IRISH GUARDS' STAND.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 140, 6 November 1914, Page 8

IRISH GUARDS' STAND.

A RAOE WITH GERMAXB. A story of a fine stand by the Irish Guards was told to the London Evening News by one of the British soldiers who was wounded in the fighting at Compiegno on September 1, when ten of the enemy's guns were captured:—

"Wo were in a field when die Germans dropped on us all of a riuidcn. The first hint we had of thuir pv< n.-nce was when a battery of guns on the -iglit sang oul. dropping shells into a ji;<.b or us. who were, waiting for our turn at the washtub—the river. There \v;.s no panic as !;ir as I could see, only some of our fellows who had not had a wash for a lons' time said strong- about the Germans for spoiling the best chance we r.ad had for four days'. We all ran to our . posts, in response to .the bugles which rang out all along the line. "By the time we all stood to arms the German cavalry came into view in groat strength' all along the left front. As soon as they came within range we poured a deadly vola-/ into them, emptying saddles right and left, and tliev scattered in all directions. Meanwhile the artillery kept working up c'o.wr on the front, and a dark cloud of itfiintry showed' out ng.in.it the sky■"nc on our front, advancing in'a for-' mation rather loo*!' for the Germans. We opened on them, and they made a fine target for our ride f re, which was veri' well supported by our artillery. The fire from our guns was vcrv cfTec live, the, range being fond with ease, and we could Bee shells dropping right into the enemy's ranks. Here and there ; heir lines began to waver and give way. ind finally they disappeared. Half aii 'lour later more ■.infantry appeared on '■•!■ '"ight front, but we could not sav whether it was the. same or another body. This time they were well supnoted by by artillery, machine guns, .-nd strong forces on both flanks. "All came ou at a i-mart ,nace. with the aonarent plan of sewing the hill on our right. At the fbt.i ■• moment our cavalry came into view. Then the whole guards' brigade advnncrd. Tt was realty a race between the two p-irties to Teach the It'll first, but the Germans won easily, owing to their b'"ng nearer bv _ half a mile. As soon as their guns and ' infantry had taken up a position the cavalry came along in a huge mass, ■■■l th the intention of riding down the Irish Guards, who were nearest to them. When the shock come it terrific to us m the distance. Tb Irishmen d-'d not recoil in the least, but flung themselves right across the p:t!h of the German horsemen. We could hear the crack of the rifles ami see the German horses impaled on'the baronets of the front ranks of the guardsmen. "Then the whole force of the infantry and cavalrv were mixed itn in one confused head, like so -uiam nieces from a iiwaw puzzle. The rMIr from the British and German batteries kept dropp!ng close to the tangleil mass of fightin<? men, and then we saw the German horsemen get clear and take to flight as fast as their horses would carry them, Some had no horses, and they were baroneted they stood."