WAR STORIES

Hokitika Guardian, 26 October 1929, Page 8

WAR STORIES

ONE GUN AGAINST THE GERMANS The capture of Kemmel Hill and village on April 25, 1918, was the last important success achieved by the Germans in their Flanders offensive. About a mile to the north of the hill the batteries of the 156th Brigade R.F.A. were in action, and from 2 aVm. onward their position Came under a furious bombardment of high explosive and gas shell. Our guns fired rapidly in support of the infantry, but all communications were cut, and in- the thick fog after dawn the German advance made rapid, progress.

Eventually it was discovered that the right flank of one of our infantry battalions was a hundred yards or so m front of the main position of B Battery. Farther to the south the French had been forced to retire, and there were no troops between the guns and the Germans 1 .

Yet the battery was one of the last—if not the last—of the brigade to cease fire. Nearly all the ammunition had been expended before 11 a.m., so the dial sights and breech blocks were then removed and the guns abandoned for the time.

Meanwhile of tbe two guns farther north one was withdrawn by a team be longing to another battery. The remain ing gun was man-handled with infantry assistance to the crest of a hill where the battery commander and four gunners fired over open sights at the Germans who were scarcely 300 yards away. Though shelled and machine-gunned this solitary eighteen-pounder and the 9th King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry kept the enemy in check; and during the morning the gun was switched round to fire on a body of Germans which was approaching the village of La Clytte, aTmost directly in rear. Many of this party wore killed and tbe remainded dispersed to cover. Early in tbe afternoon, when there was no ammunition left, the gun was run back to a less exposed position and here tbe horses were able to reach it in- the evening.

The guns at the main position were taken back “under the very noses of tbe Germans” by teams which came up in broad daylight next morning.

THE 2ND ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT • AT LE PILLY. During our advance south of Armentieres in October 1914 Royal Irish Regiment, moving forward southeastward, occupied Le Riez on the 18th Tbe French cavalry on the left olf the battalion were to take Fournes and the Irishmen Le Pilly on the afternoon of the next day. At 3 p.m., the Royal Irish attacked over turnip fields and open grass land in the face of considerable rifle fire. On tbe right tbe battalion reached tbe main road running through the village tbe company on the left were shelled out of a farmhouse by our own artillery and drew back to the shelter of a wood.

At the end of the day the 'Royal Irish held hie Pilly with both flanks thrown back. They had lost over 200 officers and men. Unfortunately the French | bad not been able to take Fournes and tbe position of the battalion was almost i. isolated.

Soon after daybreak the Germans attacked with the sGth and a battalion of the 16th both Westphalian regiments. Their batteries established at bournes persistently raked the trenches in the village with sharpnel, but the enfemy were repulsed on both flanks after heavy fighting. So the morning wore on. About noon 'the machine-guns of the .Royal Irish, bring from the loft of a house, were put out of action by a shell. Slowly but surely the Germans closed in, their snipers and machine-guns shooting from houses near the village with deadly effect.

it was not until nearly 4 p.m., that the Westphalians made their final attack, to make the survivors of the Roy al Irish prisoners. There were only ;i(K) of them and nearly all were wounded.