A STIRRING FIGHT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15729, 2 October 1914, Page 6

A STIRRING FIGHT.

■ w- A 4 • iRITiSH ENGAGE GERMANS, W : • TJST LIKE THE PICTURES. a Just like yoa s» 'a the picture?," 99 '0M a English "Tommys" description of tbe. | irst engagement the British troops- ha3. ; f§ipS rith the Germans. T^lllll In a despatch to the London Daily Ex-" \v rress on Monday, August 24, Mr. Alan" || )stler, correspondent of . that paper, stated | hat the British troops went into "action aK Belgium for the first time on the premises p§l§ Friday and Saturday. Ths agair was oz&-cji >! scooting and outpost skirmishes only, '■§ rat it was interesting because oi the iigat :hrown on the exhausted condition of the V.JI jerman advance guard. Mr. - OsOst'* :£jffe iespatch, which was written from & Freadi railway station, was as follows:'— " A troop train has just drawn Cp_;.fc the f||Si A troop train has jasfc draws op f.i the ar end of this isolated platform, and from' § J it hare disembarked woandea " British ■>. sussars and captive. German cnirsssisrs. Che station is crowded, as a Paris toia just in disgojeged on the platform haijgty md sleepy English end American' ic-srists rom Switzerland" and " Northern / Italy. Nevertheless the detraining oi the British - :roopers and their captives escaped noiua For just long enough to allow of smuggling - ihe big blue-cloaked Germans i oKt _ -e!" tha : - ttation without creating a disturbance. -^ English With. German. Frisoaers. - li One -of the wounded English "troopers V' xplained his relief afg this. * " Thank eaven," he said fervently, "after the ygg wther we've had with 'em all along the line. - I Ihoaghfc there would certainly bo «? a fre« fight when we had to take tbea an* of . the carriages." Then he toid ma bow at many of. the stations on tie wayi*§|!| :rom —— people hearing that: Geraaa prisoners were on the train had flocg stones through the windows, thrust stick;' -* and umbrellas into the carriages,- and/" shrined curses at the Prussians until the train moved out. train moved out. - , ~; ,As "if to firm what he said, an excited $jyi little browxt-faced French woman came up s*£J to .us and broke into a torrent of skill ;< recrimination. . '--st"Mais, e'est an allerasnd," she cried, ■ pointing to the woollen cap the tiocjpet ' wore. .. __ "*I explained be was English., and asked f him why he was aofe.wearing the- JjaeV^l cap- ;• • ' -MSiSm r"I lost it- in a charge on Saturday," &2. rs said. "That's where I got this." cj- - He showed a bandaged wrist" piepsd by a German sabre.' Then he told -ma the * . j story of Friday's .fighting. _" | JJl||fi|f|| Secret; of German Success. "T , '■ •:K€S^S;Mitl • Exhausted though the German cavalry j? t were known to be, the whole of thur -*j success lay in a continued, rapid advance? and it was obvious that' they wash! pish gjgj on madly at the first possible nsoaient. |g -So, while the Belgians were facing back toward the north, the English cavalry were busily employed in feeling- for ihe ;; inevitable German advance, while tie J French horse, foot and - artillery, cam* np from the south and west. S " / ■ "My infonnantV regiment fell is vr-lh a. g party of the Foarth German Cuirassiers ca Friday, or rather they, fell on it. | \\yi , "We cams plump on them' around -corner in & little village," said he. >f|||g was an absolute surprise for bota._otjiQ||| Before you could wink your eve we -were . flying at one another as hard as oar horses £ could 20. The villagers were yelhpg .aad'gS scrambling into the houses "on either ®4* ;S| of the road. _ _ . A Sea'. Cavalry Gha®^ ? • "There was no-Sricg. It was 5a lately proper cavalry charge like see ia pictures— gciag aeO. ,lor . ,_vj leather, every man sitting hatched 1 '-J? ♦nnder number one guard, houiag wouldn't Ret his knees .crashed, fey fellows on each side c £ him." -Jffßll Lighter though they v.ere, the went- a pace that mere. than for their interior v. eight. -The skrs, i.i fail stride on fresh horss', have over-ridden them. ' bat : '||H|is slower at wie take oS and. 55 scqaentlv proved, were Bseantea.. horses already ridden _to desUsggj were token at a tremcudons tage. Twenty-seven 01 thsa wee kiSsa. 'g and 12 takes, prisoners. "*fejfipSß " Iheir moaot& .vera deed beat,? my trooper, and the men >-»f much better. • Do yea know found in their mess tins! Bat? • and dry cats." • - ||||||glSlSl| I asked him how ho got his -i I dunr.o," be said, wearily.- 1^ first I knew was that was sticking through a German and his through my wrist, bet sot cut say tenons." He added. I'll be out in two or three ' S : -M other chap's ana was couldn't even mcve his fingers,'*