AUSTRALIANS IN RUSSIA.

Taihape Daily Times, 5 September 1919, Page 6

AUSTRALIANS IN RUSSIA.

BOLSHEVIKS PUT TO ROUT. i VALUABLE BOOTY TAKEN. LONDON, Aug. 1. “During the recent fighting on the Archangel railway front a handful of {Russian gunners, with a detachment of'A'usi;ralialls, defeated and scatior-H ed an immensely superior force of Bolsheviks. The Australians I'eCx.‘Ut.l} came out with the 45th Fusili-31-s, since unofficiallymenanrcd “Tho Australian Detachment,” in recognition of their services. Three hundred Bolsheviks had raided» the railway and occupied the ‘forward blockhouses. The British forces arrived a, few hours 1* later, immediately attacked, and con‘- I tinued operations unceasinglyior (50 1 hours. ‘ ' I

A patrol was sent out and plll-sued the Bolsheviks_ for nine miles, on which gunners took over the line, attacked at two o’clock in the mornii.‘-.g of Jhly 23, captured :;‘.‘Lw _ob;;ectives, and relieved a- company of Russian Rifles under a British officer, who had been cut ‘off and had b'e'en gallantly holding out for 17 hours_ ’ - A Russian 'o_lT'lcer reps;-tc:d seeing 800 Bolsheviiis. A British major collected a'party of 91 men, in::.?.l:c'Eing 61 Australians, with four Lewis guns snd one trench mortar-. MACHINE-GUNS CHARGED. _

The party followed the tracks of the enemy until they reached a clearing. The scouts reported three outposts whereupon the British ferce split into ‘two parties, and on either side of the clearing advanced in semi-extended orgier till the en(-my’ opened -fire from machine-guns-. These were engaged‘ by our Lewis gunners, and the enemy crews killed or Silenced. Taking eidvantage of this, the British, despite the odds of twelve to one, at~ tacked like one. man with the greatest determination. _ .

The British troops" doubled‘ for 1500 l yards, with little opposition, until the enemy camp was reached, and engaged the enemy with rifles and Lewis guns. Then their were attacked on both! sides and in the -rear. They formed square and charged; The Bolsheviks. terr.r2r—stl-icken, fled in all directions, except the machine-gunners, who were shot or bayoneted at their guns. ‘ One Australian ' Lewis-gunner had ; {both thighs smashed, and was badly l ‘wounded in the head, but fought on. l The British remained in the captui-ed‘| '_po:sition’for three hours and then re— ‘ .'tired to their own lines, the ammun'i'tion being very short. The British] major commanding the expedition was i shot at six times at anaverage range 1 015,40 yards, but was not hit. The» enemy had 53 killed. The British had , only three wounded. Among the en-‘ eniy killed was a Commissary, xijhose fpockcts were crammed with money. NO FINER BODY Ol+‘.l\'/lEN. fl‘he booty include every accessory for demolition purposes, telephones,_ 20 Iniles.of telephone wire, 45001 b of explosives with time ‘and electric; fuses. and absolutely completeequip-3 fmcnt for modern warfare, Prisoners‘: stated that the British had just fore-' stalled an attack designed to capture the "whole front. The .AllStl'aliallS 1 have requested the British gunner. major commanding operations to command them_, This request he has accepted. ‘A draft of 300 Russian officers trained in England is arriving at] Archangel shortly. 1 Of nearly 200 Australians who were discharged from_ the Australian Imperial Forces to join the Russian Relief Force, 104 have actually enlisted, and it appears that they are now in Archangel as machine—g.unncrs. The War Oiiice states that the Archangel force : contains no finer men. It is ,un(ler_—i stood that there have been no Ansel tralian casualties so far. , M | Senator Pearce, Australian Ministcrl for Defence, states that lievreeci\‘*cs no information I'egarding the men, who now entirely under War Office conditions as to‘ disr:llarge," th‘e Com- , monwcalth having been relieved of; responsibility. . A .