IN THE AISNE VALLEY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue LXVIII, 19 October 1914, Page 5

IN THE AISNE VALLEY.

AN OFFICIAL NARRATIVE

WELLINGTON, Oct. 18. The Prime Minister has received the fallowing from the High Commissioner, "dated London, 16th inst: — • A further report from the general headquarters on. October 13th states: "Our men are fairly comfortable in tie trenches, and in the numerous quarries out out of the hillside, as well.as in picturesque villages, whose steep streets climb the slopes of the hills. - "In the firing-line the men obtained shelter in dug-outs, hollowed in the sides of the trenches. Quarries and caves provide ample accommodation for the whole of the battalions. The slopes of the Aisne Valley are very steep. This protects us from the enemy's shells, many of which pass Harmlessly below, along the fiver bank. At all posts subject to" shell-fire access to the firing line from behind is provided by communications in the trenches. These are now so good that it is possible for our men to cross in safety a fire-swept zone to the advanced trenches from their billets in the villages. . "All day and night the boom of suns and the scream of shells .overhead continues. At midday especially the bombardment slackens, and then swells into an incessant roar. At first there are short, fierce bursts, as a dozen • heavy howitzer shells fall into the ; ploughed Held, sending up clouds of

I black smoke and great clouds of earth. J Then there is a period of quiescence, soon broken by the smaller howitzer shell, which comes into the villages, tearing up the tiles and stone*! Through this pandemonium the uilmli tants, conduct their business as though they were accustomed to it. "According to information from the enemy,, fifteen Germans were killed by a bomb dropped upon an ammunition waggon: of a cavalry column. It was thought at the time that this might Have- been the work of one of our a irmeny \v~k& reported having dropped a hand-grenade on a convoy. From corroborative evidence of the locality, it now appears that the grenade thrown by a British arman probably caused the destruction of a convey carrying i field-gun ammunition, which has now been found a total wreck on a road passing through the forest of Deretz, north-east of Fillers Cotterets. Along the road. He fourteen motor-lorries, now only skeletons of twisted iron. Nothing remains of the drivers except battered1 Boots and charred scraps of cloth- 1 ing, while the ground within fifty yards of the waggons is littered with pieces of iron and brass cases of the cartridges exploded. The grenade must have detonated the leading lorry on one side of the road, and caused the cartridges carried by it to explode. Three vehicles immediately in the rear were then set on fire, and. behind these groups of four and two vehicles were so jambed as to suggest a collision. On the other side of the road, level with the leading waggon, were four more, which were probably fired by fhe explosion of the first vehicle. "A section of the French press claimsthai this damage was caused by the action of their dragoons, and not of airmen." • The following has been received by the Prime Minister, dated London, October 16, 1914 (7 p.m.): — Paris reports that on the left wing the action of the Allied armies extends I from the region of Ypresto the sea. The Germans have occupied Blankenberghe. Fighting is proceeding south of Przemysl. .The Russians have repelled strong German attacks on Warsaw and Ivangorod. . i On the 13th a battle began between Warsaw and the Dneister along a 280----mile front. The Russian Governor-General of Galicia announces a scheme of administration dividing Galicia into three provinces. A lieufc.-commander and 20 men of the warship Hawke were saved from a raft.