A “TASK’S” GOOD WORK

Wanganui Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15128, 24 January 1917, Page 6

A “TASK’S” GOOD WORK

THE ENEMY ROUTED. AN ADVENTUROUS DAY. -a. non-commissioned officer of the Warwickshire Regiment, who has been serving with a '“tank” on the Somme tells a graphic story of his adventures. “Our ship,” he said, “was dubbed His Majesty's Tank Birmingham, because it was chiefly manned by Birmingham chaps belonging to a battalion of the Warwicks. The first day we were out it was a bit queer, and I didn’t think I was going to like it, but we soon got used to it, and then rather enjoyed the fun of it. The Germans didn't, I can tell you. “We sailed up to their first-line trench and started to drop a few complimentary messages from our guns. Then a lot of the Huns stuck their heads up over the parapet to see what was the matter. They ducked mighty quick, and we had an easy time for half-an-hour or so. Then an officer dashed up, followed by a party of Huns. He came straight towards us. Evidently he fancied it was an ordinary armoured car that could be tackled with comparative ease, for his men had a couple of machine-guns, with which they played on us. “Of course, it wasn’t any good. We opened fire and swept the whole lot of the enemy away. The officer was the first to go under. The rest of the men took to their heels and left their ma-chine-gun behind them. After that they wouldn’t stand up' against us. They bolted whenever we appeared, and we had a rare old game with them right along the whole line of trenches. “THE TIME OF OUR LIVES.” “Our battalion of the Warwicks was at first as much surprised as the Germans at what the tanks could do, but soon they took it as a joke. The battalion was ordered to advance against some trenches from which previous efforts to drive the foe had failed. We went in support. “The battalion was under heavy fire all the time, and must have suffered a lot, but they would have suffered more had it not been for the way the old Birmingham kept down the enemy’s fire. As we got near we simply pumped lead into the enemy right and left, and swept the blessed trench from end to end with as liberal a dose of fire as any trench ever got in this war. “The enemy were off like frightened rats. We got along after them with the Warwickshire lads in our wake, and we had the time of our lives. At one place a company of Hanoverians tried to stand against ns. They held up the infantry for a time with their machineguns, but they nearly had fits when they saw us sail up. ENEMY DRIVEN FROM LAIRS. “We didn’t waste much time. We simplv rained hell on them. They were scared out of fheir wits by our appearance. Some of them were too frightened to run for it, and simply flopped where tney were. We laid hold of them and got off again. We gave them a rough time. “Then the Warwick lads had a cut in, and started routing the enemy but of their lairs. One batch come running up and scurried along the parapet. We got on to friem, and fairly made them skip. We shot them down as fast as we could, and then we rounded up the survivors, who were handed over to our Warwickshire lads. The further we went the greater was the panic among the enemy, especially when they found they couldn't burst up the old Birmingham by chucking bombs at it. FRIGHTENED GERMANS. “Some of them were in a terrible rage with us for daring to use such a weapon against them, but we didn’t mind that. They buried up reinforcements, and tried to drive back the Warwicks at two different points. While they were getting to work we dodged around and took them on the flank. They got the fright of their lives. They made off like greased lightning, and we dashed after them. We drove them right into the arms of the Warwicks they wanted to attack, though the conditions were somewhat different to what the enemy hoped to find them. The tanks are fine things for encouraging the enemy to waste their ammunition. They always want to pot at us, and they never gain anything by it. They might as well butt their heads against stone walls. Still, if they like it, we don’t mind, for it’s all to the good from our point of view.”