FIGHTING IN AFRICA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 299, 27 May 1915, Page 6

FIGHTING IN AFRICA.

OI'STIXt; TIIK GKIiMAXS. Oi'KKATIOXS AT SWAIiOI'JIUNI). IJeutenant 11. .1. .Uaedomild, an Auckl:iml Jioer wai' veteran, who is now with (lie northern force invading Ocrman South-west Africa, writes us follows to his brother in Auckland:— "1 'nave hail a pretty little experience ImTc with the 4th Battery. We came up from Capetown by boat to Wallish ]'ay, and landed there a couple of months ago. We were expecting to got into tropical weather, 'but found a perfectly delightful cliiiiate awaiting us. The name, means wiiale-lish, and The only thin;;s at the bay before the war were a whaling station and a store, but when we lauded there, were thousands of trooj)s i big camps of supplies, railway Works, eti-.. and dozens of hi- ships i'„ tin- liny. r l lie place had the reputation nf only seeing rain once in live or ten years, but the second night, after our landing we were greeted with a proper old downpour, something like we had at lianihoo Creek. ■ "\\ e had a good deal of swimming in H. shark-proof place while we were waitill!; lor our horses io be lightered ashore, imd then trekked along the shore around to Swakoinund (about 21 miles), taking a day and a lialf, as the hor»es had to go easy. "We found Swakoprnund a remark,;Hy well-designed 1i; ile town, evidently meant later on to be a bin ciiy. Tile Hermans must have spent, mouev like w;'ler on the public buildings, breakwater, wharf, huge cranes, etc. There was Iso a big wireless station, but that was felled by a, shell from one of our boats soon after the war started. We -laved at S\rnkii;>iimiiil till St. Patrick's Day, and then went out."to where it was said the 'Cermans had sonic guns opposed lo our burgher forces. "1 think it was the l!Hh, at dawn. that, we got in touch with the enc.uy. They began the circus by shelling our advance burghers as we were keeping along the West side of a range going north. Our battery moved up, and cut through the cangc at a defile, and came into action. The lirst ficrmnn shell came about 1011 cards in front of us. but we had the li-.clc with our lirst shell to wipe out nearly a detachment. They made off lo (he north-east towards another pass ijli I he same range, and we let them have it hot as they went. Our battery then moved up to near the position they had vacated and gol home again on them us I hey were crossing over the saddle through the hills. Meanwhile the burghers had been making an enveloping movement on the right, as well as on the. west side of the range oil our left, nnd thev were on to the Germans immediately they reached the saddle, and we had them. Ucsults: Two 3-inch guns, one machine gun. some waggons of ammunition, over 200 prisoners, ten dead Hermans, and a lot, of wounded. The place was like a shambles. However, v.'c could not stay long, as there was no water near, so we made up a couple of teams from among the unwounded animals of the enemy, and brought the guns and waKgons away and got, back tn water in the bed of a river at midnight. "The Transvaal Horse Artillery could be heard engaged all day, and afterwards we learned thev bad also smashed Hie Ocrman artillery, but that the enemy bad managed to <<et their guns lo the train and away, though leaving everything else."'