LETTER FROM THE FRONT.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 241, 1 July 1915, Page 2

LETTER FROM THE FRONT.

TO BROTHER IN TAiHAPE

THE RETREAT FROM MONS

Mr Sheppard, of Taihape, has recently received a letter from his brother, who is in the Royal Engineers at the front, and as it relates some incidents in the memorable retreat from Mons in which he took part, it is sure to prove interesting to cur readers. Mr Sheppard says: We set out for an unknown place on August 16th (my birthday). On the boat I met Percy Thomas; we landed at Havre, in France. We then entrained for Valen. oines; from that place we marched for 2\ days, then came the order for the 17th company to advance, then to blockade and make trenches. On the 23rd August commenced the battle of Mons. I need not give you the hstory for you have read it in the papers. My work on this retirement was with my section officer destroying bridges after cur men had passed over, which wo did, sometimes giving Germans a few lumps of lead for coming too near before we had finished setting the charge. Although there were four of us, only on© got ihurt; he was blown to pieces by a shell early one morning, but the most sickening sight was the heaps and heaps of dead, dying, and wounded which we had to leave behind. The German artillery fire was simply awful; it mowed our fellows down in hundreds when we started to advance. We retired rapidly until we came to th e Oise., where we made a stand, but only fer a day. We were getting into hilly country then; this gave us positions, hut the next stand was at the Marne, where we had a hellish struggle, but came cut top dogs. Then we came to the Aisne; now picture our men on one side and the Germans on the other; down the centre a copse of thickly-studded trees. On the Germans’ side ran the river ,about 50 feet wide, all bridges blown up. Ther© was about 2000 yards between the two hills from which artillery were sending forth death. Our infantry were advanc. ing towards Germans entrenched about 200 yards on the other side of the copse. Orders came for us to throw a bridge over the river, which we did under a hail of shrapnel fire, and although we were quite out of German view we were not out of the way of their shells, and we caught it. nicely We got the infantry over, and I tried to get a sleep but I had to go to headquarters and got no sleep, being mdssage-carrying all the time. The bridge caught the shells and next day we had to repair it. I was again put on messages; it was a nasty job; I could net ride as I was exposed to their fire. 1 saw some awful sights; I was taking a message to the officer-command-ing the company at the bridge when I saw a whole section of infantry just wiped out with three shells. The Germans were shelling the town at the same time. The officer at the bridge gave me a message to take back, and dto said to me, "Be careful going back as-they are strongly shelling the road you will go, but I want you to get through as quickly as possible.” That was my last message with the 17th company; while I was going back a shell burst quit© close and the concussion knocked me off a bike I was riding, and pitched me on a mound of stones, on the side of the road. Our Major found me, stunned, about an hour afterwards. He was coming to find why the Company had not arrived at the bridge. I was sent down the line to the hospital at Versailles, suffering from concussion of the brain, From there I was sent to the base and I tell you 1 had a good time and all j of us there enjoyed ourselves. ! Well, I must not tell you where I j am now, but I can tell you it has been! a very hard winter for us —all hard J work and no rest. But we are still j fit for the Germans- whenever they j like to come along. !