MAGNIFICENT FEAT.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume XI, Issue 530, 13 July 1915, Page 7

MAGNIFICENT FEAT.

LETTER FROM GENERAL BIRDWOOD; The following extracts from a private letter from General Sir William Birdwood to the High Commissioner will greatly interest New Zealanders : — "The capture of the position we at present hold will, I feel sure, go dawn to history as a magnificent feat of the Australians and New Zeala riders. Our one chance of success was to hurl ourselves at the position on a brpad front, and* just insist pn taking it. This i& just what we succeeded in doing. We tried our best to effect a surpriee, by landing at night, though, this was necessarily a risky matter, but our one great chance. Our surprise, I fear, was by no means complete, as, owing to the moon setting late, a\:r ships wer© necessarily silhouetted against it as we approached, and we were consequently met; with a heavy fire whilst still in our boats. Nothing, however, would stop the men, who just raced ashore and up and all over this most difficult scrub-covered hill, of which we noAV hold '», portion. In their great zeal, I am sorry to say, some detachments advanced too far, getting right away from the flanks, -while the enemy held the centre in strength., and these- were, I fear, completely cut off, which made our losses heavy. That, however, could not possibly be avoided, for hjad commanding officers and brigadiers waited to form up their commands, ;.is they normally would have done, we should probably never have captured the position at all, which great dash alone was able to take."