Nelson Evening Mail MONDAY, AUGUST 7, 1916. THE TASK AHEAD.

Nelson Evening Mail, 7 August 1916, Page 4

Nelson Evening Mail MONDAY, AUGUST 7, 1916. THE TASK AHEAD.

I>7 a recent cable from British Headquarters in France, Captain Bean, official war correspond ;nt for the Comnionwealth, gave several interesting- details regarding positions in ' the great battle that has been raging for the past few weeks in the Somme region. We use the word raging, for an advance under such conditions as ' those prevailing on tlhe western front cannot even if successful as this one has 'been, I>e proceeded, with without lulls for the ]3urpose of consolidation of new positions. Jiut these delays have been of such extraordinary shortness considering .the nature of the. work to be done, and the counter-attacks have been so keen, that it may truly be saidi that the battle has raged continuously since the first fflmt -was fired. Captain Bean points out- that the British tip to the present have been fighting almost entirely up hill. The .second German main line, which the British, broke through at ißazentin and' Longtueval some little time ago, ran in this part generally slightly in front of a- watershed. Front' this line, open country stretches away for an averago of about two miles to the German third line, which: is mostly on the further side of the watershed', on slightly lower : hilis. At the beginning of the 'battle, the country betweteh. these two lines l was ! practically open, but since July 1 the Germans have heen making further fortifications with alt possible haste along the intervening watershed. Some of their ■hardest work has gone to waste already, for it was put in on the second line, and the villages seized. The. first line consisted of three or four, and. sometimes five, lines of wired' trenches. The second line consists of several lines of trenches wired. The remaining lines are probably well provided! with mjacihine-guns, but mmcli simpler and less elaborate than the< ■ first and second lines. It needs months | of labour to construct- such systems. This j indicates clearly that already much pro- | gress has been- made, and that once the third line is taken further advance should bo rapid. But the Germans are not yet ■beaten, 'They will oppose this advance ' strongly, and: the cost of progress will l be 'heavy, but -the man of all men who might to know has no doubts about the troops' ability to advance provided' those ' at home do their share in the supply of J .guns and: munitions. Sir Douglas Haig, iit will be .remembered, declared, in so many words, that to drive home the offensive is simply a matter of being pro- ( vided wit'h a sufficiency of munitions. He has tested the opposing forces, and this mail, whose reports indicate that he would make no statement without being absolutely sure of 'his grounds, is sure the advance begun can he continued until victory is gained. He further stated that. ' "the pressure now being 'brought to bear against the enemy has not to be relaxed . for one moment." But, given the supplies he asks for, he made the very sigj nificant statement that ''speedy and dej cisive victory will be ours." The word "speedy," it should be remembered, is used in connection with the nature of the

task ahead 1 . T'he A n g i -o- Fx en eh troops may make what is a rapid advance under the circumstances, birfc the circumstances are such that a considerable time may elapse "before the goal is gained. Sir {Otalgias Haig's apeal was to the .British workers in the munition factories, and it is most satisfactory to know that their representatives in the National Trades Union Conference, which was sitting at the time, resolved that the present was no time to talk holidays, the duty of .every workman -at home being to use

'his utmost efforts to support the menj at the front. Tin's is the spirit that en-' sures victory, and combined with heroism'' of the troops at the front, will hasten the: end of the war.