BRITISH MISSION TO ABYSSINIA

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 13243, 20 January 1941, Page 3

BRITISH MISSION TO ABYSSINIA

DRAMATIC venture established in JUNGLE SINCE JULY THOUSANDS OF TRIBESMEN TII ° ISEIXG TRAINED London, Jan. 19, lias reached London of a N n> venture in Abyssinia. A dra c h mission consisting of officers Br ‘ u ®. r( j 's specially chosen for their aD iLGe 0 f Abyssinia and its diali"? W r -ossed into that country from iec o July las: with the object ffainina and encouraging trib.es0i o - revolt against the Italians. Arriving in the rainy season the v ± band had to push their way U mountains, through rivers and ” VC „T"the heart of which they S V made their camp. Tribesmen, V their Italian conquerors, S round when they heard of arrival of the mission, and- tor ' H, s have been training and learnr use modern armaments. The 'Vc tint Haile Selassie was m Khartoum greatly heartened them, , already the trained troops have Sen in action, harassing the Italians n , the supply routes and even makjjg tueir hold on the large towns urecarious. When the R.A.F. come over and mid the Italian aerodromes, .tribesmen take advantage of the confusion to create further desti notion. \ system of communication from the British jungle camp to headouarters in the Sudan has been set up and supplies of arms and ammunition steadily flow into Abyssinia. The Italians have made desperate efforts by air and land to find the camp of which they have learned hut only on one occasion were bombs dropped anywhere near the camp. . . ~ Outside the frontier of Abyssinia another trained band awaits the day when it can cross over and take a part in driving the Italians out. The band consists of Abyssinians who crossed the border into the Sudan and for months have been training under British supervision.