In the West.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 294, 10 December 1914, Page 5

In the West.

FIERCE NIGHT ATTACK.

United Press Association. London, December 9

.V fierce night attack occurred at Dixmude on the Gth, owing to the

sodden massing of the Germans. The Allies replied with hand grenades, hater they made a counter-attack with the bayonet, and rushed the German trenches, tlie Germans los. ing heavily, and leaving many dead.

The Allied fleet on Tuesday resumed the bombardment of the Belgian coast.

The capture of Vcrrnelles is important. It gives the French a strong position, commanding a considerable stretch of country, including Lens and •Pont-a-Vendin, where a number of railways and roads converge, whereby the Germans are provision-

A French 75-centimetre gun brought down a German aeroplane at Chaumnnt on Monday.

Three aviators, including two aeroplanes, were engaged at Hazebrouck. Seventeen bombs were dropped, and 24 were killed. Germans at Brussels have forbid, den English, French, Russian and Japanese to open their vaults in the banks, thus preventing taking out personal property. 1 A Dutch correspondent announces a new trick of the German aviators in pouring out clouds of smoke to shroud the movements of their aircraft, thus increasing the difficulty of hitting them. The British recaptured Passchendaele. <

FRENCH OFFICIAL REPORT.

Paiis, December 9,

Official: We repulsed a violent attack at Santelos. A very fieivee struggle continues in Argonne.

HORRORS AT DINANT.

Amsterdam, December 9

The Telegraaf publishes an eyeJwitness’s account of the Dinant outrage. The French, when evacuating the city, fired on the incoming Germans. The latter accused the townsfolk of i firing. They placed 153 men on one side of the parade square, and the women and children on the other side, with a firing party between them. The scene was one of heart-;' rending agony, the women and childjJ ren kneeling and supplicating thq German officers. The Germans fired/' and the ,153 men fell, writhing in a welter of blood. Two were unhurt*, and four slightly wounded. pretended to be dead. An cried out that those able to rise must; stand. Six men rose. Another voU',‘ ley, and the men fell. ' Then thf officer ordered the machine-gunners, to fire for some time upon the bodies,'‘ the women and children being meanwhile distracted with grief and terror.

WATERLOO RELICS.

(Received 8.45 a.m.) Paris, December 9

The Petit Parisien says that the Germans removed the Waterloo collection from Mont Saint Jean and also other Waterloo relics.

AUSTRALIAN AMBULANCES.

ON THREE FRONTS.

(Received 8.45 a.m.) London, December 9

It has been arranged that eighteen Australian ambulances will be used near the front. Six will work on the line Nieuport to Calais, six from Arras to Roulers, and six from Amiens,

BELGIANS’ PITEOUS PLIGHT.

A HEART-RENDING STORY.

FOODLESS, SHELTERLESS.

(Received 9.15 a.m.) London, December 9

Sir Gilbert Parker, on behalf of the American 1 Relief Commissioners visited Holland, which has done all possible. The Belgian municipalities have only food for the next week or fortnight with barely over one-third of a soldier’s ration to each inhabitant daily. He describes necessarily cheerless and ill-ventilated quarters in sheds with straw and a few blankets. Men. women and children are huddled promiscuously together in misery. The worst conditions are at Rotterdam, where they are sheltered in iron lighters, which are fireless and unfit homes for cattle. He gives a heart-rending picture of the refugee camps in the various Dutch centres. The normal requirements are three hundred thousand tons of food per month. The American Commission is appealing for 80,000 tons, which is less than one-half of a soldier’s n# tion for each Belgian. (Received 9.15 a.m.)

Paris, December 9

A communique states; There are artillery duels from the sea to Lys and also on the Aisne, where we had the advantage. We made appreciable gains in the Argonne. carrying seve-

ral trenches. We are progressing on the entire front, except at one point, where the enemy mined and blew up a trench. Our artillery completely mastered the enemy on the heights of the Meuse, where we progressed along I the whole line, capturing several

trenches. The communique adds: The .Russians repulsed obstinate at-

tacks on the line Aloff'-Lowicz-Stry-koff-Lodz, but evacuated Lodz because the position formed a salient. The French Government has returnjed to Rains.. bayonets converted into DIGGING TOOLS. MEN IN SNUG DUG-OUTS. ) Timm and Sydney Sun Seeviom. (Received 8.0 a.m.) London, December 8. A New Zealander at the front, in a letter, says his company of cavalry have converted their bayonets into picks and shovels, and have become very ellicient in digging themselves into dug-outs roofed with branches and covered with earth, the floor being lined with straw. “We lie close together,” he states, “thus acting as warming pans and keeping one another from freezing at night. Some of the bombs from the German mortars make holes fifteen feet deep and twenty feet across, but luckily they had not struck our trenches.” NEW ATTACK PREPARING. DULL LIFE IN THE TRENCHES. Times and Sydney Sun Sbeviom. (Received 8.0 a.m.) London, December 8. •Private messages from Berlin declare that the Germans are preparing for a violent attempt to break the Allies’ west wing.

A correspondent, who, at General Joffre’s invitation, visited the French lines, states that some parts of the line become as monotonous as a city office. Fighting commences at halfpast five in the morning, the men quit the trenches at half-past four, and walk openly along the line. Dinner is on at eleven, and the troops on both sides openly distribute soup to the opposing troops. Near Rheims they have become familiar, calling one’another by their Christian names.

OFFICIAL REPORT FROM THE WEST.

Wellington, December 10. The Governor has received the following from Mr Harcourt, dated December 9th: The French Government report activity by the enemy is somewhat increased. A vigorous German attack wqs repulsed south of Ypres.- The struggle in the Argonne continues very vigorous. Yermeilles was recently captured by the French. It has been the scene of a determined struggle for nearly two months. The Russian headquarters reports a grave defeat of the German right wing south of Cracow. Their heavy guns and five field batteries were silenced. Several guns and many prisoners were captured. The offensive is being pursued. Servian headquarters announces a considerable success over the Austrians.