SCOTSMAN'S GRAPHIC STORY

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume XII, Issue 583, 25 July 1916, Page 7

SCOTSMAN'S GRAPHIC STORY

A vivid personal, impression of the fighting around Verdun (says the 'Yorkshire Post') is furnished by. Mr James Keith, a Scottish solicitor's clerk now serving, with the Foreign Legion. He says: — ' The fighting was hot enough to last for a lifetime, and it developed with astonishing rapidity. . My first glimpse of the fighting as the enemy advanced against our line v as to be remembered for all time. Our guns rained shell pitilessly, and against this shower of death-dealing metal the frail wall of humanity shivered to atoms again and again. The attack on the village of had developed considerably when the Legion was called on to lend a hand m the fray. At' first we could see nothing,' and the only inkling we had .of anything unusual was the furious bombartlme^t of our position by the enemy. Endless tons of shells seemed to. be rained upon us. • _ v Gradually we came to discern little dark specks on the horizpn, and these quickly developed into masses of German troops. Our artillery had the range nicely. It was net until the enemy had reached a point little more than 500 yds from which we were, ported that the order for rifle and machine-gun Tiro was given. Before the first deadly volley the enemy recoiled, and their lines broke and straggled away into the darkness. Frantic efforts were made- by the officers .o induce the men to return to the attack. Time after time they succeeded, but each time it was more than flesh and blood could stand and the attack crumpled up. \ After a time there was a lull, and the artillery reopened with ,deadly intensity as the prelude to another attack on a larger scale. Tins, time the enemy "got nearer, and for one brief moment it seemed as though they were roingvto carry the position by assault. Our front ranks were pressed steaddy back and; seeing them wavering, the enemy for, ward exultingly. Af los Sj than 100 yds the attack was brought to a dead stop by our machine-gun and rifle fire, and before the enemy could recover we dashed forward with the bayonet and Completed the^ rout/ Meanwhile a fleet of fast motors had been hard at work bringing up reinforcements for the Germans, and with fresh men the. attack ' was renewed. This time the attacking force was too strong to be withstood, and inch by inch we were forced back. The slaughter . was indescribable, each inch of ground being hotly disputed and paid for with the hteblood of -men. Whole bodies of the enemy •were wiped out m the briefest possible space of time, and it seemed .as though nothing human could live against this deluge of fire from our lines.