The news from Flanders during the week has been distinctly
good. It is true that on Monday there was a very determined attack on part of our line east of Ypres and some of our trenches were taken, but they were for the most part re- captured. Their lose was due to the use of poisonous gases in greater quantity than on any previous occasion. Over a front of five miles the gas was let forth from retorts for over four and a half hours. At the same time our trenches were bombarded with shells containing asphyxiating compounds. The gas cloud, says the official report, rose in some places to a height of forty feet. It should be noted, however, that, as Sir John French points out, portions of our line remained intact throughout this terrible ordeal, and that our men have thus demonstrated that with due precautions this form of attack can be met and defeated.
Previous page
