ATTACK ON A CARAVAN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19699, 27 July 1927, Page 11

ATTACK ON A CARAVAN.

OUTRAGE IN ABYSSINIA". , ' ' '■ •■•■'■ ' / ■ v

BRITISH SOMALIS KILLED, ■-%

• - - - ~. . . • . ? ' • , -• - CLAIM FOR COMPENSATION. • * • *.:•s,?s. - * -j' - ■ . . ■ ■* By Telegraph—Press .Association —Copyright. (British Official Wireless.) A. and N.Z. RUGBY, July 25. The story of an unprovoked attack upon a caravan in Abyssinia last month was related in the House of Commons by the - Acting-Primp Minister, Sir Austen Chamberlain. " •;! The Minister said the caravan was carrying supplies to a party the Maharajah of Kutch, who was accompanied by Sir Geoffrey Archer, formerly Governor-General of the Sudan, who was travelling in Abyssinia after having been the guest of the Regent, Ras Taffari, in the capital. The caravan was proceeding southward from Hargeisa, in British Somaliland. It reached a point in the Ogadain district about 50 miles inside Abyssinian territory and a camp was pitched near IJagabur, in the territory of Jigjiga. The camp was attacked at 4 a.m. by Abyssinian soldiers and 13 British Somalis were killed. The head man of the caravan wss de- . liberately shot and his body was mutilated. The caravan was completely looted. A request that arrangements might be made for the safe passage of the Maharajah and Sir Geoffrey through Abyssinian territory had been addressed in ample time to the Regent, but even if the warn-, ing of the approach of the caravan was not issued in time to the local authorities this would in no way have justified the outrage, said Sir Austen., , The British-' representative at. Addis, Ababa, Mr. G. H. 'Bullock, : was endeavouring to obtain compensation .from the Abyssinian Gcivelrirhent. • . 7 - v , t77i.iT ' V ' : . 7-AC"V •

It was announced in December, 1924, that, acting on the recommendation of the British Government, the King, of Egypt had appointed Sir 4 Geoffrey Archer to be Governor-General of the Sudan in conformity with Article 111 of the Agreement of 1699. Sir Geoffrey Archer visited Cairo in March, 1921, to attend the Middle-East Conference which met under Mr. Churchill, and greatly impressed all who came in contact, with him. Sir Geoffrey served in East Africa and Somaliland for 22 years. He fought against Ihe Dervishes in" Somaliland in 1915- and directed the operations against them which' resulted in the destruction of their power in 1920. After being a District Commissioner (1907) and Officer-in-Charge of the Northern Frontier (1911). of British East Africa (now Kenya Colony), he was sent to administer British Somaliland,' (1912) and became Commissioner and Comman-der-in-Chief of that territory in 1913. He went to Addis Ababa for the coronation of the Empress Judith of Ethiopia in February, 1917. In 1919 lie became Governor of British Somaliland and was appointed Governor of Uganda in September, 1922. He was Governor-General of the Sudan till July last year, when illhealth compelled him to retire, and his was regretfully accepted by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Sir Austen Chamberlain;, >yho euloi gised in the" House of Commons Sir | Geoffrey's long services to the Empire. ,