ANZAG RAIDERS.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 March 1917, Page 3

ANZAG RAIDERS.

How They are Organised. Full-Dress Rehearsals. London, Feb 20 Field-Marshal Sir Douglas Haig recently visited the Australians. His natural sternness broko down, and he uttered a few rare words of great praise—it was impossible that any section of the troops should get higher. The Australians are certainly taking the fullest share of all that is going in trench work, raiding and building and transport. They are greatly advantigerl by the erection of the townships of huts which, with the sunny and frosty weather,have brought them back, according to the latest medical reports, to full health, Sir Douglas Ha'g was specially interested in their recent successful raids when several ecore of prisoners were taken and valuable information gained. Like all Australian raids this bad been specially prepared. The battalion commander decided the point of the raid, guided by the reportß of his night patrol*, upoo tbe condition of No Man’s Land, and Ijoation of the enemy’s machine-guns. The officer SBlecced to command the raid selects two juniors, who command the tight and left. Before the last raid -(ha colonel invited volunteers. (It was a Sydney battalion.) Every man stepped out. The selected party included six non-commissioned officers and 60 men, who had returned to their billets for a fortnight, trained like boxers, with running, gymnastics, bombing and bayonetting practising over ground similar to No Man’B Land. According to the distance judged by the aeroplanes, 'the commander apportioned duties. Some were bayonetere, some bombers, some carriers, and telepbcmiata and runners,