THE DESERT WAR

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 60, 4 December 1919, Page 8

THE DESERT WAR

-4 ANZACS' GREAT DEEDS TALK BY GENERAL CHAYTOR LESSONS FOR THE FUTURE

Major-General Sir Edward Chaytor was tho guc-st of tho New Zealand Club at luncheon yesterday. Tho president, of the clu'b (Mr. W. E. Spencer) was in the chair. General Chaytor was welcomed by the chairman as a distinguished Now Zealand soldier. % ■ General Chaytor was received with generous applause. After acknowledging tho compliment paid to him, 110 said that his job had lwen an easy one. lie did not think he was prejudiced, but ho did think the Anznc Mounted Division had proved themselves tho lust division in the British Anny. Thc'v had always got on well together, and they had bean exceedingly well supported by the Australian Light Ilorse, and by their own and the British artillery. The main diiliculties of tho campaign had been food and forage and water. In the end they found wells providing water that was palatable and safo. Uno of tho curious leatures about tho water was that it contained so unuch magnesia that it should have been unfit for consumption, but also some substance, not determined, which neutralised tho magnesia. This water was "un-neutralised" by boiling, and could not bo used for cooking. It couid bo drunk 'by tho men in tho ovening with rafotT. but not during tho heat of tho day. This "heat of tho day" meant a temperature of 12-3 degrees in tlio shade. Nono of their thermometers would register, the aim temperature. This intense heat was endured by tho men for soveral months, but tho trials vera very severe. The water, charged heavily with minerals, knocked the men out with what appeared to be severe kidney trouble, caused by all the' water evaporating by the pores of tho skin, leaving insufficient fluid to clear tho kidneys of mineral sediment. So the men developed kidney disordens, which fortunately disappeared after about a miontli's treatment, leaving 110 ill-effects. He told something of tho desert campaign, the interminablo night and day marchcs when tho men wero almost blind for lack of sleep, and the feelings of the men wlieji they got out of tho desert into cultivated land. , When tlie men got there thoy declared that "It would take a good deal better man than any Turk or German to drive us back into the desert again." In all these waterlessi treks the men showed tho greatest care for their horses, and tlicy iost but very few of them. Tho Now Zealanders and Australians proved themselves not only good riders, but good horse masters. No regiment could show in the war a bettor record for loss of few horses from causes other than wounds than tho record of the AitZac Division. The most trying time of all was the summer spent in tho Jordan Valley. Thev wero the only white people who had ever lived through a summer there in modem timfes. Malaria was present, but before the. season earno on the area was so well treated that them wero few mosquitos, and malaria was in consequence not common, But with grrot frequency patrols were bitten 'by mosquitos from outside the area, and these men contracted malaria. But notwithstanding this the men never shirked patrol duty. He paid a very high testimony to the excellent work of tlio medical people in combating malignant malaTia, from which the death rata was commonly very heavy. The casually rate at times from this sickness was very high, as much aa ten per cent, of tlio men in 0110 week from General Moldrum's force.

General Chaytor described also individual operations in the Palestine campaign, giving interesting sidelights on the Arab inhabitants of tho region, and their fickleness in allegiance to either side.

"I would ask you," ho said, "in view of what the men have had to go through, that you should help them all you can to settle down, (Applause,) They deserve it, and deservo it well. Wherever wo went our men earned a reputation for. good conduct. When we went back to «nv place we ware received with open arms. This shows that tho moil never misbehaved themselves. You may find the men now unsettled and reckless, but don't think that they are useless for this, because it will take eomo time before they settle down. .. . There is ono thing that war does teach us, and,that is that every nun has'hie very 'goodpoints. A mnj. might have a bad record nt the front, but wo have often been surprised by acts of vory great goodness by such a man, "Wo have got peace now-—of a fjort," raid General Clmytor in conclusion. "But tilings do not look settled yet, and I think we should make certain that we are not going'to bo dragged again into such a war a« we have come through in the past five years. Had we been strong before the war began, I am sure it would never lmvo 'begun. We must be prepared to protect our liberties. Wo may not be able to afford very much— probably we shall have to retrench—but wo should study efficiency whatever is done. ... I hope that after this we skill have in tho Empire one supreme council to manage all the fighting forces of the Empire—Navy, Army, and Air Force. Wehftvo lost greatly in this war through lack of co-ordination. The war has cost us enough, and wo should get everything of value from it that we <;an. We should not lose the lessons that have been burnt into us."

He thanked the club again for the welooni? offered him, and he accepted it as ft welcome to all tho mnn who lui<l served with him, and who had "done so well ovor there." (Applause.)