PALESTINE CAMPAIGN

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16545, 20 September 1919, Page 6

PALESTINE CAMPAIGN

A"N AUSTRALIAN CORRESPONDENT LOOKING-FOR- SLIGHTS. By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. SYDNEY, Sept. 19. Mr. Harry Gullett, official correspondent with the Australian Force in Palestine, writes to the newspaper Sun with reference to the recent statement by General Allenhy that his army was cosmopolitan, mentioning the various nationalities, including New Zealanders. but failing to mention the Australians, and adding; “Towards the close, of the campaign two-thirds of the army were Mahommedans.” Mr, Gullett'says the Sun’s suggestion that the omission of the. Australians was an unintentional slip may be right, but, he doubts it. Tlie omission, he says, is characteristic of General _ Allenbv’s attitude towards tlie Light Horse. Without the Australians and New Zealanders, Palestine would never have been won. Nobody knows this better than General Allenhy and General Murray, but neither of them is big enough to forgive the Australians and Now Zealanders their relative slackness in ceremonial discipline, although in almost every fight they gambled on tlie Anzac fire and discipline to carry them through, and it did. - Tlie correspondent gives instances of the proof of General Allenby’s failure to recognise the work of the Australians and Now Zealanders, and of the British truckling to the Moslem, which he declares, was carried to stupid extremes. and claims that with the exception of the British., tlie Australians and New Zealanders, the other nationalities mentioned by General Allenby toqlf an insignificant part in the campaign. Mr. Gullett describes the Arab ns one of the most cowardly and cruel fighters who ever made a pretence of poinp_ to war. He says the magnificent New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade would dean up all Arabia, provided the Arabs would come near enough to fight, and concludes; “The Australians need no defence. Time and impartial military students will probably estimate tlie part they and the New Zealanders played in tlie overthrow of Turkey, and the conquest of Palestine.”—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.