BRITISH FRONT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11729, 20 June 1916, Page 1

BRITISH FRONT.

GREAT ENEMY ACTIVITY. EXTENSIVE WORKS IN HAND. "Times" and Sydney "Sun" Services. (Received June 20. 9 a.m.) LONDON, June 19. The Amsterdam correspondent of "The Times" says that the arrival of ] numbers' of wounded and tho frequent burials indicate that the Germans' recent attack on Hooge cost them dear, prisoners stating that the British artillery made great gaps in the lines. The Germans massed more than 120,000 men at Bonnebeke, Gheluvelt and Comines and along the canal, mainly derived from the Belgian occupation force. Companies of Russian and civilian prisoners have been working for months past carting sand and gravel to the front between Menin, Comines, Routers' ajid Bruges, and Belgian factories have been incessantly producing bags and barbed wire. Trains have been continuously' carrying timber to the Ypres'front army, and military labourers have been digging, building and flawing arid boring water wells. Large numbers of new young troops havo been .trained at various points in the south cf Belgium. Lille,' Roubais and Turcoins are strictly isolated, and fre(jnent arrests have been made as the mutt of a recent tremendous explosion in & munitions depot at Lillo, frrhich the Germans assert was the revolt of a British plot. Tho terrific report shook houses and smashed window* for miles, opened the ground in •various places] and demolished buildsDg!b

ON THE SOKE.

COUP-DE-MAIN REPULSED. ;.,■ . . . LONDON, June 19. The High Commissioner reports:— South of the Sommo an enemy coupt-do-main in the region of Lihons was 1 completely repuked.