BACK FROM MESOPOTAMIA.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 March 1917, Page 3

BACK FROM MESOPOTAMIA.

"NO WHITE MAN'S COUNTRY.'? A -NEW ZEALAND WIRELESS MAN'S OPINION. 'lt is no white man's countrv," said Lance-Corporal C. Atkinson, of the New Zealand Wireless Corps, that, in conjunction with the Australian Corps, had been engaged in keeping up communications with the invading Mesopotamia force. "It is no white man's country," he repeated. "The heat is intense, the flies and mosquitoes are something awful, and there is malaria and jaundice (we lost Lieut. Clarke, our 0.C., through that) and fever, and the temperature was often 130deg. in the shade." The flat country, however, he said, was wonderfuly fertile. It would grow anything, but that was only close to the river. There were groves of date palms up to Bassorah, and the signs of fertility were very apparent. Referring to* General Townshcnd's expedition, the returned Mesopotamian soldier could not speak too highly of the cheerfulness and courage of that general. "He did not give in," he said, "til! the last gasp. I saw some of his men—the worst of them that the Turks returned to us—and they were mere walking skeletons. How near relief was might be imagined from the fact that as the force capitulated the 14th Hussars were at the bridgeheads firing at the Turks from there; but there was nothing else to be done. Still, it was wonderful how General Townshend cheered up his men and to the last held out hopes of relief. It was heat and lack of transport that caused the failure of the expedition. The heat was fearful and affected everybody. Yet it was common talk that if only the British had broken through to Bagdad that city was defenceless, and could have been taken in a walk. There was only the Turkish field force at Kut. "The transport there was mostly done by boats. The railway runs up the Euphrates t<* Nazaria. A great thorn in the side of the British was the snipm* of the Arabs and their treachery It was impossible to trust there. Thev used to do great damage till the 14th Husars gave them a stern leson. "Of all the men I have ever seen" said f.ancc-Corporal Atkinson, "the Arab is the strongest physically. I have seen one carry a piano half a mile by himself without a stop. I have never seen anything like it before." The New Zealand Wireless Corps had gone out G2 strong, and it had been reinforced by nearly two-thirds, but sunstroke, jaundice and other ailments sent several back, Lance-Corporal Atkinson being invalided and granted five weeks' furlough. He says the bracing climate ot New Zealand has already done him a great deal of good.