IN THE "BIG PUSH"

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2973, 10 January 1917, Page 6

IN THE "BIG PUSH"

, . SOME IMPRESSIONS WHAT RETURNED SOLDIERS THOUGHT OF IT "Yes, I took part in the big push. But I don't think I can tell you anything about it that you have not read already in the newspapers. Wo saw our little bit of tho 'scrap' and that was all. Wo did not know much about wliat was going on even half a mile awav, and personally I had no clear idea" of what we were about until I read tlio papers after my arrival an hospital. I knew that wo had been m .the thick of a mighty big fight, and that our boys had done well.' lhis was tho answer of one of the returned soldiers who reached Wellington yesterday, when ho was asked for his impressions of the Somme battle. 'This soldier, like most of his companions, proved unwilling to elaborate his story to any extent. Ho mentioned that his "company had been, in billots in a quiet French village shortly before the big attack. Then they wero moved forward, and saw something of the stupendous bombardment that" preceded their advance on tho enemv trenches. "The guns had been thundering for days, and their -final effort was beyond anything that I can describe. The earth seemed to rock with tho continuous concussion, and one's mind was numbed in a curious way. There seemed to be guns of all sorts behind us, and the size of the shells they wero sending against the Germans could be gauged t>y"W noise they made ■ overhead. But wo were not taking much interest in that, or in anything else except our own particular job. Our objective had. been explained to us, and we waited in the trenches for the word'to staTt forward. Over and at Them. "Frankly, I have no very clear recollection of what happened after wo went over the top t aild made for tho enemy lines. .There was nothing of tlie traditional charge about it. Wo did not dash impetuously forward, as ono of the correspondents said. We plodded along with our heavy packs over ground inconceivably broken by our guns. There was death all around, and a sort of mad excitement, too. Suddenly wo wero in a German trench, whero a few poor devils who had been under our bombardment put up a feeble fight. Wo wero thero a fow minutes, I suppose., and then wo wero off again. I found myself on tho ground, and realised that I was a casualty. 'And that is really all I saw of tho big push, for pretty soon I was moving to tho rear with tho other wounded, and prosently I was in hospital, feeling very restful, and wondering what luck my pals had exnerienced." Somo of tho other returned men had seen moro of the actual fighting, and they all spoke very confidently of tho future prospects of tho British army, which had "fairly got tho measure" of the Germans. "Our chaps—that is British and colonial—will never be worried about having a go at tho Germans now," said ono man. "Wo know we can boat thorn, man to man. Wo are bettor trained, and wo have cot better; guns, and moro of thorn. Thon our side can do pretty well what it likes liu tho air, and that makes all the difference in tho fighting. Wo used to watch our aeroplanes moving up and down over the German linos and spotting for our guns, whllo if a German flyer camo our > way it was chased off at once. There may bo lots of fighting yet, but our fellows know they are going to win, and the Ger-' mans know it, too."