OUR TROOPS IN EGYPT

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2393, 24 February 1915, Page 6

OUR TROOPS IN EGYPT

PRAISE FROM GENERAL GODLEY. The Minister of Defence (the Hon. James Allen) supplied to a Dominion reporter • yesterday a few extracts, of an interesting nature t from a budget of correspondence received by him from Sir Alexander Godley, Commander of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in Egypt, in one letter General Godley says that he thinks the New Zealanders are doing splendidly, and everybody there was of that opinion. Referring to the fact that complaints had been made that a number of men had been absent-from their units without leave, and were staying in Cairo, the Commandant wrote that General Maxwell recently stopped all leave of the troops fot 36 hours, and then there was, a round-up in Cairo. There was only one New Zealand trooper found among6t the troops absent, breaking leavej a very creditable, fact. General Godley states that the gifts of tobacco, cigarettes, plum puddwg6,. magazines, and. papers, were coming to hand, and their receipt and proportional allocation were noted in orders, while a record was kept of their distribution. They were much appreciated by the troops,, and he was 60 advising the donors, and suitably thanking them for their generosity. Tho general health of the horses is good. The total number unfit at the time of writing was 225, but the majority, of those would soon be ready for duty. Writing under date January 17, General Godley stated that overything was going on very well. The men were splendid, and were a' tremendous lob of hard training. ' They were out night and day, on extended schemes, and in bivouac, etc,, and tho officers were also improving very fast. "We shall be well fit to go to war by the, end of next month (February), but I believe now" that before going to France we shall have a preliminary brush with the Turks, as I believe there is no doubt that thay are coming," ■ stated the General. The "brush" , with the Turlcs lias since taken place, when one New'Zealander was killed and another' injured. In an official report, General Godley states that the discipline on the whole is good, and is steadily improving. Eight men have been tried by courtmartial, and twenty-one are undergoing detention. ;Tho offences are mostly "absent without leave," and cases of insubordination, usually due to drink; Further, General Godley states: "Our food supplies continue good, but- our issue is slightly in excess of the scale, as I deem it advisable to treat the men very liberally, in view of tlic hard training they are at present undergoing."