The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1921-06-24
TRIP TO HOLY CITY
How British Soldiers En-
dured the Tortures
Story of Campaign In Palestine
BY Chaplain of English
Forces


. the One Hundred and Fifty eighth
Brigade of the British army in Pales-
tine. gave a most interesting lecture
on the trials and troubles of the Bril-
fish army in fighting its way across
the desert to the gates of Jerusalem,
at the Welsh Calvanistic Methodist
church last night to a large and APP
preciative audience. In opening his
interesting description of the cam
paign, the speaker said that it was
especially interesting to the Welsh
people and those with relatives in
Wales, for the First division Of Brit
ish troops to enter the gates of the
ancient Holy City was largely COM
posed of Welshmen, who had gone
over the burning sands OF the desert,
a great deal of the time famished with
thirst and hunger, blinded by the dust
storms, and tortured by the millions
or f1ies which always infested the
camps. Palestine is waterless coun-
try, the speaker said, and with the
ever burning heat OF the sun over a
waste of sand with not a blade OF
grass in sight, one can we'll imagine
what it means to the British troops to
venture across the desert. Loaded
down with a pack Of sixty seven
the loose sand at each step. The
speaker said in making the statement
that there were a large number of
Welsh in at the capture of Jerusalem,
he did not want it understood that
other nations were not there. The
speaker said that the army which
braved the burning sands Of Palestine
was the most heterogeneous and cos
mopoiitan ii is possible TO imagine.
There were three batallions of Jews,
there were Arabs, Egyptians, Indians
from India and in fact men from all
quarters of the globe. Palestine is a
rainless country. and when the Brit
ish army landed on the coast there
were but two roads in that land, one
running north and south and one east
and west. The first work of the army
was to build roads. Now one can
travel de lux from Egypt to Constan-
tinople- for a fine double track rail-
and the auto and wagon roads are
net work all over the land.
Camel Is Supereilious Beast.
Professor Williams says that a cam
ell is supercilious beast, which al
ways seems to have in his eye a con-
tempt for civilization, but had 1t not
been for those ships of the desert"
many more British tommies bones
would now be lying in graves in the
desert sands of Palestine. They on
ly need water every six days. This
is great item in waterless coun-
try. Referring again to the hetrogen-
Gus composition of the army of $780,
600 men who rescued the Holy city
from the hands of the Turk, the
speaker said that it does one good to
rub shoulders with men of other coun-
tries. One comes to the realization
that after all 1t is the man that counts
and there Is mint of gold in the
characters OF men, no matter from
what land he halls if we can only
discover it. 1t was Welshmen who
but the Arab, the Egyptian, the
Scotchman, the Irishman, the Cana
dian, the Indians from India in fart
every mother soul of them Showed
by deed and fortitude that, "a Mans
= dan, for aw that"
Palestine Is Interesting.
Palestine; which is a small coun-
try devoid Of vegetation for its great
er expanse, is nevertheless interest
ing, for it was there that Christiani-
ty had its birth. Palestine gave to the
world spiritual inspiration and Greece
intellectual inspiration, and the whole
world owes those two small countries
that inheritance. Palestine is the
bridge between three continents. Here
IL was that the Jews flourished, and
since that time have scattered over
the face of the earth where they have
become the middle men inbusiness,
IL either. The British knowing full
well that Palestine is the gateway of
the east. realized that something
must be done to prevent the Turk
from cutting off the passageway
The speaker went into detail In
by in campaigning against the Turks,
describing the tactics of Gen. Allen
and his final capture Of Jerusalem It
took the army three months to cross
the desert. The speaker said that
the reference to Palestine in the BIZ
BILE as the Land of Milk and Honey"
of either to be found there. One day
Chaplain Williams speaking to a Welsh
boy said, We'll, Hugh my boy, how
do you like the Holy Lands?"
TO tell you the truth Padre" said
the boy, II do not wonder that Jesus
Christ wept when he was here"
HamIets Not Much to Drag Of.
The speaker described villages
spoken of in the Bible as the abodes
of prominent Biblical characters, and
said that the little hamlets were in
deed no credit to the patriarchs whose
he was with one night decided to oc-
cupy one of those villages composed
substantial stone houses in order to
get away from the r1ies. He had Oft
en- heard that little things grow
many and mighty" He believed it
"HSH lie lSII LHeTS uGAL IOr
many of the little things remained
with them that were worse than the
flies. The average allowance of wat
er for each man per day while cross
ing the desert was two quarts, with
the heat like an oven all of the time.
Tea was the beverage drank, but the
flies were so thick the speaker said
nat they Immediately gathered around
mes sup in sudh vast numbers that
when you came to drink it, it's mix
ture between soup and tea, but this all
goes in Palestine Rats, scorpions,
heas and others insects added to the
discomforts. The speaker said in
closing that the men over whom he
was chaplin were indeed not a choice
lot, but they took their lot and fought
their way through MS no other men
could. One was sorely tempted to
crouch and perhaps use words with
sulphurous >odor, but then off some
place in the dawn one would sudden
ly hear the merry whistling of the
cooks over the fires and thought