Throughouthistory,mountedtroopshavebeenknownaselitemenofarmsandtheAustralianLightHorseisapartofthatlegendarytradition.Partcavalryandpartinfantryandoftenrecognisedbytheemufeathersintheirslouchhats,thelighthorsemenweredescribedbytheofficialhistorian,H.S.Gullett,as‘inbodyandspiritthetrueproductoftheAustraliancountryside’.Theyremain,today,theembodimentofthediggerethos.

AftertheGallipolicampaignmostoftheAustralianLightHorse,commandedbyMajorGeneralHarryChauvel,remainedinEgypttodefendtheSuezCanal.AfterthwartingtheTurkishadvanceatRomaniinAugust1916theLightHorseledtheadvanceintoPalestinewithsparklingvictoriesatMagdhabaandRafa.TwicecheckedatGazadespitetheirboldcourage,thelighthorsementhenbrokethatstalematefollowingthelegendarychargeatBeershebaon31October1917.ThefallofJerusalem,theperilousraidsonAmman,thetrialsoftheJordanValleyandthefinalbreakthroughtoDamascusfollowedbeforeTurkeysurrenderedon30October1918.

InAustralianLightHorsetheirstoryisbroughttovividlifethroughthediaries,lettersandphotographsofthelighthorsemenwhotookpartinthebloodybattlesofthedesertcampaignsoftheSinaiandPalestinefromApril1916toOctober1918.

PHILLIPBRADLEY,authorofthegroundbreakingHell’sBattlefieldandCharlesBean’sGallipoli:Illustrated,isaleadingresearcherofAustralianmilitaryhistory.AustralianLightHorseishisseventhbook.

Coverdesign:PhilipCampbellDesignFrontcoverphotograph:SixAustralianlighthorsemenatGizainEgyptinearly1915.Onlyoneofthem,CorporalGeorgeMurrell(eitherthirdorfourthfromleft),wouldsurvivethewar.AWMP00133.001Backcoverphotograph:HarryMattockscollection

LighthorsementendtheirmountsbytheSeaofGalileeasthe3rdLightHorseBrigademovepast.RalphKellettcollection.CourtesyofAlanKellett.

Menofthe12thLightHorseRegimentwiththeirmounts.GeorgeFranciscollection.CourtesyofJohnFrancisandJoanScott.

OtherbooksbyPhillipBradley

OnShaggyRidgeTheBattleforWau

ToSalamauaWau1942–43

Hell’sBattlefieldCharlesBean’sGallipoliIllustrated

DedicatedtoCeciliaBradley—actress,poet,writer,secretary,cook,walker,knitter,bridgeplayer,puzzleexpert,balletaficionado,faithfulCatholic,wife,mother,grandmother,andfriendtosomanyoverherextraordinary95years

Firstpublishedin2016

Copyright©PhillipBradley2016

Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopying,recordingorbyanyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem,withoutpriorpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher.TheAustralianCopyrightAct1968(theAct)allowsamaximumofonechapteror10percentofthisbook,whicheveristhegreater,tobephotocopiedbyanyeducationalinstitutionforitseducationalpurposesprovidedthattheeducationalinstitution(orbodythatadministersit)hasgivenaremunerationnoticetotheCopyrightAgency(Australia)undertheAct.

Allen&Unwin83AlexanderStreetCrowsNestNSW2065AustraliaPhone:(612)84250100Email:info@allenandunwin.comWeb:www.allenandunwin.com

Cataloguing-in-PublicationdetailsareavailablefromtheNationalLibraryofAustraliawww.trove.nla.gov.au

ISBN9781760111892(pbk)ISBN9781952535376(ebook)

InternaldesignbyPhilipCampbellDesignMapsbyKeithMitchellSetinCallunabyBookhouse,Sydney

CONTENTS

ListofmapsAbbreviationsMetricequivalentsIntroduction

Chapter1:‘Soldier’shell’ApriltoJuly1916

Chapter2:‘Comeon,boys,wearemakinghistory’1–4August1916

Chapter3:‘JohnTurkmustpayforhisaudacity’5–12August1916

Chapter4:‘Oh,youbeauties’September1916toJanuary1917

Chapter5:‘ButwehaveGaza’FebruarytoMarch1917

Chapter6:‘Anunqualifiedfailure’April1917

Chapter7:‘First-ratehorse-masters’MaytoOctober1917

Chapter8:‘Australianswilldome’OctobertoNovember1917

Chapter9:‘InchaseofJohnny’November1917

November1917

Chapter10:JerusalemNovember1917toJanuary1918

Chapter11:‘Ican’tlosehalfmymountedtroops’FebruarytoMay1918

Chapter12:FromhelltoArmageddonMaytoSeptember1918

Chapter13:‘TerrifiedoftheBedouins’September1918

Chapter14:‘Wearegoingtochargethetown’SeptembertoDecember1918

WriterbiographiesPhotocollectionbiographiesAcknowledgementsBibliographyNotesIndex

LISTOFMAPS

Map1 EgyptandPalestineMap2 SinaidesertMap3 FirstbattleofGazaMap4 ThecaptureofBeershebaMap5 ThedrivenorthMap6 JaffatoJerusalemMap7 EsSaltandAmmanMap8 ThebattleofMegiddoMap9 Syria

ThespellingofplacenamesthroughoutthisbookreflectstheusageatthetimeoftheSinaiandPalestinecampaignsandmaynotmatchmodernspellings.

ABBREVIATIONS

AIF AustralianImperialForce

AWMAustralianWarMemorial

DSODistinguishedServiceOrder

EEFEgyptianExpeditionaryForce

HEhighexplosive

HMSHisMajesty’sShip

IWMImperialWarMuseum

LHLightHorse

MGmachinegun

NANationalArchives(UnitedKingdom)

NAANationalArchivesofAustralia

NAA

NZNewZealand

RHARoyalHorseArtillery

SLNSWStateLibraryofNewSouthWales

VCVictoriaCross

METRICEQUIVALENTS

1inch 2.5centimetres1foot 0.3metres1yard 0.9metres1mile 1.6kilometres1pound 450grams

Manandhorse:TomBradleyandQuartPot.GodfreyBurgesscollection.CourtesyofRobertBurgess.

