NEW ZEALANDERS AT MESSINES

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume XLV, Issue XLV, 28 September 1917, Page 1

NEW ZEALANDERS AT MESSINES

HOW OUR BOYS PREPARED. IN THE ENEMY TRENCHES. The following interesting description of the famous attack at Messines has been handed to us by the relatives of a lad who was there, and who knows how to write of what he has seen and experienced : 1 shall try to give you a very rough sketch of the events that led up to the attack. We were taken back to train for the stunt. There was a hill which represented Messines Ridge very well; another hill represented our own trenches. There was a small valley between, and on the whole it was remarkably like the battle area. We had shallow trenches dug to scale, representing both our. own and Fritz's trenches. Fritz's trenches were dug from maps drawn from aeroplane photos. A dummy road was also made, with stones on the sides, and branches of trees to represent the avenue of trees on Messines road. We had to work hard training, .hut we knew it was good work, and put our shoulders to the wheel. We were given maps and lectures. One morning we got up at 1.30 and did it as nearly as possible to the real thing. We went through a gas and smoke barrage. Our own artillery barrage was represented by smoke bombs, and" everything was timed exactly as it was to be on "The Day." We "had. red flares" to show our planes how far we had advanced. There were men rattling tins, supposed to be machine gunners. We had to practise taking them by up-to-date methods. Our imitation trenches were all marked by signboards, with their names on them, or our names for them. After taking our objectives we practised digging in and getting ready for a counter-attack. Everything was thoroughly done, and : helped to give us confidence" in the heads. After about 16 days we returned to the battle area, at our old billets. We had to do six hours a day fatigue, and it used to take about 1-i hours getting to work. It was doubly hard because Army rations were too light for a man to work hard on Mipm.

uiem. One night we built a trench out in No Man's Laud to get nearer Fritz. It was an awfully risky job. If Fritz had dropped to it that we were there we would have suffered heavily. We were told where doctors were stationed in case Fritz straffed us. Before we started to work one of our covering party, who "o out in front to save the working parly from a surprise attack, was shot through the chest, and died before they jgot him in. Fritz must have had an " idea that. something was doing; for just as we were coming- in- lie started to play his machine gun on our line, but no one else was hit. People at home have no notion how much work is to be done ia preparing for an advance. The work never stopped day or night; new trenches were cut, old disused ones patched up; and the ones in use improved and constantly repaired. Gun posihad to be built and roads remade. A wide-gauge railway, with branches and countless narrow-gauge lines feeding gun positions, ets.. was built. Meantime our artillery was giving Fritz hell, and it increased daily. We also paid him in his own coin with gas shells from trench mortars to heavy gams away back. Of course, Fritz didn't take it all lying down. He used to shell us very heavily sometimes, and it was marvellous that so few of our company were hit. He used to chase us on our own road to camp very often. We used the fields in preference to the hard roads. One morning a party of us arrived at our camp at "l o'clock and found that our billets had been shelled, and that several men had been killed. My hut had been well riddled with pieces. Several large pieces came through where my head was when sleeping. A piece went through my valise.

which I use as a pillow, and tore several things inside. Several of our huts were hit directly, and the Y.M.C.A. was hit twice. They had just started to issue oux breakfast, which »ve have before retiring to bed, when Fritz opened up his guns again. That was the finish of the breakfast, or 1 should have* said tea. We took to the fields as fast as our feet would take us. When things got quiet again I came back and got some stew, and took my blanket and overcoat and slept under a hedge. Most of us. slept out for about a week afterwards, i got a bit wet twice, and nearly always missed my breakfast, but I slept better and easier than I would have inside. The camp was right in the woods on a hillside. Many of oux guns wore just below us, and the noise they made was awful. Many a time they upset my sleep, and we used to heartily curse them". Fritz used to shell considerably, but he didn't wound above two of our company. From there we did four more days in the trenches. It was a bad part of the line we were in, and Fritz knocked it about badly. I was in a hot corner. Shells were .constantly bursting near us, aud every night I was hit by pieces dropping %f their own weight, but none of tnem penetrated. The day we left we had to set to and clean out the saps before we could get out. We shifted from the trenches to a camp about

