WITH THE ANZACS IN FRANCE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2807, 27 June 1916, Page 6

WITH THE ANZACS IN FRANCE

DARING TRENCH RAID BY NEW ZEALANDEHS DKATH OF A GALLANT OFFICER The (following special dispatch has been received from the New Zealand official miT correspondent: June 20. "A party of picked men made a- successful raid on Uie German- trenches. The raid commenceTi with an intense bombardment for ton minutes. The. guns were then switched right and left aud lifted!, to form a protecting barrage, during which our men dashed acrosß tho No Man's Land into the enemy's trench. Before covering twenty yawls an officer of tho Otago battalion, to whoso training, leadership, and 'fine example the brigade owed the success of tho enterprisie, fell, mortally wounded. The second in command, fell wounded at the same spat, but the raiders neverthele*sj,!asl!e<l on, and succeeded in reaching tne Gorman trench £ where thoy bombed and bawoneted tne few men remaining in it. 'The casualties in the ranks were one killed and five wounded. An officer of the Wellington Battalion, though wounde<J. in the chest and arm, carried on. Ho durin't leave tho Gennau trench till all ollr men were out of it, and was.liimself tlio last man in. Our artillery fire was most effective, the trenches be7lVg"'T>reachod and in places levelled in. We knockda out two maohine-guns, and must havo accounted for sevoral Germans. The enemy's retaliations were somewhat lieeblo.

"Such raids* while" requiring great 'courage and dash, are quite minor .affairs, and the Anzacs in tho firing lino ■deprecate tho recent laudation in London of such modest 'efforts."