A MINOR ENTERPRISE.

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

A MINOR ENTERPRISE.

I On the night of the 20th-21st SeptemI ber we attempted two attacks against the junction of the Flers line and Drop I Alley oil the left, both of which met 1 with resistance, ar.d for the time were held up, but next day they bravely con- i .tinned their attack in conjunction with 'another' division. It was during these 'operations that the Canterburys so dis--1 tinguished themselves. This fighting I described in a previous article, but as I find that the other Canterburys aro [receiving congratulations from their i friends for the fighting so bravely en(gaged in by their confreres, I should 'add* that they Avould be the last to claim ,any credit tor fighting in which thoy ', themselves had ho hand. The enemy fought determinedly and furiously. All rfight long the bloody struggle continued, and, though our men. lost about a hundred men, they had tho satisfaction of inflicting much heavier casual- ; ties on the enemy. Twice the Canterjbury men were driven back, and it was not till dawn, when the gallant captain, i who has since been decorated, rallied his men and led another charge along the trench, that the position was finally won. A sergeant of. the Aucklands also distinguished himself in this fighting. He led a bombing squad with great gallantry, and continued to throw bombs on, tlie .enemy after he had been blown off his fCfet by a German bomb, until a "block" had been made and the trench was firmly held. This man had previously distinguished himself in the capture and holding of Switch Trench. A private in the Canterburys also did fine work in these attacks and counter-at-tacks. Three times, between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. or.i the 21st, he led a bombing party 'in the face of heavy retaliatory bombing, and participated in the final success. Another sergeant in the same battalion led several bombing attacks on the threatened flank. He also bayoneted several men of a German machine gun crew, and, having captured the gun, worked it with great effect against the enemy. A lance-corporal distinguished himself in the counter-attack, sticking to his post with great heroism under pressure of the enemy, and going to' the rescue of a wounded man under heavy bomb firing. During the counterattack a private, on his own initiative, bombed tlie enemy trench for a hundred yards, and killed fourteen , Germans. He was ifierioljsly "wpundedV One of the machine-gunners^ "" a lance-corporal, did splendid work when the right flairk was in danger of being driven in. Q u k*kly> and without orders from superior authority; he shifted his gun to the paraidbd', at great risk to himself from enemy snipers, and (enfiladed the trench along which the. enemy was working. He inflicted great loss upon the oncoming Germans, and held them back while the New Zealand bombers were being reorganised and getting up a fresh supply of bombs. Tlie great test of a division in. such fighting as this is whether the ground won can be maintained. Tlio Germans had one more go at it on the af ternOon' of the 21st, and they were driven off with further Josses. ■ .There was now a" halt in the advance till the 25th. In tho interval reserve mien came' up; arid exchanged places with the men in the front line. ... FURTHER PROGRESS. Still swinging towards the left, the New Zealanders were now called upon to capture a road north-west of Grove 'Alley and Factory Corner, beyond the Flers support line, and, that accomplished, to attack portion of a hn.e known as Gooso Alley, and a section of a road crossing it at an acute angle. After nightfall posts were pushed on to •tlie rising ground on our front, and a line consoiiaated there. The attack was fixed for 12.35 p.m., and all who witnessed it were agreed that it was a thrilling sight to see the battalions going steadily forward to their objective. Again they were iii' luck's way, the opposition was not great, and the positions were seized with little difficulty, and with but few casualties. A lieuter.ant of" the' Otagos did. fine work in the fighting for Goose Alley. He was in command of the leading company ih the attack, and when tlio position was taken it was found that the unit on the left was being bombed back, with the danger of exposing, his own. left flank. He at once organised a' strong party with bombs, and after a stiff fight succeeded in driving off the enemy. He followed this up with the construction of a strong point, and afterwards there was no more trouble' from quarter. STIFF FIGHTING ON- THE GIRD ; ' LINE. Ahead of all thes.9 captureo! positions was the Gird Line, already referred to. It consisted of a fron.. trench, well wired, and 'a support trench, in front and to the right and: left of the village of Gueudecourt. The New Zealapders had to storm about a thousand yards of this line away. .to the left of the village, between tW4 T4giiy Tiloy-road and Gobse All«y, tlie untaken bit of which was also included m the operation. In the front line were Canterbury and ytejgo/ Battalions, ftheVAucklanders being 1% ■V e *p 1 /Y' < ?* Tlio! movement was a somewhat *cbmplica*be'd one, there being ; bend in the Jine,'' so that the infantry could not- start parallel with, their objective. Again our 'gallant fellows wen forward as if on parade, slowly, and with heads erect, behind the barrage. Not a single man in all thie lines flinched. An officer "told me afterwards •that .even th© men whom one thought might be wanting; in courage in such a great trial went calmly forward like the bravest. Whatever on© says about artillery winning tho war, one cannot shut ones eyes to the fact that it is the infantryman that bears tho real heat and burden of the fight. To clamber over the pai-apet in broad daylight and movo slowly across the open, hugging the somewhat uncertain creeping barrage; to go through the enemy's barrage of high and shrapnel; and then to" {dive. hitjrV a trench wher» tho foe may be waiting for you with rifle, machine gun, bomb, and bayonet, , requires coolness' and superb courage. These qualit"res the "New ' Zealand -infantry displayed fin a marked degree on the Somme. In this particular instance, their gallant bearing 'was' so great that they even straightened' up their lin^ as if they were really on the parade ground, with the result that som» actually got into their ; own barrage. But, still undaunted, they marched gallantly forward. .The Canterburys got up without difficulty, and dug m on a new lino just in front of tlie Gird Support. Less fortunate, the Aucklanders came up against barbed wire that, an a sheltered position, hairj escaped the destructive fire of our artillery. Here an Auckland infantryman, when his portion of the line was held up by the barbed wire and the German machine-gun fire, rushed right up iii'- the Open in front of the wire, and calmly began' throwing bombs into the I 0 "® 111 ?. -; r .^?b. _ His action helped to save a critical situation. A sergeant of 'the- same7 same battalion went through heavy fire both ways to bring grenades .^R'i.f'O tlj© trenth, grimly sticking to his I 'trork tiff the trouble, was over. A sergeant of the Canterburys, though twice buried by earth ' from German shell explosions, stuck to his work manfully. There was another Canterbury sergeant, •who gathered about him the only men left of his Lewis gun section, and gallantly pushed forward right up to the Germanwire, where he brought his gun info' action, and was chiefly instrumental

