MICHAEL JOHN O’LEARY
The men fixed their bayonets onto the tip of their rifles and listened to the rattle of machine-gun fire that hammered incessantly above their heads. The position the Germans held was strong; their troops had already repulsed two counter-attacks by the British forces. Many of the casualties sustained in these attacks had been caused by the two machine-gun barricades the Germans had, which were only 55 metres (180 feet)
