PASSCHENDAELE.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 January 1918, Page 6

PASSCHENDAELE.

VIVID STORY OF GRIM FIGHT The following story has been received by a Marton resident from a New Zealander, who took part in the Battle of Passchendaele, and who was afterwards awarded the Military Medal: [ No. 1 New Zealand General Hospital, | Brockenhurst, Hants, England. November 18th, 1917. Hou will see by the heading where I am. You have, no doubt, seen in the papers about our doings on the Passchendaele Ridge on October 4 and 12, and the casualty lists will tell you it was a tough job. It was rather an easy task on the 4th. Of course We had casualties, but? light compared to the amount we gained. On the 12th things were not so ?asy. The weather was simply awful, nnd I a;a unable to give you anything like .in accurate description of it. There are no trenches in the line nowadays, I only mud, knee-deep, and waist-deep, and I shell-holes full of water. We got drenj rfhed on the night of the lltli while going | forward to the assembly ground. I can assure you it is a great strain on the nerves waiting under such conditions. It was a great relief to ail when the order came "Over you go, bov,;.'' Well, ' wo only made a small advance owing to the awful weather. The artillery could not support us properly wing to the j guns shifting on their foundations. The ground has all been turned up over and over again by shelling on either side, and of course, it is just one vast quagmire. We were held up by uncut wire entanglements, pill-boxes, etc. No man could have done more than we under such conditions At dark an officer came along calling for volunteers for extra' stretcherbearers, and I think every man volunteered. It was cruel to think of our poor mates lying ojiit in such awful weather. It took six, and sometimes eight, men to carry each -stretches, and nearly six hours to reach the receiving station. The road had been shelled by both sides for months, consequently was terribly cut up. It was just one sea of mud and absolutely impossible to pick our foot steps. Every few .yards some one would sink up to the waist in a shell-hole, and it wculd take two or three to pull him out. However, we worked at it night and day and had all our wounded removed by i 10 a.m. Sunday. We were relieved at dark the same night. I'm afraid we v ere a sorrv-looking lot. I don't think you would have recognised nie, as I was so caked with mud, even my face, was covered with it. and I had not had a slmve for over a week. I was thinking how lucky I was getting through such a tight corner, but 1 was counting my chickens before t'hev were hatched, as I woke up about midnight to find I. was : gassed, and my eyes streaming with ! water. Bv the time daylight came I was j"quire blind, and did not get my sight back for three days. I was sent out to I the casualty clearing station at Popcrj inghe with a lot more and kept there two days. We were then sent by train to Rouen, had nearly 24- hours' journey, but did not mind it as the trains are very '■veil fitted up and run so smoothly; the sisters and orderlies are also very at- , tenlive. When I /readied the hospital j 1 had lost my voice, and. did not get it 1 Lack for foilr or five davs. My tempera-

lure was also very liigli, and I was very nearly a "goner." At one time 1 thought I would not see Kew Zealand again. But you know, >Jack> a fellow puts up a big fight when he is up against it. It'was very liard for me lying there, seeing so many of our boys going off to Bliyhty,

I was too ill to travel. However, I got away at last and arrived here on November 3. It was a treat to get there among our own people—the New Zealand sisters are so jolly and do all then can to make the fellows forget all about tie 'horrible side of war.,