ON THE WESTERN FRONT.

Thames Star, Volume LII, Issue 13940, 19 July 1919, Page 7 (Supplement)

ON THE WESTERN FRONT.

Record of New Zealand Division. Battle Honours won in many Fields. A|pril 12, .1916—-New Zealand^ Division, caminaences disembarkation at■Mair«»illasi. ■Mayi-August, 1016—Holding Lhe - lines at Annentieres. i September 15, October 7," 1916— Battle of the Somme. April, 1917—Battle of Arra s , (New 'Zeallanid units engaged).. June 7, 1917—Battle of Messines. July 31, 1917—Capture* of La, Bassorill*. ' ' October 4-12. 1917—-Battle oiM'asschendaele. March 26-Angus* 14, 1918 —Division defeats repeated -Germain efforts to i break thorough at. Hebutemei. April 13-15, 1918—Battle of the 'Lye (New Zealand units at Meteren): May, 1918—Battle of Champagne {New Zealand units engaged). July 24, 1918—New Zealand Division captures Rossiguol Wood). ; Auguisitj 2111-Novemib'eir 11, 1918— 1 Continuously engaged in. great ! British offensive. August 21, 1918—New Zealand Division, captures Loitpaa't Wood, Grevillers and Biefvillers. Augiuisti 24, 1918—seizes Fa.vreuil. August -29, 1-918—Capture oi Bapaume. August 30, 1918—Takes Banccurt a.net Fremico-ur't. Sept-ember 2, 1918 —Capture.? liaplineourt. a September 3, 1918 —Occupies Bertincourt. September 4, 1918—Takes . Kuyaulcourt. September 6, 1918—Captures 80-ur--1 jonval. ; September 12. 1918—Wins Tre.sca.ult Ridge. September . 2-9, 1918—Takes Welsh Ridge and captures La. Vacquei-ie. October 1, 1918—Storming of Crevecoeur. October 8, 1918—'Captures: Lesdain and Esneis.-, * : October 9, 1918—Long&art taken. October 11, 1918—©riastre "won. October IS, 1918—Crosses the ■ Seller

through -prisoners'and docmnents, and to give- the enemy no. rest. Throughout the T9IG-17-18 campaigns the New Zealand front never b&came whait was known a« "a quiet sector of the line." The Battle of the Somme.

Holding the line for three months N'.Zi. D'ivisiofni liisvea- •ceased togive the Hun anything but a. lively time. Withdrawn, fronii the neigh-bouf/ho-otl of Arm'en:tieir>,BS on 16th August it! "was '"put into rest," marched down to the Soninie battlefields, and on 10lh September was ■assembled together 1 with famous 'BritjLsh au.dl Canad'la.m, Divisioins, which was specially chosen for the great thrust about 'to be delivered ; the New Zealander s had tha spepial I honouir of being placed beside- -a

Divisioin of tlie Guards of the Regular British Army, who bad always be^n looked upora as ,the finest fighting n,mts in the. world. "A.U the troops wai-e of the ba?'t quality, and had a proud record behind thorn," ,wriltes llr. John Such an in his "History of the War." <rMo^e, perhaps, than' any other pa.r't of tHe battle, this Avas ,an actio.ii' of the British ooa-pc? d'-elit-a.*' Th-i.s. 'the third stage «f tho Babble of tho ■Somme, ivtis fur'theT 1 isijrnail'iscrl by the employment of- "tanks" for the ifir.Tt - time. The. Kew Z&n,landei\s were coaicent,r,ated on 'the ridge between Delville Wood and High Wood, looting down the "switch trench" which fjO'rmi&d' the. main? Germ.a-n defence. ■a-ud Flea-s, som,e d:s!v;.nru behind, their objective. Orii Tiuy-'da.T.. 12th September, thei commeinoed a. heavy bombardment, o 1 the enemy's .sitronifrho'lds, •n.iKfi, continued it steadily until G a.m. cm the irsth. wlre-n it was' oner-eased to; the fury oif hurricane firei.. and coant-i'mred fur twenty minutes. The eniemy hnd 1000 otin« pf all calibres massed a.Tfn'.nsti the British, -and raiined his isbellis up'Oin them. iN'evert.heless, at "zero," 6.20; 'the. N©v^eaiaindei's, in., common, with the rest >of 'the ■attapiMng ■ divisionis,. *f'\mnit|. over the fop." They descended the slopes, folkwedi "the barrage" .in. the face of the heaviest miachine-gfun l amd

other successful advance, assisting in the capture of Gueudecourt. "NO PRAISE. CAN BE TOO HIGTI FOR SUCH TROOPS." They continued' fighting .in the S<omnie /until! 7th October, when they -were withdrawn,. They had stood the test; congratulations were showered upon them. Sir Douglas Haig, on 'the Bth, despatched "the following message to the New Zea,land Goven'mnent': —■ "The- New Zealand Division has fought' with the greatest gallantry in the Somme Battles "for twentythree consecutive days, carrying out with complete success" ever}' 'task set, and always doing even more than' was .asked of it. The Division has Avon universal confidence and admiration, and no pa-arise can. be too high for such troops." The ' Xew Zealand Division fought longer in the Somme than any other division. Henceforth, it, was acknowledged as one o f the jGnest in the British Army, or what the Germans were then beginning to specialise in. "Shook," or "Storm Divisions." "Their S 'uccer-;s in the Flen-s. neighbourhood will rank hicrh among the best achievements .of the tßriiiish Array,," declared Genera,! Sir H. Ra.w-linsn.il. Commander of the 4th Ai-my, in a, special order of 'the day. The Battle of Arras. • 'Crowned with laurels, 'the New Zealanders returned to the -Flanders front to .resume thoir portion of the line. From then on; they were give/n a part in all the leading operations, in nearly all instances being allotted a principal ,role. Meantime, restored, to establishment by 'the ahsorp/fyon, o.f the always-available reinforcements, they kept the Huns busy in this, .particular sector. In the Battle, of Arras (Vimy Ridge) begun bni 4'th April, 19j17, sevei-al' New Zealand units participatedl. These were the newiy-fbi-mied) Infantry Brigade, Otago Mounted Rifles, and the Tfomieffing (Torps, which all did welll.