A STIRRING FIGHT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 113, 6 October 1914, Page 6

A STIRRING FIGHT.

BBITISH ENGAGE GERMANS. JUST LIKE THE PICTURES. "Just like you see in the pictures," was an English "Tommy's" description of the first engagement the British troops had with the Germans. In a despatch to the London Daily Express on Monday, August 24, Mr Alan Ostler, correspondent of that paper, stated that the British troops went into action in Belgium for the first time on the previous Friday and Saturday. The affair was one of scouting and outpost skirmishes only, but it was interesting ■because of the light thrown on the exhausted condition of the German advance guard. Mr Ostler's despatch, which was 1 written from a French railway station, ] was as follows: i A troop train has just drawn up at the | far end of the isolated platform r.nd from : it! have disembarked wounded British 'hussars and captive German cuirassiers. . The station is crowded, as a Paris train just in disgorged on the platform hungry and sleepy English and American tourists from Switzerland and Northern Italy. Nevertheless the detraining of the British troopers and their captives escaped noI 1,1 V.. i..r jusc ioi.g enough to ailow of 1 rimuggling the big blue-coated Germans out of tile station without creating a disturbance.

ENGLISH WITH GERMAN PRISONERS. One of the wounded Engjisl; troopers explained his relief »t this. "Thank 'wtven," he ,«»ii fervently, "after the bother \-,Vve had with 'em all along the ',.ne. 1 thought there would certainly be a free light when we had to take them out of t!.D carriages." Then lie told me how at many of the stations on the way from people hearing the German prisoners were on the train had flung stones through the windows, thrust sticks and umbrellas into the carriages, and shrieked curses at the Prussians until the train moved out. As if to confirm what he said, an excittcd little brown-faced French woman came up to us and broke into a.torrent of shrill recrimination. "Mais, e'est un allemand," she cried, pointing to the woollen cap the trooper wore. I explained he was English, and asked him why he was not wearing the usual cap. "I lost it in a charge on Saturday," he said. "That's where I got this." He showed a bandaged wrist pierced by a German sabre. Then he told me the story of Friday's fighting. SECRET OF GERMAN SUCCESS.

Exhausted though the German cavalry were known to be, the whole of their success lay in a continued, rapid advance, and it was obvious that they would push on madly at the first possible moment.

So, while the Belgians were falling back toward the north, the Englisii cavalry were busily employed in feeling for the inevitable German advance, while the French horse, foot and artillery came up from the south and west. My informant's regiment fell in with a party of the Fourth German Cuirassiers on Friday, or rather they fell on it. "We came plump on them around a corner in a little village," said he. "It was an absolute surprise for both of us. Before you could wink your eye we were Hying at one another as hard as our horses could go. The villagers were yelling and scrambling into the houses on either side of the road.

A REAL CAVALRY CHARGE. "There was no firing. It was an absolutely cavalry charge like you see in pictures—horses going hell for leatuer, every man sitting hunched up under number one guard, hoping he wouldn't get his knees crushed by the fellows on each sida of him."

Lighter though they were, the Hussars went a pace that more than compensated for their inferior weight. The cuirassiers, in full stride on fresh horses, might have over-ridden them, but they were slower at the take off and, as it subsequently proved, were mounted on horses already ridden to death. They were taken at a tremendous disadvantage. Twenty-seven of them were killed and 12 taken prisoners. "Their mounts were dead beat," said my trooper, "and the men were not much better. Do you know what we found in their mess tins? Raw horse llcsh and drv oats."

I asked him how be got his wound. "I dunno," he said, wearily. "The first thing I knew was that iuy sword was sticking through a German's elbow and his through my wrist, but it had not cut any tendons. He added, proudly: "I'll be out in two or three days. The other chap'B arm was paralysed. „c couldn't evm move his lingers."