INTRODUCTION

In early October 1918, with the war in the Middle East almost over,Lieutenant General Sir Philip Chetwode wrote to Lieutenant General SirHarry Chauvel, the Australian who had replaced Chetwode as thecommanderoftheDesertMountedCorps,congratulatinghimonthecaptureof Damascus. ‘You havemade history with a vengeance,’ Chetwode wrote,‘andyourperformancewillbetalkedaboutandquotedlongaftermanymorebloody battles in Francewill have been almost forgotten.’ Chetwode notedthat the infantry divisions had played their part but that it was Chauvel’scavalry and light horse units ‘who put the lid on theTurks’ aspirations forever’.1Threeweeks later, theTurkshadsurrenderedandsome400yearsofOttoman rule in theMiddle Eastwere over. AsChetwode had observed, itwasthemountedtroops,theAustralianLightHorseprominentamongthem,thathadmadevictorypossibleonthis,themostchallengingofbattlefields.InAugust 1914 that victorywasmore than fouryearsaway.Australiahad

respondedtotheopeningoftheFirstWorldWarbyformingtheAustralianImperial Force (AIF), which initially included a brigade of light horsemountedtroops.ByMay1915,anothertwolighthorsebrigadeshadarrivedinEgyptand,withtheGallipolicampaignalreadyatastalemate,the1st,2ndand3rdLightHorseBrigadesaswellastheNewZealandMountedRiflesBrigadewere sent toGallipoli to serve as infantry. In that role, the light horsemenperformed with admirable courage but with little chance of breaking theGallipoliimpasse.As theofficialAustralianhistorianof theAIF’sMiddleEastern campaign,

HenryGullett,observed,thelighthorsemenwhohadservedatGallipolihadvolunteeredtwice,onceto jointheAIF inAustraliaandonceagainto leavetheirmountsbehindinEgypttoserveasinfantry.2WhentheAnzacsreturnedto Egypt in early 1916, the AIF infantry battalions were reorganised andreinforced to create five infantrydivisions tobe sent to theWesternFront,while the light horsemenwere reunitedwith their horses.One light horseregiment and two-thirds of another were sent to the Western Front, buttwelve light horse regiments were kept in Egypt as part of General Sir

ArchibaldMurray’sEgyptianExpeditionaryForce.Australian LightHorse covers the operations of the Australian light horse

andcameltroopsintheMiddleEastfromearly1916throughtotheendofthewar. Itdoes soby lookingat the experiencesof themenwho served,usingtheirownwords.Some70diariesorcollectionsofcorrespondencefromlighthorsemen have been used within the text, while Henry Gullett’scomprehensive official history of the campaignprovides the framework fortheirexperiences.

Rowland‘Top’Hassall,4thMachineGunSquadron,writinghome.GeorgeFranciscollection.

AustralianLightHorsealsoservesasacanvasforanoutstandingcollectionofprivatephotographs from thosemenwho foughtwith the lighthorseorcamelcorps intheSinaiandPalestinecampaigns. ‘TheKodakappearstobepart of the equipment of the Light Horse,’ Frank Hurley, the Australianofficial photographer, wrote in early 1918.3 Nearly 100 years later, many ofthese extraordinary photographs are published here for the first time,illuminating the journey of the light horsemen across the harshest ofbattlefields.

Theforegroundshadowmarksthepresenceofthesoldierphotographerwithhisboxbrowniecamera.HereRegDixonphotographsmenandhorsesfromthe2ndLightHorseFieldAmbulance.RegDixoncollection.CourtesyofMerrienWrighter.

HoraceTaberner,whoservedwiththe1stRemountUnitinEgypt,demonstrateshishorsemanship.BeforethewarHoracehadbeenafarmhandinSouthGippsland.HoraceTabernercollection.CourtesyofLaurie

Taberner.

CHAPTER1

‘SOLDIER’SHELL’ApriltoJuly1916

AttheoutbreakoftheFirstWorldWar,theboundarybetweentheEgyptianSinai and Ottoman-controlled Palestine ran from Rafa near theMediterraneancoastdowntoAkabaontheRedSea.Thelinewasabout150kilometreseastoftheSuezCanal,buttheBritishdefencesresteduponthatvitalwaterway.Turkishforceshadalreadymadeanattemptto interdictthecanalinFebruary1915buttherehadbeennoattemptssince,thebarrenlandsof the western Sinai proving a daunting obstacle. General Murray wasneverthelesskeentopushhistroopsoutintotheSinaiinordertoprotectthecanalratherthanwaitforanotherattackonit.AlthoughtheAustralianLightHorsewouldearnfame inthebattles from

Sinai throughPalestineandSyria, their firstmountedoperationwouldtakeplace in Egypt’s western desert. When Brigadier General Charles Cox’s 1stBrigade1arrivedinEgypton28December1915,itwasimmediatelysenttothewesternfrontierofEgypttoactasascreenagainstanyincursionofSenussirebels towards the Nile. Cox’s brigade replaced a scratch force of lighthorsementhathadbeengiventhatroleamonthearlier.TwoofCox’sthreeregimentswere later sent toMinia, some220kilometres southofCairoonthe Nile, beforemoving to Kantara on the Suez Canal inMay 1916 as theSenussithreatdiminishedandtheTurkishthreatgrew.TheAnzacMountedDivisionwasformedinMay1916underthecommand

ofanAustralian,MajorGeneralHarryChauvel. ‘Aneasynatural leader,’ theofficial historian, Henry Gullett, wrote of Chauvel, ‘Reserved and aloof inmanner,gentleofspeechandquietofbearing.’2ThismeasuredapproachtocommandwouldholdChauvel ingoodsteadthroughoutthewar.Chauvel’sdivision comprised four light horse brigades: the 1st under Cox, the 2nd

underBrigadierGeneralGranvilleRyrie,the3rdunderBrigadierGeneralJohn‘Bull’ Antill and the New ZealandMounted Rifles Brigade under BrigadierGeneralEdwardChaytor.Abatteryofguns(either13-pounderor18-poundertypes) from the Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) was attached to each brigade,namelytheLeicesterbattery(1stBrigade),theAyrshirebattery(2ndBrigade),the Inverness battery (3rd Brigade) and the Somerset battery (NewZealandMountedRiflesBrigade).The 11th and 12thLightHorse regiments acted asindependentunits.3

ABritishwarshipontheSuezCanal.Notethecanaldefencepostonthefarbank.HarryMattockscollection.CourtesyofRussMattocks.

Map1:EgyptandPalestine

GeneralHarryChauvel,ontheright,inspectingtheSuezCanaldefencesatSerapeumin1916.Helooksjustastheofficialhistorianlaterportrayedhim:‘calm,debonair,croponthigh’.Thephotographwastakenby

GeneralChauvel’sbatman,ArthurHitchcock.ArthurHitchcockcollection.CourtesyofKayAlliband.

