Stubborn fighting

Enemy utterly exhausted

Gas attack thwarted

Enemy in our uniform

Press Bureau on Sunday issued the following descriptive account communicated by ‘eye witnesses’ present with General Headquarters.

It continues and supplements the narrative published on May 12 of the movements of the British Force and the French armies in immediate touch with it.

May 14, 1915: On Monday, May 10, the fighting on our front was confined to the Ypres salient where it continued to rage with the same intensity as on the day before especially along the eastern face, on both sides of the Menin road.

The shelling was maintained in the morning but no infantry attack was delivered until the afternoon, when the cannonade increased.

It being apparently the enemy purpose to wear us out and to batter our trenches by high explosive so that an easy passage would be secured for his infantry.

Along this eastern face our lines run from the Ypres-Zonnebeke road, a little east of Verlorenhook, in a south easterly direction, to the Menin high road, skirting the eastern direction of the Bellewaarde Woods which encircle the Chateau of Hooge.

South of the Menin road, it continues through the centre of the woods for about 1,200 yards and then emerges and bends round outside them to Zwarteleen and Hill 60.

After their artillery had done its worst, the bombardment being the most violent up till now experienced on that portion of the front, the Germans brought their gas-cylinders into play.

And half an hour later, having allowed time for the gas to produce its expected effect, their infantry advanced to the assault of our trenches held, as they thought, by stupefied or dead men.

Unluckily for them, however, on this occasion their methods of frightfulness went astray somewhat for our men were provided with measures for counteracting the gas and were still very much alive.

A strange scene was then witnessed.

Through the scattered woods and across the clearings streamed a loose, disordered mob of attackers, some of those in front, according to the report, being dressed in British uniform in order to put us off our guard and give time for the rest of their own men to come up.

Suddenly our infantry lined their parapets and poured in rapid fire from rifles and machine guns on the advancing crowds who threw themselves flat on their faces.

That, however, was the chance for our guns.

They poured in a heavy shrapnel fire and in a few moments the ground was strewn with dead and dying Germans all along in front of our parapets.

Amid this scene of horror and confusion, out of the smoke and dust that hung in front of our trenches suddenly emerged a man dressed in Highland uniform shouting ‘Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!’ as he ran towards us.

The ruse was seen through however and he fell instantly with bullets.

At one point the Germans succeeded in gaining a portion of our position but were apparently forced to retire by gas.