STORIES OF THE WAR

Taranaki Daily News, 16 December 1921, Page 2 (Supplement)

STORIES OF THE WAR

D a° SPECIAL PRIZES:— “Stiffness,” T. Merlin Winiki, New Plymouth. ‘Vest la Guerre,” W. B. Husking,, Westown.

“STIFFNESS!” A STORY OF THE WAR. (By T. Merlin Winiki, late SergeantMajor 2nd N.Z. Maori Contingent.) The conversation had turned to the ever interesting subject of decorations, and the Runner, the Dink, and the Red Diamond, were discoursing thereon. “I suppose you fellows know,” said the Runner, “that a M.M. used to come through for the runners of the Division after every big engagement, our work being recognised as the most consistently dangerous all the time. It was just after Passehendale that a M.M. came through for our Battalion runners; and the Commanding Officer called us up—another chap and myself. “Now you men,” said he, “there are two of you, and there is only one medal •for distribution. You’d better ‘toss-up’ to decide which of you is to have it.” So the other runner and myself agreed to “toss-up” and did so there and then. My luck was out at the time, and my mate won the “toss-up,” and the M.M. I was stiff! “Speaking of decorations,” remarked the Red Diamond, “makes me think that there were often times when ft man could easily have gained one or two, if only his luck had held good, and he didn't happen to think too much of his own hide first.” “I suppose that is true in a Jot of eases.” interrupted the Dink, “but I quit thinking like that when we were up on the Hindenburg Line, near a place called Havrincourt Wood. I used to be fairly forgetful of my own hide, and used at times to go out on risky jobs when volunteers were called for. One night we wore asked to volunteer for a particularly dangerous piece of work near Fritzie’s front line; and, as usual. I was one of the mugs. A Corporal was in charge of our party; and we started off this night, feeling we’d be indeed lucky to get back safe again. “Fritzie was unpleasantly hostile, and was sending over his customary choice assortment of ‘evening hate.’ Not long after we'd started out, the Corpora! vanished altogether; but we went on and carried through the job without him. It was ticklish work: and I was one of the ones who returned safely to our own lines. The Corporal got back alright, too; he’d been staying in a convenient shell-hole all the time—told us he had been gassed! You can well imagine our feelings when the gallant Corporal was awarded a M.M. for the “daring work accomplished.” etc., on this particular night. Anyhow we never saw him again afterwards; and I believe he successfully “swung the lead,” and got a ••cushie” job somewhere over in England.

“I was just going to tell you,” resumed the Red i>iamond. “about a little affair which took place towards the end of August, 1918, somewhere near Bancourt. We had just retaken Bapaurae; and. at the time I'm speaking of, Fritzie was cleverly and regularly retiring about five miles a day, according to plan. We were fancying we werty in for a few days’ spell; and were nicely dug in along a sunken road, ail of us thinking we were 'set’ for a day or two. About two o’clock ack-emma. we were roused by the men on gas-guard; and we found out that everyone had to prepare to move off in half an hour’s time. At that hour we were all, of course, very drowsy; and so you can imagine it was very welcome news. Before we moved off, we were instructed in the plan of action for daybreak; and. our Officer, with the aid of his electric torch and the map, carefully explained to the section leaders the terrain ahead and the proposed movement. “Presently we all moved out in single file on to the road; and from there we went on through to our front line trench. We rested there a while, and were served with the ever-welcome rum ration. Just as dawn was breaking, we went “over the top;” and then the “fireworks” started! We advanced in extended formation, our own brigaded machine guns throwing a fierce curtain of fire ahead of us, while Fritzie was dropping a terrific artillery barrage behind us, and occasionally amongst us! The thick, smoke of Fritzie’s barrage, and the intense smell of the phosphorus fumes, gave one a hellish thirst; but we went on for about a mile like this. We eventually got into a little hollow, where we encountered a heavy machinebarrage, which Fritzie was commencing to send over. Luckily, however, the storms of bullets were going over our heads, because the contour of the slope ahead of us was preventing Fritzie from depressing his machine-guns sufficiently to mow us down. “Here we waited an hour or so, and promptly ‘dug in;’ we were obliged to wait, because we were getting ahead of our flank troops, who were being held up by Fritzie’s very earnest machinerm ‘strafe.’ Our period of waiting was none to pleasant, because we now came under the close observation of some enemy aeroplanes. These flew very low, and busily worked their mach*ne-guns on us but without doing overmuch damage. Eventually some big British tanks came to the aid of our flank troops, and cleared the way for them. We were now ordered to move on; so we opened out again, and advanced up the slope m front of us in co-operating with the flank troops. “As we went further up the slope, wc came into a deadly zone of Fritzie s ma-chine-gun fire, and men fell thick and fast. The platoon was thinning out under that merciless ‘llack-ack-acK-aeA, and only a mere handful of us were left. We were nearing the top of the slope; and, on the level ground beyond we could see the enemy’s trench line a hundred yards or so distant. Our officer ordered us to rush the position; so we advanced at the double, the nine or ten survivors of our platoon. . “I can well remember that last rxwi, we were running steadily along m extended formation; suddenly mir last sergeant crumpled up and fell, then the man next him then another. There were onlv six or seven of us left, and we were doubling along, a scattered line, but all more or less abreast. “I thought a lot of swift thoughts in the course of that run; I thought again and again that here, perhaps, was the dreamed-of opportunity of g“”™g a coveted distinction; I thought that, now one ran out ahead of the others, and ran in ahead of that thin Ime only a few yards or so perhaps, surety ’* Yas »v«?I O®S “at thought re-

