IN PERONNE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14713, 19 September 1918, Page 5

IN PERONNE.

*i i' : , WILD PICruSjBSQUE BATJLE

; ' FIELD STREWN WiTH : DEAD. * ■

DIGGERS' GAME OF .BOXER.

-.; (By Mr Keith Murdoch,) '. 'I Australian Headquarters* July; IS*, . . ■■■■: The present* phase oh the 'Sttmme front Js on©, of v terrific fighting. , The >attle-grouiid Is strewii wil'li dead; /and strotoher parties- <hma a. heavy ?*>&& iremoving 1 the wounded. ' ■! • ~ Yesterday after tho Queenslaudjere jtuntl iWest Austnilians' fin© drive.north-east-ward from Mount St. Quentih, and the >$few South AVrtles lneii's gaJlant fighting '•for the easterly forts and rampart* : of iPeronne, our beat-el's, under 'the iSvliite flag, could -be seen unixing with" the iboehe, and gathering om 1 wounded amidst the black bursts of shells: •. . The New South Wales attack on the sPeronne forts was a wild .and pictuiv :«sque battle, j '. : -:-,ri'- ,-..v .-;•■' •' We had only half of Peronrie on Simijay might, -four cleverly, ■[ placed <anemy machine gun , posts sweeping the 'stf eels' and preventing our completion of the capture. \ "" j Th& main trbuble was. the -llffih zi&xb ' called 'St. "Denis, whioJi isM^eaT^y. tHe^ old ; citadel' of one of the stroiigest ancient 'Erench fortresses,, with deep rampaAs, flooded moata, a wide ghveis, and 'a^commandiHg position. , These" New Sow th -Wales, troops ''>^came at-it frequently •ihrough.rt he city streets. Agasn^.iaßd .-wibves \^ha<i, , to acatt&iy ?seefein|; ; i h6|lte3;.:ftj^ji|il»lter until 'knocked oub'?byi;ih6.'a»tillei^tsi-j;orr;ifl'e Lewis giljns were, b^u^liV'to^ieafo'itpon a difficult' Spjoty ■• k^ ■'■■.;.-.. "'X feicv . •'. . .. ■ "•'■■«?./ '■..■■>■•■■•;■ ' >t&B SHSiiiiilfri^th© i<B6cho guimorg! threw : up-'stheirfiiiaivd^nien we got wlihin re- : volver '.fiise .dJstance. Fifty machiue guns , wfei'e.^caßpttireii^ here. ' - : r» : The Athole of tlie Australian force wias much impressed* by the stiffness and ! ghti .:-,('* a-v, ■;>, "','. ; ;!Thei^3oooTyards -admaitce -Mount' %. Qtientin •throngh Haut. Allainea by the Queenslahders and Wes]b AustraMaais »TOs also marked by bloody fighting. iMie Bodies were .thick, avid i^fsir" /tout* lUimbered us, yet /they^ulßiavot tiji our dauntless and skUfulHUWUi^iSii' ' ;They kicked off from the ''Summit of" 1 jtfbxint St. * Quentin,-; whioh^ was >ddeply strewn "with - 'enemy dead,* and- tpiished through the old German trench systems where tlvetEreiich .were ,'lwld iiR .'in .the Bomme > batJtlevi^^ '•'•' w, '• ; - :. It was largely bombirig, rifle, gl-enade, and Stokes mortar .wa^k, and required four- howrs' incessant sweating aavd slogging, with ma.ny bitter hand : to-hand encounters. .-'.■■,■.•.;•,..•.■.■"..• „ ■■ Such exploit-s justify what one' seiiior officer sai'!d yesterday, "One Digger is worth ten Hunsj and "we -do not feel that we have had a- square deal unless we ! knock out ten Fritzes for evei-y Austi-alian casualty.'? The. official artist and photographer went over the top with these lads, maintaining the high standard of courage' set by Captain Bean, of the War Records 'Section. .W '■'■. y . A- fi-esli, German division, ready to attack, which was encountered near Aizocourt, was severely hai>dled : , and gave up some 250 prisoners. Gernuui officers 'were obse^yed; slwjoting men in ■■* the ; back ; for" refusing' 'to remain at their posts. A gallant Sydney officer m the capture of Peronne shot -11 Hunsi with >hjs revolver. . Our men desire to pay a tribute to several brigades of British HolSe '-Antillery which were lent to the Australians. These bravo "fellows Vh&&' observation post« on the edge of No Man's Land, and the batteries continued m action despite iv devastating shell fire, shooting with fine accuracy. ; Captured officers .still --speak contemptuously of the Yanks, refusing to he-/ Her© that more than a fe\y score ..thousand 1 are m France. . ; : •A Fi-ench • gen^nil .<. ■» >6aid . > /yestetctay , when he saw four Diggers playing poker on a hillside under shell fire, Avhilst awaiting v their .JjattaUorts -OMler to advance': "All things are : possible to such men." „■. -„, .. ' ,'./..-■■