THE WEST FRONT.

Marlborough Express, Volume L, Issue 223, 30 September 1916, Page 5

THE WEST FRONT.

*«AULT AND CAPTURE-^ * HHIEPVAL. >'

fiBM&NIALS 1 VALUABLE; W&K;

LUMBERS UP-WTTBte

»ESOUE.

-.. ■ ,| • HAND-TO-H^D1 FIGHTING.

Australian and N;Z. Cable Aasocif»tioa ' :-<R«ceived;Sept. 29v,8.3©^.-m.) , ' I;OM>aN, S^>t. 29. Mr Philip Gibbs itSie.c?p- '\ tui-o .:yf Tlnepval.. : B.& pays -ft'tribute to rhe invaluable ; 'rielp of .*he Awstralians' work, at; Mouqrtet FaT-Srnv eonipellin-i the ultimate suiTender^of line ThieoVal ganison- ,T^e jßrimsh!| loss was amazsmgly light/coTtsidorlng ■iihe long ami stubborn '..BrgMnig 'atid. the galfantry and. de'jperaiiion with which the' garrison defended, themis?lves. '...'•':':'■. ',- ;,, ; ..; . ' ■'■.':■•,■'.■.'.'.. ;•■■■■'•

'■'A . ■twenty-fpiir.; hoiirs^ c^n'tinudlis •)x>mbardment preceded '&xc aassault. .\\Tien-if ended tliere were only .fhir]tyfour black and broken1 treertrunks and a mass of reddish .'hriSkwork,! which once \\:as Thiepval chatefi.u. Not | a German was alive aboxr*> tlie gTOund, j but many were hiider^ . in>a lotlgi series of ' vaults and Umnols v . The Gerriisim.trjso made many e^iteHvhere they could pop up rifles a-nd litrichine- [ gims. ■;--/- ■".: ■■ ' y "■■" ■'"■ '.'■' " - ■'. ■" -'■■ . ! "The Briinsh :Tighfc wing advanced from Monqitet, but|, the left1 had f a harder tune. The.■'OatJbaTian'jleading the assault dvnshed at t"he fehateau. From the cellars ben©atl\ ■ came a j 'savage machine-ffim fire. The"^Britfish were also raked■'.by an' enfilade^ px&of j maohine^guns; • ' For v a. loitg i'tiiue it j was impossible: to get" near _ ihe i chateau, but the cry wa« : 'Bring the "tanks" V "The very idea.>was n fine tonic for the attackers ... Soon a lt<ank 7 lumbered along, .lurching over the shell-craters and momcutari.ly. sitting; on "broken parapets. It then' waddled forward •Howards the infantry. "When it opened fire- it resembled . a., dragon with indigestion. It got over the 'enemy's; trench and trudged do,wn its .whole length, sweeping it with. fire, Soonthe.. German machine-guns .were silenced, and the.British, cheering and shouting, accepted their surrender 1 ■ "Unfortunateljl- the mysterious anatomy :>f the 'tank' got out of j order, and the Britttsh had to face the.l rest of the machine-guns alone. ' They had to divie into dark «hftinesand Tiurrow for the Germans.' Tl)e search often resulted in a hand-ixi-iiaifd fight, in which British and Germans strove'] to iihrottle each-other in tTie iterkness.. | Many; deep dug-oiits -were blpwii in at the entrance, and the Germfms were, forced to come out at the'iyJJh^r side, j Our mensmoked out others. ■ was like rat>-hunting. - , "One ■ party of sixteen 'Germans treacherously turned upon their escort of two Englishmen and wounded .theiri. They had no; ihercj- from ••pt'h.eifiEnglishmen who came up a; niomenii later. "Perhaps the most remarkableij 'tank', adventure occurred at court,, where the British were- Mid up | by a raln'ng fire of machm^gims. Ay Jiank', stirolled down, rolled over the i trpnch'Wirh fire flushing from 'both! fljinl.svarid delivered it into the'haridsi .of the- infantry with four Irrrridred; prisoners, who waved white handkerchiefs, the parapeet. ExMttSd' by, its s-kc;es?, the 'trtak'f followed along nlone, in search of more adversaries. ",', . Sudqenly a'horde of Germany rushetl *n4 tried to capture it. They Sung bombs and olarabered on its bafck. .and tried to rfmash it with the but>t«-ends of their rifles." Tho wildest/pande-' monium -eiirnod. When the British infatitrv arrived they found three htindre'd- killed and wounded Gerraaais 'around the 'tank.' " . J