SECOND EDITION. TAXES V. TASKS

Wanganui Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15495, 26 April 1918, Page 7

SECOND EDITION. TAXES V. TASKS

GERMANS BOLT FROM THE BRITISH. BRITISH HIKING STEADY PROGRESS. (Received April 26, 2.30 p.m.) LONDON, April 25. At 4.20 in the evening British tanks at Villers Bretonneux drove the German tanks off the field. The German infantry, which the tanks were supporting, were thus exposed, and were flung back. Latest reports state that the British are making steady progress. Another simultaneous report says that the Germans, by costly sacrifices, captured Hangard, lost It, and then regained it. “WELL DONE, VINDICTIVE.” THE RAID ON ZEEBRTOGE.

DAREDEYIL PLUCK OF BRITISH SAILORS. Received April 26, 10.45 a.m.

■ LONDON. April 25. f flic ships on returning from the raid had a tremendous reception. The Vindictive arrived with her masts gone and her sides streaked with white where high explosives had struck her. All the participators were granted special leave. Vice-Admiral Roger Keyes had a great reception at Dover. Further details show that the action at the mole

BEGAN WITH A SHOT FROM THE VINDICTIVE. which waited until the lighthouses were abeam. The same shot destroyed a lighthouse. The British, before quitting the mole, hoisted a Union Jack, which was left flying. Two officers who miraculously escaped from Zeebrugge graphically describe the raid, praising the conduct of all ranks. They declared tha' it was a "dashed fine adventure, carried out with daredevil pluck." After approaching Zeebrugge in the black smoke log. which cx’ended from Zeebrugge to Ostend. the Huns suddenly discovered the aracks. There was no alternative but to go ahead through the. smoke. Then we got “UNADULTERATED HELL.” All the Vindictive's crew were on deck, and the Germans shelled them ’ incessantly for 2b minutes. The j men carried on notwithstanding the : tert.fic fire When the vessel got j alongside the mole it was found that ctilv two out of 1 1 in one gang ' were serviceable, the remainder' having been shot away. Wii'i a 1 ringing cheer, amid cries of !

••VER YOU Gu ROYALS:" The summers landed on the first ledge of the mole Tin y Inst neavilv on landing amid a hail'of shell-. Tin v found ten,f . ..| *,;, i,i iir„,,.' ol gi; feet Icad.l.g tfii -i- itu.l ledge, which it Ui nt-f t-.-ary o !.,... I* Lt fore coming to gr.p 3 t me .m-my. Heavy rain orlv m;.do matters worse, bm the raider- were undaunted. Tu v h.vered ripe - and ladders, and -warmed down, v. hi!- •hre, iprr„i:: d., -trover.- on the farther -, ie . ; Hie trade k• j>t up a Vicious tin- at -hort range. It was ncftwrj to silence tlust- nrst. and the British rusned to me attack with a cheer. THE GERMAN'S SWARMED OUT

to meet the attack, hut the cheer seemed to ilnkc terror into In',t, and he

ited The raiders cleared a spare and then da-bod on to the nearest destroyer, lobbing GO hand-bomb- aboard. A loud explosion iviloue i. The attackers pa.-Mti o',. .. at .r.e i.rr afa re and sinking. The raiders formed up m o and proceeded along tno mole v.ua bayonets fixed, and

CHARGED THE CREW OF A GUN ASHORE.

They killed a ruml,-; '.attend the remainder and raptured the _un. Meanwhile. all around wa> an iii'vs-.mt dm of cannonading and the cries of the wounded. It -zbas'lv. but the British behaved maga.neently. The Vindictive was a target for the eoncen-

r-BOAT SINKINGS. ITALIAN REPORT. (Ana. A N.Z. Cable Assn. % Beater) Received April 26, 11.15 a.m. HOME,. April 25. TT» shipping return* for the week •how that Abe arrivals were 342 and the departures 315. One vessel over 15<jO tons was sunk. ANZAC DAY. , t BRITISH PRESS REFERENCES. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. Received April y. 2 .30 pn. LONDON. April 25. The newspapers give prominence to A near Day in many articles, and eulogise the .Australian and New Zealand war exploits ,-i Oaliip li and France.

A special commeraorativw service was fceld in the Fa-town Presbyterian Chsirh on Arra r Day, and was well attended by V--G r--ulents The proceedings throncV';* were a solemn nature The andi.nie stood while the Roll of Honour was being read, after which Mr* W Harford and the choir sang "Look for r ‘omfort now to Jesus." Miss Duleie Brown presided at the organ, and the Rev 0 W Blair gare an address appropriate to the occasion.

trated fire of guns in every direction, but kept up a most gallant fight with the shore batteries until a siren signalled “withdraw” after the blockships had been snnkf When she returned the poor old Vindictive was A TERRIBLE SIGHT. She had already lost three successive crews of the forward gun before a landing was effected, but other gunnqrs stuck it like Britons. Only two gangways out of fourteen were serviceableThroughout the raid the Vindictive’s captain was fully exposed on the bridge. He gave his orders with absolute coolness, and skilfully manoeuvred his ship seaward. As she steered down the Channel homeward bound at daylight she met P.ear-Admiral Keyes on board a warship. Keyes signalled • WELL DONE. VINDICTIVE!” The vessels’ crews cheered themselves hoarse in passing. Officers state that the old cruisers stiuk right across the mouth of Bruges Canal will take months to clear away.

WHAT MKiHT HAPPEN. IF OSTEND AND ZEEBRUGGE ARE BOTTLED UP. | Received April 26. 2.1') p.ru. I Washington, April 21. Official.- Inlieve Giat Holland will not accept the German demands, and if the | British have -miieded in bottling up 1 Ostend and Zeebrugge they believe the i Bermans will fee! forced to take dras- ! tn- action towards Holland to save the . submarine campaign. ITi-‘ five hips employed as Idock- ; ship- tie Brilliant. Sirius. Intcrpid. ! Iphigenia and Thetis—were all obsolete 1 -rcond-class protected cruisers of the same class The date of their construc- ' iou was between 1890 and 1991. They we-e of II 1 1 toils displacement, a mod with two bin gnus, six 4.7 in, eight 6 pounders, an.i one :<-pouiuler, Their -p’ed was Ifl.j knots, but as long nge L- I'lli!». thev were already obst Il etc, [• was e-innated that 16 knots was the l>est speed that most of them could make At that tune the Iphigenia, I Intrapid, and Thetis were employed as mine -hips. The Vindictive, one of the landing vessels. ,s a second-class protected cruiser of the Arrogant class, of ' 177 ' tons. mmpUted in 1807. She is ; armed with 10 (bn gnus, nine 12-ponnd- , or-, and three .".pounders. Her mnxi- , mum speed is 19 knots, | The mole at Zeebrugge was built on a special plan in order to guard against ; the accumulation of drifting sand. A i -olid breakwater, o ovided with a wide quay furnished with sidings and sheds, i and curving round so as to overlap 1 thoroughly the entrance to the canal and .-heifer a ceftiin water-area, is ap-pr'-arhed br an open metal viaduct cx- | lending out lf» .7ft from low water into i a depth of 2bft. It was so designed in l th'’ hope that bv avoiding interference j with the littoral drift clo-c to the shore, which comes mainly from the west, the accumulation of silt to the west of the harbour and in the harbour itself [ would he avoided. It is this metal viaduct. apparently, that the submarine load'd with explosives was intended to destroy.