The Cordova daily times., 1916-06-15
FIGHT MADE BY THE
 BRITISH

LONDON, May 3l, - tCorrespond ence of the Associated Press) The defence by the British at the Egyp' tian desert post at ELDueidar during the Turkish raid of April 23, deserves to be chronicled as among the memor. able incidents of the war. according to Reuters correspondent at the gen eral headquarters of the Egyptian ex- peditionary force. On that Sunday 150 British soldiers held a position far too extended for such a small garrison. against force of Turks and Arabs six times their own number, says the correspondent.
 The location of the defence is a small oasis in a depression in the sandy waste about thirteen miles east of the Suez canal. The British had erected two redoubts and several small isolated posts in the vicinity of a grove of date palms. These de lenses were not completed at the time of the raid
 In a mist so thick that the defend CTS were barely able to discern the barbed wire fifty feet in advance of their redoubts, the attack began at S o'clock in the morning. Rifle fire boat back the first assault very quick ly according to the correspondent, the Turks retiring to reform.
 Captain Rober,s, of the Royal Scots FusIliers. was in command In the absence ot communication trenches, he was unable, after the mist lifted at 1 9 o'clock to send endorsements, am muniuon and messages to the isolated posts, as the attackers rifle and machine gun fire swept the interven- ing spaces One post was held by eight men three of whom were wouu- ded early in the engagement To the extreme riaht some of the British lay out in the open anu fought off enemy attempts to reach the rear of the de. lenses.
 Returning the attack, the enemy brought up a mountain gun, and with it fiercely sh,lled the oasis, but, ac- cording to the correspondent, the aim was wretchcd and little damage was done From a ridge to the left a ma chine gun raked the eastern range of the oasis.
 { The attacking force numbered 120 Turkish camel corps and about 750 Arabs, together with two mountain guns and 50 artillerymen. The British after holding their positions through. out the day, resisted the final and most desperate attack. which began at [ o'clock at night, this assault con sistng of three rushes When it had been beaten off. most ot the enemy dead were found within fifty yards of the British trench. one Turk being found within twenty yards The de lenders had suffered great many casualties.
 Meanwhile news of thu attack had reached brigade headquarters. seven miles away. and two companies of in. fantry had been sent to the garrison
 which they reached about o'clock after a trying march through deep sand The officer commanding these fresh troops had orders to take the offensive at the first opportunity and drive off the enemy, but found that the latter was too strong, and further infantry endorsements were de spatched from brigade headquarters, while two squadrons of Australian Light Horse hurried up from a place eighteen miles away.
 Before the arrival of these last re- Inducements. however, the Turks and Arabs began to fall back and a British counter attack drove off the rear guard, twelve of the enemy being cap, tured The Australian Light Horse assisted in the full retreat, but were unable to overtake the camels on which the enemy was mounted. | The Turks and Arabs lost 70 dead one wounded and 31 prisoners, accord