The light horsemenwere not cavalrymen, though they acted in a similarwaywhilecarryingoutpatrolandreconnaissancework.Inbattletheyactedmore in the role of mounted infantry, using their horses to bring themrapidly to the battlefield and then normally fighting dismounted. Eachbrigadewasofthreeregimentspluscorpsunits,andeachregimenthadthreesquadronseachoffourtroops.Ideally,eachtroopwasmadeupoftenfour-man sections. One man from each section remained with the four horsesduringbattleandthereforeeachlighthorsebrigadehadonly800rifleswhendismounted, which was similar to the strength of an infantry battalion. Amountedmachine-gunsectionwasattachedtoeachsquadron,thoughthesewouldbeconsolidatedintoseparatebrigade-levelmachine-gunsquadronsinJuly1916.Supply,particularlythesupplyofwater,wasthekeyconsiderationforany

light horse operation in Egypt and beyond. Each man needed 4.5 litres ofwater a day, though he would often get less than a litre. A horse requiredmore than 20 litres a day; any less than that and they soon lost condition.Each man required a kilogram of rations a day but a horse required 9kilograms of bulky feed.WithMurray’s plan to establish a force of 50,000menatKatiaoasis,some40kilometreseastofthecanal,thousandsofcamelswould be needed for supply. A railway was obviously needed, andconstructionsoonbeganfromtheeast sideof thecanalatKantara towardsRomani,10kilometresnorth-westofKatia.4

Atypicallighthorseman.HarryMattockscollection.

TheTurks had three possible avenues of advance across the Sinai to theSuez Canal: the southern, central and northern routes. Water for thenorthern route could be obtained at the Katia oasis, while the central andsouthern routes would require wells to be sunk. The Turks had used thecentral route in the raid on the canal in February 1915 and had alreadyextendedtherailwaysouthfromBeershebatoAsluj,wherewellsweresunkandwatercisternsfilled.AlighthorseraidonJifjafaon11April1916,however,destroyedawater-drillingplant,whileafollow-uppatrolafewmonthslateremptied and sealed the nearby water cisterns. The Turkish force wouldthereforehavetousethenorthernrouteviaKatiaforanyfutureadvanceontheSuezCanal.The British 5thMounted Brigade under Brigadier General EdgarWiggin

reachedRomanifirst.ThebrigadewasayeomanryunitmadeupofEnglishfarmers, with the landed gentry as their officers. Wiggin set up hisheadquartersatRomaniwithoutpostsouttotheeastatKatia,OghratinaandHamisah (seeMap2). Ill-informedandoverconfident,Wiggin took threeofhismountedsquadrons,one-thirdofhistotalforce,outtoMageibratochase

areported200-strongTurkishforce.Meanwhile,atdawnon23April,alargeTurkishforcestruckunderthecoverofaheavymorningmistatOghratina,overrunningthestartledWorcesterYeomanryencampedthere.Katia,heldbyonlyasquadronofGloucesterYeomanry,wasnext.5

Guided by Bedouin scouts, the Turks were able to set up their machinegunsonthesandhillssurroundingtheoasiswheretheyeomanryhadsetupcampunderthedatepalms.Smallmountaingunswerealsopositionedcloseby. When the fog finally lifted, the 100 defenders at Katia under CaptainMichael Lloyd-Baker were faced with some 600 attackers. Well-directedTurkishartillerysoonopeneduponthehorselines,preventinganyescape.6

Outgunned,outnumberedandunabletomanoeuvre,theyeomanryfoughtitoutfromtheirmeagreshellscrapesinthesand,holdingoutlongenoughtoenableanunmountedcavalrysquadronfromHamisahtojointhem.Buttwosquadrons fromRomaniand twoothersunderWiggin failed to reachKatiaoasisintime,andthepositionfelltotheTurksafterabitterfight.Onlynineof thedefenders regained theBritish lines,while thewoundedwere left tothemercilessBedouin.AshakenWigginorderedhisremainingmenbacktothe canal, abandoning the Romani base. At an outpost at Dueidar, 20kilometres east of the canal, a resolute company of some 100 Royal ScotsFusiliersfromthe52ndDivision,warnedbyanalertfoxterrierastheTurkscreptuptotheoutpostunderthecoverofmist,haltedtheTurkishadvance.7

Ontheeveningof23April,GeneralRyrie’s2ndLightHorseBrigadecrossedthe canal at Kantara and moved east into the Sinai, passing the retiringyeomanry in thenightandreachingHill70, 11kilometreseastof thecanal,aroundmidnight. It soon became clear that the Turkish attackwas only araid, which meant that Ryrie was able to move his brigade forward andreoccupyRomanion25April,thefirstanniversaryoftheAnzaclandings.

ScottishtroopsatDueidar,June1916.EdwinMulfordcollection.CourtesyofKerrieFerguson.

TheTurkshadwithdrawntoBirelAbd,25kilometreseastofKatia.UnlikeWiggin, the canny Ryrie would keep his force concentrated and only sendmobile patrols out to Katia, Oghratina and Hamisah. The first job of hisbrigadewas to bury about 70dead yeoman atKatia. ‘We saw a lot of deadTommiesandTurks,’JoeBurgesswrote.‘Theywerestrippedofmostoftheirclothesandlookahorriblesight...thehorseswerealllyingdead,tieduptothelines.’8GordonMacraenotedthat‘mostofthedeadwerestrippedoftheirclothes and the stench was horrible. The burial party was taken from mytroop and they had to wear respirators.’9 When a party from theWorcestershireYeomanry laterwentouttoreburytheirdead, theofficer incharge found his brother, whom he recognised only by a distinctive scarfaroundhisneck.10

These were dim days for British armed forces in the Middle East. InMesopotamia(partofmodern-dayIraq)theBritishforceatKut-el-AmarahadfinallysurrenderedtoTurkishforceson29Aprilafterasiegethathadlastednearly five months. Meanwhile, British troop strength in Egypt wassuccessivelyweakenedasmoreandmoredivisionsheadedtoFrance,leaving

GeneralMurraywiththeequivalentofthreeinfantrydivisionsplustheAnzacMountedDivision and the yeomanry.TheTurkshad threedivisions in thenorthern Sinai plus some 4000 Bedouin irregulars and a superior air arm,withGermanaircraftandpilots.

TherailheadatRomani.GeorgeFranciscollection.

