NEW ZEALANDERS IN ACTION.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 August 1917, Page 4

NEW ZEALANDERS IN ACTION.

NEW UNITS DO WELL. ■ LETTER MSOM GENERAL GODJjES". By Telegraph.—3?i;ess Association. Wellington, Last Night. The following i s an extract- from a letter from General Godley received recently by Sir James Allen and read in the House this afternoon:— The Tunnelling Company did very well in the Apus battle and gained great kudos frbm' the other N.Z. units. I Besides tjiis division, our army field ari tillery brigade was also under ray command arid did vory well, and I am glad to say that the new brigade also arrived just in time for the battle. : It was most useful, supplying carrying parties, doing road f work, etc., during Ihe first fe*v days, and I tlten put it into a defensive bit of line, from which it has since advanced a little. It has taken some German trenches. A patrol from it did a, very good pieoc of work'last nighsr crossing a pontoon bridge over the river Lvb, penetrating,into a village, and bringing back some prisoners. Altogether the bngado has excellently undergone its baptismal fire,

"I am sorry ! to say that CoJonet Fletcher, commanding the 3rd Uattalioa. the Wellington Regiment, is ibadly wounded, but hope he may be all right. Colonel Allen is, I am glad to say almost convalescent. I also managed to got a New Zealand stationary 'hospital up near here before the battle, so that i looked after many of our wounded from the division, etc. A squadron of the Otago Mounted Rifles, of mv corps of cavalry, also did well,' and was r£ sponsible tor a statement in a German communique that the British cavalry had crossed the ridge, had charged, and had been repulsed with great slaughter, few of them getting.back. Wis was quite true, as it was only a few, patrols of the Otago Mounted Rifles which caused Buch commotion. They galloped to the | snipers post, helped towards capturing a couple of guns, and brought hack some useiul information. Altogether lam glad'to say there were a good many New Zealand units, besides the division engaged in battle, and I am able to give you a good account of them all "Since I last wrote to you we have had n,i,?.?° i'i°re • fighting, and I have advanced the iront of, my corps an average distance of about ij-.mile on a front of about four miles. Much of this was done, and done well, bv the division. I will write again and tetT you more whea things are more settled down"