A DARING EFFORT

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 236, 24 June 1918, Page 6

A DARING EFFORT

TAKING A GERMAN TRENCH ' NEW ZEALAND OFFICER'S STORY An officer of tho New Zealand Rifle Brigade, recently awarded the Military Cross for gallantry at the front, gives some nccDunt of his work in a letter to Colonel l'otter, C.M.G., Commandant at Trent.ham Camp. "This paper is enemy stuff," he writes. "I got hold of it in a trench my platoon took one night. As you know the character of this scrap has changed completely. No comfortable dug-outs, duckboards, etc. Tho trenches have mud up to the calves of a man's leg and it is the devil's own job getting about them. I was in one w.here we had- to stand to all night, forty yards from Fritz, for three successive nights. "The Thirtieth and Thirty-first Ecinforeenients, ns far as the Eiflo Brigade is concerned, have turned out trumps. At one time, when our company was a support one, my platoon wag lent to another battalion. We had to do a night stunt for them and met with most extraordinary luck. For about 800 yards the lino was back a bit and minted bringing forward to line up with the left and right. Fritz occupied tho intervening space. I camo over about midnight with a platoon thirty strong, and managed to get 350 yards to the enemy trenches, where I struck the iutorsection of five/enemy trenohes. Without knowing it, 1 had struck one of their main trenches. I saw some of the Germans hopping out on my left, so stuck the Lewis gun on the bank and put enfilading fire over, also rapid fire with the rifles. They ran in scores. .... I sent for another platoon, because 350 yards was far too much to hold with 30 men. Our enfilading fire compelled the evacuation of the roinaining portion ot the trench, so we secured the half mile required. "Next morning a company came along on our left to occupy .the trench. It was about seven in the morning and the men <vero still willing. So I hoppeu round the corner with tho Lewis gun, and three men, three bombers, and three riflemen. We started enfilading up this trench, going about 300 yards, covering the advance of the company mentioned. We had quite a picuic that Sunday morning. About twenty yards from where I put in the block the major had his bivvy, and from him and his quarters we were lucky enough to get maps showing their front and gun positions. "We found a great supply of cigarettes, cigars, cocoa, etc., wiich they had taken from the Tommy canteens in the retreat. lou would have laughed to see my boye smoking cigars in the trench. "Of all the camps I have struck, I quite agree with others of us that good old Irentham ia the best run of the lot lou have only to get round a bit to realise that."