BRILLIANT ACHIEVEMENT AT KATIA BATTLE.

GALLIPOLI DEEDS EQUALLED.

Received August 10, 8.10 p.m

LONDON, August 10

Mr. Gerald Massey, writing from Rornani, on Sunday says: I can now give fuller details of the Anzac Mounteds' sterling work. Thesa magnificent troops fought with tenacity, courage and endurance comparable with their, greatest deeds at Gallipoli. Their part in overthrowing the attempt to reach the Canal will stand out as one of the finest achievements of the Colonials during the war, and will illumine the pages of the Anzacs' short but illustrious military history.

The Australian Light Horse were in touch with the enemy for 48 hours, two brigades taking turn and turn about. The first brigade came in contact with the Turks at midnight on Thursday. *Kie two brigades fought them without interruption until darkness on Saturday. The horses were for hours without water and the men had little food and scarcely a drop of water on Saturday to relieve the agony of the thirst of the desert. The first brigade held off 3000 Turks in the darkness on a four-mile line, retiring very slowly and preventing the Turks obtaining undulating ground south-west of Romani, the success of which attempt would have enabled them to cut the railway, isolate the Romani garrison and stop reinforcements by rail. The first brigade held on doggedly, stWng off the Turks. The second brigade reinforced' them at daylight. Both brigades then held Wellington Ridge, a mile west of Gannit, for several hours in the face of heavy artillery and infantry fire and desperate Turkish attacks at 100 yard intervals.

Though the Turks occupied Mount Meredith, two miles south of Gannit, and Mount Royston, three miles west north-west of Gannit, they never secured Wellington Ridge. The Light Horse's success paved the way for our triumph and the battle of .Romani was mada absolutely sure of success when the New Zealanders drove the enemy from Mount Royston and the infantry thrust them towards Katia. Desperate fighting occurred early in the morning, when the enemy strong advance line threw themselves furiously against the Light Horse, shouting the battlecry "Allah" to-the finish. The Australian "Light Horse regarded the cry with immense amusement, shouting derisive answers, and showed that they were more than a match for the Turk with the steel. I saw the Light Horse on Wellington Ridge when the enemy's shrapnel was bursting with wonderful accuracy, but the Australians showed not the slightest sign of movement until, the enemy rushed them, when the Light Horse poured a terrible fire. The appearance of the battlefield subsequently supported the tales of the Australian marksmen's accuracy. On Saturday morning both brigades, with the New Zealand iffounteds on the right worked down the battlefield, while the third' Light Horse flank attacked Hamisah, two miles south of Katiaoaih, and combined in an attack on Katia.\ At 2 o'clock in the afternoon three brigades galloped three-quarters of a' mile into action across extremely heavy country.

The horses carried the cheering men at such a pace that tire Turks' artillery, attempting a barrage never found the range. The charge was made on a three-mile front, and filled the men with enthusiasm.

At this point the Warwickshires. Gloucesters and Yeomanry entered the action. They advanced across the sw.amp for several hours under heavy gunfire, but the action was dis, continued at dusk as it was seen to be impossible to capture Hamisah before darkness. The wisdom of the desert charge was shown by the Turks' helter-skelter rush from their positions, the enemy doubtless fearing that the Mounteds would use the steel as on the previous day.

A few Light Horse charged with fixed bayonets, using their rifles as lances. A story is told typical of the spirit of the Light Horse. A trooper who was awarded the D.C.!M. at Gallipoli, smuggled aboard a transport and reached France. He was recently discovered and sent back to Egypt, rejoining his regiment. At the very outset of the battle he was. placed in the guard tent. He broke out of the tent, tramped into the hottest centre of the engagement, and. as an ambulance worker, rescued fourteen wounded men. He "Was killed when rescuing the ftf-

teenth