THE WESTERN FRONT.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 December 1918, Page 6

THE WESTERN FRONT.

| PRESS DELEGATES. > r! 'IN THE BRITISH ZONE.' The most interesting as well as the most thrilling part of the tour was the visit to the Western front. It was made more thrilling by the fact that on four separate days the party were well within the zone of shell fire. This part of the tour was somewhat delayed, owing to the later arrival of the Australian and South African' delegates, but the expedition eventually get out for France on the first Sunday in September. There were in the party 12 representatives from Australia, six each from New Zealand and South Africa, and one from Newfoundland, making 25 in all. The intention was that the first week should be devoted to the British front and the second week to the French. The three sections- of I the party were located for the first week at points convenient to their respective units, where they, were to make their daily journeys by motor-car. finally joining together and making Paris the headquarters for the second part of the tour. Consistently with this arrangement, the New Zealander-s Were domiciled at the British Victors' Chateau, an historic mansion situated in beautiful grounds in the northern part of France, where they had every reason to be satisfied and even delighted with their accommodation and entertainment. Their lives were most certainly cast in pleasant places. The next day was agreeably and interestingly spent in inspecting an immense bakery at Calais, where a quarter of a million rations were prepared daily, a great factory employing much female labor, where ,old war material was converted into new, and in watching the arrival of an ambulance train (was this not the transference of wounded men from train to steamer?) and the transfer of the wounded to a hospital ship This work was chiefly done by German prisoners. ALBERT AND BAPAUMS. The second day was devoted to the long-expected and ardently-desired visit to the New Zealand front. For the firat part, our route lay through beautiful and most fertile country, covered with ripening crops, but gradually the scene changed, and we na>7 o'l either hand the abandoned trcnchea, the dilapidated Btrctcbes of barbed wire, and the wrecked buildings that indicated thai we ha-i reached the war zone. If any further evidence of that fact v?ere required, it was furnished by the streams of transport and ambulance waggons, travelling in either direction, the soldiers in companies or straggling in twos or threes, and the group 3 of Tommies chatting and omoking at the corners of roads or resting by the way-side. Occasionally we passed what had once been a village, and was marked &3 ?uch on our maps, but was how merely a patch of brickf and mortar with scarcely one stone standing on another, Thus we made our progress till wc rsaehed Albert, once a well-populated and, prosperous town, but now a heap of ruins. The destruction of Albert had been very recent, because it was captured by the. Germans in the push of March last, and Was recovered by the British only a fortnight before our visit. The traces of German occupation, and especially their signposts, roughly constructed from packing cases, were visible on every hand. Though. Albert was a scene of civilian activity in the earlier part of this year, with it 3 picture shows, estammeti, and 3iiops doing thriving business, it was now a hopeless heap of ruins. We traversed the streets, inspected the ruins of the once fine cathedral, and realised to some slight extent what war Teally means.

TO BAPAUME. But our desire was to push on to Bapaume, which the New Zcalander3 had taken a few days previously, and wc had no time to waste in fruitless sentimentalising over the fate af Albert. Our course lay in a north-easterly direction, and we passed through such well-known places at La Boisellc, Pozieres, Abeloy, Thiepval, La Sara, Courcellette, and Wollancourt, which were all mere heaps of ruins. They existed only as names on the map. At Thiepval we saw a cage of German prisoners, just in from the front, and conversed with some of the men, all of whom appeared to be of a sturdy and well-f3d type. Those we spoke to declared frankly that they were tired of the war, and they said that the feeling in their linea was that it was immaterial who won 30 long as the war came to an end We found General Russell and his staff in a tiny hutment at Grevilliers, which had been the German headquarters not many day 3 previously, and which ia appearance i-esemfrted an immense corrugated iron tank on its side. However, It was useful and comfortable, and as the New Zealanders were rapidly pushing on, was only a temporary domicile. Grevilliers is rather more than a mile to the west of Bapaume. We gathered from the General that the Now Zealanders had started their advance trom Gommiecourt a fortnight previously, hid encircled Bipaume on iwo sides rod compelled itn evacuation, had pushed on rapidly in open country, taking Haplincourt only that morning, and tfcat it was difficult to keep ia touch with tie Germans, who were retreating rapidly. : . TJ.c party. pushed on to Bapaume under the guidance of Captain •Maleoln)i,Epss, and found it completely iii. ; ruins*-!. They then made a tour of the battlefield'beyond, visiting Haplincourt, which had been taken that morning, and many German dead and some wounded who-lay where the battle had beens'fought. It was an interesting, even if a gruesome sight. To the disappointment of the party, the visit to the Jlew Zealand front was limited to three hours, because the division was still in action, and our endeavors to prolong the stay or resume the visit next day, in the hope of seeing more of our little army, was unavailing. We were in the hands of Army Headquarters. However, we appreciated the privilege of being permitted to visit the division at tll'Vhen it was engaged with the entity, and we left the General and the Meni whom we met with cordial wishes foMheir ultimate victory and safe return. There was a thrilling side to our visit in the fact that the booming of artillery was incessant; '.ve could hear the rattle of machine-guns, and occasionally a shell exploded within measurable distance <jf us. , , ,_ f '. ;s »• YPRES. Our second expedition was to Ypres, where the New Zealanders spent Christmas of last year, and around, which some of the heaviest fighting of the war . haß taken place. On the way we called Mjfci-lutfwiM***"-' l ' *h» XMrJto&ul

