WESTERN ATTACK.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 July 1917, Page 5

WESTERN ATTACK.

THE BATTLE OF NIEUPORT.

1A TRAGIC STORY. HEROISM OF KING'S RIFLES AND NORTHAMPTONS. EIGHT TO THE LAST MAN. NO CHANICE OP ESCAPE. Received July 15, 5.5 p.m. London, July 14. Mr. 'Philip Gibbs says that the heroic battle on the dunes at Newport, where the lung's Royal Rifles and the Northamptons made their last stand behind the Yscr Canal, can never il>e forgotten. The bombardment in the early morning of the 10th was unexpected by the British, who had only a short time before taken over the sector. The men were luxuriating in their position on the seashore, and some were bathing When the attack opened. From the trenches, tunnels, concrete emplacements, and breastworks between the coast and Lombartzyde the enemy began putting a barrage down on the front line, from many batteries of large howitzers. After an hour of this there was a pause, and then a wall of shells crossed the canal and churned the s'-aid for another hour, and this alternation of the tornado of sheila between the front and the support line was continued. During an interval of a quarter of an hour, officers went down the line telling the men they must fight to the death, as the bridges were broken behind and there was no way of escape. It was impossible to get messages to the rear, and practically impossible to leave dugouts and reconnoitre the situation. Eight aeroplanes overhead, flying low, poured in machine gunfire. After twelve hours, all tie German batteries poured in shells for threequarters of an hour without pause, then the first three waves of marines advanced with bombing parties, and heavily outnumbered the few scattered groups of the King's Rifles and Northamptons. They came on in a crescent formation. Ono portion for an hour was trying to work around the flank of the King's, white the other tried to outflank the Northamptons. A party of German ma-chine-gunners crept along the line of sand, advancing at law tide, and enfiladed the support lines. Another party attacked the tunnel which was the headquarters of the King's. Two platoons of the King's fought almost to the last man. a little group of five behind a sandbank finally remaining. Meanwhile the Northamptons were fighting desperately, and sent a message to the 'Britishers at Lamb&rtzyde to form a barrier to prevent the enemy coming through. The Northamptons had no chance of escape. Their machinegunners were put out of action and buried in the sand. One gunner got one gun into action, but it jammed. With a curse, the gunner flung it" into the Yser, jumped in himself and swam back 'to the British lines. Another tried to drag him back to the canal, with the hopfs of swimming back with him. "Don't mind me," said the gunner, "but smash my gun and get baok." There was no time to discuss the matter, so the gun was smashed and the wounded man was left. A sergeant of the Northamptons, who swain Ibaek, saw the end of a little group of officers surrounded by marine bombers. They fought to the last with their revolvers.

Meanwhile, oil the tanks of the canal, Britishers too -weak to swim, as they were dripping with blood, were trying to get 'back to the British lines. Some gahant fellow on the Nieuport side swam with a rope, .under heavy fire, and fixed it so that the surviving Uorthamptons would be aible to drag themselves across. There were only a few of tftem, but enough to reconstruct a tragic tale. The enemy did 1 not reach the canal bank, but dug themselves- in 300 yards away, ANOTHER ACCOUNT. BRITISH TAKEN AT A DISADVANTAGE,

United Press. 'Received July 15, 5.16 p.m.

London, July 14. ' The headquarters correspondent states that nothing in the war surpassed the fury of the fighting on the sand dunes. The British were taken at a tremendous disadvantage, but they fought to the last man, scarcely any of the survivors coming out unwounded. These escaped by swimming the Yser. Tbo .German bombardment began at six o'clock in the morning upon the front line, and then lifted, deluging the support trenches and reserve positions all day. It reached its maximum intensity at 3 p.m. Droves of German aeroplanes came over, flying low, ma-chine-gunning and directing the artillery. Already the British had suffered heavily, but tho remainder stuck to their .post's awaiting the attack.

Tins battlefield had become a maelstrom of smoke, steel, and flying sand. The Germans barraged the front lino in the evening while the marines charged. Hardly a British machine-gun was workable, owing to being choked with sand. Then ensued the "bloodiest hand-to-hand battle, revolvers, (bayonets, and clubbed rifles being used until practically none survived of the English lads. A heroic wounded man swam back in the Yscr with a rope, enabling the wounded non-swimmers to pull themselves across. The reserves counterattacked southward of Lombartzyde, retaking a section of the trenches. GERMAN BOMBING RAID. Aus. and N.Z. Cable 'Assoc. and Reuter. Received July 15, 11.5 p.m. London, July 14. A French cotamunique states: We cheeked several enemy attempts south of St. Quentin. There is violent artillery activity on the left bank of the Meuse. German aeroplanes bomlbed the entire region north of Nancy, two women and children being killed.