AT THE FRONT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11752, 6 December 1916, Page 5

AT THE FRONT.

THE SOMME PUSH. LETTER FROM DR. "N. H. PKIOR. In a letter to Mrs J. 31. Coradine, Mayoress of Masterton, and President of the Lady Liverpool Equipment Committee, Surgeon-Captain Gorman H. Prior, formerly of this town, say ß: "It i s twelve months since my leaving Masterton, and I think one genoral letter a year to my friends there, including all who have men-folk at the front, would not be out of place. Not a day passes but what I see some of our representatives; yesterday Eric Sdanders, Wooding, and the younger Jarrett; this morning Dave Speedy, who lias just joined up with us; and lately Lieut, Riddiford, Tom Lewis, I,en and Hubert Daniell, Dave Williams, Owen Jarrett, Boyd, Miller, and in the Ambulances Hendry, Joy, Smith, Stains, Lett and Dave Pryor. Many others met in Egypt and liere have since cheerfully given their lives for the Empire. Tho C.O. of /this battalion is Col. A. B. Charters, C.M.G., well-known all through the Wairarapa. "You will have had the news of outpart in the Somme battle. To reach it, we loft the northerly part of the line we had been holding, took tram to near the mouth of the Sorame, and then marched by easy stages through beautiful country, stopping at villages for two, live, and up to twelve days on the way. It was, perhaps, the plea-santest month wo have had in France, and at the end of it the men wore at their best. Then we reached the ground won this summer from the' Germans, and, however small in squaryimiles it may seem from a distance, 110 soldier who has been over it the achievement. After that, we moved forward, taking up our positions' for the attack of the loth September. All the while wo were somehow made to feel that all the previous fighting had been merely a preparation. for out% coming, and I don't think any division went into it better prepared, or with more dash. "We wore opposite a trench tliat had faced our amy for over a month, and that we had heard three weeks before was to be 'ours.' With the artillery's help it was ours on the 15th in an hour, and in a few hours more the Xew Zealand linewwas) s about a mile and over two crests beyond it. Each battalion had its objectives to take while we were at the Sommc, and onch one did that and more.

"I don'b know that I have seen anything to equal in interest the attack of . this battalion 1 , to which I .and f some other Mastertonijfiis tire attach-' ed. It was timed for 11.35 one mid-' day, and tile enemy's trench \yhieh | was our objective was on the crest of a rise some 400 yards ahead on the left and 600 yards oft the right. Our I artillery began to the minute, and from varying distances tip to miles j behind us landed the bursting shells in : a'line fifty yards out in front of our I trenches. Our , men lined up at inter- | vals behind this 'barrage,' which was { , so accurate and continuous that some I jof them said afterwards that they; I could have 'leaned up against it!' j Then as the l-rtmige lifted and ad- [ Vanced, the In en slowly followed it in Several 'waves* or lilies. Xo dashing charge this, but a confident, watchful at a >}Rce of less than one mile litttir. A battalion of the Black Watcli tin our left said that for coolness they had seen nothing like it. Th'e Germans tried machine gun fire, but another section of our artillery j playing upon them witli high explo- t sives and shrapnel soon settled that, | and we saw them jump out from the , trenches in dozens and scurry, off like rabbits over the crest. We had fewer casualties' than they, besides taldng 20 prisoners and three machine guns, and it was all over in half an hour. But not all victories were won at so little cost. "Now wo are buck ill smother part of the.line, the quietest we have yet held, and the best news you can have of us officially will be none at all. Our uiain enemies for the- next five months, especially January, February and March, will be the wet and cold. That is where your work is coming in, aijd it is appreciated as well as effective, The distribution of the goods sent used to be in my opinion too far back behind the lines; to the benefit of the men in hospital and in the base camps who are already in comfort, and the proportionate neglect of the fighters in the front trench" who have to endure the hardships. But that is be'ing altered for the bettpr. If we ai'6 to win this 1 war, and win it quickly, we can only do so by sending enough men and material to the front and keeping the men fit and well while tliere. Tlmt is why, personally, I hare preferred battalion work to ' !T«y oilier. "In speaking of distributing agencies, I must'say that the Y.M.C.A. has always looked after the men in the iiring line. 1 have seen thc:r set-' retary round the front trenches, wi(b-» in 2(K) .yards of the Germans, looking into conditions there and planning to help the men. Their marquee on the yomme was right in the forward push, and was crowded by day '?Jiid by night, the night birds ihc dry ground and shelters When we ha*t left that area aiM had 24 hours' travel without a hot drink, the Y.M.C.A. met every man on detraining with hot tea, cake and biscuits. It may.not ba a logical conclusion,.but' I believe that every small isolated Y.M.C.A. has been and is well worth supporting, if only for its making possible such work. The men here have no doubt of it, and I am glad to hear that your Committee lias given proof of holding tlie same view. "One thing I would like to say—tlie man have hardships to face, and will have worse in the winter, more than in New Zealand you will easily imagine, and being old soldiers now they will have their 'grouse,' but you can picture them as a- cheerful, jolly lot, making the best of things as they are. It would help many a man here if he felt that his folk in New Zea- ' land were able through it all to do the same. My best wishes to all Wairarapn friends, whom I hope, to see again as soon as I'm not wanted here."