HARD FIGHTING FOR HIGH POSITIONS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 14052, 24 July 1916, Page 3

HARD FIGHTING FOR HIGH POSITIONS.

CHARGE OF THE HIGHLANDERS. HOW THEY HEROICALLY HELD ON (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) LONDON, July 23. Mr. Philip Gibbs says the present stage of the advance is causing, us very hard fighting for important positions on_ the high ground, which must be gained and held before new progress over open country is made. The' enemy iSj gathering reserves, and flinging them against us to check the onward movement at all costs. They have appaiv ently brought up new batteries of the heaviest guns, because their fire is in-; creasing. Gerriian prisoners reveal that grave anxiety is reigning behind the j German lines, where they do not minim- ' ise the greatness of our menace, and \ are straining every nerve to formidably resist the advance. On Thursday the enemy lost many men arid valuable j ground, against both the French and the English. Early on Thursday morn- j ing, after a long bombardment, we at- 1 tacked between Deleville and the high ! woods, and westward of these positions the enemy m great strength mantained a . strong , defence. They suffered severely and were forced to retreat m disorder. Upon* some parts of the line some Scottish soldiers had a bad. time. They lay under a cross fire of the great British and German shells from the field batteries. We were firing twelve arid fifteen inchers, which, roaring through the air, exploded with vast earth shaking crashes. The attack was . made before dawn on rising ground towards the high road, which used to go across from' the high road to Deleville Wood. Now there are no roadsi; our bombardment has torn the earth up m a series of deep craters. The Germans . had a dine of dugoutsi here, built m great haste since tho first of July. Our troops,' working round the high wood and m the centre, met the enemy advancing m the wood itself, over fallen trees and. bodies of German dead. Our men were determined to get on .and hold on. During the- day they organised at strong pointßf&nd captured the western side and all the southern part of the position . situated at Longueval ahd Deleville Wood on the north-east. That village has been very full of trouble for us ever since our Highland regiments took it on July 14, nevertheless the Highlanders held on with dogged endurance for nearly a week, and frustrated the enemy's efforts to recover old ground. The gallantry of the Highlanders was wonderful. Their first dash at Longueval was one of the finest exploits* of the war. They were led by the pipers into the thick of the battle. One regiment advanced to the tup© of "The Campbells are Coming," then the pipes screamed the "Charge," the most awful music to those who have the Highlanders against them. With fixed bayonets? they stormed the German trenches, where there were many concealed machine gun emplacements and dugouts, so strong that no shell could smash them. But the Highlanders, flinging themselves m twos and threes into the vaults where the enemy were packed were scornful oi all danger. Tlie Germans defended with the most stubborn courage. The Highlanders dug trenches across the village. Tlie enemy barraged the village m progressive lines with heavy shells, yard by yard, but stopped short of where soriie ranks of Highlanders were lying down m fours. The casualties were heavy among both officers and men; but the Highlanders held on.