BATTLE IN SWAMP.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14447, 6 November 1917, Page 3

BATTLE IN SWAMP.

FEARSOJyiE _ EXPERIENCE.

STORt OF NeWfOU-NDLANDERS'

GALLANTRY. ?

! ,In proportion to their size tfyere are no troops in tjie . Army which have earned for themselves a finer reputation than t,he Newfoundlanders, . Nothing oould .have exceede.d..thdy .splendor of their, sacrifice on .July Ist Jast year., od the Somme v Ttfpthing could have » beert sterner or better than their: later fight*iiig there*, upon the switch .line. , •• This yeai', at. Arras,- beyojnd jMonchy, they: be* have'di magnificently, and,, as; was.ytold at the, time, .inflicted^ relatively colossal losses on, the eneniy.- <Once jmore in-., the receht f figh^g.ljere they have, done siu perbly, (wypte -an,. English^ .war. .corres*pondent in.Fpance early* ii*i September). ', •: It wft&.onj' the advance Ijeyopd Steeni beek, wheii ,they ,'w,er.e aipong. the, troops whose, task was. to. cross some .500, yards of what ,is known as < "floating swamp'? to attack .'a strong fortified ,popitiop,,.;with concrete .defonoes on ..the further side. The, floating s\ya'mp is,<the ,;iame giyen for a qtiaking morasjH,,,,which (gives ,no foothold anywhere, bub Reaves $nd oq.zci-* iaud bubbles- to ai^unki.ipwu d^pthasyou wade through it. ?;,.•.- •- ■•■ t In this , case, .experience showed-, the depth varied from, the- height pf a man's waist to liis chest or throat. -When a man sank much above his waist, he l^ad to there tp be pulled, -out, if fortune favored, .Jitter. ' Tl^ose , ,who Avere only knee ' high . or \vaist -jhSfcJj** '<*¥ than _up ., to -the. armpits, went otf. There was no time, to stop then, to pull cqm^ades out, for the barrage,/ lik^; a .pillar., (of smoke by day,.. moved! on before, and thqy must follow, as close as -might behind.it.. ; • The swa.mp, itself was a>f earsome thing to breast, and 1 ! it W&s Wept; by. maphinegun' .fire<whic,h, . however,,: • spluttered blindly, through oui* barrage. .->. Among thej .Newfoii/ioOand'ers, are s i'men . of „tlie hardy fishing class, . and, especially trappers and lumbermen from the woodsaccustomed to. |igh£ with Natjure in all he^ mppds, .wjipm nothing* jfi, tho, w-iy «i floods or swamps , or man can (appal. . . Behind pur barjrage they ..weiit doggedly on in the, greM .pf; ihe,.e«jr,ly AUarhuig. wading, stumblipg,: forcing a, way ;; as best they.fi could. -..':' •? ,'./ '■'. „ „--,' .'■ . .- Those who were badly hit sank into the dreadful, ooze # , Some lightly fi wounded wept. on after their comrades or/made their; painful ,. way back- ..But,. the .rest .went on. wit-h.thteir J,ifl?B, beP above, .their heaj^y'paiitingrand.Wl'^pst worn out, .on tlifii heels $f ' thesba^age, an#l they rushed the German fort.' * -.'.''''> .•\. •? ..There .was. a. sJboi^.burst. of : wild fightinff* ,a}id ttjef f.orjt. .y^^ttipi^a^ter as fiape an. exhibition pf physi cal as- njeii have eyef.' beeiO)wl.ed pijf. to shftw. Then, when, it! w^;.6vevj tliey? turned, to help (.their '.comrades w^rp .still-em-bedded), in "the, .slime, ih: bodies . ; of three" oir' four together they.^p^lled^thißni out and got them safely oh solid' ground; It: is largely ,owi n g ito. theih'-^hat our line here is now .Well beyond! the Broehbeek. up: the^first Btq.ges; : pf -thqi- asceut oh the' other, side p£, tlie -dip to*, the little valley bottom. , ,'. Wnilp, the i .Newfouiidlanders breasted thei. morass English ' troops, on" their right, worked Tound .the ;south side of the great' swamp and stormed the fortifiedl positions .yyhicli tWyGer^Qajis bad estobli^hilli'^erely. ; : Th^f bad drier gbin g , but.,Tfei*e eveiijfhiciye;, to?, the machine-gun .rir§ .^hicli j'sweipt . tbeir advance^ and theyj ioq.? behaved with the .gre^jbest jdash, aftdl^ gallantry. .