curred another came like an ice-cold douche —the thought of one’s own hide! I thought as I looked at my few remaining cobbers, all doubling steadily in line, none knowing —none caring—which would be the next to fall 1 thought ‘No! By cripes, I won’t sprint ahead of my mates. There’s enough lead flying my way already without my inviting an increased issue.’ “So we went on, and suddenly the enemy’s shooting ceased. When we were about sixty yards or so still distant from that trench, the majority of the Fritzies leaped out, and ran for their lives across country further back. Some twenty-five or thirty of them came to wards us holding their hands up and clianting ‘Kamerad.’ Our flank, troops left and right had simultaneously reached their objective, and were ‘mopping up’ the trenches they had taken. “We first got to work on the Fritzies, who were running away; they were running down one gradual slope and up another, so we had-some splendid shooting at anywhere from 500 to 000 yards. Those who Were the nearest drew, of course, the hottest fire; and we ‘got our own back’ on Fritzie very sweetly. We hail a Lewis gun with us; and I can remember that number one firing his gun off the Corporal’s shoulder till he used all the available magazines. Very, very few, of the enemy got away from us that time!

“We then hopped into the trench, and for a few minutes were busy souvenir hunting: it was a very good trench for ‘souveniring,’ and we all got something or other of interest out of it. “Presently a captain came along from the flank troops, and very warmly complimented our platoon —all that was left of it —on the splendid work it had done. [ need not repeat all the nice lot of things he said, but eventually he took the names of the remaining half dozen or so of us, saying as he did so, ‘This platoon has worthily upheld the proudest traditions of the army! In the lace of a most determined and deadly enemy fire, it has advanced unfalteringly, and gained its objective, "ion few surviving men of this platoon are, every one of you, deserving of recognition for this day’s work, and I will see that you get it!*’ He went away with our names written in his note book, and loft US feeling very happy—-at the end of a perfect day, as it were!

“Shortly afterwards Fritzie’s big guns from away back commenced to ‘strafe’ us with gas shells, high explosives, and ether kinds of ‘hate.’ We held on to the position till dusk, and then mo.ed forward to occupy a ridge, about half a mile ahead. 1 am not sure, but it was called Bancourt Ridge, I believe. We went about half-way, and were then held up bv very heavy machine-gun fire from the’top of the ridge; so we wore obliged to dig in, and stay there over night, about 600 yards from Fritzie’s , position. We didn’t move off next morning, but waited for reinforcements; and about 12 at night the order came for the whole battalion to move as close as possible to the top of the ridge and dig in. By about one ack-emma, we had got to about one hundred yards from the enemy lines; and were trying to dig in in the hard stony ground. Fritzie sent up his flares, and raked the ground with his machine-gun fire. We hugged the ground as closely as we could, and, in between the showers of bullets, tried frantically to dig further into the stony ground, ’it was useless; the unfortunate Diggers were at Fritzie’s mercy, and our casualties were heavy; we were ordered to retire. “So the retirement was carried out, and we waited all next day for reinforcements. They came up at night ; and we were ordered to attack again just before dawn next morning. Our guns were then throwing a curtain of fire right on the ridge itself, while Fritzie was doing his best to drop a tremendous barrage right on to us. It was hard! “Harder still, during that advance 1 received a smaek on the shoulder; and was eventually obliged to go to a dressing station to get my wound attended of all, I learned later that the Captain who had take the names of those few survivors of our platoon, and promised us decorations in connection with our successful attack or four days ago. had ‘gone West.' A ‘flve-point-nme high explosive shell had burst within a couple of yards of him. and the Captain had vanished! With him had gone West’ his notebook, with our names written therein; with him ‘went West also that M.M. I had been fancying as already ‘home and dried at last!