WESTERN CAMPAIGN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 18 February 1915, Page 5

WESTERN CAMPAIGN

SIR JOHN FRENCH'S DESPATCH INDIANS LOSE BUT RECAPTURE TRENCHES.! • LONDON, Feb. 17. Sir John French's despatch is dated February 2nd. It alludes to the encouragement the troops received from the . King's visit, and continues:— j . "In consequence of -the heavy fighting in November, the Franco-British -forces were somewhat mixed up, entailing diffi- ;. culties of, supply.. ~ < ' "By the end of the month I was able ; to concentrate the army by holding a shorter line,' and wo established effective j reserves. | "Among a T number of successful minor engagements, : part of the Fourteenth I Army Corps on November 23rd captured 800 yards-, of the Indian trenches. The commander of the Meerut'division organised a powerful night attack,' and re. established the line at daybreak. There were many casualties, but the enemy suffered more heavily than, the M ee i' uts > who captured 100 prisoners, ..three .machine guns; and two mortars. I RCYAL SCOTS AND GORDON HIGH- . -» : -"■ ; LANDERS. \ "Early in December certain indications induced the French commanders and myself to believe the enemy had withdrawn considerable forces ; . from the Western theatre, and arrangements were made with; the Eighth French Army to commence an attack: ' : "On'the 14th the Royal Scots, in the face of a/ terrible -machine gun and rifle fire, with great dash, carried the German vtrenches -on the; edge of the Petit Bois/capturing two machine guns. I • "The / Gordon Highlanders, with great gallantry- advanced on the Maedlskeed spur, and forced the enemy to "evacuate . the front trench,-'' but, ; -losing heavily, ' they were obliged to.fall back in the evening to their original positions. ! "As the 32nd" French- Division on the left ; were^unable to progress further, the advance- of : ; 'the British'.- infantry to Wytschaate- was impracticable.;:.-. "Possession of the western-edge of the Petit Bois was retained ~ though the ground was devoid of cover, and so water-logged that the men sank deep in the - mud. :; S "Our casualties for tho day were seventeen-officers and 407 other ranks.. The losses of the enemy were consider- j ably larger. Tn front pf the Gordons a patrol counted 100 dead; in one trench." .

BATTLE OF GIVENCHY,. "An outstanding feature was the fighting at Givenchy, where the commander of "the Indians decided to take advantage of 'what appeared to be a favourable opportunity.,, and launched attacks on December 18th and 19th. "The attack of the Meerut division on the left on the morning of the 19th , waa-made'with determination. It had; initial success, but was driven back by a German counter-attack. : "The attack of the Lahore division was completely successful. They captured two lines of trenches -with little loss before daylight, and filled them with as many men as they would hold, but the front was restricted, arid communication with the rear was impossible. - After daybreak the position was found to be practically untenable. On both flanks supporting attacks, which were late in starting, and were conducted in dayli°hr., failed, though they were attempted with the greatest gallantry and resoiii-"Lieut.-Col. Ronald&on held on until dusk, when . all the captured trenches were evactriated. ON THE WHQIJS INDIAN . • FRONT,- - - "The "Germans- at -daybreak on the 20th attacked' the whole Indian front, particularly at Givenchy, and by fen o'clock had succeeded in driving back the Sirhind .brigade and capturing considerable part of Givenchy. But the 57* h Rifles and the Ninth Bhopals north

