THE CRUSADERS.

Northern Advocate, 1 October 1918, Page 3

THE CRUSADERS.

MARCH ON DAMASCUS,

CAPTIVE LIST AUGMENTED

BY 10,000 TURKS

(Received 12.15 p.m.)

LONDON, Sept. 30

Mr Bonar Law states that in Palestine the British have captured 10,000 additional prisoners.

Mr Massey, writing from Palestine Headquarters on Sunday says: "North of Lake Tiberias, on September 28, the cavalry of General A,llenby's army swam and forded the Jordan last night and to-day captured the high ground east thereof. The situation develops most favourably. By a stupendous effort equal to any sustained cavalry operations in history our mounted troops hold a farflung line. British horsemen are converging in two great columns on the main Damascus roads from the south and Yeomanry and Indian cavalry are moving eastwards from Be&----ian, having taken Irbia, where the portion of the Turks' Fourth Army not destroyed at Amman intended to make a stand. At this important railway junction our men secured touch with the friendly Arabs on the east, and ignoring the bodies of enemy .between Derra'a and Amman, marched north of Sheikh Maskin, which is within one cavalry bound of Damascus. In going forward the i cavalry several times left enemy par- i ties in their rear, but time pressed, and in order to reap the full results of the Commander's bold strategy j the mounted troops left the advanc-1 ing- infantry to clear the enemy out of the isolated valleys. The Ger-1 mans and Turks were holding positions on the railway after Dera'a was taken. Our infantry subsequently dealt with them and prevented the destruction of some useful railway works.

"The Turks feared designs on \ Damascus and sent down to the Jor- j dan from Damascus a force composed j of Germans, .Turks, and some Cir-J cassians. Our left also had to be j watched. When our cavalry were } opposite a bridge south of Lake Hule i motor lorries from Damascus had de- ; posited a thousand men on the steep ; eastern bank, covering the bridge I with machine-guns. They blew up the centre of the old bridge, making a crossing there impossible. A bri- f gade of Australian Light Horse swam ; the river with their horses south of , the bridge, another Australian brigade making a passage of the river to the north. The banks were hard j for the mounted men to negotiate. and the ground approaching the river was marshy, but so swiftly were the difficulties surmounted that before the enemy could scramble back to the lorries 250 Turks and Germans were cut off and captured. Our cavalry astride the Damascus road has since advanced to El Kuneitrah, within 40 miles of the ancient city."—A. and N.Z.