A FAMOUS BRITISH DIVISION.

Taihape Daily Times, 26 September 1918, Page 3

A FAMOUS BRITISH DIVISION.

PRAISE FOR THE 51st. Mr. Beach Thomas (Daily Mail), in a graphic despatch, describing the methods and incidents of the latest British advance, says: "There Is much talk on our side and on the enemy's regarding the so-called fresh or tired divisions, but the distinction entirely fails respecting the British divison wheh is progressing along the north of our line with its right resting on the Scarpe. It is the fa.mous 51st, consisting of Scotsmen. Wherever the battle rages hottest there is the 51st. The French have been discussing it with almost religious fervour since July, when the Scots struggled into the undergrowth of" lEe" Avoods west of Rheims and crossed the valley,, swept by a thousand machine guss, stormed Marfaux, and clinched the German retreat. An American officer told me that he had never dreamt of troops facing such fire and obstacles together, and not once or twice in this war I have heard officers say, 'Thank goodness the 51st are next to us.' "During the Flanders fighting, when the Guards, the Welsh, and the Scotsmen deeply advanced towards Langemarck, they captured a German document giving a list of the British regiments in their order of terribleness, and the slst were at the top. To. day, near the spot where the Scottish took 6000 prisoners in April, 1917, the 51st are still buoyant. After thier desperate ordeal at Rheims they have suddenly reappeared, and taken in their stride tough redoubts of sucn grim memory as tlie Roeux chemicas works. They repel counter attacks one evening and quietly progress next morning, it comes to this: No battle is complete without the 51st."