PALESTINE.

Taihape Daily Times, 17 January 1918, Page 5

PALESTINE.

SATISFACTORY PROGRESS NEAR

JERUSALEM

LONDON, January 45

A Palestine official message states: Despite the weather, our aircraft bombed Jenin aerodrome, Airman station and the Sedjax railway, with good results. There is considerable patrol activity in the Jerusalem sector. We raided Mukhinas village? taking prisoners. There is similar activity in the coastal sector, eastward and northward of Effa.

TRIBUTE TO AUSTRALIANS AND

NEW ZEALANDERS.

WONDERFUL FEATS OF DASH

LONDON, January 15

The story of the Australians’ and New Zealanders’ share in the capture of Palestine is now coming out, revealing feats of combat, endurance horsemanship worthy to rank with the greatest cavalry 'achievements of his history. General Allenby playoff for. 'the highest stakes, and risked everything, in a great cavalry coup, in which the Australian Light Horse and the New Zealanders were the loaders. They wore backed up by the splendid Yocmanry. The lack of water alone prevented the capture of the Turkish army and the earlier fall of Jerusalem. An officer from Palestine, interviewed, said he was lost in admiration of the., feats of the Australian Light Horse, who had lived, for two years dike-blacks 'ln ■ hell-holes. The monotony was varied occasionally by patrols -encounters. Their only furlough ,was to Egypt, of which they wore utterly “fed up’,’ Many of. them suffer-

cd from septic- sores, but they were never dispirited, and were overjoyed when the time for action came. The most notable feature of the campaign was the extraordinarily long ricT-ea through waterless country, on short rations, both the horses and men suffered seriously. The Turks fought brave retreating actions. Chauvel 7 s leadership was supremely good. The story of the great charge of the 44th Regimerit, at Beersheba under General Grant, was epic-like. The men dashed in with their bayonets after a thirty mile night march, and fought all day victoriously.