THE BLOODING OF THE BATTALION.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 8, Issue 47, 25 February 1916, Page 3

THE BLOODING OF THE BATTALION.

CHRISTMAS DAY FIGHTING IN THE DESERT. COOLNESS AND BRAVERY UNDER FIRE. A HAPPY CROWD. (From Malcolm Ross, Official Correspondent with the N.Z. Forces).

CAIRO, New Year's Eve.

The First Trentham Battalion received its baptism of fire on Christmas Day and came most creditably through the crdeal, officers and men displayI ing the utmost coolness under fire and great dash in attack. The Second 'Trents.," who are at present somewhere along the line of communications, were not in it; the other forces engaged being the 15th Sikhs, some of the recently-arrived Australian Light Horse, who were mounted, and English Yeomanry. Mersa Matruh, near where the New ' Zealonders fought, is >a" little port on i the north-western frontier of Egypt. Here, at the end of. November, the smaller frontier posts at Solium and Sidi Barm had been concentrated in order to avoid possible causes of friction with the tribes. It lies in an arid zone with desert sands 'and borren rocky hills beyond. Near the shore the water is brackish; inland .' there are fresh water wells. German ] influence has been at work in this ' region, the Senussi and the neigh- ' bouring tribesmen being stirred up to | open rebellion by the arch-conspira- j tors of Europe, whose wonderful or-1 ganisation, conjoined with a well-lined { purse, reaches even into distant Per- 1 sia and the desert lands of Mesopo-' tamia and Africa.. Early in December a reconnoitring force from Matruh came upon a band of 300 Arabs who were attacked and driven westward. Of these 35 were killed and seven taken prisoners.. The B'ritish casualties were 16 killed and three officers and 15 men wounded.

The New Zealanders reached Matruh in trawlers and sweepers, which set sail from Alexandria. Arrived at their destination, they found permanent barracks occupied by an Egyptian garrison. Their first days were spent in fatigues and in making entrenchments on the hill overlooking the station. Wire entanglements were erect, ed and the position generally was strengthened. The camp was close to the beach. Drinking water had to be conveyed from Alexandria. Each night a few shots were fired at our outposts by the tribesmen, who used to creep up under cover of the darkness, and one or two of our men were hit. The main- body of the Arab force was encamped in a rocky donga some seven miles away to the southward. On Christmas Day is was decided to attack the position. The attack force,

consisting of the Sikhs and the New Zealanders, left camp at 4 a.m. and marched for seven miles along a rough road towards the place where the enemy had been spotted by one of our aeroplanes. The guns on the sweepers opened fire and a mountain 'battery on shore was also in action. The first shell.fro mthe sea hit the top of the hill, and the second went just over it where the enemy were congregated amongst the rocks and caves. The enemy replied with a field piece firing common shell, but though thei rshooting was close it did net damage. Three shells landed en the left of the road about a hundred yard s from the New Zealanders.

FACING THE ENEMY. Shortly after dawn the Sikhs advanced, the New Zealand A Company reinforcing them. This advance was , the signal for a shower of bullets from the Arab snipfersj, none jof whom / could be seen. Another section of J the New Zealanders was sent to take j the donga, where the enemy, with his j camels, was supposed to be. They advanced quietly, in extended order, to within 600 or 700 yards of the position, and opened a heavy fire. The enemy, from hidden positions, replied, and bullets were flying all about our men, but were doing little or no damage. Our fedae then adjvaryced t\o within 400 yards of the enemy. From this position they could see numbers of the enemy sheltering behind rocks 1 and in caves across the donga, and 1 the order was given to charge down I and across it. Led by their officers, 1 the men went at it with dash and en- | thusiasm. At the bottom of the donga i the little force became bunched up I somewhat, and there was a regular fui silade of enemy bullets, but scarcely j a soul was hit. 'ln places, the side of ' the donga was steep, and occasionally the men let themselves go, and slid down fifty feet at a stretch. In this manner they got within 200 yards of the concealed. enemy, and the real fighting began. The Sikhs fought with great dash and courage, standing up bcldly in the open and firing. They seemed to disdain cover, and their somewhat reckless daring Avon

the admiration of every New Zealander. Both Sikhs and New Zealand, ers now began to fall. L.-Cpl. Ormistcn fell wounded, and near him S.M. Purkis, of Euckia.nd was shot through the head and killed instantly. Pte. Leslie Morice fell wounded in the arm 'and chest, and Cpl. Beresford Wilkinson, who went to his assistance, was shot through the body while undoing his tunic, and died at once. Sergt. Weir, who was killed early in the day, got a bullet in the groin. , Finally the British force advanced, and drove the enemy out of their position at the point of the bayonet, chasing them away beyond the wells. We captured several prisoners and camels. A number of women 'and children were discovered hiding in the caves. The Arabs had cut the throats of some of their wounded camels that they could not get away. .

Our men counted over two hundred dead of the enemy, and our total casualties in killed and wounded, including the Indians, were some sixty or seventy.

The section of the Australian Light Hors e and some of the English Yeomanry made a sweeping movement on the left flank. They lost 'a few men, and four of the officers were wounded. No New Zealand officers were killed our wounded. They inflicted considerable loss on the enemy. With darkness, the enemy having been dri-

ven off, the attack ceased ,and our men and the Indians marched back to camp singing. The New' Zealanders had had a «'Mery Christams," and they thoroughly enjoyed it. A wounded non-com. said to me: "It was a holiday!" with the emphasis on the war. "As they marched back in the night time singing," he added, "you could not have wished for a happier crowd."

I And thus it was that the new battalion w'as blooded. - They have started Avell, and I have not the least hesitation in saying that they will worthily uphold the reputation that New Zealand has already earned en the battlefield. I" have just a few minutes ago been watching the 7th and Bth Reinforcements coming back to camp, after one of their route marches. With a band at their head, they swung past the New Zealand Hospital with a fine swinging step, loudly cheering the wounded heroes from Gallipoli, who flocked to the gates and on to the balcony to see them pass. They are really a fine type of men. With some knowledge of the English, the French, the German, the Swiss, and the Austrian 'and Hungarian soldiery, and, latterly, of the Turk, I have no hesitation in saying that the Australians and the New Zeal'anders must be just about the finest infantry in the world.