CAPTURE OF MESSINES.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15964, 27 July 1917, Page 6

CAPTURE OF MESSINES.

GREATEST SUCCESS OP THE "WAR.

NEW ZEAL ANDERS' BRILLIANT FEAT.

(srnciAt, to "the press.") WELLINGTON July 26. The Minister of Defcnco read to tha Houso to-day the following extracts from a letter from General Godloy:— "You will liavo heard long before thia of tho brilliant capture of Mcssincs by the New Zealand Division. It was quite one of the t>est things that has been done in this war. and I was very glad to have been so able to arrango the distribution of tho units of my corps that the taking of Mcssincs fell to my old division. Tho casualties, I am glad to say. are not nearly so heavy as down on the Sommc, and 1 was ablo to pull the division out again fairly soon.

'■Our greatest loss was Brown, who had already proved himself a most excellent brigadier, and is a very groat loss to New Zealand, and to tho New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Ho* would .have gone far. He and Russell, and Ralph Beetham, wcro standing together ipnie <!e*e to -vlcssities, when a shrapnel burst over them, killing Brown instantaneously by cutting his jugular vein, and wuiimliiig Beothani, while Russell, fortunately, ivas untouched, but he was hit this morning by a sniper while visiting his front. Tho bullet went through his steel helmet, but this, fortunately, detlected it., and he has only a comparatively slight scalp wound, which will soon be all right. T am very thankful that he came safely through these two narrow escapes. "1 am very sorry about s! A. Atkinson's death. He had already proved himself an excellent, ofliccr, and I should be glad if you would tell his relatives so. Father McMennniin is a great loss, too. Stewart, tho Canterbury College professor, who commands the 2nd Canterbury Regiment, was wounded, but. L hope, not badly, also Bob Allan, of Auckland, commanding tho Ist Auckland Reuinient.

"This battle of Messines lias been quite the greatest • success of tho war so far. Everything went cxactly as planned, and all the barrages, and various stages were exactly up to timetable, with the result that tho Boclie was never really able to make a stand when tackled by our magnificent in-' fantry. The explosions of the mines, and the violence of tho artillery bombardment, wore really beyond description, and how any iiviug soul could' exist through, it is almost incomprehensible, but there is no doubt that tho Germans are extraordinarily bravo fighters. We have been very heavily counter-attacked during the last two days, and lis I write wo are trying to dislodge two 'pockets' of them, who are holding out in parts of the captured trenches.

"Tho battle is by no means yet over, and I am very busy with plans for tlio further exploitation of our success, so I must stop now. I cannot tell you how prolid I jiiri to have had command of tlfo New Zealand division, and t« still have it with nio. Yoii iliay tell the people of New Zcalaild witil authority that there is no division in tha British armies in France -which has a higher reputation.'' (from our own correspondent.) LONDON, Juno 12. "The New Zealandors seem to liavo had, perhaps, as formidable a part of the line as any, with the villago of Messines itself as the chiof objective," writes "Tho Times." "The German guna against them wero apparently quicker ill getting to work, and less helpless than oh some parts of the front of attack, and tho New Zoalanders had to go throiigh heavy shelling. Tho chief resistance of the German infantry' was in Messines itself, in ccrtaiil stroiiglyfprtified positions near where tho church had been, and iri the inftin square. Here there was some stiff fighting, but the New Zedlaflddrri nob only took tho village and everything they were set to take within the time appointed, but then dug a trenehj and would have liked to go on and do 6omo more. It was from this point, however, that tho Australians came tip in siipport, arid, according to plan,. went through the New Zcfilanders and carried on the victorious advance forwftrafi to tho lino which we now hold, as has been eaid, is a total advance or' /30{K) yards. The Australians had sdtno. heavy shelling, and scattered machinegun ' fire opposition, but nowhere did the Germans really stand up to them, having doubtless learned \visdom, when they iriet the Australians before at Pozieres aild olseithere. Officers of the Australians speak with immense enthusiafTOi of the bsliavioiir of their Jn6n, who were oimplv not to be restrained. The trench referred to above was finished bv the evenitig of Jiine 7th. It was a first-class 6ft trench along the whole of their new front, and the Now Zealanders that night slept at tho bottom of it.