BRILLIANT EPIC AT COURCELETTE.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 November 1916, Page 5

BRILLIANT EPIC AT COURCELETTE.

CANADIANS RET AHEAD OF THE "TANKS." AMUSING INCIDENTS.- - PRISONERS CARRY THEIR WOUNDED CAPTOR. British Headquarters in the Field, September 21. I heard to-day the story of the carryitig of Coureelette by the Canadians. From out of the disjointed venions of .various men, supplementing or correcting one another, there emerged the features of as brilliant an epic as the sons of the Maple Leaf have ever yet been the hcroo; of. There were many French-C'ana'ia?is in the "Xlop-up" battalion which went forward for the purpose of seizing ai.d clearing out the village. Coureelette had been less ruthlessly "straied" than moat of the surrounding places, and still presented a decent sembiitue to a group of houses flanking the slight curve of the main street. It has since been ascertained that the Germans in the place very largely outnumbered their attackers, a discovery which has caused profound mortification to the captured officers. Tho advance was across a wide and very. exposed slope, over which the assaulting waves had to move <! : agonally. in inclined lines, so as to clear obstructions. The artillery fire was heavy, and as the Canadians advanced machine guns began to chatter in rapidly swelling dissonance. But it was all so like oldtime warfare, after their months of sitting down in the dismal Ypres salient, as to bo greatly to 1 the taste of the Canadians. They saw green grey figures scurrying away before them and van' ishing into tlie'earth. Some wonderful deeds of bravery marked that storming of the village. An officer leapt out of a communication trench, rushed straight at a machine gun which was streaming bullets at our ranks, emptied hie. revolver amongst the erew, returned dragging the weapon with him, pitched it over into the trench, stood for an instant poised upon the parapet shouting that he was swayed and sank down with a bullet through him. "THE CHAMPING MONITORS." Some "tanks" had been detailed to take part in the operations, and what fine work one of these did in clearing out a sugar refinery has already been told. Ktit the Canadians swore that they wero not going to bo led into action by any mere machines, and went on well ahead of the. champing monitors. The French-Canadians fought with a frenzy that was irresistible, and havj added imperishable glory to their laurels The "Mop-up" lads did their business very thoroughly among the dug-outs, sending back a "kamerad" brigade of about 700 strong. The sight of a men boy of 17 marshalling a dozen crestfallen Bodies under cover of his revolver was a typical incident of this great fight. Rigiit through the village they went, and out beyond it, occupying the cemetery and the stone quarry, the latter place within biscuit toss of a strongly held German trench. Later a very amusing episode, resulting in a quite unrehearsed triumph, was enacted in this quarry. The order had been given to form line in rear of the place, but four men lingered awhile, apparently discussing some of the loot they had brought away from their tour of the dug-outs. Suddenly one of them noticed that tl\e Germans were lining their parapet, manifestly to counter-attack. The enemy had no means, however, of observing how many men held the quarry. So thn priceless quartette fell to running about / shouting and cheering as lustily as their lungs would permit, and incessantly firing their rifles, seemingly from a dozen places at once. The- Germans on the parapet melted away, and no attack came. GERMAN DOCTOR'S FINK WORK. A German doctor who war, captured went cut and did fine work in the streets of the village, both among the Canadian wounded and his own people. He was very resentful, however, at being escorted by an armed sentry, protesting that he was not a combatant officer, and that his work was confined to attending the wounded. But the Colonel of the "Mopups" was taking no risks, and, therefore, he was certainly right to make sure that tho German doctor found no opportunity of slipping back to his own side, to report upon the situation in Coureelette. The Bodies several times burst shrapnel uncomfortably near, and once the doctor shook his fist in their direction and roared put some indignant comments. For sheer fortitude and presence of mind I think it would be rather hard to match the warrior who was marching in five Germans when ne was wounded and brought to the ground. Covering them with rapid sweeping movements of his weapon, he threatened to shoot the first who trind to escape. He then made them improvise him a stretcher from discarded rifles lying about and carry him into his own trench, al! the while volubly reiterating his threats against any signs of insubordination. Seven times during the first night after taking Coureelette were the Canadians attacked. But they held every yard of their gains unbudgingly until they were relieved.—Router's Special.