Evening journal., 1916-09-16
BATTLE OF CINCHY
MADE Irish HAPPY
MINISTERS and DublinS Had
a Fe ST of Hand to Hand
Fighting
GERMAN LOSES
REPORTED HEAVY


troops who captured Ginchy seldom
had more acceptable task. tele-
graphs correspondent at British
headquarters in France. The assault
Of this we'll fortified village was the
kind of fighting the Irish like, bayonet
thrusts. close range bombing, plenty
Of hand to hand struggles in narrow
trenches.
There were fewer breathless rush
es after panic stricken fugitive Ger
mans" says the despatch. than when
Gulllemont was taken. The Germans
at Ginchy stood up to the Irish and
did not turn tail. Il was a good fight
but the Irish won It,
They found Ginchy far better de-
Tended than they had expected. The
village had been razed by successive
bombardments, but the cellar refugees
under the ruins afforded accommoda-
fion 10 many German infantrymen and
machine gun sections. The loopholes,
cut flush with the ground and cum
nineIy disguised, gave the Germans in
the dugouts an excellent field of fre
aver the approaches to the ruins.
FOR five days and nights the Irish
battalfons had lain in she'll craters
south and cas- OF Ginchy, scantily fed
and heavily shelled and with little
sleep. Two nights before the attack
the she'll craters we're Joined by
shallow trench and from this position
the attack was made.
Keen for a Scrap.
Notwithstanding their fatigue and
the incessant strain OF lying in the
open under CALLING fire the men
we're so keen to take part in the at
tack that the lightly wounded pleaded
TO be allowed to stay Three servants
AZ the headquarters behind the firing
tine disappeared on Friday night and
were found afterward on the firing
line. One Of them left a note saying
"T missed Guiilemont and l must
be In Ginchy. II r,m all right I'll
come back when it's over. I am very
sorry TO leave, but ! can't keep out
Of it,
but those on the right we're checked
by the accurate fire OF several Ger
man machine guns, from which one
battalion suffered severe losses for
few minutes. The men lay down and
opened fire with their rifles until a
trench mortar was brought forward
and held the machine gunners.
Four Men Hold Gap.
"A very courageous feat was per-
formed by four volunteers, sergeant,
two corporais and a private, OF the
MINISTERS, who occunled n. S0dfoot
gap of trenches from which our men
had been driven. and after clearing II
OF the enemy with a machine gun, re-
NAMED there unaided until relieved
three hours later.
Immediately the heart of the VII
kage was reached by the Dublins the
Germans in a trench running from its
western end to the centre promptly
surrendered. Those in the cellars
and dugouts kept UP a stout resist
ance. Some Bavarians emerged from
cover 70 engage in close quarter
fighting. snipers hidden in trees and
behind piles OF broken bricks had to
be dealt with singly. One man had
climbed the stump Of a shattered
tree and tied himself fast prepara-
tory TO picking on the invaders, but
was discovered almost Immediately
and hts limp body. pierced with bull
let's, still hangs there.
The line swept northward to the
outskirts OF the ruined village while
fresh troops pressing in from the
other side carried on the work Of
cleaning up. Within an hour the
Irish battalions had taken the VII
lage and thrown out patrols 400 yards
north OF II. The remainder we're
firmly dug IN.
Death Price Of Surrender
~Close fighting continued for some
time as successive handfuls OF Ba-
varians were rooted out by bombs.
Several German officers we're captur-
ed about the centre of the village.
Parties OF prisoners were impressed
as stretcher bearers. One German
company suffered terribly from our
artillery. The survivors were seen
making signals of surrender, but at
once their officers turned a machine
gun on them and killed them all.
The correspondent stood by brig
adier-general beside a dusty road on
Sunday afternoon and watched his
per, the heroes OF Ginchy, plod past
into camp to eat and sleep in peace
for the FIRST time for more than a
week. II was a sight to stir Ireland
to see the worn. shrunken battalions
tramp up hill. mechanically keeping
step. with the piper at their head.
"They came on like men marching
in their sleep. They were caked with
mud, their tired faces masked in gray
dust and their steel helmets powdered
with it. Their tunics were slashed
their puttees torn. They marched
with leaden feet and shoulders hud-
died forward amid choking dust
clouds which swirled up around them
enyeloping in their haze the little
men stepping slowly under the burder
OF their packs and the big men tow.
ering head and shoulders above them
dirty. unshaven. hungry, thirsty, weary
hut Triumphant
~You Did Damned Well.-
~The brigadier-general stood up. HI
too. was weary, for he had been FOL