OUTPOST BATTLES.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1307, 13 May 1915, Page 2

OUTPOST BATTLES.

AUSTRALIAN’S EXPERIENCES. — FIERCE JUNGLE FIGHTING.—GERMANS’ SAVAGE TRICKS.

War experiences in British East Africa, which was invaded by the Germans within a few weeks of their rising .n Europe, are related by Lieutenant P. V. Allen, of Melbourne, who saw hard fighting in the trenches. ‘ The declaration of war between England and Germany,” he says, ‘‘fell like a bomb on the peaceful settlers of British East Africa. The few settlers and townspeople in the street when the special came out with the news gathered outside Nairobi House (in Nairobi, the capital), and after giving three hearty cheers for England tell to eagerly discussing the effects of the war on East Africa, and what- stand the Government would make. They were not long left in doubt, for next morning posters and handbills were everywhere calling for recruits and volunteers, and nobly did the men respond—so well that it is now estimated that 65 per cent, of the male population are in some way connected with the army. Women, too, had their part to play, by laying in a stock of provisions, and all the stores in the town were simply besieged all day, notwithstanding that prices rose 50 and in some cases 100 per cent. That evening a bag of flour or sugar could not be bought for love or money.

had one English line regiment with us, and after seeing them that day 1 will swear by Tommy Atkins forever more. When we took the town they charged yelling Tipperary, and everything went down before them. Then when the Germans got reinforcements, and we had to retreat, they dug themselves in, and for five hours they kept the enemy at bay, until all our troops had re-embarked. “I was beside a Tommy in a trench when he got hit in the arm. It was his first time under fire, and he, getting excited, jumped up on his feet, saying, Tm ’it! I’m ’it!’ ‘Yes, and you’d better bob down, Bill, or you’ll be ’it again,’ said a big Cockney by his side. Things like this you hear all round you, and the more you see and hear the more you wonder, and feel proud that these men are under the same flag as you. GERMANS HARD UP. "At present all is going well for us, and the Germans are hard up for many things, especially medical comforts. After one fight they had to send to us, asking for a box of medical comforts. Our general sent them four. The Germans are practically surrounded and cut off from the rest of the world. They have British East Africa on the north, the Belgian Congo on the west, and Nyassaland and Northern Rhodesia on the southand we have now three gunboats blockading the coast. They are thus fighting on every frontier. The Belgians have been fighting like tigers, and in January they crossed Lake Tanganyika, and inflicted a heavy defeat on the Germans opposed to them. “In some engagements the enemy behaved very well, and treated our wounded and captured with every consideration. In the engagement in which I? was wounded they buried our dead and erected crosses on their graves. Over one grave they had put a notice in English: ‘Here lie the bodies of eight brave Englishmen.’ WILD ANIMALS KILL. “British East Africa is a hard country to fight in, and the difficulties of transport are great. Then the wild animals ate a source of great trouble. When I was on active service we lost a number of men at night by lions, which would stalk a lone sentry and carry him off before his comrades could realise what had happened* Rhinoceros were also very annoying. Sometimes on a night march someone would cry ‘Rhino,’ and then it was a case of every man for himself until the beast had finished his charge or had been shot; but this could only be done on rare occasions. -Camps were not even safe. More than once, in the middle, of the night, a rhinoceros took a tent along with him, and put the camp in confusion, with thoughts of a night attack. Two nights on picket I spent in a tree, with all my companions, while lions prowled round the camp., “At Lougido, where heavy fighting took place, and which we now hold, some of our dead, and also the enemy’s were eaten by hyenas, and these brutes had even tried to dig up some of the graves. HIS REVENGE. “I saw some fine things happen in this engagement, which took place in thick scrub at the foot of a hill, on which the G*ermans were strongly entrenched. Two friends (in fact, they were like brothers) were near me, and one fell mortally wounded. The

“A few days after this the Germans crossed our border, and made an attempt to blow up a portion of the Uganda railway. This attempt was frustrated, and another party attempted the same thing a few days later, but lost their way, and both parties were captured. “Every day was of importance to us, for we knew that Indian troops were coming to our assistance, and every hour brought them nearer. The King’s African Rifles and the volunteers had their hands full holding the border of over 300 miles against an enemy prepared, well equipped, and for ever trying to wipe out this colony of Britishers. MEN OF THE OUTPOSTS. “No one can speak too highly of the men in this outpost of the Empire. One incident will suffice. Twenty-five or thirty of the East African Mounted Rifles on patrol ran into 150. Germans with two Maxims. They fought for half an hour, and then both retired. We left eight men wounded on the field. When we returned to find them every one had a revolver shot through his head and a bayonet wound in his breast. Out of scarcely thirty men, fifteen had given their lives for their country and their homes. One poor chap had his mate wounded in the thigh, and he, untouched, stayed .with him. When the Germans advanced, though he had his hands up, they shot him down, and his body was riddled with bullets. MEN STUNG TO DEATH. “The Germans struck us all as dogged fighters, up to every trick in the game, and out of it, to win. At Tanga, where we fought for two days without a break, they had bee hives placed along the sea front, and when our troops came up to these hives the Germans turned their guns on us and the hives. The result was awful. We picked up eight men stung to death. All the water in the town was poisoned, and many of our poor fellows paid the penalty for quenching their thirst. “It was street fighting most of the time, at this place, and here the Gurkhas did fine work. They are, indeed, devils with their knives. We

other, lifting his wounded comrade, carried him out of action under a cruel fire, and, returning, swore to have revenge. As he dashed forward we saw him fall, riddled by bullets, right in the thick of the Germans, who at that time were only about thirty yards distant. When we got up to our fallen comrade we found that his revenge had been gained. Five Germans and natives were dead beside him!

“I was nine weeks in hospital, and during that time saw plenty of the English and German soldiers unaer different conditions. Tommy seems to near no malice, and they all used to sit and chat with the Germans, and gave them cigars and cigarettes. Of course, there were many jokes at each other’s expense, but no bad feeling. was ever shown. The Germans differ from us in one thing—they do not seem to like to see their wounds, and always turn their heads the other way; whereas our soldiers, however, bad, always like to see their wounds and comment on them. “After I was turned out of hospital, I was brought before a board of doctors, and invalided home, and I must say it is good to be back in my homeland once more.

“Men from all parts of the world joined our forces in British East Africa. In my regiment there were English, Scotch, Irish, Australians, Canadians, two Americans, one Frenchman, and many Dutch and South Africans. Most men in British East Africa are, of course, from the south. I asked a Yankee why he was fighting for us, and I think his answer expresses the feeling of all neutrals under the British flag: ‘Well, I guess if a country is good enough to live in, it is good enough to fight for.’ ”