ABRAHAM'S HEIGHTS.

Hokitika Guardian, 14 December 1917, Page 4

ABRAHAM'S HEIGHTS.

A GRAPHIC STORY. London, Oct 16 As usual, it is left, to Mr Philip Gibbs to send the most graphic story. “ The New Zealanders had many fights on their way up to the Graven - statel and Abraham Heights, and one thing that surprised them was the number of pill-boxes and blockhouses inhabited by the enemy close to their own lines They believe that the foremost one had been deserted. But it must not be forgotten that running all through the narrative is the thwarted plan of the enemy to attack ns in strength the same morning and at nearly the same hour. For that reason we had thrust little groups of men into advanced posts, and into those most forward blockhouses, with orders to hold them at all costs until, the attacking divisions should reach and pass them. And for that reason, as we know, the enemy’s guns laid down a heavy barrage over our lines half an hour before otir attack started. The New Zealanders did not escape this shelling, and their brigadiers were under the’ strain of intense anxiety, not knowing in their dug-outs over which the enemy’s fire passed, whether their boys were so cut up that a. successful assault would he impossible. As it happened, the New Zealanders were not seriously hurt, nor thrown into

disorder. When the moment came, they went away in waves with the spirit of a pack of hounds on a good hunting morning, as fierce as that, and as wild as that. They had not gone more than a few yards before they had 60 prisoners.

“ This was at a blockhouse just outside the New Zealand assembly line. There was no fight there, but the garrison surrendered as soon as our men were round their shelter. The Hannebeke stream flows this way, but it was no longer within its bounds. Our gunfire had smashed up its track, and all about were the swamps made deeper by the rains.. The New Zealand lads had a devil of a time in getting across and through. Some of them stuck up to the knees,

and others fell into shell holes deep in mud as far as their belts. ‘ Give us a hand, Jack.’ came a shout from one man, and the answer was, ‘ Hang on to my rifle, Tom.’ Men with the solid ground under their feet pulled out others in the slough, and all that was a great risk of time while the barrage was Travelling slowly on with its protecting stream of shells.

WHEN MR RARRAGE “ SAT DOWN.”

“ The only safety in these battles is to keep close to the barrage, risking the shorts, for if it once passes and leaves any enemy there with a machine-gun, there is certain death for many men. The New Zealand boys nearly lost that wall of shells because of the mud, but somehow or other managed to scramble on over 800 yards, in time enough to catch it

up. Many blockhouses yielded up their batches of prisoners, who were told to get, back and give no trouble. The first fight for a blockhouse took place at Van Mnelen farm, just out-

side the New Zealanders’ first objective. The barrage went ahead and sat down, as one of the officers puts if, though the sifting down of a barrage is a queer simile for that monstrous eruption of explosive force—for a space. From Van Meuien farm came the swish of machine-gun bullets, and New Zealand boys began to drop. They were held up for half-au-liour until the leapfrog battalions, that is to say, the men who were to pass through the first waves to the next objective;, came up to help. It was a New Zealand captain, beloved for his gallantry and generons-hearted ways, who led the rush of Lewis gunners and bombers and riflemen. He fell dead with a machine-gun bullet in his heart, but with a cry of rage because of this great loss, the other men ran on each side of the blockhouse and stormed it.

“ On the the New Zealanders’ line one of thpir battalions could I see Germans firing from concrete houses on the slopes of the Gravenstafel, and although they had to lose the barrage, which was sweeping ahead again, they covered that gronnd and went straight for those places under sharp fire. Some of them worked round the concrete walls and hauled ont more prisoners. ‘ Get back, there,’ they shouted, but there was hardly a New Zealander who would go back with them to act as escort. So it happened that a brigadier, getting out of his dug-out to see what was happening to his men, away there over the slopes, received the first news of success from batches of Germans who came marching in company, formation, under the command of their own officers and Avitliont escort. That was how I saw many of them coming back on another part, of the field.

THE TAKING OE “RERUN.” “ From Abraham Heights there was a steady stream of machine-gun fire, until the New Zealanders had climbed them and routed out the dugouts Avhicli Avere not screened by our barrage, so. that they Avere able to fire. Only the great gallantry of high-spirited young men could have done that, and it is an episode Avhich proved the quality of the New Zear land troops on the morning of battle, so keen to do Avell, so reckless of the cost. On Abraham Heights a lot of prisoners were taken, and joined the long trail that hurried back through miles of scattered shell fire from their own guns. Next resistance was at Berlin, and the New Zealanders are proud of having taken the place, because of its name, Avhich the}' will write on their scroll of honour. It is

not an Imperial place; it is a row of dirty, concrete pill-boxes above a deep cave, on the pattern of the old type of dug-outs. But it was a strong fortress for German machine* i gunners, and they defended it stub- j bornly. It- was a five minutes’ job. ' Stokes mortars were brought up, and fired 30 rounds'in two minutes, and then, with a yell, the New Zealanders rushed the position on both sides, and flung pea-bombs through the back door until part of the garrison streamed out, shouting their word of sudrender. The other men were dead inside.

