NEW ZEALAND ON THE SOMME.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14195, 12 January 1917, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND ON THE SOMME.

AFTER, THE BIG*~Ap VANCE. A \ THE Ist BRIGADE TAIL'S A, HAND. FIERCE FIGHTING BEY OND ! FLERS. i (From "Malcolm Ifebss; "' War Cortespondent with the TNTew. Zealand Forces . in the field.) Y i NORTHERN FRANCE, j W j-:-... Npvenib^r 14. j In previous articles I' f have "Written ' mainly about, thie. taking of the, switch t trench and 'tlie long' 'd<-ilJ. rVy othe_*' New ', Zealanders through .the captors and on through Flers. These were . fine performances. It was notljll "the, second day that the men in '£e*sety6 ,gd- their: \ chance. They hail beenr-mbyediip from ( ■the position they opcupied.; behind the ; lines. 'On the night of tp#evl-sth. "they j • might have been seen cxuTpehtratipg. in ( the area south of tlie switch line tt* • e I ready for ' the^oetttinnatiott" vof the attack on the following J^dy was moved up near '.the new objective, and the remainder '• vf&s -a*feady ;; immediately behind the .. switch line — between i£ and the road! leading f rom Baz'entin. to Longueval. As already explained there bad been a gapVon our left along the switch line, biit^uinng tn^\^ig*l(f H^'c'n! •*t*£as established with a London regiment! .that had hard righting in .and about, High Wqi#(fc ;•***■; 'Ca-ht&batfya 1 ' were; now gamri_»n?ng''.*_h'6'' smtfeh":]trench, ! Aucklands and Otagoes having been withdrawn for a; well-earned , spell from flie swirl cf the battle tide. „ Others of our troops Were holding on to a line in front ot Flers. . ... V , Tlie J night ■'' -pa^edY MA. co'feparative': qliiet. Our own' guns continued to bat,ter tlie Germajv IJOsifciolrt^Ti'fartneV'Vfbi*^' •flrard- with a^draainished^'intensity,, but the German ' replyV^as ,^in«*shW' : feeble and more erratic than usual- under similar circumstances.',;; The enemy's .artillery had been demoralised through our c'ontinued heavy shelling and his lose of observation. "/«'• Jf^Y*- Y^r" T'* " ? .'. THE OFFENSIVE CONTINUED. -It is somewhat difficult witK-qut ithe - aid of a map to explain the fighting that ensued during the nest few days." On the left of Flers,; rail the Flers Trench, heavily wired, and- the Flers Support Trench. In front of that; again, from a point opposite- .the middle of the village, ran Fort .Trench joining on. to Abbey road — in there were German dug-outs — on* the. left. -JusA beyond > Flers there Jiv^pre, %wio strong Yjtafots' ' known as Box aiid Cox and on 'tlie'*' left'' ' qf these positions . v Grove Alley and . Goose Alley running forward in irregular linesT at right ;_u*jg_*_&' to - ithe- line to Abbey road. StUL'_''irther J, aKead.and' yet ihore to" thß UW'wMX^. strong point known as Factory. .Cjorner. And "in front of that were the .Gird Line*., well wired, and the Gird • Support Trench^ These trenches formed, a salient, Vthe apex > of which *was level,- ott^the let Jy;- with < the village of Gue^ecour£, the 'Housira Vof which we, oouldV -setv l still undestroyed . amongst its trees. ■ In the fighting ihthe region of- Flers, . a captain in the' Wellirigtb'h*s , *.d'id fine work at a very critical time, when the enemy was attempting a counterattack' from the north-west; In this he was ably assisted by; a :'; lieutenant, who 'showed great energy V arid YSoolness iri. handling two pla'toon? "an^Hi^^ ' on a new line north 'of; Flers in an exposed position. . ThisV young officer has throughout all thel%; : Operatifjns ' ih ! #hich he has been enga^e^^ilpiay^d' f |reat gallantry, and has be^en a fine example to his men. Wounded on Gallipoli, :', he . was wounded again on" the; -Somme, yet . refused to go into, hospital. ,' Beyond Flers the *New Zealand attack now swung towards the left. Its continuation on the'ihiorfiing of the 16th was timed for 9.2s. ;JustHf4>e;f ore that •time the enemy count«^f^k6d ; on^ur front with/ sw. hieh. *t^aa beaten off without inuch' difficulty, and' our advance was not delayed. The Wellingtons were, not long in capturing their section -bfV Grove AIW, w*hich they did Idlfficulty. JV The' attack by our troops upon .the Gird Line on our right **v.fijr~hd|d* "up. By •qoon the remainder ofi.