Imperial Valley press., 1915-03-31
SCENE OF MOST
DESPERATE FIGHTING

tBy +. AShmead Bartlett)
Especial Correspondent of the Inter
national News Service and London
Daily Telegraph)
We are now moving north from
Armentleres and shortly afterwards
cross the frontier and enter what is
left Of Belgium. Our destination is
one of the few places along the Brit
lsh battle front which is approachabe
by day. This is the famous Ploegseert
Wood, which has been the scene OF
some of the most desperate fighting in
the war. The whole wood now lies
within the British lines, whilst the
German trenches skirt the fringe, and
the fronts of both armies are only
separated by distance of $50 to 200
yards. The Germans made desperate
efforts to carry this wood in the fight
ing in November, because the posses.
sion OF any concealed ground such as
ut affords is of the greatest value to
IAN army under the present conditions.
At one time the British infantry
were forced out of it altogether, but
"a brilliant counter attack recovered
the position, and the bodies of over
700 Germans We're found and buried in
Just one small corner of it. Never
theless the Germans clung tenacious
~ TO the outer fringe and as the Brit
ish were not at that time strong
enough to drive them out the British
trench line was run through the CEN
tier, and both sides carried on a sus-
tanned guerilla warfare from the Gov
er OF the trees, bitches and trenches.
The losses have been very heavy,
and the wood is, in fact, one vast Gem
eterv where friend and foe sleep side
by side. On December 10 it was de-
clded to try and drive the Germans
out OF the small corner which they
still held. The attack was carried
through with great gallantry, and was
successful. but only at a heavy cost.
Nine British officers We're killed out
right IN gaining some so yards of
ground.
short time ago the Germans near
ly hit the motor car of general who
was inspecting the front line, but
such incidents are common, and are
part of the everyday work. On leav-
ing the motor we found ourselves at
once a foot deep in LIQUID mud.
Through this we had a long tramp
in the open, expecting every moment
to be sheled or sniped at, for we were
well within range of the enemys
As if to greet our arri
val, our heavy howitzers suddenly
opened up a steady bombardment, the
terrific discharge shaking the houses
and echoing through the trees and
making you almost deaf.
We moved up a straight road until
we reached point where it was no
of ta
turned into the wood itself. This small
forest is like many others scattered
over Flanders. 1t is a maze of trees.
with underground, and the ground is
nothing but a marsh into which you
sink at every stride For weeks, /
whilst the Germans were still in pos
session of a section of it, the British /
lived under the most miserable condi- |
lions, having to crawl through the |
mud to the front trenches under the |
constant sniping of the marksmen hid |
len amongst the trees and trenches.
But, once the enemy was finally |
expelled, steps were Immediately TAX |
IN to make the interior more habit
able. The wood, has, in fact, been
turned into miniature entrenched |
camp.
The first and greatest difficulty
was to make roads along which men |
could walk without sinking up to
heir knees at every stride. In the
winter the ground was nothing but a
marsh, with great pools of water ly-
ng on the surface. Anyone who has
been through a wood in low country
Turing a pheasant shoot in England
Knows how wet it can be. The con-
lition in Ploegsteert was a hundred
imes worse than anything you would
ind in England