HISTORY OF THE WAR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20319, 30 January 1928, Page 7

HISTORY OF THE WAR

SECTION ON DESERT CAMPAIGN

PRAISE FOR DOMINION TROOPS,

(Press Association—By Telegraph—copyright ( LONDON, January 28.

(Eeceived Jan. 29, at 11.5 p.m.) The hardships of the Australian Light Horse and the New Zealand Mounted Rifles in desert campaigning are told in unvarnished style in the British Official History of the War in Egypt and Palestine to June, 1917. , It is highly appreciative of the dominion troops’ part, and sportingly describes the failure of Lieutenant-general Chauvel’s gamble to carry Bir El Abd in August, 1916. A tribute is paid to the Anzac Mounteds tenacity and physical endurance, to which the Romani victory was largely due. Later it describes the overthrow of the redoubt at Rafah by the New Zealanders as 'n outstanding dashing assault. A most detailed description of the two Gaza battles includes a reference to the controversy over the retirement at tlie first battle after the more advanced troops, including the Anzac Mounteds, had actually reached Gaza streets. ' It quotes the Australian Official History that Lieutenant-general Chauvel made a strong protest against the order to retire. The British footnote says: “No written protest is on record. General Sir Philip Chetwode says that the note was made to him verbally, either by messenger ~r telephone.” The history constitutes an amazing record of how the tremendous difficulties of the desert were overcome by engineering and scientific means, notably the water supply and the transport and handling of the wounded. Referring to the purely military aspect of the conquest it says: “It was made chiefly notable by the work of the Australian and New Zealand Mounted Horse—young nations laying the foundation of a record which- will not be forgotten in the historv of mounted warfare.”—A. and N.Z. Cable.