WAR STORIES

Hokitika Guardian, 31 May 1929, Page 2

WAR STORIES

THE Ist DUKE pF, CORNWALL'S LIGHT INFANTRY IN THE BATTLES OF THE SOMME. iiliiilliii!!’ F

i ; i * “OiV •• Scpteiiihbr 1 ’3;’ T9i6; 1 bv'gtaipml attack was launched in conjunction with the French. Southwest of Guillemont the Ist Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry waited in packed, hastily dug, assembly trenches from •4* vatnv.' trli’•mtonv ’ 'The 'position' - wa;-" on a iforward slope and invited the attention of; theiGprjnaii gunners* hut admirable discipline ensured an absence of movement throughout the long ' morning hours, .so that the enemy did not suspect that an assault was about to he delivered. At noon, when our infantry went forward, the surprise was, indeed, complete; and our artillery barrage wrought tremendous havbc on the German- front line. In excellent spirits the Cornislinhm pressed on eagerly regardless of German shell fire; the teams .of the machine guns which harassed them they picked off by good shooting as the advance went on. The German trench held many dead and wounded, and the resistance of the shrvivbrs was feeble. Dug-outs were ! cleared and prisoners taken, Hanoverians of the'73rd Fusiliers and the 164th Regiment.

Then, after our shells had rained upon the main German lino between Guillemont—taken by storm on- this day—and Wedge Wood, the Cornishmon went forward again and carried the trench by assault.

All this had been accomplished in an hour, and soon the advance was resumed to the. line of the sunken road running north from Wedge Wood. Everywhere dead and wounded Germans bore testimony to the good work of our gunners. The battalion on the immediate right was also successful, hut farther away on that flank, where fighting had been going on all day, the attack had not gone so well. When established in the sunken road, enfilade fire from Falfcmont Farm caused the Cornwalls many casualties. Their losses on this day amounted to about 200 of all ranks, four subalterns being killed or mortally wounded as they led their platoons forward.