NEW ZEALANDERS IN FLANDERS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 145, 8 March 1918, Page 6

NEW ZEALANDERS IN FLANDERS

ENJOYING A QUIET TIME

' A DARING RAID

TWO PARTICIPANTS DECORATED (Special from the Official War Correspondent.) - March 4. Since last cabling the New Zealandcrs have been enjoying a time of comparative quiet so far as lighting is concerned. There has been one raid by an Ofcago battalion, carried out after a bombardment by one officer and thirty men. A post in the Ger•inaii lines was surrounded and six Germans captured. At first the prisoners offered no resistance, but later one man attempted to draw a revolver and he was promptly shot. The going was very heavy, and before the party detailed to attack another post had got within thirty yards of it signal to return was put up. Some members of the party, however, went forward, and threw bombs into tho post before,.retiring In another Otago battalion a plucky exploit was carried out by a non-com-missioned officer and a private. Having observed some new work fifty yards in front of the enemy's line, they crawled out at 9 o'clock in the morning to investigate. They found _on •retting close that it was an organised shell-hole. Pulling the shutter of a sniper's loophole aside, they saw a number of rifles at the bottom of the cavity. They threw in two bombs, and after these had exploded, jumped over i the rim of the shell-hole and attacked five Germans found sheltering there. One of these was killed and two wounded. The two New Zealanders then marched back across No Man s Land with their four prisoners, two wounded and two. unhurt, to their own lines. The daring nature of the adventure was exemplified by the tact that it was carried out in broad daylight, within 150 yards of the enemy s main position. For their bravery in, the exploit Sergeant Basil Warner Crooker and Private Alex. Maodona d have since been awarded respectively the Military Medal and the Distinguished Conduct' Medal. Recently our patrols have been going out in places to a depth of one thousand yardsy and in one locality our line was ! advanced several hundred yards to obtain better observation. Various battalions have been doing excellent work on defences during the last three mouths, and the corps commander has expressed his epesial appreciation of this. Some officeis names, including that of a general, recently appeared in the casualty lists. These officers wen. only slightly gassed and are not at all serious cases The majority of these officers mil shortly return to duty. Tho. New Zealanders ate still having a quiet time.

A NEW'ZEALAND HERO

TRIBUTE TO LATE LIEUT.-OOM-T MANDEB SAUNDERS. 1 London, March 6. Led Jellicoe, in ..a speech at Liversaid that the late Lient.-Com-Ln'der Satmders V.0., was one o the Greatest heroes of the war. Ihe stoiy of his exploits had not yet been writSn, b«t Lord Jellieoo had maden of iis exploits printed trhioh ho was Bonding to New Zealand whe e the gallant officer Cable Assn.