EARLIER NEWS.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15218, 4 March 1915, Page 7

EARLIER NEWS.

STORY OF AIST * OLD BATTLE.

HEROIC RESISTANCE AT

GHELCVELT.

I BRITISH WJX .AGAIXST GREAT ODDS. LOXDOX, March 2. On October .31st. 2400 men of tho Scots Guards, South Witles Borderers, Welsh Regiment, and Queen's (Royal West Kent) Regiment held hastily-con-structed trenches near Gheluvelt village (Belgium) against 24,000 Germans. The enemy at down shelled tho chateau whero the battalion commanders wero quartered. Later the Britishers fell in dozens, but the officers coolly patrolled tho position, cheering m> the men. When the shellin" ceased tho Germans Thousands were mown down

by riflo and machine-gun fire, anil the second line stumbled over grey heaps

of bodies,

There was scarcely an unwounded Britisher in Hie long line of trenches, but reinforcements were hurried from tho scanty reserves behind the chateau.

Towards dusk tho Germans massed for a second attack, and every Britisher was sent to the trenches. The full fury of the charge fell on the Welsh Regiment in the centre. The. men died, rifles in band, rather than eive way. After the Germans had cap-

tured the trenches they savagely bayoneted the British wounded.

The Scots Guard:; on tho left and the Queen's on the rifrht still held their positions, and an officer of the- South

Wales Borderers brought im /ire hundred Worcesters who had been expected al! d.'iv.

The Worcostcrs charged through the shot-*went streets of Ghcluvclt, right into the 10.-.t trenches, and the Germans turned and fled, though twenty tiro*v> "s numerous. Oi" five hundred Worcester* only two hundred unbounded men answered the roll-call. Of 2400 Britishers only eight hundred were alive next morning. Ghelurelt proved tho Kaiser's last opportunity of reaching Calais.

A .WOMAN SPY

PARIS. March 2. Mil da mc Heyciix has been courtmartiallod and sentenced to twenty years' detention for espionage.