HIGHLANDERS' GALLANT CHARGE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 143, 11 November 1914, Page 7

HIGHLANDERS' GALLANT CHARGE.

THE BLACK IWATCH AT 'ST. QUENTIN. London, October 2nd. Private Walter Morton, of the Ist Battalion Black Watch (of which Reginiennt LMr. P. K. Campbell, of Christchurch as a lieutenant), Sends a graphic description of the magfrilicent charge of jiis regiment at ' ot. Quentin to Uie Scotsman. Private Morton, who belongs to Falkirk, says. "We went straight ,from Boulogne to Mons, being one of the. first British regiments to reach that place. Neither army seemed to have a very good position there, but the numbers of the Germans were far too great to give us any chance of success. AYo were hard at it all day on the Monday, and on Tuesday, as the • French reinforcements whiciii we ] had been expecting did not arrive, the order was given to Ivtijrc.

"In our retreat we marched close upon I eighty miles. We passed through Ganibrai anil a halt was called at St. Quent'hi. The Gentians in their mail rush to get to Paris had seldom been far behind us, and when we came to St. Quentin the word went through the ranks that we were going into action. * The men were jubilant at the prospect. They had not been at all pleased at their continued retirement before the enemy, and they at onco started to get things ready. The engagement opened briskly, both our artillery and the Ge.vnia.ns' going at it for all they were worth. !\Vo were in-good skirmishing order, and under the cover of our guns »r were' all the tuni» getting nearer to the enemy. When we had conic to within 100 -yards of the Herman lines, the commands were Issued for a, charge, and the lllack Watch made the charge along with the Scots tireys. Not far from us the flt'h Lancers and the O.uueronians joined in the attack. It was- tin? finest thing J ever saw. The .Neots Greys galloped forward with us harig'ng on to their stirrups, and it wa.s a s'.ght never 1o he forgotten. We were simply being ilragged' by the iiors.s. as they flew forward through a perfect cloud of bullels from the enemy's Maxims. All other sounds were drowned by the thunder of the horses' hoofs as they careered wildly on, some of them nearly driven mad by the bullets which st'uo!; them. It was no time for much thinking. Saddles were being emptied quickly as wc closed on to the (ieninin lines. and tore past their .Maxim;;, whic'i were iji the front rank's. "We were on the German gunners before they knew where tbov were, and many of them went down in t-ifir gore, scarcely realising we were amongst thcim Then the frnv commenced in deadly earnest. The .TSlaek Watch and the Scots Grevs went into it like, men possessed. They fought like demons. It was our bayonets aga.ir.st the Germans' swords. You could see nothing but the glint of steel, and soon even that was wanting as our hoys got well into the midst of the enemy. The German swords were no use against us. and just clas'hed again the bayonet'.'; as the new blood-stained steel was sent, well home time and again. 'Phry went down in hundreds, and still the deadly work of the havonet continued

The enemy began to waver as tile carnage amongst them increased, and they soon broke and fled before the bayonets like rabbits before a shot of a gun. Still the slaughter went on. with here and there a fierce hand-to-hand exchange, where Germans with their retreat cut off fought to the last. We knew what our men had come, through, and we did not foract tiicml "There were about IflOft of us in that charge ngain'st 20.000 Germans, and the charge itself lasted four hours. We

;ool: close upon <I(WM) prisoners, and captured a lot of their guns. In the course of Hie h'sfhtirg 1 trot a cut from a German sword —they are very .much like saws—and fell into a pool of water, ivhero T ! ay ■nncnnfrfmis for twentvt'hrce hours, I w.3 picked rip by one of Hie i'tll Lanf.-irs, - ||^^M—nMMM ———.