WITH THE NEW ZELANDERS

Nelson Evening Mail, 7 August 1916, Page 3

WITH THE NEW ZELANDERS

THE CRUNCH UF RJGii EXPLOSIVE XIOH.T PATROLS. THIRD ARTICLE. {ißy Malcolm Ross, Official Correspondent with the New Zealand Forces.) N. FRAXCE, June 18It takes some time to get used to new noises in war. At Ar.-zac we knew almost every gun by name, and could t'.cep through a duet by "Beachy Bill"' and "Startling Annie," to say nothing of the melody of our own howitzers and field guns." At- times, when we were very tired, even the resounding bang from the -destroyer on our flank failed to wake us. "Did"you hear old Beachy pooping off this morning?"' was a frequent query. And as often as not the answer was in the negative. We used rather to admire "Beachy," and many friendly messages were left behind for him. _ I have often wondered: where he has pitched his new emplacement. We had also a great affection for the destroyer. There were two of the.m —one on each Hank—and their memory will live. Our particular destroyer was on the leit, and the Lora, and. perhaps the Tuvk. knows how much we have to thank her for. Here in France it is all different, and just as the eye has to .get used to new sights, so the ear has to get used to new sounds. There are gurus of so manv types and calibres, and a charming variety in bombs; from the docile "Mills," winch you can handle affectionately before presentation to the enemy, to the big, fat, trench-mortar fellows, describing' a igr'aeeful arc from trench to trench ; from the rifle grenade, that goes away •like a rockettin.g pheasant, to the more decora s flight of the ball thrown from the big catapult, that reminds you of the times and expedients of Julius Caesar. And there are all the other sounds oi war. 'Even the first, night in a town near the firing line is a novel experience. 'After a tiring day in the trenches and a late dinner ytou go to bed at peace with everyone —including the enemy. Lut that frame of mind doe? not last. In the so-called- silence of the mgln a continuous rumble strikes iti upon the eai. It is the noise that- comes from man.\ wheel* of motor-lorries and carts, and ut aeen-s to continue unceasingly after night it will go on until the wai ends 3. It comes from the transport, takiivt food, and ammunition, and timber. and. wire, and goodness only knows whai else besides. Before the war we though that rather a safe job let there _is no •i ni<rht along our extensive tront that work. About a week ago it as a stirrino- sight to see the Australians r al iopi" ,r "their teams along a shrapnturoacT at night in answer to. a message to. moro ammunition for then men on the limbers sat with iolded arms, AS The°rumble e of the wheels goes on till , :n-to the xr>ht,. At intervals you recognise the old- familiar tat-tat-tatt:ng of machine guns. These are g the parapets or spraying the roads and saps along which food for man and gun ■is carried. The wonder -is tha so few °are hit. At times you hear the measured tramp of a platoon or companv—a working forty or a relief bouno ■for the trenches. It is a peculiar sound that tramp! tramp! .tramp. of maiLh-

incr men. You can hear the spring and crack of the leather in thou- boots as they pass. THE GUNS AT NIGHT. The dial o! rour illuminated wr:.--t watch tells you how the hours go -past. Probably towards midnight you are : startled with a loud and continuous cn unonado. It begins with. an -appalling ino-denn-ess, and increases in intensity. It may last for ten minutes or for an hour, or for several hours. If for the shorter period you know it is a raid; if for tiu lonser yiou surmise a more general at-

tack. Tiie sums on either side gm tongue in a loud dissonance, the con i cuss ion rattling- your windows and. mik"the very earth tremble. You count :the discharges not by so many a minute, but ov so many a second. The bicr-'si slit lis go tearing through the air -with r noise of rending cloth of hage dimension! and great strength. smaller ones come with an insidious whistle ano the crunch of bigh explosive almost, before the whistle "'has ended. These are "whiz-bangs." There are others that come even a 'bit quicker. They mi-iht be called the "bang-whizes." And sc the nisrht goes on. Next morning ai your tea and toast, in , the _ security oi vour home, you may read in the c<ym - munique that there was "comparative quiet all along the line." And so ther<

was. What we have been listening to is a mere madricral of w-ar compared vrjtr the at Ypres and Verdun. RAIDING A TRENCH.

A few years {ugo such a cannonade as 5 we have frequently had on our front— t shells coming three and' four a second, g and the whole sky illuminated with then ! flashings—would presage a _ big battle. ] But when, after 10 or 20 minutes or an t hour, the fire dies down, we know that, t it is onlv: a small foray—what we call <" i cutting-out expedition. For a few .nundred yards the. enemy's trenches or ouv ] own, as the case may be, blown t< \ i 'bits, and most of the men in them killet ■ or wounded or stupefied. The men whr are to do the raiding then climb over ; their parapet, .go with a rush across t re hundred yards or so oi No-Man s jump into the trenches: of the ene-n\ - which are breached' and battered beyond recognition, kill a few men, rerure some prisoners and material—papers, bonyos, flares, trench mortars, or even maclrneguns—and then pet back as best thecan to their own trenches through a hai, of the enemy's shrapnel. They ars protected from serious attack by their owi nun=: which, as <thev start out, suddenly switch off ricrht and left to prevent- reserves coming alSne the enemy trench and in the centre lift to lorm a bariage behind that will prevent help arriving from that direction. On the way back thev may kave a few their own men dead or wounded in No-Man s land, bu renerallT. the honours are with the raidpartv. As a rule, more arc killed and 'vour,led by the shellimr. The matter is all thoucht out beforehand to the minutest detail—the calm and deliberate diabolicalness of it is * im . p - v arri, .- But remember it has all been made possible by the crentlb apostles of culture —the peace-loving nation that. to its own soul and body, had to wage a terrible caim>aig:i against wailike bel | gjum and- militant England . > VALOROUS WORK. > Our patrols go out over our parapet at nifrht, right up to the German vne Thev listen, to the Germans talking, and recently they had heard' amongst , some rather iuvemle voices. Occasionally thev meet an onposinc -patrol, an-i then there is trouble. It is valoious work this crawling through Iso-Man s land like a Red Indian through the prairie grass, especially when jlai'cs aie - lent up'and illuminate the immediate B surroundings. but there are lots of men ' who delight in it. Indeed, even for a f non-combatant the temptation to make i one of a patrol is hard to resist. A tew nights ago a voung Wellington officer on • in" eharee of a .patrol came suddenly upon a "German working party out to

mend tluir wire. As the New Zealanders were largely outnumbered they scuttled 1 back to the safety of their own trenches. As they gave the pass-word and ; hurriedly hopped over their own parapet, one man making a great noise as iie landed on a tin periscope, they seemed ' <-■ 'be .intense!vi amused. At all events, the young officer greatly enjoyed the experience, and his account of it, instead of being intensely dramatic, was concerned only with the humour of the situation. He- regarded it as a great bit of luck that he had been able to get out on two night patrols within a week. An Otago member of 'Parliament who enlisted as a private, and is now a junior officer. had also the .good luck to lead' a night patrol into No-Man's land. Fo-r suc'h work (there is no lack of volunteers. Recently when men were wanted for a raid on the German trenches practically the whole of an Australian battalionvolunteered, though only 20 or 30 m'£(n were wanted. Two nights ago the Australians made their second duccctssf'ul raid, returning with several prisoners. The Nt-w Zealand-ers have not yet had the chance, but at may come soon.