The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-09-30
CHARGE BEGAN
AT DAWN
Battle on the Plain Of Lens
a Furious Strug-
gle
HOW BRITISH
TOOK HILL 70
Eyewitnesses Tell of the
Fight Around La
BasSee

plain of Lens, which has besn made
memorable by the most desperate fight
ing since the battle of the Marine, has
been graphically described by two men
who were eyewitnesses of the furious
struggle.
These two men are Philip Gibbs, cor
respondent at the front for the Daily
Chronicle, and John Buchan, military
expert of the London Times. Both bear
witness to the deadly nature of the con-
test in which the British soldiers dis
played remarkable yalor and carried all
before them by dint Of indomitable de-
termination.
Gibbs describes the beginning of the
great forward movement in the drive OF
the allies along the 500-mile front OF
the enemy The attack that eliminated
in the deadly battle for Lens started
last Saturday before dawn, having been
preceded for several days by artillery
bombardment.
At 4 o'clock Saturday morning the
British began the attack on the Ger
man lines with a furious bombardment
and Gibbs writes that "the fury OF it
was intensified so that our souls quaked
at its awful significance"
Never before in this war have our
guns spoken in such clamor," writes
Gibbs. "This was the work of all those
thousands of men in the factories at
home, who have been toiling through the
months at furnace and forge. They
have sent us guns and there seemed to
be shells enough to blast the enemy out
of his trenches. Our chance had come
for real attack. 1t began.
Praise for the New Army.
east of VermeIles, south OF the La
Bassee canal and in the plain of Lens,
our men were out of their trenches be-
fore daylight and at deadly grips with
the enemy. They were advancing stead
lily over the ground, which was no long
er barred to them impregnably by the
enemy's trenches, upon which they had
peered through sandbars and loopholes
for many long months. These trenches
had been smashed and erumpled by our
artillery fire and only In dugouts were
the men still living, dazed by the intens-
| ity OF the bombardment and stupehed
into inevitable surrender.
ut is too soon 10 give any details Of
this heroic advance TO the outskirts OF
Hulluch and through the village of Loos
TO the neighboring mine fields and slopes
of hill No. 20. No man saw the attack
unless he took part in il, and then in
only his own immediate environment.
Battalions disappeared into the fog OF
smoke from shells and bombs of every
kind. They fought behind a veil from
which came only the noise Of battle and
later the first stream of wounded.
"The divisions engaged In the struggle
Saturday fought with the spirit OF men
who knew the empires life depended
upon them, and gave their lives with no.
BILE generosity. Among them we're bat
talions OF the new army Of kitchener's
men. who charged with yalor beyond
words Of praise and with passionate
courage. which swept away all resist.
ance until the object was attained and
the sacrifice consummated.
Fought in Heavy Rain.
IAN day there was a heavy rain which
made the trenches and the fields wet and
boggy, and our soldiers, digging them
selves into the ground they gained, were
clogged with mud and soddened with
water red with German blood.
sRed was the sunset which followed
this day Of battle. and the tall poplar
trees were ink black against is flaming
splendor. The rain had ceased and with
The night the sky cleared Of it, storm
clouds. the moon shone bright above
the battlefelds. where for a few hours
the hombardment died down, except for
the booming Of single guns, the rattle Of
machine guns and the vollcys Of the
rife Ere.
aThe armies have been graphing in
the greatest ordeal which can test the
strength and the steel 81 mems hearts,
an advance through the he'll Ere Of
massed guns"
Gibbs. in describing the furious fight.
ing IN the vicinity Of bin No. 20. writes
that the bunting 81 the sheils WAS fol-
lowed ~ white clouds which hung in the
air Ike enormous mushrooms until they
we're torn INTO ribbons by the vet wind. !"
John Buchan also pays . high tribute
70 the raior Of the British soldier IN the
sight which is nos ruing On - capture
the German trenches.
Battle in Flat Country.
but the big struggle vas nofth 81
Lena The cSnuffg IL q dead fst plain.
scanned Nith ruais and studded With
esilisries and clusters q little red houses
Ia this thaity col tie ruads and trench
netw0rk show az in extraordinary sharp
ness TIE British lines covered Yer
nasgles snd Grensr. A hundred ysras
tsefoud lay tie Geruians from Il bssset
aaufh ~ Their strunal0li 81 ~oufbsz-
Thssr Iires usrs In defencs - Leus.
nhith iB turn = TIE deisncs - leiit
SATURDAY. murrinr thf British -
aauitra tht fruat 81 Huiiueh Nnd Loos,
= iHie the Gsrmsn trUeTs uprth e. me
rensf wers siss nttseksd a. dirert IRE
German rr-aHfaraFHrrtlts- kariT ~ tts
morning fi,s Brlfish tuok Leo snd
ssaz.aa eastward toward - AuEusts
! s.rrttarr suburb Ff Lsrs
HnstMesn - AugustF ard Aoas y
Nria-k al aarnftf nlftsrs q triEiuE riss
a. - 81 rfaI ar4l1sFsafHrIrs ~