BRITISH TERRITORIALS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 14051, 22 July 1916, Page 3

BRITISH TERRITORIALS

PROVE GREAT SOLDIERS BOTH IN ATTACK AND RESISTANCE. LONDONERS CAUGHT IN DEATH TRAP. HOLD PQiSrnO'N WITH MAGNIFICENT GALLANTRY. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) (Received July 22, 8;50 a.m.) LONDON, July* 21. Mi 5 Philip Gibbs reports that in the offensive the territorials proved great soldiers both in attack and resistance. ,The Queen's Westminsters, Queen Victoria's Rifles, London Rule Brigade Rangers, London Scottish, advancing on Gommecourt, reached the German lines and captured a network of trenches with amazing speed. The enemy put up a. barrage of highexplosives, through; j which no living thing could pass. ) ■ The Londoners were caught in . the death' trap and escape was cut off. The barrage smashed in our communication trenches, preventing supports reaching the men in the captured salient. Their comrades desperately attempted to send ammunition. 'Cme party of 60. with hand grenades, set out and only three returned. The enemy organised a series o". attacks. Some enemy parties approached the Londoners from a northern position., ■whence the enemy enfiladed the London - Scottish on the right, holding a redoubt building and barricades. Then ammunition grew scarce and botnbs were almost exhausted. The Londoners gathered German bombs, but the position , became uglier. The men never lost heart, An officer rallied six good men and ordered the others to retreat with the wounded and take their chance across No Man's Land, while he put up a last fight. He stuck to the barricade until all but ywo were killed. : He was the last to leave. Gradually the Londoners-' withdrew under great shell fire. Many wounded remained on the field, suffering great anguish for days. One officer wounded in the leir crawled about the field for twelve days before he was rescued.