The Romani base was surrounded by sand dunes, some of them largeenough to dominate the battlefield. It was upon these positions that thedefence of Romaniwould now be based rather than on far-flung outposts.With the railway rapidly approaching Romani, it was the ideal site fromwhichtodefendthecanal,asanyTurkishmoveagainstitusingthecentralorsouthern routes through the Sinai would leave them exposed on the rightflank.ButthedecisiontodefendKatiaoasisonlybyintermittentpatrolsleftitopentoTurkishoccupation.The pre-war telegraph line that ran back to Kantara could readily be

tapped.OnoneoccasionaforeignconversationwasheardbythelighthorsesignallersandaTurkishinterpreterwascalledfor.Hewasalsopuzzled,untilitwasrealisedaScottishunit(speakingEnglish)wasinthearea.Furtherout,heliographs (which signalled inMorse code using flashes of sunlight) were

used,themirrorhavingtobecontinuouslyadjustedtoallowforthechangingangleofthesun.AsignalstationonahilltopatRomanicouldreceiveMorsesignalsdirecteditswayfromheliographsasfarawayas50kilometres.11

Bymid-Maytheheatofsummerhadarrived,curtailingmobileoperations.Asearly as 25 April, Maurie Evans, serving with the 1st Light Horse FieldAmbulanceatSohag,morethan500kilometressouthofCairoontheupperNile, wrote that ‘the heat is getting beyond all reason’. It had reached 46degrees Celsius by then andwould only get worse. On 19May, Evans wasexperiencing50degreesCelsiusintheshade,withahotwind‘thatfeelslikeablast fromthebiggest furnaceGodevermade’.12AsBillPeterson,asignallerwiththe2ndLightHorse,noted,heatwasnottheonlyconcernatSohag.‘Itisalmost impossible to lay and doze during the day for the flies,’ he wrote.Peterson alsonoted thedeathof SergeantVernonWare, thebrigadepolicesergeant, who had died of pneumonia on 3 April. ‘They planted him thisafternoon,’hewrote.‘ItseemshardtogothroughthatGallipolihellofmanymonthswithoutascratchandthentodie...insomelonelyspotlikethis.’13

FourlighthorsemenattheRamesseum,neartheValleyoftheKingsatLuxor.OfthefallenRamsesIIstatue,theEnglishpoetPercyByssheShelleywrotein‘Ozymandias’,‘Halfsunk,ashatteredvisagelies.’WilfredBakercollection.CourtesyofJoanCupit.

‘Work, heat, dust, sand and more work,’ Robert Fell wrote in April. ‘Anabsolutenightmare.’14VernerKnuckeylivedinatentwhere‘millionsoffliescamehome to roost’.15On6May, JoeBurgesswrote ‘itwas thunderinghotyesterday’.Nextdayhewasoff toKatia,where ‘thesandfliesnearlyatemeandmyhorse’.By19May,itwas52degreesCelsiusintheambulancetentatRomani.16 Captain Harold Mulder wrote that ‘the heat is bad enough butthesefliesmakeitnearlyunbearable’.On4Juneheadded, ‘Abeastofadaywithahotwindblowing...“Arab’sHeaven”andsoldier’shell.’17

Even in summer, however, the nights could be freezing, particularly if awind came off the sea from the north. ‘As cold as chastity,’ Maurie Evanswroteon31May.18ThetwolighthorsebrigadesatRomanisufferedfromtheheat, the blinding sun and the flies, but it was the sandstorms, the fearedkhamsinthatwassaidtoblowfor50daysfromlateApril,thattestedthemtothelimit.HenrySullivanwasoutinthedesertwiththe5thLightHorseon13April when a sandstorm blew up. ‘Saddles, rifles etc and ourselves almostburied in sand,’ he wrote. ‘Sand and desert awful.’19 Verner Knuckeyexperiencedhow‘thefinesandstrikesthefaceandhandsanditfeelslikeredhotneedles’.20

‘The country here is composed of nothing but loose sand hills,’ FredTomlins observed, ‘and most of the hills so steep that the rider has todismountandleadhishorseupanddownthem,andbothhorseandriderupto their knees going down them and is very heavywork on both.’21MaurieEvanswrote of the ride intoRomani: ‘Our last stagewas across pure sand,heapedintoeveryshapeandposition,terriblegoingforthehorses.Thelongcolumnofhorsemenclimbingupanddowninandoutamongtheenormousorangecolouredsanddunessetoffbythedeepblueofthesky.’22

Toaidthesearchforwater,LieutenantColonelLachlanWilsonofthe5thLight Horse introduced the spear point pump, purchased from regimentalfunds in defiance of headquarters. It consisted of a hollow pipe perforatedabovethespear-likepointthatcouldbepushedthroughthesandinlow-lyingareas to providewater for the horses quickly,without the need to dig and

reinforce wells. A single spear point could raise 3500 litres per hour.23 Thehorses drank the brackish well water, but water for the men came up oncamelsfromthecanalorrailhead.A6thLightHorsereconnaissancetoBirelBayud,some10kilometressouth

of Bir el Abd, at the height of summer on 16May, resulted in men beinghospitalisedwithsunstrokeandheatexhaustion,andleftmanyofthehorsesinadistressedcondition.24GordonMacrae,whowasonthepatrol,notedthatby11a.m.thewaterthemencarriedwiththemwassohotitwasundrinkable.‘Our throats were already parched and the sun being on the backs of ourheadsmadeusfeelgiddy,’hewrote.Thepatrolreachedawellbutthewaterwasundrinkable.Bynow,someof themenwerestaggeringandfrothingatthe mouth while a few had fainted. ‘It seemed as though the wind wasblowingoffthefurnacesofhell,’Macraewrote.OnreturningtoRomani,28menwent straight intohospital and 500horsesneededanextended spell.25

JoeBurgesshadriddenoneof them. ‘Mymarewaswobblyandpantingbutthe plucky little beggar kept going,’ he wrote.26 The brigade commander,GranvilleRyrie,observed,‘Idon’tthinkIcanstandtheheathereifitgetsanyworseas it issuretodo . . . Ihatethis infernaldesert, itmakesmetiredtolookatthesand&itiseverywhere.’27

In lateMay, Cox’s 1st Brigade relieved Ryrie’s 2nd. Bill Peterson reachedRomanion26May.‘Greatsanddunesareonallsidesofthecamp,’hewrote,‘andwearecampeddowninahollowclosetoaclumpofpalmtrees.’Theseclumps of palms among the dunes were known as hods, and water couldusuallybefoundbelowthesurfacethere.28 ‘Wehavebeenlivingverypoorlyhere on bully beef, bread and jam,’ Fred Tomlinswrote, ‘butwe could notevenget enoughbully andat timeshad tomakeamealofdriedbreadandhalf a pint of tea.’29 As Bill Peterson later observed, bully beef and hardbiscuits‘willsoonwearthestrongestconstitutiondown’.Incomparison,theTurkishrationslookedlike ‘rollsofthinbrowncardboard’containing ‘driedapricots anddates reduced to suet and rolled intowide thin sheets’,whichwere‘farinadvanceofourownironrations’.30Withthearrivaloftherailwayat the end of May, the Lowland Scots of the 52nd Infantry Division alsoarrivedatRomani,asdidtheNewZealandMountedRiflesBrigade.

