THE BATTLE OF MESSINES.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LX, Issue 17074, 30 August 1917, Page 6

THE BATTLE OF MESSINES.

?-:,yA RIFLEMAN'S STORY

; Ttifleman 3. H~ A. Campbell, who ivent away with the Fifteenth Reinforcements, gives the following account of the fighting at Messines: — got to the front line about 2!J a.m. Everything was quiet, except some of our aeroplanes were flying low. When Aye started, hundreds of machine guns commenced firing. When the mines were ( ..fired there was a heavy concussion-like an earthquake. As we crossed no man's. land the guns commenced firing on both sides. Shells were flying about and the^ Germans were sending up green lights. v We had about 3000 yards to gy to the.German front line, and I reached there with/the first lot. A number of'the Germans put up their hands, and they, were sent to the back of our lines. We had to wait a little while for the barrage to lift, and then W9. pushed on. A tew , hundred yards further on a sunlcen tram-line, f hacl a worse time, as a German threw a rgas bomb among four of us, but 1 managed to get on my gas -helmet and in a few seconds I could breathe alrigitt. The smoke from the. shells and dust made seeing difficult. At the third line we took some prisoners and "dug in." On returning we passed, a line of tanks. The Germans, kept up ;a'heavy fire, but their counter-attack failed. During the fighting aeroplanes and tanks did wonderful work. The next day f felt the effect of the gas, and was sient to the. hospital."