LETTER FROM EGYPT.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 August 1916, Page 6

LETTER FROM EGYPT.

WORK OF THE MOUNTED!*

Mr. T. Buchanan, of Waitara, has receive I flie following interesting letter from ine of the Urenui boys of the Sfch Rein/, moments now in Egypt:— " I am still with the Mounted Brigade, which is 3000 strong. . We are attached to the Australian Light Horse, the two forming the Anzac Mounted Division, which, diving the last six months, has been roaming over Egypt and Sinai deserts, looking for Johnny Turk. Last Easter the Lifht Horse managed tc get a sma?k at a party of Turks, some 2000 strong, that lad attacked an' outpost of Warwickshire* and Worcestcrshires who would have been cut up hut for the timely arrival of the A.L.H., who soon got the Turks on the run. Thej lost about 500, our losses being some 200, mostly wounded. Since then our patrols have occasionally got into touch with the Turks. Last week a Canterbury patrol surprised .10 Turks, and none got away. You may have read that our first line of trenehes'rur parallel along the Suez Canal, varying from I,"> to 20 miles distant from it. At intervals these trenches are connected by.three railways and metalled roads. From that spot our supplies—rations and waterare per camel transport, there being thousands of these animals' hero, and they are well named "the ships, o»" the desert." Our present camp is about .'!0 miles from the Mediterranean' Sea., and fortunately receive the cool breezes from it, which keep down the temperature. Just now (June) is our hottest month, the glass often going over 100 up to lit' in the shade. The horses are standing it well, although naturally it fin:ls the weak ones, which are quick!" replaced from the remount depot.

This last month the Turks'have been very active with their aeroplanes, dropping bombs on .our camps, and on the horse and ?amel lines. When a Taube appears the first tltlngwe do is to cut the ropes of the horses and let them run loose over the desert. Each Taube carries some 10 bombs r..nd a machinegun, and flies overhead., about SOOO feet, but I do not think we will be troubled with any more of them for a while, as a squadron of our planes flew some 00 miles from here and bombed their hangars and aerodrome, destroying eight Turkish planes. We lost two singleseated planes, in the attack, owing to their havingbeen brought down to within 200 feet of the aerodrome, so as to make sure of direct hits, and the. two mentioned were forced to,descend owing I to the petrol tanks being pierced with bullets. . . . The Turks will never make a serious 1 attack on Egypt or the Canal; as to do so would require 2,000,000 men, and the transport dilliculties for such a largo numbei are too great to allow that with any chance of success. There are thousands of English Tommies here round the canal, being Territorials from IS to 20 years of age. We Mountcds are the only New Zealand troops in Egypt now, all the rest having gone to France some two months ago. Up to June 2 they had not been in 'Action there, though ere this reaches you I expect they will have been. The Twelfth Reinforcements arrived here about a week ago (this would mean June 21) and are at present at Tel-el-'Kebir training camp, but will leave foi France as soon as transports are available. As regards us Mounteds, we will remain here for some time yet, though rumor says we may soon be over in La Belle France as infantry. Camp conditions there are much better, than in the desert, but rumor has been a lying jade for months now. This week we arc going backwards towards the canal to Hill GO (which is nine miles from it) for a rest oE two or three weeks.

My word, you New Zealand people •have been very good to us boys here, and nearly every month we receive gift goods fiom New Zealand. The latest to arrive was some home-made jam, wliich was highly appreciated by us, as you will readily understand after having had "marmalade' for months.

I am glad to have heard of the very successful season farmers 'have had in Taranaki. I notice butter is still at .Kite iiul cheese at 100s. Clill' Tate is Al and doing well. Jack Corcoran is in France with the Artillery. I tried to get,a transfer to his unit, but they will not give the Mountcds a transfer owing to our being inured to desert life lam glad to see that Taranaki still keeps up its full quota, for the drafts. You can always tell a Taranaki man here, as or.e arm is longer than th*e other, reaching [for the back teats!