BRITAIN'S OVERSEAS FORCES

Taihape Daily Times, 28 January 1919, Page 6

BRITAIN'S OVERSEAS FORCES

THEIE LOCATIONS AND STRENGTH. ' DEFEAT NOT REALISED BY TURKS. LONDON, January 25. The Australian Press Association understands that the following is the disposition of the British forces outside of France: Three divisions are in Italy, but are being reduced by demobilisation. There is also a battalion at Fiume, and another in the iNorthern Tyro. Three divisions are in the Balkans, including one in the Dobrudja,. garrisoning the zone between the Bulgars and the Roumanians. There is another division, in the vicinity of Constantinople, and also a battalion at Scutari. The

troops sent to Caucasia were to keep open communications with the Indian troops in Transcaspra- There are a large number of German and Austrian prisoners in Transcapia who still not not believe that the Central Powers are defeated, "and who say that the German submarines in the Caspian Sea. recently drowned 30,000 British troops. The Turks also remain truculent, and don't appear to realise their defeat. * They continue the old oppressions, and are extreminating Armenians. Three divisions of British troops are at Alexandria waiting shipment home. There is another at Cairo, and three divisions in Palestine and Syria largely Indian. B'csides ■ four mounted divisions, of which two are Australian, and are about to be repatriated, we have five infantry divisions and one cavalry division in Mespotamia.' These are necessary to preserve the civiliation introduced during the war, which is remarkable, including, as it" does, the making of the .modern port of Basra, the construction of hundreds of miles of railways and improvements in irrigation and the navigation of riverc. It is hoped that a "considerable portion of the British will be withdrawn from Mesopotamia before, the Shot weather, if ships are available. There • are other small forces in Persia. Siberia, Northern .-Russia, ind *»f the 70.000 garrisoning India, it is honorl to bring t.fyooo Some bfcfore the summer. <The .successful advanee\ pf She Esthonians towards Petrograd is important. The defeat of Bolsheviks 5s due partly to trouble in Petrograd and partly to a disaster at Perm. The British have handed to the Es-