four miles back, in another wood, it was near a large ammunition camp, and not far from a large naval gun," and consequently not a very healthy spot. The first night we were there the shells started coming too close lor my fancy, and • and I, with about 20 others, got in the loft of a barn. The old Frenchwoman and her daughter discovered that we were there, and the old lady cried and whined. She wanted us to get out; she was afraid we would light matches and set fire to the straw. We were all halt asieep by tiien—in fact, many were sound asleep; but we stayed where we were,"" and let her howl. The old man kept to the background. In the camp we were not allowed to put up the tents until 9.30, and they had to be down at 5.50. a.m., so that Fritz's planes wouldn't see them. As the weather was good, we used the tents to sleep on instead of in. The next night we had a gas alarm, but the following two nights were quiet. This was supposed to be a few days' rest. and myself had a narrow escape, as a huge shell landed a few yards from us—luckily a dud. On the morning of the 6th we were paraded for oiu- fighting gear. Up till then we didn't know exactly when the stunt wa*s coming off. We have to be very particular, because of spies. To look at the men's faces one wouldn't have known that'anything unusual was going to hapnen. and that manv would soon -i>e lvins

pen, aim mu,b uiauv iiuuiu soon vj->e lying still. Everyone was going about quite naturally, buying 'cigarettes and food to take over the top. I bad about three days' supply of biscuits and bread, and saw to it that my water bottle was tilled. I carried 180 rounds, and 15 bombs. 6 sandbags (to make cover), and an oil sheet, also wire cutters on my rifle. I found it was too much, and wouldn't attempt to do so much again. The first half of orrr company went up to the trenches at about 2.30 Our party left at 9.30 p.m. It was a fairly dark night, and looked very much like rain, but it kept off. We went by a new route to the trenches, and on our" way passed a whole string of tanks sheltering in an old lane. Just before -we entered the trenches Fritz started sending over gas shells. Some put on masks, and others didn't, and confusion reigned for a 'while. Few of us knew where we were, because everything had been altered lately. However, we got to our trench without mishap. ' Fritz had no idea of what was going on, and didn't even bombard as much as usual. It would have been the easiest thing in [ the world to lose a £ew hundred men get-. ! ting into our position, because if "Fritz • had started shelling we had orders not to i stop, but to go right through. Our own ; artillery was just putting over the usual i quantity of iron rations to Fritz. We I were in first, and were cramped up in a . narrow trench for hours before zero, or - starting-off time. „• The officers kept passing along the time : > Half an hour to zero; quarter of an hour f to zero ; and then, fix bayonets, which was a arranged to be at five minutes to zero, i- which was -3.10 a.m. We didn't fix our c bayonets sooner, because Fritz's planes i might have seen them glitter. He used r to fly low over our trenches every morning 1 to see if we were assembling for the ate tack which he knew quite well was coming i- shortly. You might think that the stisa, pense' of waiting would be awful, bxit I

