Lord Newton on ‘intolerable’ agreement delay

On the Palestine front our troops have continued their advance.

On Saturday, General Allenby reported that the British left wing was in the neighbourhood of Esdud (the ancient Ashdod), 23 miles north of Gaza.

The Turks evidently intend to make a stand before Beit Jibrim and Hebren, which are situated respectively 25 and 20 miles, south-west of Jerusalem.

General Allenby estimates that the Turkish casualties in the recent operations number over 10,000, exclusive of prisoners.

Scottish troops captured machine guns in a night attack against the Turkish right flank. Large quantities of war material abandoned by the enemy continue to be found. The number of Turkish prisoners counted up to Sunday night was 6894, including 286 officers.

The Earl of Ancaster, in the House of Lords on Tuesday, asked for a statement concerning the exchange of civilian prisoners over 45 years of age, of disabled naval and military prisoners of war, and as to the transfer of other than naval and military prisoners of war to a neutral country.

There was, he said, a good deal of anxiety that the exchanges were not made as rapidly as possible.

Lord Newton, in reply, spoke on the “intolerable delay” on the part of the German government in carrying out The Hague Agreement in regard to the exchange of prisoners.