ODDS OF THREE TO TEN.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLII, Issue 11613, 12 August 1918, Page 7

ODDS OF THREE TO TEN.

AUSTRALIAN HEROES. GALLANT ENTERPRISES. Commonwealth Official. —Copyright London, July 28. Every day prisnoers are brought in by the Australian divisions, both on the Somme and in Flanders, despite the firmer resistance of the Germans. It was the Queenslanders and West Australians who mad<Athe advance near Merris on the day when the British took Meterin. Since then the South Australians have patrolled the whole country behind the German lines on their particular front. The following story is typical of these adventures:—A youngster from the Northern Rivers, who happens to be the son of a British war correspondent went out to locate, a Gern'ian post some way before the lines. E inding no movement therein, be went up and found the Germans bad left the post during the daytime. In the post lay a number of German grenades and also some captured British Mills grenades. The youngster carefully went through the Mills bombs and took out the detonator from each one, and then left them, but took all the German grenades away with him. Towards dusk he crept out again with a sergeant and four men, and lay near the post waiting for the Germane to arrive to garrison it for the night. As no Germans arrived he sent the sergeant with two men to try .to get into touch with the enemy. While the sergeant was away he suddenly heard men approaching from the German garrison, and saw ten men coming upon them from behind. There were only three Australians against ten Germans, and it was a case of an immediate fight. The young officer with bis two men shot four Genuses dead, and the rest ran. The bov then obtained from the dead Germans their papers and all necessary information and returned with his whole party’ safe. This fine officer lest bis life a few days later. Another officer, just promoted from the ranks, was going out with a party on the night Meterin was attacked, when the man beside him slipped over the wire and dropped the bomb which lie was carrying. The pin was oat of the bomb, but the office dived for it, caught it,

and lay holding it in his hand. It immediately exploded, blowing off his right hand, but this action saved the lives’ of the other men, who were not scratched.