CAPTURE OF BAPAUME.

Hokitika Guardian, 31 March 1917, Page 3

CAPTURE OF BAPAUME.

Work of the Australians. Their Great Day. The following messages from Mr C. E. W. Bean, official correspondent; are published in the Australian newspapers: — March 16. Yesterday, before daylight, the Australian troops had penetrated at one or two points into the actual outer defences of Bapaume, within a few hundred yards of the town. Last night Australian patrols entered the German main line defences at one Or two points. A German counter-' attack drove them out. Towards

morning the Germans twice sent out similar parties, which came under heavy . fire, and after losses retired without reaching our lines. The gameness of these Australian troops who followed immediately on the heels of the Germans fairly warms your heart. They are now fighting along a great part of the line in more or less green and comparatively unspoilt country. Yesterday beyond Grevillers some of us saw them living the ordinary camp life within four or five hundred yards of the German line. An Australian came walking in across the country, past hedges and over the grass of a paddock, stepping quickly. He might have been one of the hands on a farm at home hurrying back from work to tea. He was merely bringing in a message from one position to another. “ Have you anything to go back P” ho asked presently, and off he went back along the same track without fuss and without orders, just doing Australia’s work in the old Australian way. Five-point-nine and Bin shells had pounded the heart out

of Grevillers that afternoon, and a German trench mortar was still punching unostentatiously into parts of the village. But these men went quietly- about their work as naturally and uuself-eoiisciously as if it was part of an ordinary day’s routine—to hang on to the tail of the retiring Germans as a terrier hangs on to a rat. The way this infantry is sticking to its business with only one object in view—to do the job and do it well —sends a glow of pride through every Australian who comes in contact with them at their work. The pitifur part of it is that while half of Australia is doing its work so magnificently at the front in helping to deliver a great concerted blow, and while civilisation is attempting to defend itself against Germany, all they can see across the seas is the other half of Australia running round distractedly, wondering which leader to follow. March 17. To-day has been a great day for the Australian soldiers. In the small

hours of this morning Australian patrols found that the Germans who had been holding tire trenches until a late hour that night were retiring from the trenches north ot Bapaume. By six o’clock the New South Wales and Victorian troops were well into the country behind the German line. About eight o’clock troops of a certain battalion drawn from all the Australian' States were able to work through the Bapaume defences into the town of Bapaume "itself. The retiring enemy sniped at them from houses, but the Australians pushed through the town. At eleven o’clock the commander of the leading company was able to report that, emerging from Bapaume," “ We came in contact with tho enemy. We broke into skirmishing order, and gained our new line.” There some of ns found them a couple of hours later lying on green grass in skirmishing order, just as men fought in South Africa. Green paddocks sloped gently away on all sides, except behind gently the enemy was pounding heavy shells into the red l’oofs of the

old town. Angry black bursts and the heavy white smoke of burning roof-beams resembled a picture of old-time warfare. But before us for the first time in this war, so far as the Australian part in it goes, was open country. Away to the right one could see, with the naked eye, coming towards us nine specks of men, in extended order, with horsemen behind them. Presently they moved away across country. It was a German patrol keeping in touch between two of their rearguard positions. Behind them three or four horse-waggons were moving slowly away from us. We could just see the teams and men following the waggons well out of range of rifle fire. The Germans who stayed last in the. town had made a stand with machine guns at the end of the town. Then they ran “ like rabbits,” as an

officer said, to a small trench behind barbed wire, which we could see like a line of rusty gorse scrub about half a mile in front. There lay our men on the grass in the open, as. men fought in the South African war under a blue sky and bright sun, sniping at every German who showed his nose. Away to the iorth, behind some of the last houses or trees of the town, a machine gun was rattling every now and again. Far behind, on the horizon, a dark ribbon of smoke trailed away from some village burnt by the retiring Germans. Our men are well through those villages, b fc on their heels. ’ i-'paume is less shattered than any town in the Somme battlefield, but more shattered than Albert, Few

houses, if any, could be inhabited. With the taking of Bapaume the Australians have left the Somme battlefield with its frightful, shellshattered surface definitely behind them. We are out on green country now. On the way back we met an Australian youngster proudly wearing a bright green ribbon in a buttonhole. No one will grudge the Australians the satisfaction which they feel this St. Patrick’s Day. None except Australians were within miles of this part of the line. After holding for five long months of severe winter most of the trenches opposite this town, under the appalling conditions of this part of the Somme battlefield, they deserved this honour as richly as any merited in this war.