FIGHTING THE POISONERS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 13697, 29 May 1915, Page 6

FIGHTING THE POISONERS.

FRIGI I TFULNESS THAT I^IILED. , A GERMAN. "HIGHLANDER/ ' (Sydney Sun Service.) LONDON, May 16. In a narrative issued by the Official Press Bureau. Eye-Witness with thi British headquarters, writing Under last Friday's date, says :> — "The lighting on Monday was confined t> the* Ypres .salient, and was of un d'siiisiished intoiiEtf t. *". T_ip cannonade increased m the afternoon, Indicatihp .that it was the enemy's purpose to wear us out and batter "our trenches with high explosives, thus enabling the m f entry' to have an esmy passage after tin artillery, had- done its worst. U wasthe .most violent bombardment that haf been experience*! on 'this portion of tinfront.

"Tlu> Germans brought th-iir gas <yl inders in' ■ > play, and allowtd tliein hall ai hour to produce the desired effect Then the infantry advanced to the as sault U'-nm our trenches,- expecting t find theiu filled with eitlur stupefies* or. dead troops. Unluckily for thes their fightf illness on tins occasion wen astray ., The Br ts'sh ..had provided inea sure, f'.v count' ractin-j* th_ funics, an<: were much alive. ' - LOOSE, DISORDERED MOB. "A strange scene was witnessed a the loose, disordered mob of .attacker, streamed through the scattered', woods and across the clearings. Some of the leaders were dressed mi British uniforms Suddenly our infantry lined the para pets of their trenches and poured s rapid machine gun smd rifle fire int< the advancing crowds, who threv themselves flat .on their faces. It was a, chau._e\for our guns to pour isi _ heavy shrapnel fire, and m a few mo ments the ground along the entire front of the parapets was strewn, with deac smd dying. ; .■ . f " "Amid the scene of .horror and confn sion, and out of the smoke and dust, suddenly emerged a man dresed as s Highlander, shouting out, "Don't shoot !" But the ruse- failed, and thi figure fell instantly, riddled with bul lets. Tlie Germans gained portion ol our position, ' but the gsis apparently forced thfem to retire.

HOIST WITH THEIR OWN PETARD

"Another effort was made, to «_rive v. ! out to the northward of ihe Ypres [ Comines Canal. Two batteries of gascylinders, with their nozzles projecting over the trench parapet, spurted out foi j half an hour a 'cloud of white gas, sc dense that a man conid" not see his hand when held m front of his face., ..The fumes ' bleached the- grass, and turned sand-bags a bright yellow. No infantry' attack' was attempted. Our trench Ava"s 'temporarily evacuated,- but was soon re occupied, our .troops on the -Hank keeping up a. rapid fire. Movements that were noticed suggested that the, Germans had suffered equally f-nom the gas. and tbat they we_*e; compelled to * leave their own trenches. 1 " ' A third attack was, made north of the Menin road, the Germans temporarily occupying our trendies on the. 6ii.ski.rt_ j of Bellewaarde wood. Tliey wei* driven ! out by a counter-attack, and the. British f-Ont remained sedire. ..UTO3RED WITH CORPSIiS. , "The German infantry are slsowing sign.* of exhaustion; T'he sight of ground littered thickly with their comrades' corpses is not encouraging to reinforcements'. .Nevertheless' the Germans arc. not; beaten, I|n three separate effects oss 'Tuesday 'south' of the Menin road their ranks were smitten from end to end with machine gun and rifle fire, ami were scattered and driven back before reaching our, position.. .lt was eviderjt that our iufantrv was not sufficiently, shaken to enable the sissauilt to be 'pressed' home.' Every German gun witliin . range, was for tliree hours concentrated ois our front. When the bombardment ceased at 7 o'clock m the evening the infantry again swarmed forward, many being dressed m kilts. They temporarily occupied a short trench, but were utterly exhausted. They, could only feebly resist our coun-ter-attack, and* were esvsilv driven back." - * _ ■

YP^S IN, FLAMES. "A domes pall of .smoke Isan-gs. over Ypres, and there have been many tierce fires, t_he,.result of incends'as'y shells. A sim-lar bombardment m November svsiohi-onised with an abandonment of the German efforts to capture the town. Possibly their bombardment has the same meaning kndav. "Ouiyguns have teen used with good effect. 'One shell blew it German ■machine gun skyward, "No attacks were made on Wednesday, but the^ heavy shelling .wus ' continued, our artillery' successfully retaliating. One shell bored a- mine "gallery on. 11*11 60, and rendered it unless, the German, attemptiug to repair it- being killed.