ANOTHER PUSH.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 October 1917, Page 2

ANOTHER PUSH.

THE BRITISH AGAIN ADVANCE,

OBJECTIVES WON

fAUSTRALIAN & N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION

& IIKUTEB.j

(Received This Day at 9.50. a.m.) LONDON, Oct. 23.

General Haig reports highly successful minor operations by us this mo ruing in the neighbourhood of Poelcappelle, and in conjunction with the French southward of Houthulst Forest Battalions of Norfolk, Suffolk Essex and Berks regiments and Northumberland Fusiliers attacked eastward of Poeleappelle on a one and a half miles’ front. They a number of strongly fortified buildings, converted into redoubts, on the hill eastward of the village. A night’s rain made the ground slippery, and the task of assembly difficult, but the whole objective was captured after fierce fighting, wherein many Germans were killed. We pressed an sou,th-qasffward of Poeleappelle, and carried other valuable positions beyond the line of the abjective.

WITH THE FRENCH

A TWO-MILE FRONT

SUCCESS ATTAINED

(Received This Day at 9.15 a.m.) LONDON, Oct. 23

The Gloucester and Cheshire Fusiliers, ManeheSters,,. Royal Scoff battalions, furtiher do-operating with the French, attacked on a twomile front, from the Ypres-Staden railway to northward of Mangelare. We captured, after severe fighting, the southern defences of Houthulst Forest, and a further series of fortified farms and strong points. The Allies are firmly established, well beyond the southern boundary of the Forest. Strong local ciounter-attaeks in the vicinity of the railway checked our advance astride the railway line, but the enemy were unable to prevent our progress elsewhere. The enemy casualties were heavy.

ADVANCE OF THE 22nd OCT.

PHTLLTP GIBBS’ ACCOUNT.

(Received This Dav at 10el5. a.re 5 | LONDON, Oct. 23. Mr Phillip Gibbs writes that the attack on the 22nd wa9 not over a wide front, or of great depths, but it brought the French and English to the very edge of the dense woodlands or Houthulst Forest.

The greatest depth cu our advance j was near Egypt House. The enemy made a strong resistance, and a counter-attack followed immediately, 1 which is still in progress, j Though the weather had bee n fine 1 and a bright sun for eight days, the ground has not dried, and is still diffi- ; cult. j Our hurricane artillery fire at dawn must kill many Germans, but some machine gun emplacements were not destroyed, and these held np our men’ for some time. | When the Germans launohed their looiiiiter-abtiackN along tfiie YpresStaden railway, our artillery was unable to range on them owing to the , thick grey mist. The attackers forced hack our men for a short distance. Th© progress of our eounter-attadk is not known, but the fog has cleared, and our aeroplanes are now able to . , signal the guns, allowing us to sup- ■ port the infantry by smashing the ■ enemy concentration. ANOTHER REPORT. LONDON, Oct. 23. Mr Phillips says the last accounts says we are fighting i n outlying fragments of Houthulst Forest and along, the Westrooebeke road, where we overcame a number of the German defences in difficult marshy ground. German counter-attacks regained a slight portion of the ground lost along the Staden railway. The effect of our advance is to bring the flank closer to the high ground of Passehendaele.