"FORWARD MY LADS!"

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 13701, 3 June 1915, Page 4

"FORWARD MY LADS !"

FKISNCH TROOPS RACE AFTER A MAJOR. NORTHERNFRANCE/April 12. , "North of Arras, a very brilliant attack by our infantry enabled us to ' take three lines of trenche^ on the Notre Dame de Lorette I spur, m a single rush, and to reach the edge of the plateau. .We took about 100 i , prisoners, -including seVeral \ officers "and : non-courmisisoned : . officers, de- • Btx*6y ed two ,< machine guns, and blew up .an ammunition store."— U p.m. Communique. Monday, March. 15. ■ The "bi'iyift-nt attack" referred to m ; tlie above communiqno was made: before Uve village of Ablain Saint Nazaire, andsome details are fbrthcbmihg from' some oJE those, who took part m it; The pre-paratory-work car Vied out by the- avtil-; iery wae magnificent. During the wholo iinorning 1 the enemy's positions were ;inethodically sprinkled with shell. Then at one ■ o'clock they were subjected to a regular storm of iron, which swept over ftheir' trenohes and was -fifed *by our 'heavy artillery ajid the 76V alterjnately. " >■■ ■ ? iv All of a sudden the fire ceased and those who were m the French trenches saw their commander leap on to the parapet ci r one of the earthworks, draw

himself xip to his full height, and, revolver m hand dash forward, shouting, "Forward, my lads !" The soldiers nad literally "to chase after., him. The men had 3ixed.:their- bayonets, but there^ was no bending down or 'taking advantage of natural shelter. "We wfent off as if we were going' ten a wedding," was how one warrior described it afterwards. "Our major's dash simply electrified us and we went at it like devils. All sorts of obstacles were overcome, and we never stopped to appreciate the difficulties or danger until we -found ourselves m a trench which had not 'been too battered about to afford coyer.

j "There I stopped to get breath, and, ' 3eeing our lieutenant, I said to him, 'So { much for the first lot of trenches. Now •we've got to get the others.' But .the sbegan to laugh and replied, {The. first line, my lad? . Why, we are (already m the third.' The* artillery had so completely cut them up and demolished their barbed- wire defences that we had gone over, every thing..