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BATTLE OF THE ANCRE.

SHOWN AT EVERYBODY'S. This picture, which is being exhibited under the auspices of the Y.M.C.A., was shown in Everybody's theatre last night, when a two-night season began. Starting with the forging of the great guns at the munition works in England, the film showed with great clearness and exactness of detail the preparation being made for the battle of the Anere. The loading of fodder, for men and guns, the transport difficulties, which were encountered and overcome, the ingenious devices used, and the wisdom and forethought brought to bear, were exhibited in the magnitude of this undertaking, and the minute working out of every detail. Every arm of the service was shown, each small unit following its allotted course and fitting into the whole comprehensive plan of campaign. The great 6in and Sin howitzers, screened from aerial observers under a flimsy cover of wire netting and foliaga belched forth their messengers of death. Motor machine guns were hurried into position over rough roads; long lines of horses brought up their packs of food and water for the men, and ammunition for the guns. It was in this battle that the tanks were first used. These lumbering giants crawled over trenches, flattened down fences, and slowly but surely pursued their mission of death. Regiments of soldiers—English, Irish. . Scotch, and Colonial—were seen, on horse and foot, moving steadily forward to their allotted place. Knee deep in mud, they struggled bravely on, always cheerful. Column after Column went by, big brave men. Next day, stretcher-bearers, dressing stations, and ambulance vans, the sad aftermath of the battle. The picture does not run to harrowing details nor does it purport to show the troops in actual battle. It is not faked, it shows what actually happened before and after the big fight, and its realism gets home, its story rings true for the very reason that it does not attempt the impossible. After seeing this picture, one reads the pen pictures of the war correspondents with keener perception of what war really is, and a better realisation of the vast undertaking which preparations for a big offensive entail. The famous "tanks" are seen at close range, and their usefulness in an infantry advance can well be imagined. They have proved a formidable ally in many a tight corner. The final scene shows the surviving soldiers retiring" to rest billets, covered with trophies, glory, and mud, but mostly mud. Ruined heaps, the remains of one-time villages and the scarred landscape, pockmarked with shell holes, were clearly shown in the devastating track of war. Some views of the New Zealand troops in Egypt concluded the programme.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TDN19171031.2.17

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Taranaki Daily News, 31 October 1917, Page 3

Word count
Tapeke kupu
443

BATTLE OF THE ANCRE. Taranaki Daily News, 31 October 1917, Page 3

BATTLE OF THE ANCRE. Taranaki Daily News, 31 October 1917, Page 3

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