BATTLES ON SUNDAYS

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 3125, 4 May 1915, Page 7

BATTLES ON SUNDAYS

Many writers' have remarked that tho Germans seem to select Sundays for their fiercest attacks on our line, but in so doing they are only copying other enemies we have met in war, their idea, no doubt, being that, owing to the English observance of Sunday, we are more likely to be caught "napping" on that day than on any other. As a matter of fact, a serious massacre of British troops, whilst they were actually in church unarmed, took place in Ceylon about 150 years ago; and this is the reason why British troops at home even in peace-time always take their sidearms to church with them, whilst nt many foreign stations they also take their rifles. Tt is remarkable how many little battles were fought by the Duke of Wellington on a Sunday. Salamanca was fought on Sunday, July 2nd, 1812; Vimiero, Fuentes d'Onoro, Orthez, Toulouse, and Vittoria were also contested on what were known as " Wellington's Red Sundays." It wa>' on a Sunday afternoon tnat he issued his immortal order, "Ciudad Rodrigo must be carried by assault this evening."; ana Waterloo was also, of course contested and won on a Sunday. To come to moro recent itimes, aur great attack ofa Cronje's trenches at Paardeberg was* made on Sunday, September 20th.