FROM THE FIRING LINE.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 219, 6 January 1917, Page 3

FROM THE FIRING LINE.

A SOLDIER'S LETTER. The following extracts are from a letter received from Private Charles Kuhtze (brother of Mr J. H. Kuhtze, of Taihape), who was wounded in France: — When I reached Eta pies from Marseilles the N.Z. Division were in the trenches at . They were holding /■the trenches, and not advancing. There 'was always a certain amount of straffing going on. Just before I joined up our men were withdrawn for a spell of six weeks. They were billetted in the trenches at the rear of where we '"joined up. About 200 of us entrained at and travelled for four hours. Well, got out at about 9 o 'clock at som o small place and started to march along a country road. It was quite dark, but we had a guide on horseback. We arrived at our destination at four o'clock in the morning. We had marched a good 20 miles and carried over 50 lbs weight. We were awakened at 9 a.m. and given some breakfast. We rested all day. After a spell of five or six days we got on the move. We would >do between eight and fifteen miles, and ' then stop in a village two or three days. A village is really a collection of farm houses. In the Somme distract there are no building's on the farms. We were billetted in outhouses and stables in the village. I will try and describe a farm yard. They are all the same, except that one may have better buildings. Eight in front up against the road is the cows' stable; then a yard about two chains square. On the side will be sheds for. hay and straw (in which Ave slept), and at the back will be the dwelling house. The centre of the yard is hollow, and all the drainings collect there and all manure is put there. The living room door will be about twenty of thirty feet away. The yard is cobbled. The houses are very rough affairs, each room opening into the yard. There is no attempt ar comfort. The women wear big heavy boots and work like the men. ■• The old men are hard old doers. They go off to the fields with the teams and boys at daylight, and return at dusk. We marched through these'villages and towns (there was no halt in the towns). At night we could sec the flare of the big guns like a flash of lighftling, but could hear nothing. The last 30 or 40 miles behind the firing line was a wonderful sight. There was an endless stream of motor lorries going backwards and forwards. Thousands of them, and I never saw more than three lorries held up. As we got closer the traffic increased, and just i outside the fire zone the traffic was like a crowded street in a large city. Mule j teams with ' stores, long streams'" of | hor.se ammunition limbers (six horses to a double limber), military carts drawn j by two horses (tandem) with anything | from a general's private luggage to the ■■ battalion mails, company cookers with the fires banked, an occasional heavy gun drawn by a huge motor lorry, staff motor cars dodging in and out, Red Cross ambulances, water, carts, and dominating the whole was the endless stream of motor lorries, the ones going forward holding two or three tons and returning empty. The best place we camped at wa s Happy Valley, where we left everything except oiled sheets and ammunition. Here some big guns were stationed, which were throwing iron foundries about eight miles away into Fritz's line. On an average about five men were killed per day per thousand. Fritz has a weakness for landing shells during a meal time. One of these killed Walter Hogg. He and three others had just taken cover when a shell landed in the trench. Three were blown thirty feet in the air, and the other Avas hit with a piece of shell casing. After four, days' "rest" avc went back through Hers, where the stench was enough to choke one. On e afternoon at 2 o'clock we hopped the parapet and charged the enemy's trench 000 yards away. We only had machine-gun and rifle fire to deal Avith, but Fritz lost his nerve and began firing high and wild. Those who did get smacked got it in the head and shoulders. In the last 30 yards the Germans began to run, so it was just a case of going forward and hopping into the trench. I got through without a scratch. Next day, at the same time, we hopped it again. Our, company was about 90 strong with .1 officer out of 4 officers and 200 men. We had 800 yards to go. I got about half way when my rifle flew up in the air and the ground came up and hit me. dust by a chance I got knocked over, on the edge of a shell hole. I just had the presence of mind to roll over and remember landing at the bottom of the hole; and thenblank. The first tiling I knew I was (still breathing and the machine-gun bullets were singing a nice old song just over my head."