"A" company,)
Monday's sham fight was one of the most practical affairs of the kind that the 8. V. C. has ever taken part in. It was a glorious night, but dark, as the moon did not show hor face. "A" Company with the Light Horse, Artillery, and Japanese rendezvoused in the Jessfield Road, and we all formed up on: Mr. Macgregor's lawn. Major Keswick commanding our force then explained to us that we were not expected to press our attack home, that we were simply the vanguard of a larger force, and that our instructions wore to harass the defenders of Shanghai as much as possible and locate the positions of their forces. The command was then given to march, an led by the Light Horse we started off, The Light Horse and Artillery formed our left flank, "A" Company was in the middle and the Japanese were on the right. For some time we marched cautiously across the fickle, now in single file along " native pathway, now in extended order across the fiekils, and eve and anon we crouched low as the scouts came in and made their reports to our atticers. Before we had been on the march very long a few distant shots sh: ed that our scouts were in touch with the enemy, and shortly afterward some of them came in with the report that the Germans were on our right. They were soon driven back and then our cautious advance began again. We had wot gone far when we heard a loud "halt, who goos there," followed alnest immediately by several shots from behind a grave, and the quick reports of crackers showed that a maxim was supposed to be located in this position. We were down on our faces at once and soon poured a hot fire into the enemy, who were forced to retire. Meanwhile the Japanese seemed to be having a warm time with the Germans on our right, and shots from our left showed that our force on that side was also in ion. The advance was not without in-In trying to avoid some Germans who had not sen commander fell into a said that two of the Germans did the same "a few minutes later. Our company was now extended across a wide front and for half an -hour or so we lay still on the ground, firing whenever the flash of an enemy's rifle "disclosed his position. While we were worrying the enemy in this manner, another portion of our force succeeded li ambushing and capturing a Maxim when at last we advanced again w walked right through the enemy's lines without opposition. Had we had supports we should have got into Shanghai As it was we succeeded in our object—to give the Shanghai defenders a restless night. Their great mistake was that they attempted to advance too far to take up their defensive positions and their left wing, the German Company, got right out of position and was at the merey of "A" Company and the Japanese. A number of prisoners were taken on both sides.
The Corps turned out very well, the German Company and the Light Horse being almost at full strength. A mumber of men got lost in the open country, but they managed to find their way back to Shanghai.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.