“A battalion . commander and his > staff were taken ; prisoners in another farm, and the New Zealanders drank soda-water anri smoked high-class | cigarettes which ihey found in'this place, where the German.oflicers were well provided. After that refreshment they went on to Berlin Wood, where there were several pill-boxes hidden among the fallen trees and mudheaps.” STORMING THE HEIGHTS. The “ Morning Post, ” says “ The storming of Abraham Heights and Gravenstafel by the New Zealanders was an operation containing a good deal of dramatic incident. They were rather handicapped at the beginning by a bulge in their original line, a bulge that prevented them starting evenly at the moment, of the attack. Tn order to remedy this, some of the New Zealanders had to fall back and rush forward again when the barrage began covering a considerable extent of extra ground at the double. They sprinted well, and none lagged behind. “ Somewhat to the snrprise of the New Zealanders, a group of farm redoubts close to their jumping-off places was full of Germans, Otto Farm, only a few yards distant, suddenly came to lite, and spat bullets from many loopholes. It was stormed, and fifty prisoners taken. A. harder task was the cracking of Van Meuien concrete redoubt, midway between Gravenstafel and Abraham Heights. It, held out for half-an-hour. At Berlin Farm there was not time to examine the redoubt, but the next day it was broken open, and found to be full of dead Germans. At another farm the German garrison appears to have been stiffened by the presence •f the battalion commander and his adjutant, but both surrendered with the others.

, A GEE MAN TRICK. “ There were a number of ‘ pillboxes ’ dotting the Westroosbeke road above Gravenstafel, and in one of them, screened b} shattered trees, machine-guns were kept vigorously at work until the New Zealanders were nearly upon it. Suddenly the gun crew appeared through the narrow door, carrying their weapon and belts of cartridges. They dodged behind tree trunks and brought the gun into action. A New Zealand sergeant, with a few men, worked round them, and when a capture appeared inevitable the men and the officers commanding them put up their hands. A moment later, however, their hands were dropped again, and, expecting treachery of the usual sort, the New Zealanders killed the gunners, the officer being bayonetted just as he raised his revolver to fire at the sergeant. The New Zealanders were so keen on clearing up the ground, and were so afraid of missing ‘ any of the fun,’ that none of them were desirous of coming down as escort to the men the}’- had captured.” SWI EL’ NEW ZEALAND EES. . The “ Daily Mail ” of the 6th instant says : —“ The New Zealanders have always had the reputation of doing their own work and a bit more in quick time and with economy. They never did so well as yesterday. In company with another division they took over 2,000 • prisoners. They went beyond their objectives at a point where they found the Germans troublesome. In front they niet a double force of the enemy preparing to counter, and dealt havoc among them. They have already dug good defences, and have earned the highest praise for the rapid movement of the various engines of war. ‘ I never saw such fellows in m} r life,’ said one of their neighbours. But I will not tell the Germans in what the chief wonder consisted. One subaltern, singlehanded, took 21 prisoners from a concrete blockhouse.” HOW THE GERMANS SURRENDER. The London correspondent of the “ Manchester Guardian ” says:— “It was just about six o’clock, a grey, drizzling morning, when we got the order to advance, and we went straight forward, in places up to our knees in the wot, crumbly earth, up the slope to the German shallow trenches and pillar-boxes. (Theyv called them ‘ pillar boxes.’) You would have thought, that when we were advancing over nearly level ground with no cover, they would have gone for ns a bit, but in the part where I was, the machine-guns in the pillar-boxes never fired a shot. Here and there some Germans showed fight, but it was quite the exception, and when we readied the concrete they fairly charged us with their hands up, yelling . ‘ Kamerad ’ aud offering us souvenirs. . “They had been in full kit, of course, ready for the attack, but they had stripped off their equipment, evidently making up their minds that it was no good resisting. What amused us was their luggage. They were all packed up aud ready to go. Do you know what they had done ? They had emptied sandbags and put into them the few things they tlioug lit would Be nseful when they were

CALVES RELISH “CEREMILK.” As one larnjer of large experience puts it: — ‘‘The way the calves clean up their tins is the best ’ recommendation tlie food could have.” “GEREMILK” is just pure concentrated food made .from the finest cereals grown in New Zealand and specially prepared foryoung stock. It (if# easily digested, highly nutritious and luis the important qualities of palatability. There are no chemical colourings in “GEREMILK” —absolute purity i s guaranteed. It is so well balanced too, that the animals develop splendidly without being troubl ed with scours. At all stores and factories. Fleming and Co Ltd., Gore. Local Distributors Messrs Perry and C©

prisoners— all sorts of little odds and 1 ends. We had our bayonets fixed, ; but I saw practically no band-to-liand fighting. Among all the hundreds I met, only thirteen or so showed any fight. I shot two men whom we found behind a trench after we had skirted behind a pillar-box and gone through all that they -had in the way of a trench— a parapet with nothing behind it. These men were signalling to their troops on Passchendaele Badge, away at the back, so they had to be shot, but all the others weie processioning as fast as they could go, without need of- any escort, to our , rear, and when we saw their trenches Ave understood how that tremendous 1 barrage had demoralised them.”