"I HELD THE POST SIR.”

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1822, 4 May 1918, Page 1

"I HELD THE POST SIR.”

SINGLE-HANDED HEROIC FIGHT. (From Keith Murdoch, Sydney Sun’s Special Representative with the Australian Imperial Forces at the Front.) My last journey on this visit has been to the Ypres Canal sector, one of the most hideous ones of the war, reeking with desolation and death. It was to learn the details of the great tight, which, if Australia still appreciates valour, should ring round the Commonwealth. Here, before the war, were lovely chateaus in lands which teemed with bird-life and flowers. Now only torn tree trunks stand above the broken masses of earth, trenches, and entanglements. An Australian stationmaster met in this area a few nights ago many Germans in an awful single-handed encounter. The German raiders came across, after two hurricane bombardments, which tore the ware, smashed up the post, and injured the stationmaster’s comrades. He stuck it grimly until alone in No Man’s Land, with the next posts many yards distant, and the firingline a long way behind. ' A shell-hurst near his feet stunned him, another wounded him in the face, another sent a lump of earth crashing into his shoulder. Then he could see about a dozen Germans coming up in the sickly light of the flares. The stationmaster decided to die gamely. He fired a few shots with his rifle, but missed. Then he hurled bombs, and the nearest Gorman dropped. The others swerved round the post, in a few minutes attacking from (he left. The stationmaster bombed and killed a German creeping in from the roar. The Germans were throwing stick-bombs from all quarters, and the stationraaster’s escape was marvellous. It was a case of crouching behind the parapet and then quickly standing up, hurling a bomb, and dropping down again. At one time a German was within a few feet in front, while others were coming on from the left. The Australian’s bombs drove the (lank attacker back into the machine-gun fire of the next post, which finished the enemy’s demoralisation. The erics of the enemy wounded were pathetic. They had been told that Englishmen of weak moral were holding (he posts. They cried, “English eomrade!” “English!” “Pity!” The stationmaster crept to the wounded men’s sides, and took away their bombs. Later he rushed to the wounded lying in front and took their arms. It was still a desperate ease of his life against others. This gallant man’s only remark when relieved was, “I held the post, sir.” He is a typical civilian soldier, who had no thought of war until the call came, when he left a wife and family and came to fight for his countrv.