Alighthorsecampinthedesert.Thehorsesaretetheredtoropelinesthathavebeenanchoredtoburiedsandbags.HarryMattockscollection.

Lateon30May,thelighthorseregimentsmovedoutincolumnslitonlybythe stars of the desert night, heading towards Hod Salmana, some 7kilometreseastofBirelAbd.BillPetersonwroteofhow ‘thewholebrigadeturnedoutat10o’clocklastnightandwetookpartinoneofthelongestandmost tedious night marches I have ever participated in’.31 Maurie Evansconsidered the prospects for anywounded: ‘It will be hell for anyonewhogetswoundedbadlyastheyhavetotravelbycamelforover30miles.’OnhisreturntoRomani,Evansnoted‘anoverwhelmingsenseofirritablesleepinessunable to be appeased’.32 AtOghratina, FredTomlinswrote how ‘Scores ofTommies are still lying on top of the groundwhere theywere killed.’ Thedesertwindhadblownthesandcoverfromtheirshallowgraves.33

FourTurkishprivatespreparetheirmeal.Onerollstheflatbreadwhileanothercooksit.Notethecleveruseofrockstohelpsealthetents.RalphKellettcollection.

Romanicamp.ArthurReynoldscollection.CourtesyofKayStacy.

Death also came from the air. The German air detachment flew RumplerTaubeandAlbatrosScoutaircraftovertheSinai.TheTaube,ordove,wassonamed for its distinctive and gracefully swept-back, dove-like wings. BillPetersonwrote that ‘she resembles ahugewhite transparent butterfly’.34 Atdawnon1June,FredTomlinswatchedas‘theburrofanaeroplanewasheardcomingfromthesouthveryhighup...oneglanceatherdovetailconvincedmeshewasaTaubeandwasoutforrevenge’.35Theaircraftwashigh,‘sohighwedidnotworry,’BertBillingswrote,‘howeverhisaimwasgood’.Theplanedropped two bombs, then three and then another three. The third of themiddle threeexploded in thehorse linesof the3rdLightHorse. ‘Thehorselines brokeunder the strain and/or all horseswere released to give them achance,’ Billings wrote. ‘They just galloped until they dropped and werefoundmilesawayatouroutposts,butmanywereneverfound.’36‘Everybombexploded but they sank well into the soft sand before exploding whichaffected their destructive power a lot as there were hardly any splinters

flying,’ FredTomlins observed.37 Tenmen, seven from the 3rdLightHorse,werekilled.‘Mostofusgotabroadourhacksandhitoutfortheopendesert,wherewe stayeduntil theTaube left,’ Lieutenant StuartMacfarlanewrote.‘Weall rodebare-backwithonlyahalter, sotherewereseveral spills.’38Theraidresultedinthedeathof47horses.Ateamoffourcamelswasneededtodrageachonetoitsgrave.39

The base at Romani was close to the ocean and, as Bert Billings noted,‘swimswereoneofthebrightspotsinourlife. . .aftertheswimthehorseswouldkeeponrolling inthesand’.40 ‘Thesurfmakesachapas lovesickfortheseaasasoldier leavinghisgirlat theold“loo” [Woolloomooloo]wharf,’JoeBurgesswrote.41Thoughinvolved inaworldwar, themenwere intheirownworld.On 8 June, FredTomlins heard thenews thatHMSHampshirehadbeen sunkoff theOrkney Islandswith almost all hands lost, includingLordKitchener, theBritish Secretary of State forWar. ‘Stiff luck forK butnobodyherethinksitwillaffectthewarmuch,’hewrote.42

‘Swimmingourhorses.’JosephBradshawcollection.CourtesyofBobSmith.

Ontheafternoonof 10 June, theMuksheibColumn,comprising the 10thLightHorseplustwosquadronsofthe9thsupportedbysome800camels,all

under thecommandofLieutenantColonelThomasTodd,movedout fromtherailheadtodrainoutthewaterinthecisternsandpoolsintheWadiUmMuksheib, south of Jifjafa, 75 kilometres to the east. As General Antillobserved,it‘turnedouttobeabiggerjobthanexpected’,takingfourdaystodrainsome36,000,000litresofwater.43

BillPetersonwasonapatroltoOghratinaaroundthesametime.‘Itwasabeautifulmoonlightnight,’hewrote,‘andthelongcolumnstretchedfaroutuponthedesertlikesomegiganticconfusingthing[as]wewoundinandoutamongthesanddunes.’Uponreachingthewells,thehorses‘weresoeagerforwaterthattheyplungedtheirmuzzlesintothecanvasbucketupsettingmostof the contents in their eagerness,’ Peterson wrote. ‘My fellow drank sixbucketsbeforehecriedenough.’44

Watercontainers,knownasfantasses,atOghratinainJuly1916.Thesehelddrinkingwaterforthemen;thehorsesandcamelshadtomakedowiththebrackishwellwater.ArthurReynoldscollection.

On22June,a1stLightHorsepatrolgotlostinthedesertnearOghratina.‘Thenightwashotandourbottlesdryandagoodmany lads’mouthswereparched for thewant ofwater and theywere dropping off to sleep as theyrode,’FredTomlinswrote.45 ‘It’sredhot,’Burgessadded. ‘Thewindmustbe

blowingrightdirectoffHadesitself.’46Suchoccurrencescouldprovefatal.On9 July, two men from the Wellington Mounted Rifles died of exhaustionduring a patrol to Salmana.47 On 16 July,Maurie Pearce wrote that ‘Theselong“stunts”combinedwiththegreatamountofnightworkwearegetting,the excessive heat and bad food etc are the cause of such a great deal ofsickness.Wehavebeenoutofbedeverymorningat3.30a.m.eversinceourarrivalhere.’48Meanwhile, themenof the3rdBrigadehadbeen issuedwithemu plumes for their hats.When theTommies askedwhat bird theywerefrom,themenwouldtellthemtheywerekangaroofeathers.49

InJuly,theheavymachinegunswerereorganisedfromatwo-gunsectionper regiment to twelveperbrigade,deployedas a separate squadron.ThreeLewis lightmachine gunswere also allocated to each regiment.Oneof themachine-gunners, Gordon Cooper, wrote, ‘expecting some fun: TurksadvancingfromOghratina’.50

AVickersgunbarrelstowedfortravel.ColinWells,aformerboundaryrider,isalongside.‘Menbecameextraordinarilyquickatunpackingandgoingintoaction,’HenryGullettnoted.GeorgeFranciscollection.

