Libya, Feb. 2.
"Having. spent several days with British forces engaged in the attack on Demo under conditions which they have borne with cheerfulness for months past, I can hardly find words adequately: to express my, admiration for the spirit of all ranks.
Keen winds blow across these rocky heights of Cyrenaica, turning at night to rain washing down wadis in torrents. Waking.at the crack.of dawn, cramped. with cold after sleeping through a torrential rainstorm punch tuated by the rosr of artillery, I later called on an isolated detachment of gunners encamped further down a wadi, preparing their hot breakfast over a fire in a punctured petrol tin.
I asked how they were doing.
This remark from men fighting inces-"Okay. doing fine," they renued.
winds atid inhuman conditions, saultly through sandstorms, cold nigh not even trees relieve the monotony of desert warfare, day in day out for months past, revealed the true fighting spirit of the British Empire. They have got a job ahead of them, and they mean to finish it.
"Before the beginning of the attack on Demo, the Italians appear to have made strong preparations for it. The road winding down "Seven Sisters" towards the town was very heavily mined and set with booby-traps. The nature of the ground, too, aided the defenders.
"The number of the garrison which defended Demo is not known de~ finitely. According to one prisoner. only 3000 to 4.000 Italians were in the town, but this is not confirmed. Another prisoner affirmed thet General "Electric Whiskers" Berganzoli him? self commanded the garrison. (Genera! Berganzoli was the commander t Bardia and managed to escap2).—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.