OVER THE TOP.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 5 January 1918, Page 4

OVER THE TOP.

EXxKACxkJ i'liOM A PALMERSTON BOY'S LETTER. Writing to his father, Private Ken Ross, son of Mr Rod Ross, gives an account of his personal experience in going over the top, in a rccont big engagement. ' <' When we went over the top, I was attached to a section of six, including a corporal, and went over ir the first wave. As soon as the barrage opened up, we lit our smoXcs ready to get to work and it didn't take long, for Fritz was only about 50 yards away, and thick with machine guns. For the first quarter of an hour it was .hell, but they soon downed tools and off, thousands of them, and our barrage mowing them down like corn. It was hard to locate these machine guns and the ones that didn't clear out, lay low and started shooting us after wc went past, but that didn't last long. The section I was in was on the look out for any Huns that might be lying low in shell holes and after we had gone about 100 yards, some of these fellows must have spotted us and we wore just . in time to see one throwing a bomb at us, killing two and wounding the corporal. The rest of us dived for a shell hole cach, and I got the first bomb in. To make sure, the other chaps throw another, but I didn't go over to look. They did, and said there were 4 of them, all dead- I drnggetl the corporal into a shell hole and bandaged him up. a bad wound iri the groin and lie was groaning some. We are not supposed to stop and do that sort of thing, but it is hard to leave a man like that. When I had finished with him, I had lost my scction and company, but I fell in with some other , chaps and carried on. I was tlic only one of the section to got through, the rest got wounded. After I had bandaged the corporal I happened to look into a Hun dug-out that had the top blown off, and two Huns were sitting at a table. I yelled out to them to coinc out, but they took no notice. I was going to poke ono with my bayonet, but caught of his arm instead and gave'it a twist, but still they didn 't move. They must have been killed by concussion as there were no marks about them anywhere. Two of us camc across some more Huns lying under oil sheets and they didn't move when wc sang out, so I jabbed the point of my bayonet into one of them and he did jump and we had a devil of a job to get them out —they thought they were going to be shot. It wasn't until I pulled a bbmb out of my pocket that thev camc out. Then we told them where to go and they ran all the way. They have got it into their head that we don't take prisoners but it is the one thing wo are told specially to do. As soon as one ot two come in safely they arc all right. The poor beggars worked well, too, in our wounded, some of them even going the second time down. The Huns seemed very young, most of them, and one fellow that came in about 4 o'clock in the afternoon looked about 15 and we could not get rid of him. He didn't like going back to his own and once he followed me about for half an hour. He could see that I took pity on him as I didn't "foTce himc to go. but as soon as I saw some ono going that way I sent him. / "I could have got plenty of souvenirs. but I only got a few German coins, one prisoner gave to me. I could have had revolvers, field glasses and lots of things, but it was a case of taking them off the dead Huns and I haven't got that hardened to the game vet. THE PII,I, BOXES. "Our first wave had got on well, and the Huns were flying in thousands going over a ridge, and throwing their overcoats off as they wont, but marine guns in pill boxes •were still canning a lot of trouble and it T v;.s irnnd the way the boys tt.-.k tliein. Thev nre made of rcirforf.-d ennere**. four feet thjek. with inr-*' bar" irun inches apart and ih<- root' is as six feet thick a?.: l it inkes :> ge,ri(! big shell to do any P.ui <.ur artillery is splendid. "After we rent-lied our "■.Vvtive we startc-d digging in while the barrage played for an hour in front. Then the second wave went out. but the Hun had got well irn-fiy by that time and the boys were goinrr off a bit. I think they would be going yet if the artillery could only follow up. but it is impossible to get the guns up fast and it is marvellous how quick they do move +hem, considering the state the country is in. HARD BOILED EGGS. "We didn't have our overcoats as we went over as light as nossibie although, we were dolled up like a Christmas tree with bombs, wire-cutters, etc. "We had a fortnight back among the guns, but it was as bad as the front line, even worse, getting all the heavy' stuff, big birds coming over laying herd boiled eggs. BTJGHTY. "Ono thing about going over in an advance, one never feels nervous in the least, although machine guns are spitting everywhere and one can hear them whistling past ones ear or between ones who can walk, jogging back aas quick legs. It's hard luck if a chap ean't as they can saving: 'I've got a Blighty.' but there are a lot who wish thev had been without it."