ALLENBY’S GREAT DRIVE

Taihape Daily Times, 29 January 1919, Page 4

ALLENBY’S GREAT DRIVE

DESCRIBED BY MAJOR HINE,

(Patea County Press.)

Major J. B. Hine, Stratford’s M.P., who has been on active service with the New Zealand Mounted Division in Palestine for the past two and a half years, writes interestingly to a friend of the great drive by General Allenby which resulted in the complete discomfiture of the Turks. Throughout the big offensive Major Hine commanded his old squadron, the 2nd Wellington Mounteds, who had the honour of holding the right flank of the lino , all summer. In this they held all the , bridges and fords over the Jordan for about six miles from the Dead Sea to the north. In referring to this Major Hine says:

“As the Turks were on the high ground east of the river they dominated our positions with their big guns, with which they were well supplied, and we were constantly having a few casualties. When the operations at last commenced we had to demonstrate on our flank while the balance of the cavalry broke through on the coast. It is stale news now how successfully they did their work never stopping until they had captured Damascus, Aleppo, and the rest. Before now (November 6) they would have been well oh their way to Constantinople but for the cessation of hostilities. Our division went out cast beyond Jordan and over the Hejaz railway, capturing on route As Salt, Amman, and Castcl. The Turks were numerous in these localities, but their moral w T as completely gone, and only at Amman did they put up anything like a fight. Poor beggars! they were 'on the point of starvation. The only things they had without stint were guns, both large and small, and ammunition galore. It was a stiff advance, riding all day and night sometimes, but it had its recompenses.

“No sooner was the fighting over and the whole' of the Turkish forces in our hands than malarial fever made its appearance amongst us, and in three weeks twelve hundred men and fifty officers were on the sick list from our brigade alone. The other forces suffered as badly. Mtelaria plays havoc with a fellow if he gets what is called the malignant type, which unfortunately most of the men have. We knew wie were in for it, having to spend several days, and nights in a mosquito-infested area, where malaria is found at all times. The brigade has lost about seventy men to date (November 61 through pneumonia supervening on malaria.”

Major Hine was attacked by malaria, but it proved to be of the mild type, and ho made an excellent recovery after spending a couple of weeks in hospital.