BATTLE OF LA BOISELLE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16741, 8 July 1916, Page 7

BATTLE OF LA BOISELLE.

MARVELLOUS BNTREPSDITY SHOWN. WHO DSD NOT RETURN. LONDON, July 7. (Received July 7, at 9.45 p.m.) Mr Philip Gibbs, the Daily Chronicle correspondent, who has been visit, ing the battlefield north of La Boi= sclle, says" Over this stretch, a few miles wide, was fought one of the greatest battles in history. Many thousands of our men advanced with a marvellous self-sacrifice beyond ordinary courage. Men raced through hellish fires without faltering, when the bravest might have quailed. Something supernatural animated them. Their losses were heavy because they counted not the cost of assaulting terribly strong positions. The enemy's lasses were frightful, too. Their courage was great, because there were brave men on both sides. Their machine gunners displayed amazing courage and auda= city. They climbed the parapets on to ' no man's land,' and swept our ranks' with,a scythe of bullets. But we went on, charging the machine guns with bayonets. " Wave after wave swept over the enemy's first, second, and third lines, even to the fourth. Some men went as far as Serre, but they never came back. Human courage could* not reach greater heights than these North* countrymen showed. There were Mid. glanders, West Engenders, and Eastern Counties men with them. Battalions or Irish and Scots approached the trenches in parade step, amidst a storm of shell. There was fierce trench fighting, till most oi the enemy were killed. " From the men who had gone to Serre came an urgent message for help: 'For God's sake, send us bombs.' But the enemy's barrage was so violent and deep that it was impossible to send relief. Even the terrific sound of the bombardment was obliterated by the more terrible sound of the myriad enemy machine guns sweeping" 4no man's land' like a blast of flame. The men marched unfaltering into the very heart of this storm, and quiet as calm. As gaps were made the ranks were filled. They cleared the dug-outs. As they passed the enemy came out and bombed them in the rear, but could not resist the attack. Our men collected i:i strength in the Thiepval Wood among the trees, which were slashed to pieces by the German shrapnel, and withstood German counter-attacks. The lightly wounded had a two-mile walk to the dressing stations—a long two miles for men weak and dizzy from loss of blood ; yet they called out: 'We got 'em on the run.' "