New Zealand.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 264, 17 April 1915, Page 5

New Zealand.

REPORT FROM GENERAL GODLEY. ON SUEZ ..CANAL FIGHTING. , SATISFIED WITII OUR, TRiOOPS. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, April 10. The Minister of Defence has received from Sir A. Godley an account of the. fighting in which the New Zealand forces under his command were engaged against the Turks at the beginning ot February. Determined attempts were jnade, to cross the canal near Tussum, which resulted in severe fighting. Few of the enemy managed to cross, but nearly all were accounted for. General details are given in the report of the fighting on lines similar to ■the reports previously published. The demeanour and bearing of our men in the trenches and going out of them was most satisfactory, says General Godley. Over 500 of the ■enemy were buried bv the troops and <c>s2 prisoners are in our ■hands. It is calculated that, on a basis of three wounded to one killed, tbe enemy must have suffered a loss of at least 1500 wounded, making total casualties of between 2500 and 3000.

OUR BOYS IN EGYPT. GENERAL GODLKY'S REPORT. ON TTIIS CANAL FIGHTING. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The Minister of Defence has received from Major-General Oodlcy an account of the fighting in which the New Zealand forces under his' command were engaged against the Turks. At the beginning of February determined attacks, he reports, were made to cross the canal near Tussoum,. whiclf resulted in severe fighting. A few of the enemy managed to cross, but nearly all were accounted for on the same day, and the remainder were rounded up on the following day. At daylight the enemy were found close to the post, and their guns opened on both Toussum and Scrapemn. Our ships' guns and theartillcry engaged the enemy, who, after a certain amount of lighting, including an ailAyyice from Serapeum, retired, leaving many dead, and nearly :>OO prisoners. At Izmailia ferry the enemy were found entrenching about hftli' a mile east from the post at daylight, and two battalions opened fire soon after, but no regular attack was made. Intermittent shelling continued during the day, large numbers being fired, many of which exploded 111 our camp. Shipping detained in Lake Timsali was under lire, anil suffered slight damage, but no loss of life. Shell-fire also took place at El Ferdam, where some slight damage was done, but 110 casualties occurred. At Kantara the outposts were attacked at 5 a.m., but the enemy was driven off without loss, and later in the day a partial attack was made from the south-east, but the enemy were stopped 1200 yards from the position. .Military casualties during the day were: British officers, killed 1, wounded 4; British, Indian and Egyptian rank and file, killed 17, wounded 70. The enemy along the canal at all points at-" tacked. They appeared to number in all some 12,000 men, with at least six batteries. One six-inch gun was also located, and is thought to have been silenced. Some 150 of the enemy are still entrenched on the canal bank one and a half miles south of Tussoum. They were rounded up by the troops from Scrapcum, after having treacherously fired on our men, though they had raised the white flag and made signs of surrender. The demeanour and bearing of our men in the trenches, and going out of them, was most satisfactory, over 500 of the enemy were buried by our troops, and 052 are prisoners in our liands. It is calculated that on the basis of three wounded to one killed the enemy must have suffered a loss of at least 1500 wounded, making total casualties of between 2500 and 3000. The enemy is onw in retreat all along the line.

SOLDIERS IN DISGRACE. I DISMISSED FROM THE NEW ZEALAND FORCES. IMPRESSIVE CEREMONY AT TRENTHAM. Wellington, Last Night. An unusually impressive ceremony was performed at Trenthain camp at five o'clock this afternoon, when four members of the 3rd reinforcements who had missed their boat at Albany, and had been brought back to New Zealand, were paraded for punishment. After having been duly tried and convicted by the district court martial. The whole of the forces in the camp, comprising some 4000 men, were drawn up on the parade ground and formed into a hollow square with the officers in front. The offenders, when the signal wis given, were marched out from the camp detention enclosure, each prisoner being bareheaded and accompanied by a n armed guard of military police. As each man was brought up his sentence of six months' imprisonment with hard labor in the common gaol, and dismissal from the New Zealand military forces, was read out by Major Neill, stall' ottieer of the 4th reinforcements. Each man as lie received his punishment was then led away under armed guard before, the whole force. The men so sentenced were:—Privates Walter Walsh, Sdward Crawford,' William Doyle, and James McCutcheon.