LieutenantFrank‘Towser’Nivison,12thLightHorsemachine-gunsection,behindaVickersgunthathasbeensetupwiththetripodreversedforanti-aircraftpurposes.Suchusecausedproblemsforboththegunner,uponwhomthehotcartridgeshellswouldfall,andtheloader,whohadtoensurehekepttheammunitionbeltatthecorrectangleofentrytopreventstoppages.GeorgeFranciscollection.

Chapter2

‘COMEON,BOYS,WEAREMAKINGHISTORY’1–4August1916

At the start of August 1916, both light horse brigades at Romani hadtemporary commanders. Lieutenant Colonel John Meredith took over thecommandofthe1stBrigadeafterGeneralCoxfellillandwassentonleavetoEngland. JohnnyMeredith,as thetrooperscalledhim,gotoff toabadstartwhenheledthebrigadeastrayonthenightof31July,‘muchtothedisgustoftheladswhowerenotatallpleasedwiththeconcern’.1

At the time,GeneralRyriewas inEngland,on leaveofabsence related tohis standing as an Australian politician. In Ryrie’s absence, Colonel JackRoyston, the commander of the 12th Light Horse, was appointed totemporary commandof the2ndBrigade.RoystonwasaSouthAfricanwhohadserved in theBoerWarand inGermanWestAfrica in thecurrentwar.Both new commanders had dominating sand hills east of Romani namedafterthem.On 19 July, a Turkish advance on Katia was spotted from the air. That

night, light horse patrols fired at Turkish forces nearOghratina and someprisonerswere takenfromtheEgyptExpeditionaryForce,whichcomprised20,000 troops under the command of theGermanGeneral FriedrichKressvonKressenstein.The ‘picturesque ruffian’,DjemalPasha,was thenominalcommander-in-chief.2 The troops were backed up by some 2500 Austro-Hungarians and Germans serving six heavy batteries of Austro-HungarianandGermanartillery,plustheGerman605thMachineGunCompany.The605th,ledbyLieutenantBenkwitzwith31men,haddepartedBerlinby

trainon29March 1916, reachingConstantinopleon7Aprilbeforecrossing

theBosphorusandreachingSemakhontheSeaofGalileeinearlyJune.Herethecompanyincorporated67Turkishranksandbeganworkingwithcamelsandcarryingoutfieldfiringtests.On22July,thecompanysawitsfirstactionwhenthemachine-gunnersopenedfireonaBritishplaneatBirelAbd.3

ColonelJackRoystonatDueidarinmid-1916.Thisphotowastakenwhilehewasincommandofthe12thLightHorsebeforeRomani.GeorgeFranciscollection.

MostoftheTurkishtroopswerefromtheveteran3rdDivision.MannedbyAnatolian troops, this division had performed well at Gallipoli and in theearlier attack on the yeomanry at Katia. The Turkish force was some 160kilometresfromthenearestrailheadandreliedforsupplymainlyonlimitedcamel trains, 18,000ofwhichwould be employed on this operation.Therewereonly a fewmounted camel troops toprovide anymobility to rival themanoeuvrabilityofthelighthorse.Nevertheless, the Turkish force had very good artillery support, and this

could prove critical. The aim of the operation was to advance to withinartillery range of the Suez Canal and thus close the vital waterway toshipping.Woodenplanksorlinedfurrowswererequiredtomovetheartillerypiecesacrossthesand.Theattackwouldbemadeintheheatofsummer,buttowaitforcoolerweatherwouldhaveexacerbatedthewaterproblem.UnliketheAlliedforce,theTurkishtroopswereforcedtodrinkthebrackishwaterfromthedesertoasestosurvive.Allmovementwasbynight,ledbyBedouinscouts, thedaysspentshelteringunderpalmgroves.Oghratinawasreached

withoutincident.

Map2:Sinaidesert

ATurkishcameltrainloadingammunition.GeorgeFranciscollection.

Major Carl Mühlmann, serving as a German staff officer with vonKressenstein,notedthat‘surpriseandswiftnessofexecutionwereessentialtosuccess’.Assoonasdarknessfellon3August,theTurkishleftwingadvanced,aimingtooutflanktheRomanidefencestothesouthbeforeturningnorthtocomeinbehindthemaininfantrydefencesinRomani.Mühlmannwrotethat‘thehoursofthenightspedby’.4

The light horsemen knew theTurkswere coming.GeneralChauvel laterwrotethat‘itwasevidentthatthelongthreatenedsecondattackontheSuezCanalwasabouttobelaunched’.5On22July,CaptainHaroldMulderwrote,‘the whole of the Turkish 3rd Division led by a German general and withGermanmachinegunnersarethere...Iguesswe’llsmashthewholelotup.’6

Startingon20 July, the1stand2ndBrigadespatrolledout fromRomanionalternatedays, returningatmidnightbut leavingout smallmobile listeningpostsovernight.GordonMacrae,whowaswith the6thLightHorse,wrote,‘we have been going solid all week. Every alternate daywe go out tomeet

Jacko[theTurks].’7TheNewZealandbrigade,laterjoinedbythe3rdBrigade,patrolledtheMageibraareaontherightflank.Bothsidesmanoeuvredtheirforcesforthecomingclash.

The6thLightHorseonthemarch.RalphKellettcollection.

On26July,MauriePearcewrote, ‘Theopinionoftheheadsappearstobethat theTurks arepreparing for a big attackon theSuezCanal . . .we arereadyforthemandforaspellafterwehavetowelledthemup.’Pearcegothisfighton29 July,whena troop fromthe 1stLightHorseonoutpostdutyatKatiawasoutflankedandnearlysurroundedbytheTurks.‘Bulletswereverythickroundus,’Pearcewrote,but‘luckilytheTurksoverestimatedtherangeandthebulletswenthigh,otherwisefewofuswouldhavegotaway...Long,RoperandRinaldiwerehitandafewhorses,one[ofwhich]hadtobeshot.’8

The commander of the Imperial force, Lieutenant General Sir HerbertLawrence,hadbeenorderedtoholdRomanianddrawintheTurks,buthealso had concerns about his open right flank. Lawrence had four infantrybrigadesandfiveartillerybatteriesdefendinghissupplybaseatRomani,withthe Anzac Mounted Division out in front and covering the right flank.

