The sights and sounds of War.

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 293, 30 August 1918, Page 6

The sights and sounds of War.

I lunched with' tho staff, sitting on the ground in a little square hole dug in the sido of tho trench, tho menu consisting of hread, tinned tongue, and whisky and soda. Thore was not enough water to make a cup of tea, but perhaps we preferred it that way. Anyhow, we enjoyed our lunch. As we sat there we watched tho smoke from our own and enomy's guns rising high in tho air, and saw a Gorman dump go up in smoke, and all tho wondrous streams of battle traffic pass us by. Ono of our own units that had been recently in action marched in column over a rise through the weedy, shell-torn country, and bivouacked on the slope opposite. They were soon digging themselves 'possies' (positions), and in some marvellous . manner they had discovered a quantity of corrugated iron for the roofing of them. A lino of diggers, like ants, each with his burden, came from the place of supply across tho ridgo to tho new colony' they had established hi what, a day or two ago, had been Boc'heland. Ahead was a wonderful view of rolling country, woods and villages, now famous in history. And this was tho sort of open warfare we had dreaded! Wo had tho enemy on the run. Would it bo the Hindenburg line next, and possibly beyond? In any case the frew Zealanders had a large credit balance on the day's operations. In prisoners alono we had more than our own casualties. Tho German dead and wounded added largely to our credit figures, and the spirit of our fighting men was simply wonderful. Even the wounded, except thoso very severely hit, were cheerful and confident.