didn't feel a scrap nervous about it. A. few minutes before the man next to m« had been snoring. Suddenly tne ground began to shake like an earthquake. It was our mines going up. Our artillery opened out, and we knew, without getting an order, that it was time. 1 was in-th« hist line of the first wave, and immediately scrambled up a ladder and over the top. I can't describe my- emotions very ■•wall; in fact, I had"few. I certainly didn't feel afraid. We advanced as far as we could beneath our. barrage, which was on Fritz's front line. It is a hard thing to knowhow close it is safe to get to them. We aie told that when we get a few men knocked ou 1 . by our own .barrage.-we are close enough. The barrage lifted accurately to time, and we dashed into th» trench, or where the trench should hav» been, but it was only a thick line of shell holes. Our company went,on, following the barrage, but 1 was in a bombing squad detailed to mop up the front line. 1 roamed about the trench for a long time, bub could not find any of my mates nor any Huns either, and by this time other v waves had passed me. i went on a fewyards and sat in a large shell hole for a rest. A Hun sprang up from nowhere, and almost ran on to my bayonet. Un» touch of the trigger and he would hav» been a " goner." He had no line or weapon, and threw up his hands. The Hun was only a boy, very pale, and with a little blood on his face. My God! 1 couldn't do it. I searched him for a revolver, but he didn't have any. He gavp me his watch, but I gave it back to him. I didn't want any souvenirs. N I asked him ■ where his comrades were, for I didn't want to be surprised by half a dozen of them, but he said: " ]STo, comerads." I had almost to kick him to make him ran for our line. I tramped on by myself looking for my company. I must hay* got a good deal past them, and away to the left. Huns were now running past in hundreds, making for ! our lines with, their hands up. They- were, not showing any fight. Our men sat on their behinds, and, alter collecting everything they had in. their pockets, made the Eritzes dig in for them. The place is one continuous stretch of • shell holes, some of enormous size. I got exhausted tramping round looking for my company, and decided to join some other boys and - help them to dig in. I had done considerable work when two t&nki got stuck, one m front and another in the lear of us. An officer gave us orders to get out of it, as the tanks .would draw fire. I went farther on and joined up with another crowd. By this time I had grown to despise- Fritz's shells. I reckoned they co'lldn't hit me. They seemed to be bursting all round. One blew my tin hat several yards away, and I was nearly blinded by several flashes in my face. 1 was digging a- trench connecting two shell holes, and I heard some machina-

gun bullets hying round. 1 had .a-look, but couldn't see where they were coming from, as there was too niuch smoke. I suddenly dropped with a yell. I had got one through the knee. One of the Boys immediately put a first field dressing on it. My "pants were previously torn with' : wire, and it was easy to get at. Fortunately I able, to walk a bit: I was. directed to a doctor who was working in a shell hole, and got my leg properly bandaged. I then made for our lines, picking out a part that didn't appear to be shelled much. When quite near our lines- bullet* started flying round again, and I tumbled iii a hole until it had finished. It would have been stiff luck if> I had got another after getting so far. It was great to see the work_ going on. Roads were being made-to bring up the guns, and : pnone wires were run to our new front, also baskets of pigeons to carry back messages. Some of the boys sent a prisoner after me to give me a hand. He almost tried to love and Mss me, he was so pleased to get a job that would sava his skin. Afterwards I handed him on to another fellow, who was much worse off than I. The first field dressing station was overflowing, and I hobbled along the road. Two R.A.M.G. men stopped me and put another bandage over the top of -luy knee. A man was leadingv,a horse that had lost its rider. _ Someone gave me a liftup, and I rode to Neuve where our ways parted. I got a " Bucksho" glass of beer while waiting for a- motor to take me to the dressing station. After I got to the dressing station it was about 10 hours till I got fixed up. I was sitting inside, where they were taking the serious cases first, and with the heat (it was a blazing hot day), with the sights I saw, and with the pain of my leg I got sick, and lay outside in the sun. I drank tea and ate cake all day long. Eventually I was dressed -and innoculated, and sent to an Australian hospital at Bailleul. At about midnight I moved off in a hospital train, and arrived at Boulogne some time next day (the Bth). I was in a Canadian hospital until the 12th. There I had hlood drawn from my. knee and formalin and glycerine injected. The doctor said it would be " the real Jemima," and it was! They were a fine lot of nurses there and very capable, but they haven't the bright, smiling faces of our New Zealand sisters. I left "Boulogne on the 12th at 2 p.m.. and arrived at Dover at 4.30. They screwed plates over the ports in case we were attacked by subs. I slept most of the wav over. We had a long wait in tho train—from 4.30 to 10.50, but at last w* moved off, and arrived at Brockenhurst at daybreak next day. lam quite well and happy, and at present I am looking forward to lunch, which they are bringing round iiow. My leg. is getting on beautifully. ■