IN EGYPT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 198, 29 January 1915, Page 7

IN EGYPT.

WHEN PLANS WERE CHANGED. LORD KITCHENER'S PROMISE. The story of how the Australian and j New Zealand troops came to be sent to. . Egypt is told by Captain Bean, the offi- i . cial correspondent with the Australian ' • forces, in a letter from Cairo, under date of December 26. I Sir George Reid, High Commissioner for Australia, spent Christmas with thi' Australian troops, and during his visit Captain Bean secured from him tin: i story of how the change in the destina-! tion'of the two forces came to be made. | He writes:— Sir George Reid made it quite clear i that the Australian Government was, most wise in falling i n with the suggestion that this force should train in! Egypt. It was on November 17 that it j really became obvious that some change ; in the original plan was desirable. The j Australians were to have come to Salis- ' bury Plain for training, but as time j went on it became more and more certain that the arrangements on the plain . could not possibly be ready by the time, of our arrival. The sight is one of the j bleakest in England. The weather had ! been mistrably wet, and Salisbury Plain was quickly degenerating into a sea of ( mud. Tlie'provision of huts, which was : absolutely necessary for troops and horses coming straight out of the tropics for a lengthy stay, could scarcely ke?p pace, with the needs of the troops already there, and as it happened, on this very day (November 17) Sir George Reid | had received orders from officers of the j Commonwealth who had visited the. ( plain which made him very anxious. It seemed certain that if our force conic straight from the tropics on to Salisbury Plain in those conditions, then 1 must be a huge loss of men; but on tin j same day on which these reporta came, he was called to the telephone. It was from Lord Kitchener, and he had rung up to make the suggestion that the Australian 'orce ' should train in Egypt. The Australian '• Government, when' it heard the facts, ■ fell in with the arrangements inimcil- ( iattly and it may be adbl that the men ( ot the force themselves are pcrleeUy i satisliid witli the decision. News- ' pap. rs and letters from England hate 'made the condition of Salisbury Plain well known amongst them, and everyone realises that the change was a light . cne. Sir George Reid has Lord Kit- ; chener's word that the force will be j sent to the front.

j There is a certain amount of provision j —not absolutely essential, becaus;? the ■ force is a fighting force, as it is, and . is already being relied on for the defence !of Egypt if the Turks invade it—but ; ' provision which it is very advisable to make before the men go to the froiit. In the present state of affairs it is hopeless to think of getting these things ' at the last moment—if they are to be ' got, the only way is to make arrange- ' nients as soon as possible! to get them by whatever means the ingenuity of t those in the cam]) can devise. Sir Geo. > Rcid eame to Egypt with Major Buck- > ley, in order that such supplies could be ! immediately settled upon and arranged for. Our force has had ample instances of tile value of secrecy, and Sir (Jeorge, lieid says that fircat Britain was kept ; absolutely in the dark a to our wherc--1 abouts, and that it was the greatest [ surprise to find that we had reached Eg- . ypt. Letters had arrived telling of our \_ having sailed—probably written some time before we actually did sail—and . there M T as a great amount of discussion as to where we were. We were not connected with the sinking of the Emdcn. and some people tbouiht it impossible that we should come by the canal route.