The London Daily Chronicle publishes a despatch from Mr Philip Gibbs, dated Sunday, July 23:- Heavy fighting occurred in the early hours of this morning along the line from Pozieres to Delville Wood and southwards of Trones Wood in the direction of Guillemont.
Many battalions took part in the assault, belonging to English, Scottish, Australian, and New Zealand regiments. They fought with a courage equal to that which all our troops have shown throughout the three weeks' battle.
The Anzacs were chosen to attack Pozieres, with the English boys working up on the other side. For several days and nights the Anzacs had been in the neighbourhood under a ceaseless shell fire.
There was a distance of 500 yards between the Anzacs' line and the front trenches of the German network of works across the Bapaume road, running diagonally through Pozieres village.
This was an enormous distance to go, in the darkness and under high explosives, shrapnel, and machine-gun fire. The Anzacs lay crouched behind their earthworks, bracing their spirits for the sprint, while for two hours every gun in the British batteries fired as hard as the gunners could get the shells into the breech.
It was midnight when the Anzacs went forward with their troops, the only light being the signals of the frightened Germans. The enemy, aware that the attackers were coming, immediately opened a very fierce "barrage'' of shrapnel.
The first German trench was only lightly held, its only defenders being machine gunners and some grenadiers, who flung bombs. Then Anzacs fixed bayonets, but the Germans did not wait for the steel.
Some of them retreated to their second line, while the others flung up their hands. The German second line was along the route of a light railway. This was strongly held.
Many machine guns had been installed in deep dugouts, but the Anzacs came in a wave, while some of them remained holding the captured first line as consolidating parties.
With cheers the advancing Anzacs went straight towards the machine guns and the German riflemen. Not even the machine gunners could keep back this tide of keen, ardent men - these clean-shaven, hatchet-faced lads, who have brought to France a new type of manhood.
Without such heavy casualties as one might expect, the Anzacs took the lines, and then took two other lines of trenches in front.
Leaving some of their number to consolidate the new captures, they went on and carried their objectives, and with an irresistible rush they drove straight along the Bapaume road, which cuts the village of Pozieres in half.
Then they called a halt, and established a defensive position after their astonishing assault.
•The Timaru Post states that on Thursday night, or, to be more exact, in the early hours of Friday morning, the residence of a well-known Timaru sportsman was burglariously entered and a large sum, representing his winnings at Thursday's races, was stolen.
The burglar evidently entered by way of a window and left via the back door, as the latter was unlocked in the morning, and the occupants of the house are sure they locked it before retiring.
The thief was apparently a quiet worker, as no sound was heard, and the householder is usually a very light slumberer, although after the fatigue of the racecourse, he would probably sleep soundly.
The victim's theory is that the thief watched him on the course and concocted a scheme to relieve him of his winnings. The matter was placed in the hands of the police.
- ODT, 27.7.1916.
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