BRITISH CHEERFULNESS.

North Otago Times, Volume CIV, Issue 13656, 26 August 1916, Page 4

BRITISH CHEERFULNESS.

IN THE GREAT ADVANCE. ' CHARGFE THROUGH HAIL OF LEAD.. Some of' the wounded who took part in the big British advance in July, tell thrilling stories. One well-known commanding officer of a battalion, who was landed at Southampton with a hole through one hand and an ugly shrapnel wound in the leg, which lie received in the fighting, said:— "Our fellows reached their objective. They would have got there if hell itself had to be crossed. No soldiers ' could have been liner than our men, the German machine-guns were sweeping that portion of the front with an absolute hail of lead, but our only trouble' was to prevent them from 'charging right into the thick of it before the, chosen moment. , "The officer* were splendid—all' of them. Lieutenant Chawncr, in. the teeth of a tornado of live, dashed across No Man's Land at I he Jiead of his platoon. No one got through but Ghawner. He found himself face to face with three Germans whom lie proiiipUv threatened with his revolver, and made Hiem lay down (heir rifles, lie took them prisoner and ordered them back' to »•»' y-m.' dust then he was over with a shell fragment, with one of the Germans, When he recovered conseiousncss one of (he other two Ger-' mans was bandaging him; the second' had vanished. S 0 Chawuer thanked l"m and marched him back to our' . lines, "Our men marched through the rag"lS fire exactly as if on parade. If I'liey had been soldiers all their lives they could nut possibly have shown a Hi"'!' fighting spiril. Mv battalion, bemy m one of the bad bits, suffered terfil'l.v, Ijul those who fell, fell flehttoff like heroes." , "■ The percentage of dead to wounded . is smaller than U usual in trench fighti»S. Many light wounds have been received from shrapnel and rifle and inaclmie-;-iin fire, but the goodweather and exeeilenl physical condition of the men mean quick recovery. There, are plenty of examples of the English phlegmatic, leinpernnyjut. One gumier, lifted into the air by the concussion of a shell, said after he came down: "1 wish they had provided eush-. ions." A corps commandor, after all plans were complete for the attack at 7.30 o'clock in the morning, said, beforejymg down to ; sleep: ".Wake.-.mea»746i" The first reports will hn <» 1™ «■-.--..