BATTLE OF “Y” RAVINE

Wanganui Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15130, 26 January 1917, Page 5

BATTLE OF “Y” RAVINE

*'V cv'. : . ■■ / (SCOTTISH THOOPS’ TRIUMPH ; PINE ARTILLERY WOEK The capture of Beaumont Hamel is a triumph for Scottish troops, a correspondent with the British Army wrote on November 22. While Engish and Irish battalions,, with tie Naval Division, shared in the last victory on the Ancre, especial credit must be given to the, men of the North for their fine, achievement in reducing this strong German fortress and conquering an exceptionally difficult enemy position adjoining if; The story ’Of tie latter might be called “The BatTie pf ‘Y’ Ravine,” and is equally worthy of praise with the storming of the village for which jt formed a Hank. “Y” Ravine was a wide irregular fissure in the uneven ground above the Ancre marshes—a thousand yards long and thirty feet deep in places. Every foot of it was utilised by the skilful, ©n6my in improving hia Ancre defences, and the steep sides of the ravine were pierced with innumerable tunnels, dugouts, and devious alley-ways. One such tunnel driven into it from the German third line permitted reinforcements to be hurried up, two and three men abreast if need be. The ravine, therefore, was the greatest artery in this fragment of the German fortress body, and its severance was essential to the capture of Beaumont Hamel. The Scottish troops, pouring over the broken parapets of the enemy front trenches, found singularly little opposition in the first two rows. They had been lightly held, in conformity with the German practice of 1 clearing advanced trenches during a British bombardment. The work of our artillery was well-nigh perfect. Even as they stumbled across the debris flung up by the deluge of shells the Scotsmen policed and-admired the skilful -thoroughness of the gunners who supported them. The lanes shorn through the quintuple tiers of wire were clean and complete; the shells had dropped with almost mathematical nicety along one trench after another, and there were fewer “waste” craters between them than anyone had expected. DESPERATE GERMAN EFFORT. The first real opposition came in the German third trench, and more was encountered in the fourth, which ran in front of the high street of . Beaumont Hamel. They were so choked with bodies that the surviving bombers fought with difficulty—and only for a little while—but the German commander of the village had evidently, made a last desperate appeal to his men in the hope of staying the irresistible rush of their foes, and they responded in places until the Scotsmen, flinging bombs with almost stolid deliberation, induced them to surrender. Meanwhile the attack south of Beaumont Hamel had flowed •around both sides of “Y” Ravine towards Beaucourt, behind it. The nose of the longer, fork was ringed about with machine-guns, and their deadly spray beat off every attempt at frontal assault. The Scotsman tried another way. Crawling across the remains of two sunken roads towards the quarry south of the ravine, small parties of them got a foothold in the body, of the “Y.” The result was a curious conglomeration of Scotsmen and Germans, laid-in uneven layers between the steep banks of the ravine, like the stuffing of a very miscellaneous sausage. There were Germans sheltering in the tips of the fork, Germans holding the- bottom of -the stem, and other Germans isolated at intervals between bv these little groups of cool, unhurried Scotsmen, driving; still wider wedges into the enemy stronghold. After some hours of thievery confused fighting a fresh frontal- attack was delivered against the first German trench attach nose at the ravine. It resulted ij distracting the attention of enemy bombers in the body of tire “Y” towards the fork, allowing the Scotsman to strengthen their hold in the rear. Tliev made little rushes into* dug-outs, and emerged with frightened prisoners. Foot by foot the ravine was cleared. ELABORATE DUG-OUTS. When the ravine had been cleared of all “pockets” of Germans, the Scotsmen were rewarded for their work by many gratifying discoveries. A great store of rations was revealed in one hidingplace—tinned hams, cheese and bread, soda water and cigars, sausages and tongues—welcome food for hungry men. They found supplies clothing. The echoes of the last bomb explosion had hardly died away before canny Scotsmen were renewing their wardrobe and exchanging new shirts for old. Man, said one ex-shepherd, in great delight, “it’s no’ a battlefield, but a shop. Hand me yon socks.” The caverns dug in tlm sides of the ravine were remarkably airy and spacious ' One had accomodation for a battalion and a-half of men. From another over, a hundred .tenants were dislodged in various stages of undress and in a condition of stupefied surprise. These cave dwellers felt so secure in their fastness that some had been lying comportably in their wooden bunks until! a few minutes before the bcotemen haled them out Eviction was apparently the last thing they anticipated.