EAST OF SUEZ.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17283, 26 September 1916, Page 3

EAST OF SUEZ.

MOUNTED RIFLES' BATTLE.

ANZAC BRIGADES AT GALLOP

(By W. T. MASSEY.) ROMANI (East of Suez Canal), August 6

The Turks are fighting a series of rear-guard actions with great stubbornness. They had to evacuate the whole of tho defences prepared in the Katia crises last night, for they could not hopo to resist an onslaught similar to that of General Chauvel's Anzac mounted division on Saturday afternoon (yesterday), tho main details of which I will presently describe. Tho enemy, therefore, fell back to the sand-bagged defences on n line running through Oghrantina which thoy had prepared more than a week ago.

Wo aro pressing the Turks heavily everywhere, and the toll of 3000 prisoners already taken may bo materially increased. Our infantry aro advancing steadily on a wide front, with the mounted-troops on the flanks, but the enemy fight strongly, supported by artillery which shows no sign of slackening.

In Friday's fight, which settled the Turks' attempt to invade Egypt, we had a superiority in guns, but when tho enemy's , attack developed it was surprising to see the vast anion t of ammunition he had at hand, and though the Australian Light Horse captured a complete ammunition column and some guns tho Turks continue to havo a plentiful supply, and uso it without stint. Probably they have three, if not four, 6in howitzers and a considerable number of mountain guns. Their artillery fire is good. Tho Turks' small-arm ammunition is also plentiful, and they often use up belts of -100 to 500 rounds in one series instead of in a succession of bursts. Their machino-gun fire has been poor and their riflo fire often wild, but this prodigal use of ammunition supports the view that the Turks have been bringing it forward for months, placing it in underground depots preparatory to this attack. TURKS' PLAN FOILED.

I can now give fuller details of tho Anzac mounted division's sterling work. These magnificent troops fought with a tenacity, courage and endurance worthy of comparison with tho greatest things dono by them in Gallipoli. The part they took in overthrowing the attempt to reach the Suez Canal will stand out as one of the finest things done by oversea troops during tho war, and will illumine the pages of the Anaacs' short but illustrious military history. For a week a brigade of the Australian Light. Horse were in touch with the enemy, and twenty-four hours out of forty-eight two brigades wore taking turn and turn about.

The First Brigade got in touch with the Turks a few minutes after midnight o:i Thursday, and, with the Second Brigade, fought them almost uninterruptedly till darkness set in on Satinday. Their horses were many hours without water, and many of the men had little food on Saturday and scarcely a drop of water to relieve the agony of thirst in the desert.

The First Brigade of Light Horse held off 3000 Turks in the darkness on a line of nearly four miles, and, retiring very slowly, prevented tho Turks from obtaining the wide, sandy, undulating ground between the hills southeast of Bomanj before daylight. Tho Turks' intention was to rush forward and seize and cut the railway west of Romani and-isolate the garrison at that important place and prevent reinforcements from reaching . them by rail. Holding on doggedly, the First Brigade stopped that attempt, and when reinforced at daylight by the Second Brigade they held, tho Wellington Ridge for hours in face of heavy artillery and infantry fire and Turkish attacks so desperately launched that tho lines were sometimes only 100yds apart. The Turks occupied Mounts Meredith and Royston—named after the commanders of the First and Second Brigades of Light Horso—but never secured tho Wellington Ridge——called after the Wellington Mounted Rifles. This paved the way to our triumph, and the battle of Romani was made absolutely secure when the New Zealanders threw the enemy off Mount Royston and tho infantry thrust them back towards Katia.

"ALLAH! FINISH AUSTRALIA!"

There was sonic desperato fighting in the early morning when the enemy's strong advance line threw themselves furiously against the I/ight Horse, f-houtincr fcheir new-fangled battle cry, "Allah! Finish Australia!'' and rushing against our outposts with the bayonet. The Light Horse regarded the cry with immen;e amusement—likened it to "Gptt strafe England ["—shouted back derisive answers, and showed that they were more than a mutch for the Turk with the steel. On Saturday morning the First 'and Second Brigades of Light Horse, with the New Zealand Mounted Rifles on their right, worked down through the previous day's battlefield' and moved towards Katia, which the enemy held in strong force, the Third Light Horse Brigade, new to this particular area, making a flank attack on the Hamisah group of palms two miles south of the Katia oasis. At two o'clock in the afternoon, in a combined attack on Katia, the threo brigades galloped three-quarters of a anile into action across extremely heavy country. Tho gallant horses, untired by many hours of exertion, carried the cheering men at such a pace that the Turks' artillery were at sea, though they attempted to, put up a barrage fire. On the left tho Warwickshire and Gloucester Yeomanry came into action. The line got halfway across a swamp, and was for several hours under a heavy howitzer and mountain-gun fire, but as Hamisah could not bo carried before night the First and Second Light Horse withdrew at dusk for the men and horses to get a thoroughly wellearned rest. During Friday morning a few of the Light Horse with fixed bayonets, using the rifle as a lance, had charged a party of the astonished enemy, and perhaps' this storv had spread through the Turks' ranks. I must relate one instance of the typical spirit of these Light Horsemen. When the Australian Infantry went to Franco a Light Horseman, who was awarded the D.C.M. in Gallipoli, smuggled himself away, with thorn. "When discovered, though he pleaded that ho wanted to be where the Empire's work was hottest, he was' sent back to Egypt, arriving with his regiment when the Turk-- approached; He was placed in a guard-tout and not allowed to have a rifle or horse: but when the action began he csenned from the tent and tramped to where the engagement was hottest. Attaching himself to an ambulance, bo went to tho firing line and carried fourteen wounded men out of action and. was in the act of rescuine a fifteenth when ho was killed. If there is any endorsement on this brave fellow's' conduct sheet it should be inscribed in letters of gold.