BELLEVUE SPUR.

Taihape Daily Times, 15 October 1919, Page 7

BELLEVUE SPUR.

* SECOND ANNIVERSARY. HEROIC NEW ZEALANDERS. -Sunday was the second anniversary of the Battle of Bellevue Spur—'——a gallant but tragic episode of the conquest of 'PaSchend~aele Ridge——7in which the New Zealand troops were beaten by the weather. The swamp of Ypres had become terrifying. Even in dry weeks in midsummer shell holes. 011- high ground remained partly full of water. There was a. clay substratum about sft.'beneath the general Surface of the earth, and when this clay was dug up by millions of shells. the Steenbeck River ceased to flow toward the sea, and beea7r'r‘l'é'7an inland lake. Its many tributaries changed from rills, over which a man e-ould jump, into Vague stretches of lagoon and quagmire. VVater would have been much easier to pass, but mud, thighdeep, waist—deep, and even neck-deep. proved at least impassable to the most 3."iZillC‘tiCl, uuwearying, rand dauntless men. - Bollevue Spur was an ugly V-shaped hill, hising 200 ft. above a creek, which was then in flood. The sides of the spur extended 1000 yards back into Passchendaele 'townshi'p. At the point of the V, which was about 200 yards wide, a deep concrete s.tructlre,brist—ling with machine guns, -overlooked the New Zealand positions. Two irregular lines of wire extended across the front of the redoubt, where ‘a smaller redoubt barred the flank. Referring “to the evenfi in connection with the Battle of Bellevue Spur, Marshal Haig said: “On the night of the 11th to 12th heavy rain commenced again, and, after-a brief int-erval during the morning, continued steadily throughout the following day. The attack of the 12th succeeded -on the Spurs and higher grounds, but the Vl3l- - of the s'trealns west of the main ridge were impassable: I was therefore determined nnot to proceed witth the attack, and theh advance toward our most distant. objectives was cancelled.” 3

The New zédland Division made the central attack on October 12, with the Rifle Brigiazde at the cemetery‘ and Wolf Copse, and the Caintei-bury and Otago troops in the marsh below Bellevue Spur. In wave after wave gallant men went forward, trying‘ to" get Within bombing distance of -the linked concrete Works .arrangc'€{ about the slippery slopes, with. ‘belts of uncut wire entanglement protecting the approaches, The enemy swept Hie ground with the densest of niaehine gun barages us-ed in battle. '

Owing to the mud it was impossible to bring up the British artillery, therefore the bombardment was unexpectedly.fe«el_>le. so that the German gunners survived in przictic-ally undiminished strength. They poured out such a, fire that the work of attacking troops became practically impossible. The New Zealtmders and ‘their .oomrades were brought almost to a standstill, and their oflicers were shot in tragieallv large. numbers while they crawled from the brimming shélllioles i.n order" to reconnoitre the field. It was eventually found that no troops could get through the quagmire to the ridge on the left -of Pasehendaele t'oWnsllip, from which point two block houses were pouring it most. destructive fire. Becmise of this, and by reason also of the wet Weather and terrible state of ‘the ground, the operations were suspended, after a number -of prisoners had been taken. Though only two battalions of the New Zealand Division were -engaged in the Battle of Bellevue Spur-, the force, under the conditions obtaining, suffered heavy casuaitiesy '