WAR NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 January 1916, Page 8

WAR NOTES.

"HOW OUR COLONEL DIED." Describing his personal sensations during the light leading up to the British victory at Loos, Private P. Davis, 19th London Regiment (St. Pancras), writes to bis parents;— "The old regiment did not want asking twice when, on Saturday morning, our line young colonel stood on the parapet and shouted 'l!)th London, the boys are calling you.' We were all over the top with a leap and a shout. The colonel told us a day or two before to 'take it game, and if we got a small wound to push on, and he acted up to it. He had not gone many yards before he got one, but he pluckily went on until another was his end. ' This was happenning! on all sides. First one officer, then another—your best pal would j>o down, and others beside him. Everybody seemed to be stopping something o; other, but the colonel's last words stuck in my ears, 'Push on, boys!' 1 ran on. It seemed like a nightmare. The harder I push on the further away the German first line seemed to become, and the more the bullets. At last, whai was left of us arrived at the German parapet, after me tearing half the seat of my trobsers away on their rotten barbed wire. After sticking a few and shooting others, we cleared the trench and went on to their second line, collared this, and then their third line. After getting this we rushed on to tin village. On our left the 'Jocks' werfr getting through, and our battalion and the lcilties rushed the village with a shout. It was a proper free fight as we pushed through every street. We bad to bomb them out of cellars and rooms, and in the square it was proper slaughter as wi^ mowed them down. At last wc got right through the village, and got what was left of them out into the opend. We got them back to the top of a Mil and held them them for four days,, when a division came am! relieved [us —what was left of us. Wo were only just hanging on when they arrived.