'<sl i; tbe.caj«j,l>;au;il. tkaConiiaught Ija^ger^ f on thesouth, stood firm. I *'Two regiments of Sikhs were sent Io ! reinforce General Bruiker-, while the First • Manchesters and Fourth Snrtolks, and two battalions Of French Territorials were ordered to launch a vigorous couuier-attack from Pontfixc through Givenchy, and retake the lost trenches by means of a flank attack. FIRST MANCHESTERS' GALLANT ATTACK. ■"By five o'clock a gallant attack by the First Manchesters had recaptured Givenchy, and the Germans only held our trenches north of the village. ''General Macßean, with the Secundcrabad Brigade, a battalion of the Eighrh Ghurkas and the 47-th Sikh*, sent supports to General Brunker. "There was some delay, but the force attacked at one o'clock in the morning* A detachment under Lieut.-Col. Lempriere reached the enemy's trenches, but was driven out by an enfilading fire, the gallant commander being killed. General Macßean's main attack .continued until 4.30, but failed-. SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS' PRECARIOUS POSITION. "The position on the 20th was precarious, particularly that of the Seaforth Highlanders, whose flanks were exposed by the retirement of the Sirhinds early in the afternoon. Sir Douglas Haitr therefore ordered a move of the First Division to support the Indians, and took over Sir James Willcocks's command. On the 22nd French troops also come "The First Brigade reached Givenchy via Pontfixe on the £Lst, and the Third Brigade re-occupied the trenches evacuated! by the Sirhinds. "Sir Douglas Haig directed the First Brigade to attack in a north-westerly direction, and the Third Brigade from Festubert in a north-easterly direction, with the object of capturing the German trenches four hundred yards east of o-ir position. The First Brigade established itself east 'of Givenchy, and the Third concentrated at Letouret, but the Indian trenches had been so destroyed that it was impossible to reoccupy them. ."Throughout the day the Indians rendered all the assistance and support possible in view of .their exhausted condiACTIVITIES CEASE. "On the evening of the 22nd the position was practically re-established, and the- German activities- ceased -on the] 23rd. The French and Indians fought j with the utmost steadiness and. gallantry whenever called upon. "Abnormal snow and floods precluded active operations during the first three weeks in January." INDOMITABLE PLUCK. (Received Feb. 18, 8.15 a.m.) LONDON, Feb. 17. Sir John French commends the Second Coldstreams and the Irish Guards for their indomitable pluck in storming two sets of barricades, capturing three trenches, and killing or taking prisoner many of. the enemy on the Ist February at Guinchy. WORK OF THE FLYING' CORPS. The despatch continues : "The Flying Corps had covered a hundred thousand miles, though the weather had been uniformly bad. The principle of attacking hostile aircraft at every opportunity had continued, and had resulted in the German machines immediately retreating, whenever chased. "The army corps commanders are loud in their praises of the Territorials, and say they are fast approaching, if they have not already, reached, the standard of efficiency of.regular infantry. "On the morning of the 25th a strong artillery- attack developed south of the Bethuno Canal. The British line near the canal was a pronounced salient, which the Scots Guards and Coldstreams were holding. The -trenches of the salient were quickly blown in, forcing, a retirement to.a partially..prepared.second line, which was strengthened . by, the construction of a.keeg half-way .the canal and the mam Xia Bassee—Bethune road • ■ .;*.• ... ;■ ,-- /•}' '.. ..*..' GERMANS DRIVEN. BACK. "The London were sent up to support couhter-a|tacks. organised, north and south of in the Germans being driven";back.-vOur'First Guards' : was sept as \.- .Y.--=f'VSt-iy "Meanwhile an equally severe- attack developed at Givenchy. After a heavy bombardmentAwith.r.high. explosive shells, and despite" our artillery 'being hampered by "'constant interruption of telephonic communication between the observers and the batteries, 5 our fire forced- the Germans to crowd into the north-east corner of the village, and ithey finally broke through the centre of the village to the keep. The Germans lost- heavily. "A well-timed local countei--attack 'by the Welsh Teserves-was completely successful. . . .'" ' '.'■'"• ALL THE GER.MANS KIfLLED OR CAPTURFID. "After about an hour's street fighting all the Germans in Givenchy were either captured or killed, and the original line re-established. . "A part of the Fourteenth German Army Corps on the 29th, after, severe shelling, made a violent attack; scaling the ladders.upon the keep. The Sussex ; Regiment within inflicted serious losses", the Germans leaving two hundred behind. TRIALS OF THE TROOPS^ "The troops were subjected to the severest trial it was possible to impose on a body of men." The 'desperate fighting mentioned in the last despatch had "hardly concluded \yheir they were called on to face' the rigors of a winter campaign, and though, everything.science and medicine suggested was employed to mitigate the hardships, the sufferings were very great. ' .Nevertheless the. men now present a soldierlike and; splendid, though Avarworn, appearance. Their, spirits are high, they are confident, .and their health is excellent. "The condition of the British bat-: talions from India is particularly fine. .

