BATTLE OF MESSTNES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17067, 27 July 1917, Page 5

BATTLE OF MESSTNES

GALLANT NEW ZEALANDEBS. TRIBUTE BY GENERAL GODLEY. (Fbom Ode Own Cobkespohdknt.) •n. tw WELLINGTON, July 25. The Defence Minister read to the House to-day the following exfcracta from a letter trom General Godley: /1 OU , have heard]ooffn ff before this of the brilliant capture of Messinca by the Now Zealand Division. Ifc was quite one of tho best things that has been done in this war, and I was very glad to have been so able to arrange tho distribution of the units of my corps that tho taking of Messines fell to my old division. The casualties. I am glad to say, are not nearly so heavy as down on the Somme, and I was able to pull tho division out again fairly Boon. J "Our greatest loss was Brown, who had already proved himself a most excellent brigadier, and who is a very great loss to iNew Zealand and to the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Hβ would have gono tar. He, and Russell, and Ralph Beetham were standing together quite close to Messines when a shrapnel burst over them, killing Brown instantaneously by cutting- his jugular vein, and wounding Beetham. Rus- ™}> fortunately was untouched, but he was hit this morning by a sniper while visiting T 3 !^ 0 ? 1 " bullet, went through his steel helmet, but this, fortunately, deflected it, and he has only a comparatively slight scalp wound, which will soon be all right f, am J cr y thankful that he came safely through these new narrow escapes. I am very sorry about S. A. Atkinson's death. He had already proved himself an excellent officer, and I should be glad if ??>™ would hh relatives so., Father MMenamin is a great loss too.* Stewart, the Canterbury College professor, who commands the 2nd Canterbury Regiment, was wounded, but I hope not badly, also Bob Allen, of Auckland, commanding the Ist Auckland Regiment. "This battle of Hesrines has been quite too greatest success of the war so far Everything went exactly as planned, and all the barrages and various stages were exf° 41 y UP to time-table, with the result that the Boche was never really able to make a stand when tackled by our magnificent mfantry The explosions of the mines and the violence of the artillery bombardment were really beyond description, and how any living soul could exist through it is almost incomprehensible. But there is no doubt that the Germans are extraordinarily brave fighters, and we have been very heavily counter-attacked during the last two days. As I write we are trying to dislodge two "pockets" of them who are holdlnS out in parts of the captured trenches. The battle is by no means yet over, and am very busy with plans for the further exploitation of our success, so must stop now. I cannot tell how proud I am to have had command of the New Zealand Division, and to still have it with. me. You may tell the people of New Zealand, with authority, that there is no division in the British armies in France which has a higher reputation."