning of May. "What oilicial reports dismissed in a few lines," he says, "was to us 15J hours at desperate and bloody fighting. Our battalion was on the extreme left and was the pivot of the whole attack. Ours was the only battalion that succeeded in doing the work allotted to it. Tie moment our bombardment ceased we were over the parapet and charging right through the Germans. We captured three lines of trenches at the point of the bayonet, while two companies turning to the right and left bayoneted and bombed the Huns back along their trenches 200 yards on either side. Then xre settled down to hold the ground.

"'Some regulars should have advanced the same way. Their front was connected with us, but they were unable to get through. ■Meanwhile we held out against Bteadily-increasing counter-attacks. We stuck to it grimly for eight hours. Oms on both sided were engaged in a deafening bombardment. Shells were pitching everywhere. We had a nasty enfilade fire from German machine-guns, which we were t'nable to locate, and from Bnipers. '"Then we got the promise of roinforcefiients. We saw them approach and fade away. The Germans were advancing in force on our flanks, and we were ordered to retire. We had to fight our way Ithrough to our trenches across ground raked with a withering cross-fire."

General Rawlinson, commanding , the Fourth Army, declared: "By your splendid attack and dogged endurance you and your .fallen comrades won imperishable glory for the tliirteenth battalion. Its feat has been surpassed by no battalion in this great war."