"ONE CROWDED HOUR"

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2756, 27 April 1916, Page 5

"ONE CROWDED HOUR"

AN INCIDENT OF WAR RAIDING A GERMAN TRENCH Mr. AV. Beach Thomas, special correspondent of the "Standard," wrote from the British Headquarters on February I as follows:— A section of-trench which I visited has been the starting point of 'the finest and orispcst cutting-out expedition (a trench raid) in the war. Exactly how it was accomplished and how various the rosults were it is not necessary to say; but I am allowed to give 6ome of the human details of this most dashing and ; well-organised attack. ■ Tho night was pitch-dark when two parties of British soldiers slipped over the parapets. As .they left they shook hands with their general, who gave thorn God-speed and saw them dance off 'with the gaioty of schoolboys." They were hilarious at the prospect. They had stood in tho trenches off and on •for two months doing the journeyman and not exciting work of war. At last tliey were slipped from the leash on a venture "really worth a journey to J! ranee.

•. llie men were selected men, all athletes or experts in some game or ocou. pation. Most of them could "kill a man with their fist, if they had no weapon, as an admirer said. But the eagerness was moro remarkable than the muscle The fight they were spoil,n S J. 01 ' , h »u come at last. Though tho detail of the attack was planned, some wise and characteristic individual liberty was given. Each man was permitted—was, indeed, asked—to carry the instrument or weapon that he preferred borne chose that of Richard Coeur do fiion.jpme of Horcules. One man put is a 'Special plea for a 21b. hammer. It seems that m his trade he had been used to wielding a 21b. hammer, and iie felt that m the night time in a strange trench it would feel familiar, Would • come up nicely," as they sav of a cricket bat. So his request, was granted and the efficacy of his choice was, 1 understand, well proved before the dawn.

How the gap, which exceeded a hundred yards was crossed, how the wires were cut, how the German sentriesone of them suffering to his peril from a Jiacking cough-were tricked, and how the trench was entered, may be loft to the imagination. All was done as arranged. Early on Monday morninn- the two parties entered each its part of the front German trench, a deep, wellmade trenoh. More than this—it was very strongly held. It seemed full of men. It "swarmed like a beehive."

The Alarm! Apart from sentries walking up and down and standing to attention, men crawled out from dug-outs in their sleeping goar, cloaked' with blankets and in their stockinged feet. As booh as the alarm was given all sorts and kinds of coloured lights were sent up by the enemy, and ride and machineguns rattled out along tho line. But nothing made any difference to the men m those croiwded reaches of the trench where the. hand-to-hand fighting took place, and eaoh man was plving his tavounto tool. One'officer, after using up all the clips of cartridges which he had taken for his revolver, seized a German rifle, rushed on a group 'of men behind a traverse, and bayoneted three. He himself esoaped scot free. All the bombs were spent in a few minutes, some thrown into the trench, some along it, some into dug-outs. A short and sharp time-limit had been set to tin's venture.

The "crowded hour" within tho trench was limited. At the due moment the men-cleared for heme. Immediately the Germans lit a great flare, and the neighbourhood became as light as a town street. But the machine-guns had been blown up, and a part of the interval was,dead ground. Tho marauders escaped from the trench and made for home with such lucky speed that not a man was touched. One group must be excepted. They were conducting German prisoners anil ono of our wounded. The passage took more time, and during it the German prisoners ■ were killed and two of our men wounded. Immediately after tho men's return our artillery had turned on to the German trench where tho fighting had been, and soon the enemy's artillery began a purely fruitless reprisal.

How many Germans were killed, cannot be known for certain. Men returning from such a passionate fight can scarcely count coolly; but some individual tales, are known, and all left with this, impression, that they abandoned, a trench filled with dead. Certainly the official estimate is careful and modest. Of the prisoners taken, some, as I have said, were killed by tliei fire of their own men. A few held up their hands at onco, calling: "Kamerad, don't kill"; but many fought as woll as men can ho expected to fight in such circumstances.