CLEARING THE BATTLEFIELD AT EL ROMANI

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2846, 10 August 1916, Page 5

CLEARING THE BATTLEFIELD AT EL ROMANI

TURKISH FIASCO ON THE CANAL FRONT - BRITISH CAVALRY HARRYING THE ENEMY'S REARGUARD The High Commissioner reports:— ; London, August 8, 1 p.m. Tho. War Office reports on the operations iii Egypt:—''Mounted British troops came in contact with the Turkish rcarguarcT_six miles 1 eastward of Katia, ,whieK the enemyliad entrenched afc'tlie Begnming of his .advance. Tho work of clearing the battlefield is proceeding, and war material is being brought 111. Two TmnHred of the enemy's dead were buried in the area of our counter-attack on Friday. In aeroplane bombed :Port Said and Suez, but did little damage, only slight casualties being reported." , EVASIVE REPORTS BY THE TURKS. •' - (Beuttt's Telegram.)-. . ' , i . Amsterdam, Augusts. Tlie first mention, of El Bomani in tho Turkish communique isieharacteristically evasive. The report euphemistically describes the battle as "an encounter between our advance detachments ancTltie enemy cavalry" ; tho result is not mentioned. The report irrole,vantly\ concluded with a statement that the prisoners taken at tho fall of Juit-el-Aniara numbered 12,597. AN AMaZIXG DESERT MARCH. -/ London, August 8. Brigadier-General ILyrie, iu command of tho Australian Light Horse Brigade, interviewed regarding tho El Romani fight, said: "It was a revelation to find that the Turks were able to bring heavy howitzers over the most difficult desert country. 'Apparently they drank water, which is too brackish for us. It was a marvellous performance to bring 14,000 men, with guns and supplies, over tho dosort. It is tho oldest road, in tho world, but it is covered with drift sand, and the heat is appalling.'-'