UP TO SAMPLE

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9719, 23 July 1917, Page 2

UP TO SAMPLE

MEN OF NEW ARMIES GALLANT BEHAVIOUR WHEN FIRST UNDER FIRE. (Issued by War Office.) The Major came towards mo and he hold in his hand a Tiapor with “Urgent” marked across it in rod chalk. Tho Major is a man of few words, so he just handed me the document without comment. “One officer and twenty men from each battery,” ran she message, (t v.'ili proceed this evening to C. to report to G.0.C., Heavy Artillery Reserve, Nth Army Corps. Five motor-’buscs will ho sent from H. about 7.30 p.m. Each party will draw rations for 48 hours. ' the Major produced a map -and showed me my destination. “Take twenty men from A and B subsections,” said he. “That means the whole of A and about five from B. The quartermaster is drawing rations now. Bo ready to start at 7.30.”

But ns things turned out the start was postponed till next morning, when, after an early breakfast, wo “stood to” and the ’buses did not disappoint us. Thor© they were, five in number - , old familiar London “Generals,” painted grey, and with their windows boarded up because one bas no uso for glass in the zone of operations. Fate decided that I and my men should go in the third ’bus, so soon as I had seen the men on board 1 climbed to my seat alongside the driver, and wo started on the great adventure. It' was a lovely morning in May, but, as I have said, fate had decreed that two ’buses should precede mine, and there is dust on those French roads. I began to realise this before we had travelled half a kilometre. The men beguiled the journey, as is usual with them, by singing the songs which had stood us in such good stead during our marches in Scotland and England. For the first four hours or so nothing happened. In the distance we could hear the distant boom of guns, and that was all. A PAUSE FOR DINNER. At last we stopped in the main street of C , just outside the gates of a fine chateau. Women and children wwo in the street, and overhead one could hear the buzz of an aeroplane. The roar of the guns seemed incessant. Evidently a big bomoardment was going on, and from time to time there mingled with that roar the “crump” of a shell as it burst about a. kilometre or so away. I got my men under cover in a wood next the chateau, and then went to report our arrival. It was about noon, and 1 was told that we should have to stay there until 3 p.m. I seized the opportunity to start the men on their dinner! while I gratefully accepted the General’s invitation to lunch. It was during that lunch that tho situation was explained to mo by the Brigade Major. We were wanted, it appeared, to fill up vacancies caused by casualties. During tho past few days there had been an intense bombardment of our linos, and some of the batteries had suffered severely. I was told off to a 9.2 Howitzer Battery. The men were weary from overwork and want of sleep ; therefore my little detachment would be very welcome to them. “Ton will find the battery here,” said this staff officer, producing a man. “at M. Farm. A lorry will take you as near as possible, but you will have to walk it from B , as the road beyond is visible from the German lines. You can get to the Batterv Headquarters by that road, or vou can out across by that coal mine. Personally, I should advise you to cut across by the mine, as that bend m the road is called ‘Dead Man’s Corner.’ ”

INTERESTING DEVELOPMENTS. At H p.m. we boarded the lorry which had been sent to take us to the _th Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery. By this time things began to get decidedly interesting. Along the ridge in front you could see great columns of black smoke shooting upwards as the shells crashed down. Here and there wo came upon the re mains of a house, and on the side of the road next to the line of enemy fire were deep ‘ ‘dug-outs" placed at certain intervals, so that wayfarers might rush to shelter in the case of necessity, which occurred frequently. When we arrived at B we found that village for the most part in ruins. The lorry stopped near a barn, and the driver informed me that ho could take us no further, but that the guide would show us the way. So we turned out to tramp the halfmile or so which separated us from our temporary home. Before starting, however, I sent for the non-commis-sioned officers and gave them a few instructions. . ' “I hear that this place is a trifle unhealthy at times. I propose, therefore, that we go in parties of three with about a hundred yards between each party. I shall go with the first lot. You, Sergeant Michell, will go with the last. Tell the boys if they hoar a sizzling noise in the air not to loolc up to S6G -what it- is, Vut to lio down fiat. Tfco-t’s all.” A lAJOKY PARTY.

These boys had never been in action before in fact, it was only five days since they bad left England. It was their very first experience of active service and the shell craters along that road showed that the German gunners had the range to an inch. Yet the men came along that road ns jauntily as if they were going to a picnic, and the sole prevailing feeling seemed to be that we were jolly lucky to get this job -when the rest of our battery had been left behind, As we got near to the pile of ruins which was all that was left of M. Farm, the enemy began to shell a wood pear by, but they went coolly on. These things took place during a battle when one hundred heavy German batteries were concentrated on one mile of front. But. that detachment justified its existence to such an extent that the Genera] came down in order to congratulate us personally on the work which we had done. It was a proud day for those young soldiers, and it all goes to' prove that the men sent out from Great Britain still come up to sample, and that if the_ British Army has been increased thirty-fold its quality has in no way deteriorated. —A. F-. Ozanne.