FIGHTING IN PALESTINE.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 June 1917, Page 6

FIGHTING IN PALESTINE.

-.- A SULTRY "SCRAP." Mr. T. Buchanan has received a letter from one of the boys i„ Egypt in which he write- refers to the initial "scran" r,T„I •» , H ° sa y that »° <lou M the Papers will have given a glowing account, but it proved very hard work for our troops. The enemy were as well found as our men and had been conS siderably augmented in numbers proving somewhat harder material than previously The "smack up", had been looked lor for some time., and when camp was struck on March 25 the men knew thlre was to bo something worth while doing. Further, that the mounteds were to bo strongly assisted by the infantry in fact, from the large numbers arriving it was apparent that tliey were to play a very large part in the business. About what happened was that on March 25 the Wellington Regiment (with the mounteds as the screen) cams in contact with the Turkish posts occupying a splendid defensive position on ttio south of Gaza. Other than outpost work little was done that dav, but the operations, on the morrow were to be on a big scale. The disposition of the enemy called for this. Hence I am unable to say much except of the work in the immediate vicinity. At dawn the Anzac Mounteds and camel corps carried out a deep flanking movement to the right for the purpose of cutting off reinforcements and intercepting any retreat of the garrison. Our artillery carried out a bombardment from a distance, whilst the Infantry moved against a position from tho front,

They had a most difficult task allotted to them. A heavy fog hampered all movements and increased the risk, whilst t'no ground over winch they must advance was under direct fire for ..a distance of at least six miles. Matter*; here evidently did not progress too well, and our division was called up from the reserve to watch the onoiny\, rear, .--a 4 o'clock'our regiment, with some Australians, were let loose directly on Gaza, from the back door, while the Yeomanry tackled a flank movement and I believe succeeded. The 2nd Light Horse protected us on the left flank.

Then followed a most interesting few hours. A battery of artillery and heavy rifle fire held us up for some time, 'yii the interim we had captured suudry parties and a complete field ambulance. Then the order for a swift advance was given. The Turkish guns were located against our right flank, and a party composed of mostly No. 2 troop went at them, and succeeded in capturing two large guns. I became attached to the main and we pushed on under cover of our machine gun- five. The ground that we covered was cut off into little plots fenced by cactus hedges, any one of which might have harborec* a party of Turks. One in particular las strongly held, and this became our objective. Before reaching it we had to go through a native cemetery held as a. position by the Turks. We went at it in short rushes with fixed bayonets. Joe gave it to us pretty hot and" pieces of tomb stones flew in all directions. The' Turks hero were of a much better class than those we have previously engaged, being probably a batch of regulars, and they tought to a finish. It was now getting dark and we caught the gleam of their bayonets. A very few of those j behind the cactus got away. The ground was well scattered.

We pushed on somewhat wildly and accounted for small groups here and there. With several others I finished up with a troop of Australians. They saw red in rare style and took some stopping. Tlia regrettable part was that we were now recalled. Apparently the Jnfantry had received a set back in the front, and were withdrawn to face the large question of reinforcements against our flank. Had we another two hours, or even one, of daylight, we. must have pushed through from the rear to the main defences and they were atJ our mercy. Wo would then have cleared Gaza and been free to operate against their other force. As matters stand we are merely keeping in touch for a feiv days fur reasons that will be evident before this reaches you, when it is anticipated there will be '"something doing." The Turks are heavily reinforced but you bet we have some stuff here. One little pill in particular (eight of them). A feature of the Turkiish equipment is a saw edged bayonet. The few days following tile above were strenuous ones, and wo had little if any sleep. One gets mighty thirsty, too, on the dust now that with so much trailic the grass is worn off. However, this does not last for ever, and at the present ws are bivouaced near the beach with plenty of good vfater and a chance to sleep. Our artillery carry on desultory firing, anil we expect the big move at any. minute. Although we are not allowed to interfere with native stock I could give some amusing experiences of fresh meat supplies. Cinema pictures were taken of us the other day when we rode in and should make some hit. The bulk of us were unshaved for a week and covered with dust.

Our movements are. naturally very erratic. A week's spell in camp and then forced matches—days of thirst and sleepless nights. Personally I think I prefer the sand to the mud, but boys who have joined us from Franco consider that this is the most disagreeable life. Not so much actual fighting, it is true, but so much less of civilisation at hand. Ninety per cent, of tho boys would volunteer for France to-morrow, but the authorities are deaf to any transfers, and they know.

Our team came out of the scrap very well, and nil the hoys from North Taranaki are in the best of health.

Twenty-two cases of gifts from Taranaki—mostly New Plymouth—and some from Waitara, were distributed to the brigade a few "weeks ago. Kind regards to all enquiring friends from Waitara.' HAND TO HAND WORK. The' following are extracts from a letter written by a Tavanaki officer serving in Palestine to friends here:— We have had a very hard time this week, and are just about knocked out. We left Kaia on the 25th and came to our present spot, and next day the attack was launched. A division of Infantrv was launched at the front, and the Mouutcds went round the back. The information we had said there were about 900 Turks in Gaza, but we found' there were about 10,000 and the Infantry made little progress, and at 4 p.m. our regiment was sent in through the. plantation, but all the rest of the Mounted force was needed to hold up the Turkish reinforcements who came up from different directions. We went in and found the ;:.antation thick with Tm'ks. Amd fcad iiwd>fighting, bub forced them hack.

| The .enem? were. «U dug in- 'behind |jrj<;kjy',..jieari i aog't know if you've.

over seen this stuff or not, but it is awful to get through, growing very close together and being covered with sliarp spikes about two inches long. We had to force our way through this, so you can, imagine it was hand to hand fighting all the time. The Turks stood up to us and often we would be on one side of a fence and they on the other shootin,? and bayonetting one another. However we forced them hack till we reached the village, and by this time it was dark. Wo surprised a battery and shot *ind bayonetted them all, and my squadron captured two guns. We immediately turned the gun* onto the village and blew thigs about and a large number of the enemy surrendered and the rest retreated.

