THE LAST BATTLE OF 1917.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 4757, 3 January 1918, Page 5

THE LAST BATTLE OF 1917.

THE GERMAN ASS kIubX&L LA ||r ENEMY HEAVILY KAISER’S NEW MESSAGE. * > . 's► ' * ARTILLERYMEN’S CELfcßfr * TIONS RESENTED BY * Eeuter’s Telegrams. (Received Jan. 2, 8.30 p.m.) . LONDON, Jan. 1. - Reuter’s British headquarters correspondent’ reports: ■lhe enemy’s attack yesterday north-west of La Vacquerie was earned ou t after a fierce bombardment. Tc a^a ck w as concentrated on a half-mile front and the waves' advanced under cover of fiammenvverrers". Parties of the enemy swarmed into a short length of trenches on the right hut elsewhere they were unable to rush the parapet in the face of> our heavy machine gun and rifle fire. Whilst our supports were organising a counter-attack, our gunners put up a fierce barrage, driving the enemy to cover, with the result that we took the avlkjlg of the trenches the Germans had carried and it was a very straggling remnant of the original storming companies which got back across No Man’s Land. _ The New Year was ushered according to custom. At midnight groups of batteries put over salvoes of high explosives, which burst a dozen times, intimating that it was twelve o’clock. Other gunners joined punctually, the firing indicating the numerals 1918 after which a. bouquet of gas shells was sent speeding to bid .Fritz a liappv New Year This, form of greeting was resented in some places, a quarrel between tlie heavies blazing up.

NEW ZEALANDERS’ BAG.

BIG HAUL OF PRISONERS

INCIDENTS AT GRAVENSTAFEL

In the fight for the Grarenstafel Ridge early in October, the New Zealanders took' several hundred prisoners. 'ln his account of the operations of .the New Zealanders, Mr. Malcolm. Ross writes: —A]] the farms on the way up to the Ridge were full of the enemy, apparently in view of the attack that was timed for about an hour later than that- of .our men. This would perhaps account for the large number of prisoners we were able Jo secure in this fight. One saw them coming down in hundreds during the forenoon. One lot appeared on tlie sky-line early in the morning, and came marching down in column of lours with an officer at their head. As lie passed our New Zealand General at a later stage of his journey, a peremptory German command rang out, and the column went past at “Eyes Lejrt.” At intervals smaller groups of prisoners came down tlie duck-board tracks and along the roads without escort on our part. The men who captured them bad been so keen to get on with the attack that they did not bother to send anyone back -with their prisoners. The prisoners came down. willingly enough. Many of them were quite young—-mere boys. A« one of our men put it. they had never seen <t razor in all their life. .They were, of course, not all youngsters, and subsequently in the later attack on Passchendaole the New Zealanders found themselves up against tougher material of the Jager type, men who stuck sturdily to their M ill-box” positions and fought- well. There were prisoners very shaken and scared. Some evidently had been told terrible tales of British ferocity, and were surprised that our men should give them cigarettes and help along their wounded. One youth walked for more than a mile with his hands at the ready, and put them up whenever lie met a- New Zealand soldier. His progress along the duck-walk was comical in tlie extreme, his arms gome; up arid down, as if lie were a marionette worked with a string. Among the prisoners were two battalion commanders. Generally speaking, the officers were more subdued, not to say despondent, than any we liad captured in former battles.

CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS. SENT TO THE FRONT. LONDON, Nov. 2. With recent reinforcements from New Zealand there arrived in England upwards of a dozen men who were classed as conscientious objectors.

According to the official organ of the “No Conscription Fellowship,” some of them refused duty at the Reserve Group Camp and had to he put in detention. Emissaries of the conscientious objectors’ information bureau made efforts to communicate with the men witli a view to advising them as to their legal position and rights under English law They were, however, rather taken aback to find that New Zealanders in England are under active service conditions and are subject to military law. There were several deputations to the High Commissioner, at which Brigadier-General Richardson. commanding the N.Z.E F. in the United Kingdom, was present. General Richardson refused point blank to allow any communications with the objectors by representatives of sympathetic organisations in Great Britain. He has also declined to try by Court Martial the men who have refused duty in the United Kingdom. This decision seems to have taken the wind out of the sails of the objectors’ organisations, who found themselves powerless to go further In a letter to the Friends’ Service Committee, Private li. Patton, of Greymouth, recounts his experiences since lie was first placed under arrest there last April. Speaking of Hie!voyage Homo, lie says:— “Was ordered to put on the uniform on the boat, refused. Was forcibly stripped and forcibly dressed in the uniform, pulled it off ': had my clothing returned at night. Transhipped to another boat at Cape Town, kept at the stern of the boat a few nights, clothing taken off' and thrown overboard, turned the hose-pipe on me, cold water, then dressed in the uniform, and numerous other little insults all. the way but at present am working about the camp to save being sent to gaol, l should like to know your opinion of things. At present lam working ah the camp here. If I don’t, work j will be put on bread and water, t don’t want to put you to much expense. I can manage without smokes. I am being treated fairly well at present; the food is fairly good. .1 get just the same as the soldiers get, bread, margerine, cheese, jam meat, fish, potatoes, cabbage, carrots. 1 don’t think I could get on a farm m England as I am under the New Zealand Government. .L- am trying to »et on the garden in the camp growHin- vegetables. I can write as many letters as I like, I think. I am all right for wearing apparel. I have only to ask, and I get it if I sign for it. ‘ I may be able to come and see you when the war is over, if 1 am still living.” . • were were on the point of going. Patton himself was going over the

following night with Kirwan, of Hokitika. . A number of tlie conscientious objectors have already gone to Fance with reinforcement drafts, and at least one, I understand, lias, at ms own request, been made a stretcherbearer in the Medical Corps. In another letter tinted a week ago, Patton mentions that Little, Baxter, Maguire, and Ballantyne had gone to France, and Briggs and Harland GERMAN OPTIMISTS. PEACE: IN THREE MONTHS. POURING INTO FLANDERS. LONDON, Dec. 20. - Amsterdam papers report great masses of German reinforcements sweeping into Flanders from, the East, the invasion being reminiscent of that of October, 1914. Thousands of homes are requisitioned, inflicting terrible hardships and increasing mortality among children find .elderly people. Almost every requisite ot life has been requisitioned. Schools, convents, and even churches have been converted into hospitals an<* forced labor is increased, lhe Germans generally believe that the war will end in three months.