THE FIGHT AT HOOGE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2542, 17 August 1915, Page 5

THE FIGHT AT HOOGE

PICTURESQUE STORY OF BRITISH DASH AND VALOUR INCIDENTS OP THE BATTLE By Teleeraph—Press Association—Copyright (Hoc. August 15, 9.10 p.m.) London, .August 15. Renter's correspondent with British Headquarters, in Inlanders thus describes the success of tlio British at Hooge on Monday:—"lt was," ho writes, "due to tho magnificent co-operation of tho artillery and tlio splendid spirit of the infantry. Tho British guns wero uiuloubtodly superior, and blow the enemy's entangloments skyward and mado frequent breaches in their parapets. "These splendid results heartened tho moil for tho attack, which was arranged to take place between three and four o'clock ill the morning. ■ At tho exact moment the men swarmed over their trench parapets in a surging stream that nothing could stop. The Germanß, paralysed with t : he incessant shell fire, wero unable to seriously resist, and the British, with a little bayonet work, quickly captured their first line. '"Tlio Germans wero disinclined to fight, and took to their heels. Many of them sheltered! in their dug-outs, some twenty feet deep. These wero promptly finished with bombs, dropped by passing bombers, each supported by a bayonet man. ' "A sergeant noted the position or a trench-mortar, ruslied thither, and toppled it headlong from the parapet. He lost his rifle, and fell flat on his back on the bottom of tho trench. A sentry was on the point of throwing a bomb at him, but tho sergeant rose up, and dealt him a mighty kick in tlio ribs. A "Tommy" then arrived nnd bayoneted the sentry. ■ "Elsewhere a German officer, with a revolver in oacli hand, emerged from his dug-out and shot two "Tommies." A. third pinned the officer with his bayonet. Scores of Germans later were heard knocking inside dug-outs of which tho explosions of the heavy shells had covered the entrances, temporarily burying they. They voro dug out and made prisoner. "In a. largo, mine-era tor, used as a shelter for massing the enomy's reserves, a hundred surrendered, while four hundred dead were strewn around. The'total German losses in tlio engagement were three thousand. Three of the captured officers were wearing Iron Crosses. They were gentleness itself compared with the previous burly Prussians, and resembled clerks and schoolmasters. Boots and limbs were everywhere projecting from the floors of the trenches. It is difficult to imagine how men lived in such conditions. "Many of the lightly-wounded 'Tommies' refused to report to the doctor, so as not to miss the finish of the 'scrap.' "With unparalleled daring a party of engineers sallied out at daylight and erected an entanglement in front of tho captured trench. "There was great indignation at tho discovery of Gorman clips full of reversed bullets, and saw-bayonets. An incendiary bullet killed one Britisher, setting fire to his tunic."