engineering section, who are • working a branch railway in this neighbourhood, and had a delightful lunch with Major Dansey and his officers in an artistical-ly-furnisTied little hutment. The trip from this spot to Ypres was made in a tiny railway with a quaint observation car. which was wonderfully convenient. At Ypre3 we were once more in the active war zone. Artillery was pounding away heavily behind and in front of us, aeroplanes were soaring placidly aloft like immense birds, apparently indifferent to the shrapnel bursting around them in grey puffs, while occasionally the' crackle of a machine-gun could be easily distinguished. Several miles beyond we could see Mount Kemmel, from which the Germans had been driven several days previously, and which they were now bombarding heavily. In the distance was the famous Messines ridge, which the New Zealanders assisted to take last year, and we were enabled to watch with interest a British battery of artillery sending its 0.2 shells over the ridge into the German positions, at a range of six mile 3. Each of these shells weighs 2Bolbs and cost £25, so that the bombardment was a somewhat costly business. We strolled through Ypres, saw the hopeless ruins which are all that is left of the famous Cloth Hall and Cathedral, and realised a little of the price Belgium has paid in its wrecked homes and its streets of pretentious shops now lying waste. And all the time the heavy cannoning continued like a furious thunderstorm.

yiMY AND ARRAS. On our way to Vimy next day, we called on General Home, the commander of the First Army, at his headquarters, and had an interesting chat with him. Vimy was a most interesting spot. Here in the Soudez valley, with the French on one ridge and tl'io Germans on the other, was fought the battle for the French coalfields. To and fro the battle swayed, the French losing 40,000 men, but the Germans being driven on to Vimy ridge. Up the slopes, the Canadians and Scottish fought them foot by foot, the trenches sometimes being only Bft. apart, and eventually driving them over the top, and capturing the position in a single day. We sat on the top of the ridge, and watched the battlefront around Lens, which was distant from us on the level ground about three miles. Half a mile on our left a British battery .was pounding away at the German front line, and we could see the smoke and dust as each shot burst overhead. A German aeroplane was making observations, and presently the Germans returned the fire. Our guides thought our location rather risky, and separating into small group?, we slowly beat a retreat. Thence we motored to Arras, which is the key to the Channel ports, and around which the gway of battle ha 3 continued for four years. At one time the Allies held the town and the Germans the suburbs, and the barbed wire defences in the city still remain. The Cathedral and Town Hall ara h ruins, but while many of the buildings are damaged, the greater number are apparently intact. From the trenches outside the town we watched the shelling on either side, the aeroplanes overhead, which vrere continual objects of target practice, and wc could hear the incessant sound of artillery and raacliine-gun fire. Arras was not by any means a safe place. While we Were enjoying coffee in a dug-out, a shell burst at the receiving station close by, and we saw in the street several dead horses that had been killed the (lav before. The town was being heavily shelled when we left, and was hidden behind us by a dense pall of smoke.

FRENCH ZONE. There still remained to us a full week out of the thirteen days allotted to the Western front, and though we had been disappointed at not having two or three days at least with the New Zealand ])ivision, we were congratulating ourselves upon the prospect of a visit to several of the more important centres in the French theatre of war. To come extent, however, we were doomed to disappointment. Ona of the chief spots of interest to 113 wa3 Verdun, where the French had made their magnificent stand against the Germans in 1916, and we were glad that this place was included in the itinerary of the tour. However, Ave had not reckoned upon the exigencies of war. When we were settmg out upon our motor journey to Paris, which was to be our head-quar-ters for the rest of the trip, we were informed that a big American attack was in contemplation somewhere in the neighborhood of Verdun, and consequently this part of the itinerary would have to be abandoned. This limited the places to be visited to Montdidier, the Marne battlefield, including chateau on Saturday, Bth September, for Paris, we made two most interesting calls on the way south. The first wa* to FieldMarshal Sir Douglas Haig, whom we found in simple quarters in a beautiful chateau, surrounded by most charming grounds. Sir Douglas is a brainylooking and forceful personality, with a. kindly eye, and most affable manner. He was surrounded with great maps, extended on the walls, on which the opposing lines were indicated by tapes, and the position of every division 011 tha German and Allied "sides marked by tiny squares. In stating his pleasure at meeting us, he'said that no soldiers had fought better than the New Zealanders. When be asked them to do anything, they had done it effectively, and a bit more. His old friend, General Russell, had also been a great standby to him. Before our departure the whole party of journalists, including those from Australia and 'South Africa were photographed with Sir Douglas. Then wc.mado a call upon General Sir A. II:' Lawrence, Chief of Staff. His ings were also of a simple and like character, with the inevitable marts' covering the v.alls, and the positions of lines and divisions clearly marked. Gap eral Lawrcnea chatted for some time, explaining about the great German push; in March, and why it had failed. In the attack tlir," bad 1 divisions, and, we had :S5. and it was a marvellous achievement that we had stopped them, If they had continued to push on, in the opinion of General Lawrence, the result of the battle might have been very differnt. The mistake they made was, when success seemed so near, going north to the Lys and commencing a second nush there. They were stopped, with a loss of 130,000 men, and in the meantime, the Americans had begun to come in. The General concluded I>v saying that the progress of events entitled us to look forward to the future with confidence.

