Evening star., 1915-05-02
An Eyewitness of British Victory Neuve Char
Rvss1Aaz 1MxaTEcy IN TRENCHES ALONG The BATTLE

sullenly. 1t was evident that the en-
envy had got their range also.
I decided to select another coign of
vantage, and forged ahead. A row of
stubby evergreen trees soon shut the
battery from my view. West of the
hill the road dipped down and made a
curve to the left, exposing to view a
part of the valley and the right hand
slope of the village. just around the
jutting curve Of the hill pandemonium
was raging. In order to reach the point
around the bend knew I must come di-
rectly under the curving fight of shells
from the British battery behind the hill
and the answering bombardment from the
German guns. It was safe enough, as
the shells from both sides passed far
ing to stand few yards underneath a
continuous flight of shrieking shells.
One could not help thinking what
would happen if one Of those Jack
Johnsons'' should fall short of its
mark!
What I saw beyond the bend In the
road made me forget all sense of dan
ser. Practically the entire northern
side of Neuve Chapelle and the en-
gagement that WAS going on in that
In the foreground were the twisted,
interlacing lines of the British trenoh
es, from which a swarm of khaki-clad
figures'was just emerging. They moved
quickly forward in masses of thou
sands toward the German trenches In
the near distance. Almost instantly
the British battery I had seen ceased
firing in order not to drop shrapnel on
its own troops.
As the roar Of the big gums died
valley was clearly heard. The firing
was almost entirely from beyond the
long, narrow strip of land over which
the masses Of brown figures were
finging themselves. The crashing
clatter Of the rife, fire was punctuated
with the staccato roll of the machine
guns.
There was no smoke or flame to tell
from whence the rain Of steel came,
but its effects were very evident Here
and there whole groups and lines of
men tottered and collapsed all along
the lines under the whitening fire OF
the German guns. On the right the
forward line of charging men was rap
idly being decimated. The survivors
dashed on. dropping every few spaces
to fire a volley, rising again and rush.
ing on IN ever decreasing numbers.
X +
In the center front portion Of the
advancing line suddenly ceased It's for
ward movement and began to struggle
wildly in obvious distress. A whole
regiment had enmeshed itself in a wire
The Maxim guns of the
enemy kept up pitiless fire upon the
helpless victims-a hideous
thing to contemplate.
Then, suddenly. mingling with tho.
roar of battle, came a mighty cheer
rom a thousand British throats. and
from the first line of trenches poured
gain masses of khaki-clad figures.
Forward they dashed to the support of
heir comrades: the narrow plain be-
.ame a stormy sea of struggling human
torms. In the center the entrapped
yictims redoubled their efforts to es-
ape the cruel observation-disclosures
many failed, but the mad
'ush ahead never ceased. Then. once
more. came that exultant cheer. and
,ver and into the dark line Of the Ger
nan forward trenches poured the men
n khaki. The enemy was being pushed
,ack. Still the attacking party rushed
N, gaining ever new ground. but at
THAT fearful cost!
Then, suddenly. a flanking party of
It least 1900 men appeared on the enc
ny's left-a few fierce moments ensued.
he last trench was taken, the Maxms