ANZACS IN PALESTINE

Taranaki Daily News, 25 October 1919, Page 10

ANZACS IN PALESTINE

UNOFFICIAL REPRISALS. BALD ON ARAB VILLAGE. MARSHAL ALLENBY'S REMARKS. IT7 ... , ■. Sydney, Sept. 29. Writing to a Melbourne newspaper, a correspondent says tha,t Sir Edmund Allenby s omission from his official account of the deeds of the Anzacs has caused no surprise whatever to the men. ■I he Anzacs, he states., had General A3* lenby's own word for it that he would not mention them again. Time and again during the campaign the men were infuriated by finding that the bodies of their dead comrades had been dug up by natives of the country, stripped oi everything in the shape of olothlng, and the corpses thrown to the jackals. Brothers had found the graves of brothers thus desecrated, and the feeling was intense. Any attempt to cftec* these wretches by reprisal was sternly checked and the men's anger grew great, as it was suppressed. When the armistice was proclaimed the Anzac division was withdrawn from the Jordan Valley and asesmbled at Wady Aneed, preparatory to embarkation. One night a New Zealand sergeant had his kit bag torn from under his head by a thieving native, who, When pursued towards the village, turned and shot the sergeant dead. Again no move was made to punish the native, or bring the particular murderer to justice. A deputation of New Zealanders approached the Australians, and it was decided to march to the village in a body and demand the murderers. Headquarters heard of what was afoot, and an attempt was made to check it by bringing up a body of English troops, who, however, when they learned of what was' being done, refused to interfere, and a nrimber of thgm joined in the march to the village. The village was surrounded, and,..the headman summoned. He replied in "an msQlent tone that he could not find the murdel-er.. and did not intend to try. He treated their request contemptuously. The headman was then told to send the women and children out of the village, and seeing real danger this was done, and the women and children left the place. A fight took place, in which a number of the men of the village were killed, including, it is supposed, the murderer. Several days afterwards the Anzacs were paraded for Field-Marshal Alienby, who cantered ur> with his staff, and said in effect: "Hitherto I have been proud of you, and have always spoken of you in the highest terms, but after what you have done in the village I no longer esteem you. You are nothing but assassins and cold-blooded murderers, and from this time I do not intend to mention you again."