MAGNIFIOENT CANADIANS. "Princess Patricia.'s. Canadians are a magnificent set of men, and they have J one excellent work in the trenches." Sir John French commends the Royal Engineers : and the Medical Corps, who fire treating eleven thousand men daily. There have been only five hundred cases of enteric fever since the commencement. The report concludes:— :'• _ ; "I' gratefully acknowledge the help and support of. Generals Foch, Durbal, and Maudhuy."

ANOTHER AERIAL U FORff (OT^ERQPUNES FURTHER DAMAGE. TO'.'GERMAN ' POSITIONS. FRENCH AIRMEN ENGAGE GERMANS. LONDON, Feb. 18. The Admiralty announces that forty British aeroplanes on Tuesday afternoon bombed the heavy batteries at Ostend harbour and gun positions at Middlekerke. . They widened the breach m the £eebmgge mole and bombed transport waggons,' barges, and trawlers at Ostend and Blankenberghe. . . Eight French aeroplanes attacked tile Ghestalles aerodrOniOj preventing GerrtM.i. aircraft frdifc cultiilg off the British, 240 BOMBS DROPPED. (fteccived Feb. 18, 9.10 a.m.) LONDON, Feb. 17. The air raiders yesterday dropped 240 bombs, each weighing eighty-five, pounds. OFFICIAL NEWS A FAVOURABLE DAY. ALONG THE WHOLE FRONT. (Official.) PARIS, Feb. 17. We had a favourable day along the whole front. . The British mastered numbers of trenches south of Ypres, where there has been serious fighting for several days. We captured three kilometres of trenches at Perthes and Beausejour, taking several hundred prisoners. "We carried several blockhouses northwest of Pont a Mousson. VIOLENT GERMAN ATTACKS REPULSED. (Official.) (Rec. Feb. 18. 12.45 p.m.) PARIS, Feb. 17. A communique states : "We repulsed violent attacks by at least three battalions near Four de Paris, inflicting heavy losses and taking many prisoners. "We captured a hundred metres of trenches at Bois de Malancourt. BRITISHERS DARING EFFORT TO ESCAPE JUMP FROM A FORTRESS WALL. LONDON, Febl 16. Second-Lieutenant Gore Brown, of the Field Artillerv, and Lieutenant Gillespie, of the Gordon Highlanders, who were prisoners, jumped off the wall of a fortress, a distance of 50 feet. Lieutenant Brown's leg was broken. Gillespie was unhurt, but remained witn his friend. Both were recaptured. GERMAN "SNIPERS .DIMINISHED ACTIVITY. LONDON, Feb. 16. The Press Bureau says that "Eye-wit-ness" reports that the activity of the enemy's snipers has diminished owing to the marksmanship' of our sharpshooters. "A British soldier recently accounted for six. snipers single-handed. "At, one or two, points, the Germans displayed unwonted friendliness, throwing cigarettes to our trenches. Our men smoked them, while continuing to shoot at their loop-holes. ;■ "A party of officers had a sensational escape. They were sitting down to /dinner in a • dug-out, when a bomb landed in their midst. When the smoke and du6t cleared, the dinner had completely disappeared. No one was liurt." "Eye-witness" adds: "The endeavour to get the better of the enemy in all sorts, of little ways, makes up. the daily life of the soldier," : .-'•!,..'•