PORTUGUESE UNDER FIRE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14391, 1 September 1917, Page 6

PORTUGUESE UNDER FIRE.

Some weeks ago (states the London 'Times' oorj.es jtouutmt), vie Portuguese 111. lanuy took, tne-u* -tu-st position 111 tin: line. S.nco then they have lu-id tiieir place with gallantry, aluiough severely tested. Pernaps tno U-erma-ns. tliouglit. •tn«so new noops m the line wouid iJe "easy. ' 'l'hey have bombarded them heaviiy with Loth big guns and trench mortars. • • 'l'hey have' made vicious raids on them. They have attacked them with gas^ shells, iiui they have got very little satisfaction, though they' nave oiiicially bragged of- taking a small number of prisoners. On tho contrary the iortdguese have paid baak m good com. They iiave raided the Herman t^renchai, broken mto tiiern, and held them till it suited them .to come back. '.And on that -occasion not only tliose m the actual assault, but the troops m suppoit, who have an even more trying time, behaved with conspicuous cooiiieos lor men new 10 the game.

With each incident, almost with every day, the men gain coiiiiden.ee m themselves. They are naturally lighters, very eager to learn- these ni>w-lan»led fighting ways, and arc' unusually hard-working. British officers m contact with the Portuguese say that parties of Portuoftie.se sut to digging 01; similar work will labor ;.is hard and as conscientiously w'hi'ii left 10 themselves a?, if under the command of olHcers, and this is as ' irtie of the infantry m the^line as of the detWhinenis engaged m such special work us railway construction, -etc. ': \ '

That the' Portuguese should have li 1 1 a good deal to learn when they. came .* nob ■' surprising,'- for we and the Fit-n- •!; have been learning-, for. thrt'tv yen-.*, ;v i tli e Germans no Ires. Mon-ovor, it woi^i have been iv?ithor rr-a-MonabLe Jior prac! •':> able to travtsphuit . with 'the : tn.ii.ij><i >i. whole army organ i&ition, ;ind it w 1 'lvacersary, for the sake nf\ uniformity a: i smooth working behind.- thr- linos. tl« v most of the auxiliary -st-i'viota; -should W British. General Fernando Tamagni.ii has had dimculticß m .•■the process of adaption and 'the 'establish. men t of *oli<! arity, but he has .shown .'exception.'' l i[Uiilitieis, and his desigiuiticm to lh« chiof command of the Portuguese Kxped:t-io:i-firy Force was' extremely' happy. All onv officers, also, have conceiA-ed the greatest regard for the soldierly character and abilities of General Gomez da Costa.

Besides the infantry, the Portuguese Gold, artillery is particularly good. The gunners are metliodicnJ, . conscientious, and brave, and their shooting is admirable. In all ways, indeed, there is every prospect of the Portugupoe. continuing to urove themseVoa an increasingly valuable element m the armies- on this fi'ont.