PALESTINE

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXII, Issue LXXII, 9 July 1917, Page 5

PALESTINE

MURRAY'S DESPATCH.

LONDON, July TL

General Murray's despatches coveiing operations between October l a iyjL6, and February 28, 1917, mention 129 Australians and 43 New Zealanders. He specially comments on ike Australian and New Zealand Mountede .and the skilful occupation of El Arish .and Masmi on December 20, ending in \General Chauvel'.s fine march on Mag- ! dhaba, where 1282 prisoners were -taken, we only losing 154 killed and vw.ounded. The brilliant <dash of the New Zealand Mounteds, which, included Col. •Ohetwode's column advancing on Rafa on January 9, was the outstanding feature of the action, resulting in the ■capture of the : entire Turkish force of 1600 men. The main ifactor in the success was the conquering of the Sinai •desert by intense., unremitting work. Hundreds of miles of roads and railways were built, filters installed supplying 1,500,000 gallons of water daily, •quantities of stone transported from •distant quarries, Eantara transformed inio an important railway water terminus, hundreds of miles of barbed ■wire entanglements erected', also aerodromes, wireless stations, as well as .sanitation works necessary to make the -desert "habitable. General Murray paye a tribute to ■the excellent organising powers of 'Lieut.-General Dooell in maintaining •troops in the waterless desert well ahead of the railway; also to Cdlonel Chetwode, who was commanding the -desert column with great foresight and -decision, and to General Channel's «kilful leadership.