The Children's Story of the War Volume 4 (of 10): The Story of the Year 1915Parrott, Edward
History
The Children's Story of the War Volume 4 (of 10): The Story of the Year 1915
Parrott, Edward
World War, 1914-1918 -- Juvenile literature
The 1st Division, lying to the south of the 7th Division, made excellent
progress. Its 1st Brigade swept forward for a mile and three-quarters,
and by noon was across the highroad, on the outskirts of Hulluch, and up
against the last German line. On the right, however, the 2nd Brigade was
checked by wire and trenches which our artillery had not destroyed; and
it lay pinned to the ground till afternoon, when reserves were sent up
through the wide rent which, we shall learn later, had been torn in the
German lines by the 15th Division. These reserves cut off and captured a
German detachment 700 strong, and enabled the 2nd Brigade to go forward
and join the 1st Brigade in front of Hulluch.
Now we come to the most brilliant advance of the day, that which was
made by the 15th and 47th Divisions against Loos. This advance resulted,
as you will learn, in the capture of the village, and shook the whole
German front. For a brief time the Germans thought that all was lost,
and they began to move their big guns out of Lens. The 47th Division of
Londoners meant to "make good" that day. For weeks they had been busy
with preparations, and when the hour arrived everything went like
clockwork. They had constructed a big model of the countryside, and had
studied it so well that every man knew the lie of the ground, and
exactly where he had to go. One battalion--the 19th London--lost all its
officers; yet the men went on without them, and carried out the arranged
plan without a mistake. The 18th (London Irish), the 19th (St. Pancras),
and the 20th (Blackheath and Woolwich) were on the left of the attack,
and the 6th, 7th, and 8th (Post Office Rifles) on the right. Cannot you
imagine the amazement of the French gunners who watched the start when
they saw one of the London Irish kick off a football from the parapet
and dribble it towards the German lines?
[Illustration: British Troops swarming over the German First Line
Trenches and dashing onwards towards Loos, the "Tower Bridge," and Hill
70.
(_From the drawing by S. Begg. By permission of The Illustrated London
News._)
Notice the Tower Bridge, as it was called by our soldiers. It was the
head-gear of a pit, and consisted of twin towers connected by a bridge.
It had been seen by our men, foreshortened over the downs, for many
months past. They believed that the Germans had constructed it before
the war as an observation station.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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