THE NEW ZEALANDERS AT FLERS.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15751, 18 November 1916, Page 7

THE NEW ZEALANDERS AT FLERS.

HOW THEY ADVANCED. Mr !A. Mathieson. of Tiakifcalnina, Manawatu, has received a very interesting letter from his nephnw, Rifleman E. V. Rogers, 3rd Battalion Rifle Brigade, ■wounded at Flers on September 15th last, Rifleman Rogers is an ex-pupil of the Palmcißton North High School, and a son of Mr E. H. Rogers, headmaster of the Kakaramea School. He took part in the greafc advance, and writes in a vivid and unaffected fashion his impressions of iNew Zealand's Day. Following are some extracts:— From the above address (Brockcnhurst Hospital) you trill.see the Huns have landed, me at last. In the Big Push of September loth the New Zca° landers had a front of a thousand yards and so had their say in the attack. The attacks now are not what they Used to he. The first time this new form of attack was carried , out was on July Ist, and the most important thing is • to keep as close as possible to our own barrage, so that when it lifts off the hrsfc trench on to the second wo can hop into the fin>t trench before the Huns can come out of their dug-outs and get their machine-guns on to us. Last - Friday we kept well up—sometimes too near.

. At 6 a.m. our ariallerv opened out m full force, and at 6.20 we made a 6 r ar k first trench, was blown about that much that nothing could live in it. It was full of dead and wounded, and in our party of about twenty only two were hit. By tho time we got to tho second line' things were getting hot— 1 bullets and shells flying everywhere. This trench was absolutely full of enemy dead, and combers of Suns clearing back were blown to pieces* They were shelling this eecond trench for all they were worth, so we got out of i± and rested in ah ell-holes a few yards ahead* Away to our left, from A ridge, German. machine-guns pumped bullets at "We lit our cigarettes and made' a start for the next line, and by the time" we got within two hundred yards of it there were only eight of us. left. We lay in shell-holes for another breather, and then made another dive, but before we had moved five vards, bullets accounted for all but Captain Sare and myself. It was really too hot, so we both hopped into another hole. A minute or two later, when things seemed quieter, we had another "go" for the trench-—once within we were safe, but the trouble was we had a little rise to go over, which was swept' by machine-gun and shell-fire —but ve never got there, for within twelve yards of this trench shrapnel got both of us, one bullet hitting Captain Sal# in the stomach, and another passing clean through my thigh, the two of us falling like logs together. We had to lie perfectly still for about two hours, till so;no of our "tanks" came along, and quickly silenced the machine-guns. I then crawled to the captain's side, and tried to bandage him up, but I could not manage alone, as 1 was perfectlyhelplees.

Fortunately, however, some pals arrived in the meantime, and fixed, tin* up. They carried him to our original front line, while I took a short cut t« the stietcher-bearers, the captain arriving at the dressing-station a few minutes before I "wobbled" in. He waa the second in command, and such a'fine man, too! For a time it looked as if wo were cut off, the enemy shelling behind us for all he was worth, trying to prevent supplies coming up, ana to block all communications. The explosions of heavy guns made our cars ring for days. However, the New Zealanderf gained their objective, and I believe, repulsed a counter-attack the same> evening. of the casualties consisted of wounds, the mortality list being lighter than one might expect under such circumstances. I had a look at HigU Wo6d and Delville Wood. The sights to be seen there are awfui. These places arc always being shelled, making it generally impossible to bury the dead—even when bodies have been buried shells havo blown them up again. Talk about artillery! Tho British have their guns wheel to wheel, and aft they moetfy fire night and day the whole district is covered by a great pall of smoke.