The Battle of Souchez.

Inangahua Times, 2 October 1915, Page 3

The Battle of Souchez.

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General Marchand's Bravery

French and Colonial Soldier's. Account. ■ —H rpw run imm\mis.--4mnfwr ■Mtt MM Reed this day at 9.5 a.m' ' London, Oct.i. " Calmly puffing at his' I- r pipe, like a company com- \\ mander, General Marchand placed himself at the head of his column in the advance between Perthes and Sousin." This is the picture-given by one of the wounded privates in the Colonial Infantry, who was alongside General . Marchand when the latter was wounded.

He quotes the General's bravery as a legend with the whole division. . - When the order to advance was given on Saturday General Marichand, arrived amid a hail of bullets and made a short speech, which was inaudible owing to the thunder of the guns. Our colonial division with the Moroccan Division, a Brigade of Zouaves; and a Brigade of the Foreign Legion, formed the first line launched against the trenches. We covered the distance' 150 yards, through a perfect hell of shot and shell, and just reached the first Boche trench when General Marchand dropped from a shell splinter, and the men and stretcher bearers picked him up and took him the hospital at Sriippes. He is doing well, and it is believed a cure is only a question of time. "The Bodies bolted like hares into the wood," said the French soldiers, in .describing the charges at Souche^. Simultaneously with the order to advance we exploded seven mines completing-the destruction of the trenches. We dashed hot ,on their heels. ' Some of our comrades stayed behind to explore the ravaged trenches and subterranean shelters, some of which were 20 feet deep, and throwing in bombs, to prevent the occupants attacking us in the rear. Fast as the Germans ran, however, we soon caught up and occupied the second line of trenches in the middle of the woodi ' ' ..

Some crossed Souchez Brook \ and some went up the road taj Anglesward. ■•, > " V x.k-: ) The enemy brought y uj>■;, ; strong: reserves and our officers recalled' us to the first German trench, j Our artillery in the evening bombarded the wood, and its aspect, changed as it by ; en : chantment. ; Soon only tree stumps remained, emerging from the jungle branches. We treated German shrapnel philosophically, because we wore steel helmets. Next afternoon we attacked the wood, stumbling over fallen branches. The German machine guns were vast troublesome and were almost invisible in steel planted pits. We sheltered in the shell holes, and bombers crept up behind tree stumps and kept up a rain of bombs and we soon drove out the Germans from the wood, which was ours for good.