In the West

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 29, 2 October 1915, Page 5

In the West

' ' 1 ' . , IJ. ,i ■ I I M . I WITH THE FRENCH. I ’ • 1 _____ i 1 . i ■' ■ •i i ■ ;uy ' . ... , : i ) HOW MARCHAND FELL;' * ■d.;.n; . p *. » ;■ i: ' ’ 1 ‘ ; I f * >.(. "'ll ;> i ' "THE WOOD IS OURS FOR GOOD.” ti ■ , United Friii iAisoouiidn (Received 0. a.m.) Paris, October 1. "Calmly puffing his pipe like a com. puny commander, General Marchaml placed himself at the head of the column in the advance between Perthes and Sousn.” This pidture ■ was given by a Avoimdfed private of the Colonial Ipfantry who was alongside General Marchand when he was wounded. “The General’s bravery is a legend ih the whole division. When flip order to advance was given on Saturday General Marchand arrived amid a hail of bullets and made a short speech that was inaudible owing to the roar of the guns. Our Colonial Division with the Moroccan Division and a brigade of Bonaves and a brigade of the Foreign Legion formed the first wave launched against the trenches. They covered 150 yards through a perfect hell of shot and shell; and had just reached the first Bosche trench when General Marchand dropped witli a shell splinter in the abdomen. Stretcher hearers picked ihim up and carried him to the Hospital at Suippes. He is doing well ami it is believed that cure is only a question of time.” “The Bosches bolted like hares into a wood,” said French soldiers desscribing the charges at Souchez, “simultaneously with the order to advance, we exploded seven mines, completing the destruction of the trenches. ■ We dashed hot on their heels. Some onr comrades stayed behind to explore the ravaged trenches and subterranean shatters twenty feet deep, throwing in bombs to prevent the occupants attacking us in the rear. Fast as the Germans ran, we soon caught them up. We occupied the second line of trenches in the middle of the wood. Some crossed the Souchez brook, and some went up the road towards Angie. The enemy brought up strong reserves, and onr officers recalled vis to the first German trench. Onr artillery and the enemy bombarded the wood, and its aspect was changed as by enchantment. Soon only tree stumps remained. Emerging from the jungle of the branches we treated the German shrapnel philosophically!.' more because of onr steer helmets. The next afternoon we reattacked the wood, stumbling over the fallen branches. German machineguns were most troublesome and were almost invisible in their steel-plated pits. We sheltered in shell holes while bombers crept in behind the tree stumps ami kept up a rain of bombs, hut we soon drove out the Germans from the wood, which is ours lor good.”