iff bVßakiftjf th^eft'elny's ter.ista'hc'e YEt 1 that point.'iTam purposely stating these exploits in a cold', matter-of-fact way, because no language Of mine 'could do : justice to such gallant acts. ' The reader can exlercise his -own imagination in fillittg r ih the details. And it must' rrOt be! foi'gotteri that it is q^itfe impossible toV'ttientron one-half of the' brave deeds that- are performed in such actions/ TV give nnorq than 1 a 'few instances would ibe l'simply monotonous repetition. ' i ' 1 At the risk of this, *: however, I may be -permitted *to meiition just- one or two other exploits. ' Tliero : is • the stirring story of a corporal: in the Otagos'. When tthey Avere beinpr badly. cut Up by heavy artillery and machine-gun fire*, « he volunteered to go forward r to get information. . .He went through a hail of! machine-gun bullets to within sixty yards of .-tlie enemy's front line, and returned /with' the information required. Latei* lie went 1 .out again. Finding oiie of oui*. Lewis! 'guns hear the "enemy s* line,' he returned; with this information, 'theii 'went *b^k| once more, took charge of] the party, aii\cL| held Oii for thirty-eight hours until re'-;' lief cariie. Tliere Was a 'private in the' Clanterburys who," when ' high* enough; ground could not be found v from* Which" to fire liis Lewis guii'j. knelt'/dowii '"'and! allowed' it to be fired from" his ow'ii back' uiitii his company was' able "to J adVan<ie'.' The team had' "both its ' gOns; put out of action. This man theii' 1 picked' ''-u_i'' a' rifle and bayonet, ' aSid went' oh'' witli the ; first Yiave of oui* advancing 1 ; troop's: : ' After the enemy position 1 , had' beeii captuiWd, 'he voluntarily I 'went; through the German barragb for 'picks' and shovels, 'an'd a,lso to 'carry 1 messages.' 'He made several tfi*ps backward and forward, and crowned 'liis 'daring work- by helping an e*diausted linesman into safety. : " . ' - "'•' ■';' i Y, " [ ' When the Aucklanders were 1 held /up; in front of the wire, officers and men begaii to fall,' hilt; through the ! line's' of dead and wounded, other' -wave's.' went; unfalteringly forward. 'VEveritually' the*y" gained tlifeir object, and *'dug;iiv oh the' 'left of tne Canterbury's. ' ';A''6ompany'pf; the Otagos "bohibM'up GoQSe AH'ey] aridV succeeded' ih driving' jthe Germ"a!ns v ' iba^cl*. to its junction witlv' the ''Gird Trench".'. Tliere they hoped to meet'meri'.'of their' own battalioii,* but' these had -not succeeded in getting iCp; So the Otagos put a *'bloclc" in the treitch', and' held on. A ' cortlppany of tlfe Wellingtons WAS feh'en sent up in support, and the position' cohsblidateu. '*•" ? " ' ■'.'*"'■' *' ''' Meanwhile the other compahies'of this battalion had moved across the open, but' here again officers aiid men had fallen !in considerable numbers under heavy artillery'ahd machine-gun fire, and so had been unable to reach the .Gird -Line. For f-ome time the 'situation at the junction of Goose - Alley "and Gird Ti*eiich remained obsoure. " Fighting continued on rather' unsatisfactory lines,; !so far" as we were concerned,;, and the second and fourth battalions of the Rifles were placed with the Brigadier! :uiidei\ whose orders this' attack' Avas be-J ing carried out. Finally, the situation was cleared up, fresh communication trenches were dug to counter-act an ad J vantages still held by tliei enemy, and oii the night' of the 28^11-29^1 the Brigade, in which 1 the casualties had considerably increased, were. ' relieved. Some time was now spent in consolidating the .positions gained, and here, for a time, operations remained stationary,, preparatory to auother attack on the -German lines, !