The order then came to retire as the .Infantry had made no progress and enemy reinforcements ■ were pushing on. We pulled out, bringing prisoners and guns with us, thinking we would finish on tho morrow, but we were taken right back and have been engaged day and night since with enemy outposts and patrols, and we are just about beat out. We are having a couple of days' /est, and I think tho big attack will be launched then, when we hope to have more success.

We are pretty right now, our clothes being -battle worn and we have heads 'like goats. I would like the people who talk about the "cold footed,Mounteds" to have to do a week of what we are doing and see how they like. it. We have some of our men who went with the Infantry to France and came back here to us after going through some heavy fighting there, and they are trying to get back there, as they'reckon this life is far and away harder. Personally, I would sooner bo in the Infantry. Some gift stuff camo out here not long ago and a cake reached Brigade Headquarters marked "I hope this cake dosn't go to the cold footed iMouuteds." The General returned it to the donor. I suppose she was some empty-headed fool, but these remarks hurt-as we don't wish to stay here and many of ns have tried to got to France. Anyway, I am very proud to be a mounted rifleman, and no one has a better record than our force. Wo don't, live in the limelight, but wo do our job, so to the deuce with such empty-headed talk. We haven't had our clothes off for a week, except to have a swim, and are likely to go another week with them on. ' THE BRITISH ADVANCE.

The British advance into Palestine opened withjiigli promise. The Turlcsi in garrison 'on" the Egyptian horder were dispersed in a series of brilliant operations, and there seemed to he good reason for believing that the rapidity of the advance would catch the enemy unprepared. Some Ave or six enemy" divisions, however, were in garrison at Damascus and in Syria;, and these were immediately concenttared in the south, while reinforcements wero rushed-by rail from Aleppo and Adana. The Turks hurriedly completed defensive measures on a front- extending from the sea coast south-west of Gaza for some thirty miles, to Beersheba and beyond. Their left rested on the hills, and" the practicable ground for operations was a belt of from fifteen to twenty miles between the hills and the sea. A considerable ridge- south 'of Gaza gave them direct observation, and on the plain to the southcast of the town they constructed a network of trenches, with redoubts. These were the positions that the British attacked in April, and the enemy, of course, still holds them. The British failure to break through altered the plan of campaign. It was, found that the enemy was in unexpected strength, | that he was well supplied with maehinsgans, and that Austrian guns and gun•ners had been sent to support tlte Turkish troops in Syria were reputed to be of indifferent quality and training l , but I the Gaza battle proved that they" were well disciplined and well equipped, and they they had all the traditional Turkish tenacity in defensive lighting. Although the British advance has been thus checked since April 20, the invasion of Turkish territory has undoubtedly proved profitable. Apart from military considerations—and the fixing of a large Turkish force in Syria is a manifest gain —the troops from Egypt are now encamped in a fertile and green land, "Before and around us everything is green and fresh," wrote Mr. W. T. llasscy at the end of March. "Big patches of barley, for which the plain south of liaza is famous, shine like emeralds, and the immense tracts of pasture are to-dav as bright and beautiful as the rallina downs, at home. You can truthfully compare the country to the Berksiurc Downs. We do not see the butter-cup and cowslip to remind us of the time when, the war being over, we shall return to Britain, but in their place there is an abundance of the most gorgeous flowers lighting up the vivid greenness of tlie- plain as if in welcome to an army which is to relieve the country from the oppressor's hand. There are crimson anemones, bright as any rubies, crocuses and narcissi, irises, short in the stem, but 'brilliant in hue, a tiny sweet-pea, clover and many common flowers in dazzling profusion, while a few specimens of an almost black arum lily have been collected. One of the prettiest pictures I have seen for many a long day was of an Australian Light Horso regiment or.t grazing. Each man was tendingtwo horses. He was enjoying the luxury of a rest on the grass, but his pleasure was derived, not so much from lying full-length on turf, as in seeing the. animals revel in abundant green food. To beast as well as man it is the Promised Land."

"Tho first town in the Promised Land we.have been into," Mr. Massey added, "is 'Khan Yunus, a not unlovely collection of houses amid wonderfully fertile gardens hedged around by impenetrable walls of huge cactus with stems a couple of feet in circumference. From a distance the town looks exceedingly pretty, the green foliage of orchards and gardens providing a delightful, foil to the golden sand dunes which hide the view of the Mediterranean's blue waters from tlio town Khan Yunus is a shadow of its former self. It has a mean bazaar, which is surely not so prospered:- as' when the palace was occupied in the misty past. A portion of the palace still remains. Local tradition attributes the building to the days of Snladin, but it is probably an error, A double archway in two' styles of architecture and a tower may prove of interest to antiquaries, but to our soldiers the main importance of the r/lace just .now is that it is the first town in Palestine they have secured from the Turks. It is a bit of the Promised Land which the Turks, have bad to concede to us under our constant-ly-increasing pressure." ■