TERRIBLE ORDEAL OF YOUNG OFFICER.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 219, 6 January 1917, Page 2

TERRIBLE ORDEAL OF YOUNG OFFICER.

! " TILL LAST BREATH." In a remarkable letter a young wounded officer describes a fearsome situation in which he was placed when the company* commander was shot dead and he was left alone with twen-ty-five men. "With sixty men we arrived at our point," he writes, "and prepared to attack the Bosches somewhere in front of us—no one knew where —but . it was reported that they were in small numbers with machine-guns, and it was our job to ascertain the nature ,of their trench, possible numbers, position of machine-guns, and, if only small parties, to drive them out. "Our company commander bounded across a few yards, and I gave the signal to the remainder, whereupon and myself jumped across, our men following in splendid order. Some, of course, only get their heads übove the parapet, while you could hear the bullets whistling past your ears and going home into some of the men behind you with a sickening thud. "Not. a man wavered. The fallen lay where they were, while the remainder swept on over the ground from one shell hole to another, wheeling to the left one time, to the right another, trying to escape the machine guns, for at all costs, if only one man were left, the position of the enemy and their numbers had to be discovered, and that was what our company was bing sacrificed for, because it was known that everyone of us would continue our work until our last breath left us. was shot through the head just as we discovered the enemy trench and the position of two mach-ine-guns.. Suddenly, the Bosche was out in front of us, lying, kneeling, and standing. Then we fought, using our rifles till ,1 thought surely they must become over-heated. Then behind us started a long line of bursting shells, so with that behind us and the Bosch in front vve had to stop where we were. The company commander was new shot dead, so I was left with the remaining men. about twenty-five. My'sergeant was still alive beside me, and I asked him did he know how many rifles were in working order, as there was great slackness in the fire of my men, and he said about six, which made my hair stand on end."