ADVANCE TO JAFFA.

Taihape Daily Times, 14 February 1918, Page 6

ADVANCE TO JAFFA.

WITH THE MOUNTED MEN. ' CONDITIONS IN PALESTINE . Experiences with the New Zealand Mounted Biflcs in the advance to Jaffa have been related by an Auckland sob dicr in a letter to bis parents. He wrote from the German Consulate in Jaffa, which he states was then being used as a signal office, while his quarters were in the local German school. “Everything went like clockwork,” he writes in describing the capture of Beersheba. “One division carried out the encircling movement, travelling well to the south of the place and attacking from the east and

the north-east soon after daybreak. It was a long march of over 30 miles through country absolutely new, but we were in position and had our objectives taken before the infantry, who attacked from the west. Gaza itself I have not seen, but believe it is just a mass of shell-holes, and the great redoubt of Ali Muntar is pretty well blown away. The place was subjected to a thorough bombardment from the sea, and monitors played a big part in the shelling. “Since then we have had a pretty eventful time. From Beersheba, we

travelled northwards for 30 hours, f eventually fetching up at Askalon. ' Erom there we moved about and fought a few times, camped at one or 'two Jewish villages where the people were very glad to see us, and at length arrived at Jaffa. Enemy aeroplanes, troubled us a bit during the first few days, but lately they have not been so active. Ours were over in squadrons of 20 or 30, and bombed every target they saw. The Turks machines appeared only at dawn and sunset, and then only in twos and threes. They ever waited long, and seemed anxious to get back to their own lines. "I should like to see the official list of the stuff we have taken during the advance, Tt must be great. All along the line we passed ammunition limbers spare equipment such as rifles, gas helmets, and bandoliers, and groat dumps of ammunition, from a small arms size howitzer shells and ‘ plum-pudding ’ bombs. ’ ’ The soldier describes the entry into iho fertile region about Jaffa and the march along tree-lined roads, through orange-groves, in which the trees were laden with 'iiipcining ffruit. VAt a. Jewish village where -we stayed two days,” he says, “ the people had stacks of bread and wine to sell, and it was first-class stuff, too. The people are mostly short of imported goods, and say they have not- seen ,sugar, cocoa, and such things for three years. Most of them speak French and a number of them English. One old. couple went to our general to inquire about a son who joined the Light Horse in Australia. We know, nothing of him, but later in the day they met him in the main street.”