NIGHT RAIDERS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 145085, 9 September 1916, Page 6

NIGHT RAIDERS.

FIRST IN THE GERMAN TRENCHES. A THRILLING ACCOUNT. People in New Zealand have nmv some knowledge of what happens when, as hrieHv recorded in the. cable . .message--. “the British hai o .concluded several succc.ssfnl raids on the German trenches.'' A letter received from Serrfeant Donald Glass-pole, of Mr. .1. IliiU’s staff, gives a detailed and tlmb ling account of the fust New Zealand The unit from which the raiding puny was drawn had already spent .Us period ol eillu days in the bring line and had overcome its nervousness; The succeeding “rest” period, comprising day and night fatigues, sandbag tilling, etc., was almost at an end win'll volunteers ivcrc called tor instruction in special InTlcli wariiirc ladies. Sergeant Glasspole was one oj those selected, and with olhci-, about seveiitv-live in all, had arrived at the ••school." a large paddock by a bridge. For three weeks the volunteers worn hard at work learning to throw bombs, u-o revolvers, and suecial bayonet Hunting. "Wo made two muiclie. m the paddocks," writes Sergeant I.lass“one our own and the other a. copy of the German trench ■ikon from an aeroplane photograph. Everything was complete, imlmimn bathed wire entanglements. Our little party was divided into sections; right blocking party, leit blocking party, wirc-rmuws, and intelligence parly. Ai the cad of three weeks’ hard training. day and night, every man knew his job thoroughly, and we would rehearse upon the (lummy Merman Mourn for the iienelit of generals ’ and oilier j,i, h oflicers. who were imt slow to tell well we carried out the mameuvres. Pari, of the training consisted of parties visiting the ueiich I roni which we were to attack, and ai night- crawling on( in ' No-Man s Land.' to make ourselves ns familiar with the ground as we possibly could. ’ Ur. the day fixed fnr the laid the men wen' in high spirits and ibe ( in., of rendition. Ihev reaelu d the first ammunition trenches at !) p.m.. ami there hlaekcned lluer laces. t fixed oil bomb waistcoats, (each containing ten bombs), loaded 'their revolvers. and took their knob-kerrie.-. The whole attack liar) .been arranged according to time-table. The artillery mfd every man in the raiding naily had watches, all set exactly, so that on the word to advance' the artillery would know by looking at their watches that the advance had begun. Tho word came al II p.m. Ten minutes was occupied in scrambling hallway over " Nil-Man’.-: Land ,’' and'taking cover in a ditch, j ■■Then at, 11.10 n.m. yon would lime thought the very gates of hell had been opened. The. bombardment, which lasted for twcute mimites, was the most intense that Had erer taken plaep on that particular front, am] li was going on over onr heads all the lime. 1 ealinoi describe the feeling which seemed to conic over one during the awful twenty minutes, only I do know that most of n.s thought it was grand, and the thrill it sent travelling up vein- spine was really electric. f\e were to attack a length of 100 yards ol enoinv trench, and so the artillery bombarded not only that 100 yards.. Iml approximately fitly yards on either side as well. Tho trench mortars were busy tlimwine fiOil> bombs on to tho German barbed-wire, because they were verv stout steel wire, and often it is much too fctilV for onr wire-cutters In manure. ■‘At 11.30 n.m. we got the myior to advance, and with a rush each party was into that German trench, tho bavonet men leading. Very few Germans were left alive, and they didn’t live long. ! can assure yon. We took sappers with us, and they blew up tho oini emplacements which the jlniifi had been so long building. The intelligonco party gathered quite a lot of useful information, and the boys gathered ninny trophies, lit the meantime the nriiN lore had placed a barrage in a semicircle round that, portion of the enemy trench which was occupying our attention. This prevented the enemy from launching an attack From their* supports or from coming up on either side of onr parly. - "We were allowed ton minutes to comnlete the wreck of that trench, which was done most elfoctivcly. and so at 11.10 ii.m. we had the order to retire. As soon as ever we wore clear of the German trench the artillery again lifted their lire on the whole front to cover, nui' retreat. It was an exciting time getting back, because, as yon will naturally guess by this time, the Germans were shelling" onr trench for all they were worth.’' There worn casualties in the raiding party, tho commander being killed, and Sergeant Glasspole himself received a nasty crack in the hack, necessitating his removal to the hospital.