THE HERO OF RAFA.

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3027, 14 March 1917, Page 6

THE HERO OF RAFA.

OFFICER'S PRAISE FOR GENERAL CHAYTOR. A Wellington officer, writing to a Palraerslon North resident, pays a striking tribute to General Chnytor in tho Rafa battle (on the Egyptian front), and, indeed, attributes tho victory to Mm. Ho says:— ' "The whole thing was a great effort successfully carried out. Tho action took place 30 miles from the railhead wbero our supplies came to, so you can imagine the operation was not without tv considerable risk of supplies failing. Wo left El Arish in the afternoon of the Bth, and marched all night, getting close to tho .TJnfa position at dawn. The troops were our own division, the Camel Brigade (which consists of nine companies, six of ■which are Australian and New Zealand), and tho sth Yeomanry Brigade. As soon as it was light tho New Zealand Brigade went off east across the bordor into Palestine, and rounded up a largo Arab camp there, filled with neutral Arabs. These were sent back under guard until tho fighting was over, because they have a way of joining in on cither side if they can get anything to steal; Then the New Zealand Brigade advanced north, and got completely behind Rafa, on the eastern side, while the Ist Brigade attacked from tho south, and the I.C.S. (Camel Brigade) and sth Yeomanry attacked from south and west respectively.

"Wβ had 20 guns, and all eoon got to work, thanks to the excellent photographs of the enemy's position that the aeroplanes had provided us with. But the Turks put up e very etiff fight, and by noon,the 3rd Light Horse Brigade had been put iu, and we were far off getting the trenches, though steadily getting nearer to them. About 3 in jthe afternoon an enemy force was sighted coming up behind the New Zealand Brigade from the east, and things looked very glooiny, though General Chaytor, holding them off with a few men, pressed his attack well in—the old Brigade made a magnificent advance eteadily and skilfully carried out, and just as the column commander had given tho order to retire, they charged as one man, and took tho key of the Turkish position— the central redoubt. Tho rest was easy, The 3rd Brigado rushed the redoubt in froE.t of their position, and the Turks surrendered in hundreds everywhere. As General Chauvel generously said to me, 'It was all duo to Chaytor, , and Goneral Chetwode, who was in command of the whole operation, said the same thing to mo."