FIGHTING AT YPRES.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 December 1917, Page 6

FIGHTING AT YPRES.

IN THE THICK OF IT. 'TARANAKI BOY'S INTERESTING ACCOUNT. Writing to a New Plymouth friend, under date November 2, Sergeant Hugh Eraser, formerly of the News' literary staff, gives the 'following interesting account of life in Flanders and the tecent fighting in which the New Zealanders have figured and suffered:— By now all the world knows from the English newspapers that we have been in the muddy strife in Flanders, and as the operations of the New Zealanders in this part of the battle front have now concluded I feel that I am not revealing any military secrets if I give you a few impressions of our latest venture and its new experiences. A pretty story can hardly be told of this war—it is a grim and sordid business at best—hut when I last wrote to you it was to tell of trench warfare in the spring, when everything was green and fresh in the long days of summer sunshine and when the°wild flowers grew to the edges of the trenches, providing a setting which at least lightened the destructive effect of the daily shelling, and gave a bright touch which minimised the atmosphere of rude shocks and unpleasant awakeninas. If a pretty story could lie.written of"the war these were the days when it should have ibeen told, for our visit to the Flanders front has removed those visions, and one now thinks of the battlefield as a place of mud, rain, grey skies, and long nights, for though the ■winter has not yet set in, it was in wintry weather conditions that we were introduced to our new sector. Three days' marching., a halt at a- rest camp, another day on the road through wrecked villages, and then through Yprcs to the trenches. In the failing light t!7e ruins of this once fine city, nowjvrecked more thoroughly than fire and earthquake could destroy, appeared as a vision of some ancient town. Part of the spire and four tumbling walls stood boldly out from the wreckage to mark where once stood one of the finest cathedrals in Flanders, while all around there "was a suggestion of Stonchenge on a vast scale. NOTHING LEFT TO DESTROY. ' ' "re is nothing left to destroy, and the city lies crumbled and smashed in the subdued quiet of a graveyard. On we went until we lost the road ana wending our way along the duck-board tracks we were soon in a locality which told us that the front line was not far away. '■Here we are again." I heard someone remark, "the sa,mc old shell hole?, the. same guns barking away, the same mud, and the same rotten trenches." I thought of Bairnsfather's description, and might have added, "and the same old war." But it was not quite the same. The grrfund was wet and muddy, shell-holes were so closely grouped that in place o , they touched, farm houses were toppling ruins in brick, and not a-tree was allowed to show itself more than a few feet above ground. A desolate scene stretched over the lowlying ground in all directions. By night it was a black waste; by day a stretch of shell holes, water-bogged and broken trenches, bare of anything green to brighten the scene. Tlie next few days we spent in an old German trench which the British took when they rolled the enemy back in the early stages of the Flanders offensive, and though it had been badly battered by our shells there was plenty of evid•e of the thorough system Fritz emjploys in making his trenches. It contained some splendid dug-outs—huge concrete structures which would survive anything beyond a few direct hits from "big stufT" —and the trench itself was a particularly solid and well-constructed line of defence. Here the same thought came to several of us. Did Fritz and his companions expect to leave them? It certainly seemed as if he had provided a home for the winter here, for his work was so complete that I cannot help thinking he had "dug in" for the winter. This was his front before we started to move and over the country where the Germans have been pushed back to a depth of several miles we saw no trench approaching this for solidness. In this area he has "pill-boxes" seattered here and there, and shell-holes and roughly constructed pieces of trench have served him (and served him ttadly, incidentally) rather than trenches. What a wretched wilderness this battlefield is can only t)e appreciated by those who have seen it. "OVER THE TOP."

In respect of the actual fighting we were engaged in it was a mixed experience, but fhe most thrilling was the day we went "over the top." It was a cold, dark and rainy morning and we had spent a miserable night in shellholes awaiting the dawn, which would be the signal to go forward. Fritz also had an idea of attacking that morning, but we anticipated him. But his plan 3 did not improve our lot, for about 5.30 a.m. he opene<| with a veritable rain of shells on our position, which was a regular inferno for half an hour, and many of our good chaps "went west" in that dreadful half-hour. Three of us ia one shell hole to ours two were killed and being partially buried, but in the next shall hole to ours two were killed and one wounded badly. It's all chance in this game. Then our barrage opened and in the first light of dawn we heard the officer's voice call "Come on, you chaps,"- and every chap roused himself, and went ahead. The ground was wet and sloppy, and winding amongst the shell holes progress was a little slow at first, but we were soon under way. From now on we just went on. I don't pretend to remember all the incidents of the next half-hour, but so thoroughly had our barrage done its work that we went ahead for a good distance unmolested. The wounded and dead Germans were lying everywhere, while here and there one or two who had survived lurked in shell holes, and they were made prisoner and sent back. Soon we had reached our objective and the order was given to "dig in." We still had the protection of our splendid barrage, but now was the opportunity for the German snipers and ma-chine-guns in front. They made, us keep our heads down and no time <vas lost in digging our trench and getting connected up on either flank, although this work was carried through quickly and thoroughly, it was not done before the cleverly concealed Hun snipers had some, what thinned our ranks. After this (tilings were fairly quiet for an hour or two, until Fritz commenced to "search" 'for our new line, and then we came in •for a good bit of shelling. That evening I was one of a party detailed to go out and dig a strong-point in front, and tere again we met the inevitable sniper, vflxo T-Mgret to say deprived us of th'rse «-&«* fOfidr fellows, Sf gisbtfaU «U

was well and from then until wo were relieve! we had a fairly quiet time. It was a great fcxperience for those who survived, and it was a pleasant fpw days' spell .we had before we went in again. Our losses were made up by reinforcements, and later we went in and "held the line" for uver a week. It was a quiet experience after our first venture, but we were all glad when wc got relieved and said farewell to the mud and rain. To sum up my impressions is simply to say that "it's great after it's over."