PALESTINE CAMPAIGN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17083, 15 August 1917, Page 6

PALESTINE CAMPAIGN

LIGHT HORSE PROMINENT. ' MEN ENJOY GOOD HEALTH. ■ LONDON, July 15. A special correspondent of the United Service, writing of . the operations in Palestine says:— "Where our Australian Light Horse are lighting is a wilderness of shifting sand shadeless and shelterless. The rolling sandhills are sparsely sprinkled with coarse grass, which only camels eat. The train journey reveals occasional glimpses of the limpid blue Mediterranean. The passing of wire enwidespread trenches, redoubts half buried m the sand mark the stages of our advance across the Sinai Peninsula. Although our lme is safe from enemy depredations, still it has to contend with violent desert winds which sweep the sand across the railway track, where breakdown gangs are always kept ready to clear the way for trafhe. Already several solid stone railway stations replace wooden erections, giving an air of a permanent line which one day will be a favoured route to the Holy Land for tourists, and one that will enable travellers to go to Egypt without crossing the sea. " The aspect of the scenery somewhat changed as the Holy Land was entered near Gaza. Patches of soft friable soil were mixed with the sand dunes, and palms and cactus hedges marked the locality of permanent water. The plains are extensively cultivated, although to-dav ©verythintr is dried up and hardly distinguishable from the neighbouring desert, which stretchcs its dreary length for 100 miles making the feeding and watering of troops' and animals a feat wonderful qs tha>t of th.o nvilw&y coo* struntion. The enemy's line extends from the weso of Gaza to the south of Beersheba. it is not continuous to Beersheba, but the enemy is gradually strengthening and linking up his defences, which have boon rendered as formidable as pick and shovel, unlimited barbed wire, machine guns, and German military genius can make a place naturally 'suited for defence. The enemy's lines, which practically skirt the road! to Beersheba, havo been strengthened by powerful redoubts, with advanced poets some distance ahead of the main positions. 'Gaza is pictursequely situated amid verdant. gardens, and the red roofs of the white houses are conspicuous for miles. It shows little signs of "damage, as we are mercifully sparing it the horrors of bombardment. _ Since the -fighting in April, the situation has bec-n comparatively calm. Raidis and patrol skirnrshes are frequent. The Australian Light Horse have been prominent in the latter. Our sunners constantly worrv tho.foe, bombard : ng the least movement in the enemy position, day or n : ght. Our aeroplanes are constantly ieconnoitring the Turkish po<s : t-'ons. and discovering targets for our The Turk is now extremely careful, and rarely gives siorns of' KK Recently an airman, after vamlv searching for a target, disgustedly sent by wireless the t."rse message. *N B G' ''The Turk : sh artHlerv ! s generally" hiactive and careful of shells. It is'only lavish if a special tareet is offered Prisoner* wo have taken are well fed and eqnioprd. .."Our orsran'sntion is in pro-e-sron and regularity. There is no con-fns-on and no congestion. The troons reC"v« veo-etnbles <Wv nnd nr, inVt?nt«d eunply of water. TV treneral henltfi of the Australians is excellent. and rases of =-1-p^ r M 0,,. normal . w entnor ?!» moderate, eool w>n<*s "tempering the W. in di v time, while tho -nights. arc