FIGHTING ON THE SOMME.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 December 1916, Page 9

FIGHTING ON THE SOMME.

maxaia boy's ixi-'ormative lvkttkk. Writes Sergeant ~\T. R. Stewart to his father (Mr. J. "R. 'Stewart, of Manaia): After putting in ten days at tin Soinnie with inn- boys. T got a bullet through the richt biceps, which cut the brachial artery, and I was fortunate to ,»cf back to a dressing station before losing very much blood. It was not until twelve hours later that r was operated on and the arm .fixed up. The doctors seem to think that I was lucky not to lose the arm, as it had 'been so long without cireulation and was badlv clotted with blood. Although still ii long w.iy from well, it is on the mend and should lie quite strong again in a few months. Of course, the main artery will never grow again, but the doctors say that the two parts will in time join up by means of smaller arteries, which will gradually grow. .Meantime the worst job is to keep the r.rm warm. I tried to get a cable through, but as all my clothes were cut off the night of tin- operation. I landed in the hospital without a cent, and I can't work this red-tape crowd to get anyJnoney through my pay-book.

Xow for the Somme: The wliolb countryside behind the lines is one ininieusi' workshop to a depth of some twenty miles. Infantry are continuously on the march, either in or out; the whole place is dotted with camps, and all shelters of any kind are occupied. Trains run every few minutes on half-a-dozen lines, and the roads are one moving mass of motor lorries and limber, with every here and there a battery of guns, while aerodromes are active all round. Overhead aeroplanes hover like gigantic birds. Thousands of German prisoners' and cheerful Tommies are at work road-making, and engineers are at work on the railway lines and canals, several of the latter being close at hand. During the lirst day or two we were working a few miles behind the lines on roads and advanced battery emplacements, and, except J'or a few big shells and many unpleasant gas and lachrymatory shells, things were not so had. Thousands of men are at work on the roads close up, and transports move up and down in one continuous stream. At all overcrowded points there are trallie police. .Many of, these are experienced men from large cities brought over specially for this v.'crk.

If a >hell lolis amongst tlie traffic, tlie wreckage 'n shifted as quickly as possiljK- on to (lio roadside, and the endless stream pushes forward again. Formerly this country was (lotted with small villages, ami there were many green woods. Now nothing green is left. A few odd piles of broken bricks mark the one-time sites of villages. liming tlie night ■«■<• move forward to the' front-line trenches, and preparations are made for a charge next'day. The objective is pointed out to officers and s<Tgeants, and "zero" time is fixed, and the first lift, of our artillery ban-ape takes place at two minutes after zero. Our big guns in tlie rear open up en the German front line about two hours previous to zero time, and at zero our l ; ght £ims put a shrapnel barrage fifty yards in advance of our front trench to keep the Kims out of the shell holes in "No Man's land. This fire lifts fifty yards every two minutes, the infantry advance beginning with the first lift. The men advance at a walk, keeping fifty yards behind the barrage. Long waves of infantry follow at distances of about thirty yards until all are out of the trenches, which are then occupied by the. supporting companies coming from the rear. When the first wave is about one hundred yards from the enemy's trench our heavy guns are elevated to the German second line, and the barrage (light guns) lifts to the area behind the enemy first line. Then bayonets become useful, and there is hot work for a few minutes. Aeroplanes hover round a few hundred feet overhead, aril keep our artilleryposted as to where the front lines of our fellows have got to. As soon as the Germans are wiped out the trenches are put into a defensive state for our own crowd, and those supporting companies come through us and on to the next trench line in a similar manner, while other companies coming continuously through from the rear carry the game on. tt is a wonderful experience to walk forward over shell-torn' ground, with shells falling all round and bullets Hying everywhere, regardless of falling comrades ami with only the one fired determination—to get at the enemy with the bayonet. Often the Germans bolt before we ' can get to grips, and then the rifles speak, our men shooting genua lly while standing. Then follows riore rain, slush and crawling through shell, holes for a day or two, and then -again once more .onward! ~ .\r*,j