RAID BY ANZACS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 199, 11 August 1916, Page 4 (Supplement)

RAID BY ANZACS.

'SUCCESSFUL ATTACK. BOMBS AND REVOLVERS. •A HOT TEX MINUTES.' Sixty men find five officers attached ti Anzae battalions at the front uegan a weeks spee'al ieave in London recently in celebrat on of a very sueesslal raid they made on the German trenches on the nght of June 6. This is how it happened, as told by one of the raiders, who is supremely happy in the possession of a Herman helmet and a slightly wounded r.and. "You can imagine," he said, "how pleased wo were to get the opportunity of a ia<!. The Canadians are adepts at it. but it was our first .chance. \Ve cam? up into the front, line trench (luring the evening, and our first cp?ration was very funny. We smoth- f ored our faces and hands with soot from > the held kitchens until we were all as blcck as niggers—the Germans tool: us for native aborigines. You see, out on No Man's Land faces and hands show up Ike white paper.

''About eleven o'clock our artillery and trench mortars opened fire to clear the barbed wire, and 15 minutes later I', was "up and over' for us. The guns were stii! fir ng with lengthened range, and they formed a curtain of fire for us all round the flanks and to the roar of the bombarded section. We had to he out in the open in front of the German trench for a long time unt : i our fiii' lifted Then we made a dash> at the double for the trench. The wire was all down, but there were any number of craters, and some of us fell head over heels into them.

"Captain —— was the first man to jump inn the German trench. He flashed his torch, and saw a German in a corner with lis hands above his head. He hooked him out by the scruff of his ne.-k. and literally pitche.' him over the parapet to the waiting prisoners' party outside. Then we divided and took the trench right and left. It wa* very hot for 10 minutes, chiefly with bombs and revo'vers, tor there's no room for bayonet work. "Just as suddenly as we started -o we fiuis'iied. We left our cards in tb<i German dug-outs, fine and comfortabWthey were, with candles burning and blankets crumpled just as the Germans had left them when we came along. We were about 10 minutes there, and then back we went. That was the worst part, crossing No Man'-.' Lend, for the enemy began to recover and started rime. Our prisoners were scared to death, and thought they were going to die. Our only casualties were just as we reached our own trench, when a shell burst close to us, and about 10 fellows were hit, the majority, fortunately, not seriously."