OH MARNE BATTLEFIELDS, After a couple of days pleasantly spent in Paris, we were called at 5.30 a.m. on a miserably wet morning to catch an early train taking us part of the way to Montdidier, How it did storm, to be sure:! As we drove to the station, the hammering of the rain on the roof of .tho car was like this crack.e OA&jy gUJU. JifiA then, t u oui~<iia-

appointment, we reached the cheerless only to find that someone had bungled, and tlmt the military passes without which we could not travel were not forthcoming. However, on the following morning, we set out for Chateau Thierry, under the guidance of a French officer. Our route lay along the valley of the Marne, which was flat country, with higher ground, rising on either side, and thn river winding its course in the centre, close to the railway track. The Germans were twice in this country, the second time being only six weeks provious to our visit, when they suffered their second defeat on the Marne during this war. Approaching Chateau Thierry, there were illuminating signs of destructive war on* every hand. Great holes were torn in the roofs and sides of buildings, freshly constructed temporary bridges spanned the river at several points, and the surrounding country was lined with trenches and covered with stretches of barbed wire. In their retreat the Germans had not time to burn the town, but they had made a start in that direction, while the shelV fire had contributed materially to tins destruction of property. The inhabitants were already back at work on their farms, and, in ,some instances, had reopened the dilapidated shops.

FISMES. We made the journey to Fismes by motor car, and all the way thither we had ample opportunity to see the destruction caused by war, and occasionally the equally great and wholly wanton destruction which was the result of the German anger and revenge in the face of defeat. At one spot, we were shown th» ruins of a great French hospital, which had stood in an isolated position, but which was burnt with the loss of many lives through aerial bombing. Tn this case there was no excuse for the outrage, as the hospital was plainly marked, and was well-known to the Germans. At Frere most of the buildings were in ruins, and others were pitted with ritlfl and machine-gun bullets, and torn with' fire. In May last this place was untouched. But the Germans occupied it In their big advance, and there was hot work on both sides in getting them out. a fierce battle having been waged here, Fismes had been a charming village, with beautifal gardens', but scarcely a building was intact. However, explained our military guide, this was war. The damage was done by the artillery of both sides. It was nuitc another matter from what happened in a district not far awfv, where the Germans in their retreat had blown up sixty villages for no sovnd military reason whatever. The German lines lay just beyond Fismes. and once more we were in the zone of artillery fire, and once more we witnessed war in active progress a mile or two beyond us. There was the same thunder of artillery, the crackle of machineguns, and the same procession of ambulance returning with their loads of. wounded. After spendintr an hour in Fismes, we ascended a hill at the back of the town and wftched the artillery dual in progress. German shells were falling on a wood half a mile to our right, where we stood looking back, an-1 an Allied battery in the wood, was vigorously replying. The effect on the ears and mind was for all the world like a thunderstorm in the distance, with frequent and vivid flashes fi lightning.

THE LAST DAY. On the following day, which was the last of our visit, we were entertained at a fir rat lunch in the Quai d'Orray. ■when' Lord Derby, British Minister, in 'France, was on the right of' the chair. There was a large assemblage of French journalists and representative men. In the afternoon, v.'e were introduced hy Lord Derby at the Palace Elvsee to M- Poincare. President of the French Republic, who spoke a few words of welcome, in which he praised the 'overseas troops, and said that without the help of Britain the war could not have been a snccs'is. Then we paid p. visit to the French Ministry of War, where Lord Derby introduced ne to.M- Cleinenceau. the Prime Minister of the Republic, who is a remarkable personalis. full of virility. and bearing out bv his speech and rtyle the description of him a3 a tiger. Pro'bahly lion would be a more apt expression. Anyhow, he is unquestionably a great man. In the speech he made to us, he emphasised the impossibility of allowing such barbarians as the Huns to achieve the mastery of the world. Before our departure we also visited the Soldiers' Leave CI ill) at the Hotel Moderne, where British soldiers on leave are provided for at nominal cost, and daily tours arc arranged for their entertainment. The work is admirably done by a circle of British female and male residents in Paria, and the insticutiofi is an excellent one.