CARNAGE AT THE YSER

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 252, 27 November 1914, Page 6

CARNAGE AT THE YSER

AN INFERNO OF BATTLE.

THE TERRIFIC "JACK JOHN-

SONS."

[By E. Ashmead Bartlett, Correspondent of the London "Daily Telegraph."]

In Belgium, 'October 25—The Bel-gium-army, supported by the French, is holding the extreme left of the Allies' lines from -Nieuport on the seaeoast, front.

Their army is covered by the river Yser and a network of canals. The country is absolutely flat. For the last two days the German army set free by the fall of Antwerp and assisted by fresh corps which apparently came from Brussels, has been making the most desperate efforts to break through the line of the Yser and turn the Belgian-French forces out of Dixniude. '

Their efforts culminated yesterday in one of the fiercest and bloodiest engagements of the whole war.

Battle Spectacular. '"

The battle, which for spectacular and dramatic effect, it would be hard to excel; arrived at the picturesque Flemish town of Fumes on Tuesday, October 20. All through the night; the window's of Furnes vibrated from the concussion of heavy guns, which kept up! a steady bombardment all along the line from Nieuport to-Dixmude. . : On the following morning, Wednesday, I climbed the tower of an old church to have a look around. As far as the eye could reach .nothing could be seen .except bursting shells and burning villages.' ■ ■'■' .. ' .■'.•.-'■■ ,-'' : : ■':"'' ...In the market place I'was fortunate enough.to encounter M. de Broqueville, soft Minister oi War of Belgium,, who; two drtys before had given me" a pass to join the Belgian armies and go. exactly 1 where ville said. 4

f r l-am' just" leaving for the front with i>r Munro in a flying-'ambulance 'id bring some wounded English t<i a hospital which has been" established in town. Why don't you come along with us: in. your.caf?''' ."■.•-' : .';•-.'■.■'... h' .."'.' j I was introduced to the members of Dr Munro's flying ambulance and to my amazement found the doctor's dressers to be two English women arrayed in most up-to-date Khaki uniforms. ■■<..': They were Lady Dorothy: Fielding and Miss Ghisholm. Our party, ; consisting < of two motor ambulances and four; cars led by De Broqueville, left totfn for; 'headquarters'of the division near \Nieu-. port, where ,the chief medical officer of the division referred us .to the general commanding the division. He ordered. De Braqueville to take the whole convoy towards Dixmude. '•"'. ■■"--

Cars Pack Boads. • On the'way we passed French troops pouring to the support of the hardpressed Belgian army. While making our way to the front we realised for the first time how completely the motor car has 'revolutionised warfare.

Every road to the front was packed with cars. At. different villages a few kilometres from the front hundreds, of private Cars were parked under a'medical officer, iwhoy. on-"receipt of instruetions dispatched them to any point in; dicated by a, motor-cyclist messenger/

About two miles in front a continuous line of smoke completely blotted all else beyond. Imagine shells screaming and bursting over every village and farm.

Everywhere you white puffs of shrapnel and great black clouds rising in spirals as the "Jack Johnsons" blew houses, ehuches, and plots of mother earth into smithereens. Then from this inferno was wafted back to you such an infernal din that it sent vibrations rocking back and forth through your addled brain.

Whole Streets Blown Up. Just outside Oude Cappelle both these streams, one going and one returning, suddenly ceased. The road lay perfectly straight. Three kilometers to the right lay Dixmude, the objective of the German' attack. German shells were burstirfg /all over it in such numbers that it v was impossible to count how many th£re Were to the minute. Every now and 1 again great sheets of flanie glowed out as one of the "Jack Johnsons" set fire to some new building. You simply knew the town had existed from the flames and smoke clouds rising above. Outside Oude Oappelle we halted. Soldiers wei'e drifting in from the front with awful tales of what was happening; of hundreds of mangled Wounded lying unattended along the roads leading to and in Dixmude itself. They told, too, of the terrible numbers of Germans; of how they continually came in great waves only to be driven .back again. • , ~! ; Above it all the shell" fire which all felt the most. The Belgians only had a few field batteries with .which to reply to the immense numbers of uthe enemyi . The latter simply , dominated the iicjld,' with their heavy- howitzers. Whenever one of the Belgian batteries attempted to reply, it was simply smothered by '' J aek 'Johnsons." Fate, of a Battery.

Off we started down the road amid bursting shells, expecting every moment to receive a final knockout from our old friend "Jack Johnson."

Driving at a terrific speed to minimise the" risk, we were getting along splendidly, when- we were suddenly pulled up short by finding the road' completely blocked by an obstacle the like of which I had neve:- seen before.

A Belgian battery making its way to the front along the road only twenty minutes before had been unlucky enough to have one of. these great howitzer shells burst right in its midst. The destruction, was complete. All six horses and''one of the guns had been blown into mangled heaps. With them lay a Belgian gunner completely cut in two and the carriage of a gun overturned and smashed. The force of the explosion had blown up. some of the shells in the limber. Amidst the dead horses were masses of biscuits, tinned meats/ coffee, and' the personal possessions of the unfortunate gunners. A little farther on four horses, which evidently had managed to gallop a short distance, lay dead. — 'Frisco "Examiner.''

THE LOYALTY OP THE COLONIES. Nothing in the course of the present war has filled the people of this country with a deeper pride in their Empire than the way in which India has fallen into line with Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Her action is the great and complete justification of our Imperial policy, and shows to all the world an Empire welded into a compact and splendid whole by the power of loyalty and affection. —-"Evening News" (London),