^he Zealand attacking force moved ; up \jto continue the advance beyond tbe ground we had already gained, but' the check on our right led to a ..postponement of the projected' New 1 Zealand advance. During the night ,the New !^(^_trfc(ers dug a new trench to hold tlie ground they had won froin tlie northern limit of, their advaiice^in Qrove .Alley to B6fc and Cox, and this trench' • as well as . Box and Cox, was occupied by -a* jCanterbury • Battalion. .. Y— '"'',' v . During the attack on*. G*oy_ Alley, when a; WeUingtjtm 'Obmpai-y *was bombed, out of a seciion. -tif the; trench, "a lance-corporal of tlge machine gunners promptly rushed to" **_helr ass&teJoce with his 'gtin- vC ''-_lid\' , 'i^e*eiite_i^ the 1 .■urlner-' advance o# tneYenenij''.' THe'' Iheai. boldly followed the. enemy down, the trench, _uid' materially* assisted m'-capturinfe ihe A^oi^^.wlOTde^, continued worknig,- his gun ■ for. -.some time afterwards. .It; was by suoh initiative and- gallantly 1 that we not only won ottt "bb jectSv.S's, ' but hel'd the grMnd 'We gained. THE WEATHER 'TAKES A HAND. So far the weather has favored us in our operations, 'and ' the big attack went rolling;'^!, " here-swiftly, there more slowly. ?*_^.^"onV^t-iieV iTth^ s% ? a ; changed sc&i&A ffifj&%i^m fS*^aß> iihd the outlook ."'"b^e^liiab'''' d^ extreme. Afl^r 'a'^'tihje-TYlre'^ auid trenches were dbagniir"es; * : YTKe jSomnie, ntua" ', c*nn>f^|ig : ;&/-;t-i.V'ibiii)tß made walking difficult aii^ laborious, it was evident tbat^he attack Voi^d 'ript - go on. This ''was: bad -lUck for the' Bri-tis-h*; 'for i it"; sorely harassed enemy breathing*'time for moi*o digging, the putting .put of * ne^v- wtre on-posi-tions farther^ haitk, t*h"S>%eib_*ganisiiig^or his artilleryi; and the bringing up of reipforcemente. That at about ' 6 o'clock, i%e German^ gunners opened a heavy boAibardmy t' lonr'alT the 'caifi'tured lines held by "ouV id&ii* ." ? ' u '- The cruhcli of high-explosives sounded over a widea»i^.vV"^ killed and wounded an^j Vb^ried _fy u "ihe burling'' shells. Tlie luckier \-pn*ee, cbldVaa_d;wet, spent a miserable^ night lihr, -tlie aOdden trenches, but held grimly on*. It was difficult to get oiit the wduho*sd/'nHyr'e ! difficult still'.'ito get up food and* water and _vmmuni-ion. But all this, V^to the undying credit of ;the men' from the faraway islandsv wasVtfone^Wii^a^ : and devptioif to duty woi^liy, of * the • finest .-.traditions, of 'the, race, it was accomplished; under .-condhttons'-Vthit "' ttiight almost haveiyauhtedVltl"^ bravest Sf'Hhe br_ive.*-. • '.-■'.'•• V,'.' Y'Y : " v '*?•..; -With this; heaYy,.;\bombardmeii(- we were ' justifidnd -in vexp^mgLa ' seridus co^ter-atta-ik. from'the'feiiM^,;but'hbthipg .came : fof itK;- -had *no stomach 'fo'iAit,* 6r,Aai_ter;)6uch a . seyere iant ?^ n g as. he had'. received,^ he was iiicapable of -the nece_ssaiy>effort. On the ■ fo^bwii»^a^tfi&'^t^''bSu^B > wei*e relieved ffem' their.'; position by men f rom art'English^vision,' and'tliat nf^ht:.other New' Z^ayd;men'"twk over •the front lines.' .>Oisr i V^-sujiltiesYtlipu : gli nob ' great, \wfere mouiitiiiglup • ' . THe*"-.*srcl Brigade -hf-% suffered :tk>pji>^- than; others^ \*h^le ;Bome qbattalibjiav were ' ittilf -' fairly' fresh and ready'^OTVlut-tlier'' effort 1 . "f' ■-.' ""'-AA " .'•• *:yAy.y . ; ( . ,• _. '■;