After the firing had lasted for two and a half hours the order to
retire was given and we retired through a wood. Then General Davis came
along and said, “Turn about, men--you must save the guns at all costs.”
There were only about fifty of us. We made a series of short rushes
under a heavy shrapnel fire until we were up to the guns. The Germans
were not more than eight hundred yards away, but we were getting very
few burst shells, while we could see the Germans going down in scores.
Every shot of ours told, as it was impossible to miss the enemy, who
had formed from six to ten deep. We could see our artillery shells
simply mowing the Germans down. Still they came on. Presently the
order rang out to abandon the guns, but gallant young Lieut. Hibbert
said, “No, boys; we will never let a German take a British gun!” Then
our chaps raised a cheer, and resumed rapid firing. Presently we were
reinforced by the South Staffords. The guns’ crews stuck to their task
most heroically, and, amid cheering, we rescued the whole of them:
_Sergt. Meads, Royal Berks_.