THE SENUSSI.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLI, Issue 11502, 17 February 1916, Page 6

THE SENUSSI.

FIRST BRUSH WITH THE BRITISH. CHRISTMAS DAY FIGHTING. Per Press Association. Auckland Feb 15. An account of the first engagement between the British force and the Senussi on Christmas Day has been received from Rifleman G. L. McKinstry, of the Ist Battalion, New, Zealand Rifle Brigade. For the battalion this action was its baptism of fire. Rifleman McKihstry says that the battalion moved from its camp to Heliopolis on December 18th and arrived in Alexandria in the early hburs of the following morning. Next day the battalion made a route march through the city, bnt\ no leave was granted. That afternoon it embarked on an old Egyptian' gunboat and arrived at the “Western Frontier of Egypt” at daylight on December 21st. “I thought last Christmas Day spent in Samoa was bad enough,” he continued, “but I shall never forget this one as long as I live. We. received pnr baptism of fire on Christmas Day. We marched out of camp at 5 o’clock in the morning to meet the enemy. The first shot wgs ' fired at 6.30, and the fight lasted till s o’clock at night. The enemy opened fire on us as soon we came within range. They had only one big gun and it was verj' soon put out of action by our artillery. We very soon got within range of Their rifles, and then they were driven back for miles, and finally rounded up in a gully. By the time we had finished there were very few of them left to tell the tale. We were in some very warm' corners, and had *some very narrow escapes. The enemy used all kinds of rifles and ammunition. We arrived back at our bivouac about 8 o’clock, but it was too cold to sleep so we had to walk about until 4 o’clock, when we started to march back to camp. Everybody was dead-beat and it took us about tlirde and a-half hours to walk back the six miles to camp. Rifleman McKinstry mentions that the battalion was camped on the beach, and the men were able to have plenty of swimming.