GENERAL IN TEARS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 213, 16 February 1915, Page 6

GENERAL IN TEARS.

HALF ANSWER THE KOT.L'CAU. Some idea of tin? important feat played by the Ist Manchester*, and tlieir heavy losses in recent fighting may lie obtained from the-following letters.'Private Manlev writes to liis mother at Salfor:— "We li;'.v<> just come out of tile, trendies after a great battle. Our general told us that if the Ist Manchester* lad not held on to the place from which tile French and (Jurkhas had retreated, our army would have been cut lip. He told us he was proud to be with us. While he was with us the tears were rolling down his cheeks. I can tell you It was heartrending when the roll was called. Men were looking round for their chums, and all the answer-; tliev could fret were 'dead' 'wounded,' and' 'blown up.' Then ihe letters and parcels came for Christmas presents, and wishing the in I*ll the host of liii'k—iind tlioy won; <loa<l. Wo Inst half of our regiment in the battle." Probably the same ineiden I. is referred to in the following letter, also written < l>y one of the Ist Mancliesters to his mother at lYndleton:— "Although we didn't get howled over in hundreds, we lost so many that it was necessary to creep back to cover as licst we could. Well, we lay in the mud dnring the whole of the night, and set oil' to attack the f'Vrntaus in the earlv morning, but something went wron*;:, . and I think that the Sitr-Ti saved our regiment, for wo found out afterwards that the Germans were jn great force. In the afternoon we were attacked nnd almost surrounded. fn the tivneh where I was we fought back to back for about a. quarter of an hour. "With the ; bullets falling like hail round us we ! dashed for it. A lot of us rallied in j the village, and went back and managed 5 to hang on until relief came up. They were just in time, for if their arrival j had been delayed a few hours the Ormans •would have captured a very imi portant position—so important, in fact, i