WAR HISTORY

Evening Star, Issue 19777, 30 January 1928, Page 5

WAR HISTORY

THE EASTERN CAMPAIGN TRIBUTES TO AUSTRALIANS AND NEW ZEALANDERS Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, January 28. The hardships of the Australian Light Horse and the New Zealand Mounted Rifles in desert campaigning are told in unvarnished stylo in the 1 British Official History of the War in Egypt and Palestine to June, 1917.’ It is highly appreciative of the dominion troops’ part, and sportingly describes the failure of Lieutenant-general Chanvel’s gamble to carry Rir El Abd in August, 1916. A tribute is paid to the tenacity and physical endurance of the Anzac Mounteds, to which the Romani victory was largely due. Later it describes the overthrow of the redoubt at Rafah by the New Zealanders as an outstanding dashing assault. A most detailed description of the two Gaza battles includes a reference to the controversy over the retirement at the first battle after the more advanced roops, including the Anzac Mounteds, had actually reached Gaza streets. It quotes the ‘ Australian Official History,’ stating that Lieutenantgeneral Chanvel made a strong protest against the order to retire. The British footnote says: “No written protest is on record. General Sir Philip Chetwode says that the note was made to him verbally, either by messenger or by telephone.” The history constitutes an amazing record of bow the tremendous difficulties of the desert were overcome by engineering and scientific means, notably the water supply and the transport and handling of the wounded. Referring to the purely military aspect of the conquest it says: “It was made chiefly notable by the work of the Australian and New Zealand Mounted Horse—young nations laying the foundation of a record which will not he forgotten in the history of mounted warfare.”