BATTLE AT YPRES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 13696, 28 May 1915, Page 9

BATTLE AT YPRES.

! TURNED WHOLE TIDE OF GERMAN ADVANCE. MOST DECISIVE BATTLE IN OUR ANNALS. LONDON, April 19. Sir Arthur Con an Doyle's rcjJuUiti(.;i as a writer of romance is rather «ipt t obscure his attainment m other . directions. The best popular histotcy of liie Boer war, m which he took part, came from his pen, and he is now engaged m writing a history of the great war. As he remarked at the opening of -i lecture at Queen's Hall. London, when the Lord Chancellor presided? m 1 gathering matarial for the history ho secured much information which ha.<l never found its . way into print.. The j sources .of this information wore absoi lutely confidential, but there was no , i reason why the f_acts should remain I hidden. The more the nation uuder- j i stood these things, the • stronger they j would be m pursuing the wai*, says a writer m the London Daily Chronicle. Sir Arthur, m an hour and a half dealt with, the three main phases of the war m wliich the British forces were engaged down to October — the retreat from Mons, the battles of the Manic and the Aißne, and the repulse of tlie ! German efforts to break • through to I Calais. Listening to his graphic descriptions I of splendid fights against fearful odds, jof which hitherto the British public j have been permitted to catch only a 1 glimpse m the official despatches, one was able to realise what # a> tremendous task was that of "French's contemptible little army," and how. gallantly they discharged it. Whole regiments — the ; Ist Cheshires, the 2nd Sufiolks and the j Manchesters — were wiped out m fight- , ing desperate rearguard actions. The j 14th Brigade practically ceased to I exist. The Gordon Higlilanders— rnot getting an order' to retire which, was sent them-pfouglit until their ammuni tion was exhausted and the small remnant, ""retiring, fell into the hands of the' enemy. EBIC OF THE 7TH DIVISION. There was also the epic of the famous 7th Division — all seasoned troops fresh from foreign service, who for. twelve days fought foul* German army corps, and emerged with 2GOO effectives out of 23,000. "I don't think anything can be told m the history' of . the British, army much moro moving -or more heroic than that," said Sir- Arthur. As to Ypres, Sir Anthur described it as the greatest victory, as as the most decisive one, , m onr annals, for it- turned the wholy fade of the German advance. -. "In this ease 600,000 Germans — putting their numbers .at a low estimate — determined to to the coast, and 3.50,000 British troop* deteffliined that they shoidd not do so. The Germans lost anything from 150,000 to 200,000 of their number, absolutely without anything to show for it. If that was not a. great victory for British arms I do not know by what other name you j can." call it." L BATTERY'S STAND. The lecture was vivid with intimate details of episodes which have , only I been heard of hitherto m a fragmentary* fashion. That of L Battery, of the H.H.A., for instance. K«.rly ent* morning, 'just before the Marnewas reached, it was surprised by the German artillery with ten guns, which opened at point-blank range witli murderous results Before L Battery , could ' get into action three of then*, guns were knocked °ut, and the horses 'and many _of the men killed. : The British gunners, however, got ! the /other three going. Shortly afterwards, two of these were struck, and rendered useless. Men were falling fast : all th.j officers but on© were killed or wounded. Captain Bradbury took command, but just afterward* lie. was hit and fell opposite the trail, still continuing to give his orders. Only four gtinners Mere left; Two continued to serve the gun, the others fetching ammunition. Then two % of these were knocked over, and the remaining' two— who themselves were wounded, kept up the fire on the German battery. By the time the I Battery .came up the whole of the German guns had been silenced. Fresh horses . and -wheels were obtained, and the guns of the L Battery were taken away. They were sent back to Woolwich to refit. "And I hope," said Sir Arthur, 'that the shrapuoldented tubes will long be kept as" a memorial of a great act of British valor;" "I -. j