AnotherinfantrydivisionwasgatheringatKantara,whiletwonavalmonitorshadanchoredoffOghratina to shellanyenemytroopconcentrations there.Lawrence’smajorweaknesswashisownlocation;hewascontenttocontrolthebattle fromhisheadquarters atKantara,despiteGeneralMurrayurginghimforward.

The1stLightHorsecampatRomani.RoyalNewSouthWalesLancersMemorialMuseumcollection.

Acameltrain.EdwinMulfordcollection.

JeffHolmes,whowasahorseteamdriverwiththeengineersofthe1stFieldSquadron, watched the build-up at Romani. ‘Trains of camels have been

passingforthelastfewdaysbutthelongestofallpassedtoday,’hewroteon26July.‘Thereweretwothousandcamels,nearly5milesinlengthandittooknearlytwohourstopassby.’9

On 2 August, a Turkish deserter of Bosnian origin from the 3rd TurkishDivision gavehimself up atNo. 8Post atRomani.He toldhis captors thatabout19,000TurkishtroopswereadvancingonKatiaandRomani.10Onthemorning of 3 August, the first Turkish forces entered the Katia area, withmore to the south-east. The deep wells at Katia were vital for any furtheradvance. Bill Peterson wrote, ‘Jacko is having the time of his life sinceoccupying Qatia. He won’t have a leg to stand on soon.’11 Later in theafternoon, Petersonwas sent up ontoMountMeredith to lay a phone lineandwaskeptbusythatnightrepairingbreakscausedbypassinghorsemen.At10p.m. the first reportsofgunfire came in from theoutpost lineandby 11p.m.thefiringhadincreased.General Chauvel ordered Lieutenant Colonel Meredith’s 1st Brigade to

occupy the high sand dunes forward of Romani. LieutenantColonelDavidFulton’s3rdLightHorsewasontheleft,fromtheinfantryoutposttoMountMeredith, while Lieutenant Colonel George Bourne’s 2nd Light Horsestretched south fromMountMeredith to Hod el Enna, with the 1st LightHorseinreserveatRomani.Thelighthorsemenestablishedtheoutpostlinejust after dusk and then waited.12 MajorMick Bruxner, who was from thesamefertilelandsoftheUpperClarenceValleyinnorthernNewSouthWalesasGeneralChauvel,was a squadron commanderwith the 6thLightHorse.Helaterwroteof‘thetinyCossackpostsof4or5men,camouflagedbehindadune amongst the bushes’, far out in front of ‘the remainder of the troopsleeping,perhapsmanyofthemtheirlastearthlysleep,liketiredgiants...inalittlehollowarethepatienthorses’.13

Justbeforemidnight, a forceof some500Turkswas spottednearHodelEnna, andMeredith’s regimentwasbroughtup to cover the left flank.TheTurkishplanhadbeentofollowthe2ndBrigadebacktoRomani.Outwiththe1stBrigade’smachine-gunsquadron,GordonCooperheardthefirstshotsfifteenminutesbeforemidnight.14AsBruxnerwrote, ‘upanddownthe line

comes the crackle, crackle of rifle fire and the rip-rip-rip ofmachine guns.ThisisonlyafeelerbyJohnTurk.’Butby1a.m., ‘upsteepslopescomestheTurk infantry, withering away under our steady fire, but always comingswiftlyon’.15CharlesLivingstone,alsowiththe6th,wrote,‘WhenIfeltliquidrunningdownmylegIthoughtIhadbeenhittoo,butthebulletwentrightthroughmywaterbottleandhitthelegofthemanbehindme.’16

Around1a.m.on4August,theTurksattackedtheoutpostlineoutofthedarkness,andunderaheavyexchangeof firecreptcloser in.Thenatabout2.30a.m.they‘chargedwithfixedbayonetsyellingallah,allah’.17‘LightHorseonMeredithHillhardpressedurgentlyrequirereinforcements,’BillPetersonwrote. ‘Every availableman up in the firing linemost ofmy signallers arethere.’18 The 1st LightHorsemoved from reserve up ontoMountMeredithbut,asPetersonrelated,thepositioncouldnotbeheld. ‘Turkshavechargedwith the bayonet and have takenMeredithHill, whichmakes our positionuntenable now,’ he wrote. ‘The only thing to do is to withdraw to saferground.’PetersongavehisreporttoColonelRoyston,whogallopedoffastheTurkspressedtheirattack.‘IheartheTurksyellingcursingandshoutingandbefore we realised what had happened they pour over the ridge about 50yardsfromusfiringforalltheyareworthpointblank,’Petersonwrote.‘Thenamadscrambleforourhorses...thebulletswerelikehailstones.’19

Aftertwo3rdLightHorseoutpostswereoverrun,MajorMichaelShanahanfoundfourhorselessmen.Hegottwouponthehorseandwiththeothertwohangingontothestirrups,hismightysteedcarriedallfivementosafety.Thelight horsemen held onto thewall of sand thatwasMountMeredith untilflanking moves forced its abandonment around 3 a.m. On the right,Shanahan’s squadron took heavy casualties from Turkish flanking fire andalsowithdrew.Astheretiringunitsreachedtheirsecondline,theorderrangout:‘Sectionsabout—Actionfront!’20

TrenchesatRomani.ArthurReynoldscollection.

Sapper JohnHobbs, a signallerwith the 1st Brigade,was hunkered downonly10metresbehindthefiring lineandunderveryheavyfire. ‘Theenemypoured rifle and machine-gun fire on us,’ he wrote. ‘I cast a hasty glanceround and saw three of our boys being dragged out by the arms and legs.’‘Allah,allah,finishAustralia,’camethecryfromtheTurks.Thebrigadeheldout for threehours ‘until itwas impossible forhumanfleshtostandmore’.Hobbstookawoundedmanbackonhishorse,whichheledoveramachine-gun-sweptridge. ‘Iwashorriblyscaredandcouldhardlystandwhenwegotin,’hewrote.21

FredTomlins,whowaswiththe1stLightHorse,gotthealarmatmidnight.‘Ouroutpostswereretiringandfightingtheirwayback,’hewrote. ‘WerodeupclosetotheTurks,dismountedforactionandweresooninthethickofitjustatdawn,’hecontinued.‘TheTurkswerecomingupthegullyinhundredsand the closestwerewithin 100 yards of uswhenweopened fire and theychargedyellingAllahAllah,butagainAllahdesertedthemandtheyfellthickandfast.’22

TurkishdeadintheRomanisandbelowoneofthedominatingsandridges.Whenlaterburied,manywerefoundstrippednakedwithnotevenanidentitydisc.‘ThatwasBedouinwork,’theofficialhistorianwrote.HughPoatecollection.CourtesyofJimPoate.

