In the West

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 45, 22 October 1915, Page 5

In the West

THE BATTLE OF LOOS. United Press Association. London, October 20. Mr Philip Gibbs reports: "I witnessed the repulse and counter-attack at Loos on October 8. The Germans for days had been bringing up reserves of men and guns. Our troops, crouching in the old German trenches, stood the ordeal of a concentrated bombardment. The trenches were

strewn with shrapnel and black 'coalbox' shells, which flung up the earth in all directions, yet , our casualties were comparatively slight. Finally, the Germans, in the middle of the afternoon, opened a violent rifle and macliine-gun .fire. The fifty yards between the opposing trenches were filled with poison gases and smoke-balls, and then through the dense curtain loomed a line of grey figures, advancing. The Germans came on swiftly, four deep, and shoulder to shoulder. The British rifles and machine-guns, which were, ready, plunked streams of lead into the shadowy figures. Numbers fell, and others tried to crawl back to the trenches. We concentrated our fire upon groups, and few escaped. Meanwhile an enemy aeroplane directed the curtain fire to prevent our supports 'doming' Tip. The task of the British infantry was, however, finished, and they had only to watch the heaps ,of German ( dead in the smoke, from which a few' survivors now and then wriggled back to their own ■line. The German attack was not only repulsed; it was shattered."

THE KAISER'S PARDON. '■':!• — -i (Received 11.10 a.m.) Madrid, October 21. The Kaiser telegraphed to King Alfonso announcing the pardon of De Belleville, Thulieg, and other FrancoBelgians. | OFFICIAL NEWS. The High Commissioner reports : —■ London, October 21 (4.55 p.m.) Following yesterday's bombardment east of Rheims on a front of 'eight to nine kilometres, extending between Butte Detire and Prunay, the Ger-' mans renewed the attack which failed miserably on the previous day. Respite the violence of the preparatory artillery fire and the still increasing density of clouds of asphyxiating gas, the enemy sustained a fresh repulse. On three occasion's the assailants attempted to rJenetrate our positions, but were decimated by the fire of our machine guns and the hurricane fire of our artillery. The enemy was finally stopped before our wire entanglements and was unable to gain a footing at any point on our first line of trenches.' In the course 1 of the night we also repulsed a German attack on Bois Givenchy. In, Lorraine, a surprise Attack, of the'enemy' ont our j listening stations failed completely;