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Cobargo Chronicle (NSW : 1898 - 1944), Saturday 5 October 1918, page 2

HOW OUR SOYS ARE FARING AT THE FRONT.

Ptr. Roly Lavis writes home: A number of Americans joined tip with »s to learn the ropes

Thev are big men, (very nice like the average Aussie). These giants were picked men from the American forces and were not with us long before they got very friendly, some of them declaring thev would like to be associated with us fur the duration of the war, and that it would give them great pleasure to have the privilege of "hopping the bags" with us. (going over the top). This chance thev had on their Independence Day. Before the attack an American officer made a speech to his men. in which he paid a high compliment to the Australians as fighters. He told the men they would be with veterans who were familiar with all kinds of modern warfare, and that they would have an opportunity of making themselves fighters of the first order. The Americans appeared

to be anxious to have a scrap with old Fritz. The majori new troops are always eager to have a hit of dinkum fighting, to
get their baptism.
The tanks and aeroplanes did wonderful work in this .attack, while the artillery fire from our batteries was terrific We formed up for the attack, and when our barrage came down it was one of the prettiest sights a | fallow could see. Thousands of shells of all sizes and descriptions I tore great holes in the earth, while smoke and shrapnel shells | added to the awful spendour.
The rat-a-tat of machine guns added the finishing touch to the harI rase. The attacking forces went over about a minute after the barrage. I found mvself next to an American, and said ''Well, Yank, what do you think of it now ?" (shouting loudly). The Yank replied, 'It's wonderful—But surely
Hell must he empty." I suppose he thought it was there In the course of our advance I passed a wounded hare, and later in

the day came across a bird which had also suffered. II the animals of the earth and the birds of the air cannot escape our fire, what chance has the Hun. But Fritz is like a rabbit—he burrows in the earth. But the earth gives up many treasures to those who seek them. And so it was with the Germans whom we failed to find with the shells ; they came, out of

their burrows and were quite willing to surrender. A group of them more frightened than the hare I had lound a short time before, came up to a squad of stretcher bearers begging for mercy,' and hugging to their breasts loaves of black bread, to which they clung more closely than a fly to a honey jar. I suppose these prisoners were under the impression that, our troops were starving and that they would get nothing to eat from us. But we get even better food now than we did 12 months ago. We stretcher bearers have no time to worry about

prisoners while wounded men lie on the battlefield, where it is our job to snatch them from So we handed over the prisoners to riflemen and continued our work, which consisted of binding up the wounded and setting them into the safest" spots we could find, from whence they are cnrried bv others to the neurest dressing station.