Untitled

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 24 October 1941, Page 5

NIGERIAN BRIGADE’S FLAT Rugby, Ocl. 22. The covering of 1700 miles in 51 | days and the experiencing of extremes 1 e? climate from hot dreary sea level !to bracing mountain air, as well as j being sometimes reduced to only two waterbottles a day, and at others .suffering such torrents of rain that j transport became bogged, were incij dents in the conquest of East Africa j ir. which a Nigerian brigade was enj gaged. Having crossed the continent I to drive tl.e Italians out of East Africa, j this brigade made an incredible jour- ! ney from the Tana river, in Kenya, through Italian Somaliland up to Addis i Ababa, and even beyond that. The Nigerians’ first duty consisted of holding a 250-mile front in the I Tana district and waiting for an Italian I attack which, never came. They put |in tireless training, the benefit of which they and the whole Empire ret ceived when in February the signal for j an advance on Kismayu was received. | In two days this town was reached ancl w~.> found to be empty of Ital—i ians. The next move was lo Afmadu, ; and then across Juba to capture Mogaj di.shu. which they reached after lighti ing three engagements and covering j 235 miles. APPAL lIN G tOIN IR Y The brigade then experienced a : march over appalling country, chasing I the enemy to Dagabur and Jigjiga. The next objective was Ilarar, and in the j advance on this important town the ■ Nigerians met the second really organi ised resistance on the part of the ' enemy. They fought three pitched battles in five days, and Marda Pass, heavily guarded with a minefield, wire, tank traps, and artillery, was forced i in six hours’ fighting. ] A month after the brigade had left ! Mogadishu, the Italians surrendered I Harar to them, and the Nigerians’ j next town of call was the Abyssinian ! capital itself. Though the force was j split for a while, when the Emperor re- ; turned to his city in triumph the Nigerj ian battalion supplied a guard of honi our. The brigade took part in the at- : tack on Jumma, and had two days’ ! hard fighting before the threat to the ; town was established. Even now a diversion awaited the | Nigerian brigade. Before the capture j was effected, two Italian generals re- ! mained to be mopped up in the west. | Rain now added to their troubles, and j the rivers became more swollen and i torrents at night washed away the i work of the day, but the Nigerians got ! across and collected their generals.— I 8.0. W.