WITH THE NIOUNTEDS.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 August 1921, Page 6

WITH THE NIOUNTEDS.

THE PALESTINE CAMPAIGN.

SOME INTERESTING SIDELIGHTS.

(Continued from yesterday’s issue.)

The following is the conclusion of the report of Colonel Meldrum’s address on the > Palestine campaign given to the Savages ‘ at New Plymouth on Saturday evening: I General Allenby had determined that I Jerusalem must be taken, but if possible ; without a shot being fired into the city, 'or any blood spilt. How well he succeeded ! in both these determinations is now well ! known. The city is almost as sacred to I Mohammedans as to Christians. On the I site of Solomon’s Temple is a mosque which 1 is said to contain the stone upon which Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son j Isaac, and from which also Mahomet . 1 ascended from Earth to Heaven. Allenby • was well aware that if these Mohammedan I sacred houses could be spared destruction ’ it would make it easier for administration 1 later. So his main attack was made 4 to 20 miles away from Jerusalem, but when won it necessitated the Turks evacuating that city. Of course, they were all intensely interested in Jerusalem, though on first entering there was not much time for sightseeing. The first impression was that Jeru- ! salem was the dirtiest city ever seen. King i David Street, a passage from the Jaffa gate to the Temple site, was a cobbled stone I lane with no drainage, and reeking with ■ stinking offal of all descriptions. Under I British occupation sanitation and a water supply were insisted upon. The track from the Judgment Hall to the Hill of Calvary ' is still shown, and the places where Jesus ; stopped to rest whilst carrying his cross , are marked. There is no trace of the old ! temple, the whole of its site being covered iby the Mosque Omar. Crossing from Jerusalem the brook Kedron is the Mount of Olives. There the Kaiser had erected a j huge palace with a kind of central “chapel” with a huge dome. In this “chapel” were figures of Christ, the Apostles and—the 1 Kaiser and the Kaiserin—whilst outside i tbe chapel, in the vestibule, were also statues of the Kaiser and his wife. In spite ,of this the palace made excellent headi quarters for General Chetwynd. I THE DEAD SEA.

Much had been said about, the Dead Sea being dangerous to live by and still more dangerous to swim in. Well, they did both, and were none the worse for it. Swimming the Jordan was a different proposition. So strong and swift was the current in that river that few swam against it, and still fewer could swim across it. At one time the Jordan Valley had been very prosperous. There were still traces of aqueducts which had formed portions of the old irrigation systems, but over it all lay the story of a country ravaged by conquering hordes. In the time of Herod the great Jericho was a very important town and a favorite winter resort. Now, there'is no trace of old Jericho, though you can see the seven hills upon which old Jericho was built. Here also is the Hill of Temptation. There is a monastery built, over the spot where Christ is said to have been tempted by Satan to throw himself down. As there is a sheer drop of 400 feet, it certainly would require great faith to take the jump. Near Bethlehem, where the troops wont for a rest, the dams, called Solomon’s pools, are still in existence and still holding water. They are said to have been-erected by King Solomon either for a water supply for Jerusalem or for irrigating the King’s gardens, which were just below the pools. The country around Jerusalem was very broken, makitig fighting a real hardship, and it was surprising to sec the way the city-bred English infantry tackled this difficult work. It was a wonderful performance by men bred and trained in cities.

END THE CAMPAIGN. After Jerusalem fell the Turks counterattacked, and it required every available man’ to withstand them. So serious did the position become that General Allenby ordered a counter-attack at one point by the British. This made the Turks think British reinforcements were available, and they gave way. Jericho was taken soon after, and then came a spell. Some of the best of the troops in Palestine were transferred to France, and their places taken by troops from India. This entailed reorganisation, and a delay of some months. Allenby endeavored with utmost success to mislead the Turks into thinking he would attack them on the right bank of the Jordan, when he really intended to push north on the left.

ALLIES OR ? In the meantime the Arabs had been pushing the Turks westward on the right hand of the Jordan. With their retreat blocked by the British and the Arabs pressing them from the south, the Turks desired to surrender. They declined to give up t|ieir arms to the Australians, however, because, they said, there were insufficient Australians to keep back the Arabs, and if the Turks were unarmed the Arabs would i slaughter them. So the curious compact ; was made that the Turkish’ prisoners of i war should assist the Australians to keep back the Arabs (Britain’s allies) until sufficient British troops arrived to guard the surrendered Turks. Fortunately when the Arabs, who were out for loot, found the British seriously intended to prevent that sort of thing they desisted, and the ; Turks were duly taken prisoner. , The progress of the rest of the campaign j was well known. On the way to Aleppo ; they passed the plain of Megiddo, south of Lake Tiberius. This is the site where it has been prophesied the last great fight (Armageddon) of rhe world will take place. Near the Lake Tiberius the Egyptian King Raineses II was ambushed by the King of the Hittites, but by driving his war chariot straight into the Hittite army be kept them busy until the seco’jid part of nis army could join up, when the Hittites were badly beaten.

The result of their fighting side by side in the difficult country of Palestine gave the Colonial and British troops the greatest respect for and goodwill towards one qnother. When it came to saying goodbye to General Allenby, the speaker tried to say how proud the New Zealand men had been to serve under such a commander, one who knew his work and his men, who was quick to give praise when possible, and who showed them the way to victory. To this General Allenby replied: “All I can say is, I am extremely proud to have had under my command such a magnificent body of men.”