NORTH OF POZIERES.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 217, 13 October 1916, Page 4 (Supplement)

NORTH OF POZIERES.

A COMEDIAN'S "TURN." LUXURIOUS UUG-0 UTS. Som* remarkable acts o£ heroism ar3 recorded in the successful capture of the trenches north ot Pozieres, writes Reuter's correspondent at the Britnsn Headquarters. The leader of one of the bombing parties was twice blown off the step by German grenades, hut picked himself up, took possession il an enemy bomb store, and at the head of his men used these weapons with such effect that he cleared the trench up-to the point where he made a junction with another party of his regiment. A strapping great sergeint who in civil life had been a comedian in a well-known touring company took numerous prisoners, and his manner ot dealing with them was a source of contagious merriment amongst the men of his platoon. He would grip them ly the ear-lobes and foreb them to caper down the communication trench, shouting out: "Parley-voos French. Jay am un offiseer. Voos are un blooming prisoner, Savvey?" A patrol which had got several hundred yards beyond the man advance was assailed by a heavy doubte flan;i lire. i ;.!■ KILLED FIFTY GERMANS. ' A valiant lance-corporal brought up a Lewis gun and posted himself in a favourable spot for covering the retreat of a patro*. He is credited win having killed 50 of the enemy and en abled the patrol to retire in safety before he made good his own escape. An officer complained of what % termed "a bit of dirty work." Two Germans appeared out of the darkness, and he hailed them. One held up his hands and cried "Kamerad!" The other tried to pot the officer. 'lt didn't really paj them, however, la added, with a significant tap of his revolver holster. ~?2SBMI LUXURIOUS DUG-OUTS.

Some remarkaV.e-detaiU were given me of the dug-outs we captured, and which* are now used by our troops. One of them, which had been occup-ed by officers, is quite a subterranean villa. It consists of six rooms, a cook-hous?, and a signalling room, in two stories, the upper being 15 feet und :r the sirfaoe, and the lower one about 30 feet beyond tho reach of the heavies shells. The walls are beautifully tapestned, the floors handsomely carpeted, water laid on, electric light fitted, the whole interior comfortably furnished and the built-in cupboards full of good liquor and cigars. In one case articles of female apparel wore found by our soidieri. Another dug-out, which is furmshel, with nine doors, is provided, with regular camp compartments and contains a kitchen with three fcpg boilers adequate for cooking for a whole company. This place is 30 feet deep and is connected with the sentry s look-out post in the trench by an-electric a-'arn bull. UNDERGROUND MORTUARY. One gruesome discovery was of a mortuary dug-out containing the bodies of about eighty dead Germane. Tin enemy was evidently so angry at this* place having fallen into our hands that he fired at it with his heavy artillery until he succeeded in setting it on fire. Tho Germans take great risks to recover and remove tlie bodies of thei.* dead, which is what renders it so difficult to judge the extent of their casualties. In the case of the mortuary, I have mentioned a light railway runs up to the Viiry mouth of it. By the way, a doctor told me tliat a bottle of the much-discussed German military dope had been found in one of the dug-outs. He had analysed it and found it to consist of opium ,and ether.