TOLD BY THE WOUNDED

Evening Post, Volume XCII, Issue 74, 25 September 1916, Page 2

TOLD BY THE WOUNDED

THRILLING STORIES -OF THE

FIGHT,

(UNITED MESS ASSOCIATION.—COPTRIiHI.)

LONDON, 23rd September.

Wounded New Zealanders have arrived from the Sonune front, to which they1 'had been transferred' from the Awriehtieres sector a month',, ago. AH stories confirm their splendid courage oh tho mormivg of. 15th September, in the face of the greatest trial they have yet experienced. * The father of a.young family, grave : ly wounded, said: "When our- boys went over it was a -magnificent si {flit. The first wave consisted of the Otagoites and Aucklanders, and they stepped out fearlessly, in spite of the 'hurricane bombardment and the'incessant whizzing of. machine-gun "bullets. An Onlooker might have thought from their carelessness of danger that they were Only sham-fight-ing. Those whose sons and brothers were killed here can well be proud. It .was a glorious death. The hien were heavily loaded and unable to run, and carried' shovels and equipment. They were not like'raiders, who go to return. It was moving. day for-these men, and -things /did move. They found a new /place to sleep that night, although there were many gaps the result of those first two hours of open walk in extended-d-der :in No Man's 'Land, dodging shell holes. The: German dead'were.lying everywhere, the result of the enemy's earlier fruitless attacks. There ..'ere English regiment's -co-operating On our right, and several .'tanks' w;ere allotted to our front. Wi w&re vastly impressed with 'these now engines, and were delighted to rioticth'e funic the Germans were'in when they realised their deadly powers. When they first sallied otit, fourteen German bombers rushed out. They thought -they'were ordinary'armoured cars, and that "they could stop them before they .reached the trench. They threw scores of bomb's 'which exploded harmlessly. The machineguns of 'the 'tanks' wiped-'out the wholp party, and the German's quickly learned to respect the monsters, which, 'when they develop greater speed, will be even a more terrible menace to the defenders' trenches."

"We felt we were right into it this time," said another wounded man. "Although we had lost several men, notably a number of Maoris, during*the previous three weeks by gas attacks and' bombardments, it- *was our first proper action on the Somme front, and when we learned the magnitude: of the operations and our important part, a thrill went all over us. Everyone was cheerful, although we knew for. certain that many would not survive. 'Our .bombardment was beyond description. The .Germans declare we do not know whatsh-11 ■fire is until we havo been .in . their' trenches, though the German bombardment was severe enough, and caught many of pur "chaps before the advance. The .assault •on the trtench-S was quick, rough work. There, wore "few -iho'mehts

for rest, "and no time to watch your comrade's fate. The single thought in every mind was to get ahead, tlie result being that the New Zealanders entered Flers before the Coldstreams, i;h_ Irish, Canadians, Scottish, and other English units. We were all mixed up in the finish. The Otagqites and Aucklanders took the. first line ahd waited for. the Rifle Brigade.; which came up and/ pushed out, making for the second * line with* an overwhelming dash. Then .all the New Zealand forces combined in ia final ;rush. The ■'DinkumsJ as theßiiie JBrigade .is tailed, proved themselves j among the best. Some of our men. got beyond the village and suffered from !the*, machine-guns." ', A pioneer says: "It was laughable to ! watch the Germans surrender. They 'came into our trenches, running, ..rolling, limping,, and .crawling-..• A- Hawkes :.Bay man, with a'broken arm, who was ! helping to drag a ' Dunedin comrade, more-seriously wounded,. became indig.nant on seeing a huge German carried ion a stretcher, and determined that his comrade should be relieved of the paini ful-** crawl. He saw two Germans scared jto 'death running' into a 'shell' hole' jshouthig: 'Kam'erad.' " The * Hdwkes Bay man shouted 'Stop!' They did not comprehend;.. he picked up his rifle and they quickly understood. *>They approached him and dropped on their knees. A burly Hun carried the Dunedinite a mile and a half.to the rear." The pioneer battalion; suffered while digging ", communication trenches under a barrage intended to prevent: suppori-s approaching. ■ Before the, battle, -General Birdwood agajn appeared unescorted in , aliitost every trench, renewing acquaintance with Gallipoli veterans. The men speak in the highest terms of General Russell. - They express surprise at seeing a kinema operator in the front treni ches on Friday morning coolly filming the advance. ...The men say :. "It will do our people, good to see' the. magnificent steadiness in that great attack.'' A ___aitanga_a boy, badly lift in the jaw, speaking. behind bandages, said-: "According to Sir Douglas Haig's latest, our chaps are still there holding the line. You bet your life they'll stick to it as long as needed."

The wounded are concentrated at Brockenhurst and Walton. Some convalescents have been sent to Hornchurch and Codford. Some, owing to pressure, sent to isolated hospitals, were quickly discovered and transferred to New, Zealand hospitals, all of Which are working smoothly.; There are no complaints. The men especially appreciate New Zealand mutton and butter.