LloydCorlisswasalsowiththe1stLightHorse.‘TheretreatwasalivelyoneandwewereallmixedupandnounitoftheFirstRegtwaskepttogether,’hewrote. ‘The enemy firedmany shells and done some very good shooting.’23

FrankWilliswas another 1st LightHorseman.On the previous day he hadfoundtimetowritehome:‘Wearehardatithereatlastandhavehadafewquite exciting little adventures lately.’ Back at his family property atCrookwell intheSouthernTablelandsofNewSouthWales,Willis’sbeloveddog howled throughout the night. The nextmorning the dogwasmissing,nevertobeseenagain.BythenFrankWillislaydeadontheRomanisand.Hehadsurvivedtheretreatandwasrefillinghiswaterbottlefromawatertankbehindasandbankwhenastraybulletstruckhiminthehead.24

At4.20a.m.the2ndBrigademovedupontherightflankofthebattered1st.The 6th and 7th Light Horse occupied Wellington Ridge alongsideLieutenant Colonel WilliamMeldrum’s Wellington Mounted Rifles, which

hadbeenattached.AtaboutthesametimetheTurkishgunsopenedup.Thefighting continued until ‘that fatal tinge of dawn andwith it the bark of amountaingunand thewhineof the shell followedby thewhitepuffas theshrapnelburstsoverthestubbornline’.25

At 7.00 a.m. theWellingtons covered thewithdrawal of the 6th and 7thLightHorsemen fromWellington Ridge. The ridgewas swept by shrapnel,machine-gunand rifle fire. ‘TheTurkshavea terrible lotofmachineguns,’RobertFarneswrote.26 Squadronsmovedback in stepsone at a timeundercoveringfire,leavingnoneofthe80orsowoundedmenbehind.27‘Woundedcomestragglingin,pale,bloodstainedmenwiththecheerysmilestillontheirlips,’ one of the light horsemenwrote. ‘“Pretty warm up there, boys,” theyremark.’28 ‘All of a sudden bullets began to whiz around, then we all tookshelter,’ JeffHolmes wrote. ‘The Turks opened fire with their 12-poundersandafewshellsburstrightoverusanditisamiracleweescapedbeinghit.’The accompanying Somerset battery opened up in reply, ‘and Jacko’s gunsweresoonsilenced’.29

ARoyalHorseArtilleryfieldguninfullrecoilafterfiring.GodfreyBurgesscollection.

Once dawn broke,GordonCooperwas able to open firewith hismachinegun,buttheenemyreplysooncame.‘TheTurkishgunsandartillerygotontousprettyquickly,hadaverylivelyhourorso,hadtoretireandwereshelledall the way back,’ he wrote. ‘My horse got a pellet in the neck, very closeshave.’30 ‘A battery of mountain guns—manned they say by Austrians wasshrapnelling us with really admirable precision,’ Maurie Evans wrote. ‘Ihaven’tbeensomortallyfrightenedsinceSariBairthistimelastyear.’31

FredTomlinswasinthethickofitwiththe1stLightHorse. ‘TheTurkishmachinegunsmadeourpositionsratheruncomfortableat times,’hewrote,‘and then the Turkish artillery got the range of our led horses and playedhavocwiththembutveryfewofthemenleadingthehorseswerehit.’WithconsiderableTurkishreinforcementsmovingup,theordertoretirewasgivenat 7 a.m. The machine-gun and shrapnel fire was very heavy as the mencoveredthekilometrebacktotheirhorses.AfterLieutenantWilliamNelsonwas hit, Fred Tomlins helped to get him back. ‘We had to lay him downfrequently to spell and it was very heavy in the sand,’ Tomlins wrote.‘Shrapnel andmachine gun firewere cutting the groundup all aroundus.’After getting Nelson to the Field Ambulance, Tomlins grabbed a riderlesshorseand‘wasgladwhenIfelttheneddyspringingalongunderme’.32WhenMaurieEvansandhismatesgotbacktotheirhorses,‘weclappedourspursinandawaywewenthellforleatherovertheridgeandintotheresetlittledipandafteruscamethesandcartsrollingandploughingupthesandlikeshipsinaheavysea’.33

Another1stLightHorsetrooper,CorporalAustinEdwards,hadbeenshot,the bullet passing through his left biceps and chest and then out his back.Edwardsmanagedtoreachthewaitinghorses,wherehewasabletoremounthis horse, Taffy, and escape the advancing Turks. He later claimed thatTaffy’spatiencesavedhim,becausenotonlywasEdwardsunderfirewhenheremounted,buthecouldonlymanageitwithhisonegoodarm.34

‘Toomuchthis for twothinbrigades,’MickBruxnerwrote, ‘but still theyholdandthenbang,bang,bang,bang—thegoodoldTerritorialRHAareintoit. Beautiful 15-pound shrapnel bursts over theTurk, taking heavy toll, butstillhecomeson.’Thenthelighthorsemenwereforcedtopullback.‘Agrimjobthisgettingbackunder fire.Men limponorareput in frontofamate;

fourboysgobycarryingoneinablanket;600yardstogoandunderfirealltheway...thelineformsagain.’35

AustinEdwardsalongsidehishorse,Taffy.AustinEdwardscollection.SLNSWa7206214,PXA404/116.

Meanwhile,the6thand7thLightHorse,temporarilyunderthecontroloftheimposing56-year-oldBoerwarveteran ‘Galloping Jack’Royston,movedoutto the right flankbetweenMountRoystonandEtmaler,where theTurkishthreatwasgreatest.Aseachofhishorsestired,Roystonwouldgrabanother;hesupposedlyworeoutfourteenhorsesthatday. ‘ColonelRoystonisdoingsomefinework,heiseverywhere,’oneofhissignallersobserved.36Outwiththe6thLightHorseontherightflank,MajorDonaldGordonCrosswatchedRoystonapproachinacloudofdustandfeltuneasyabouthavinghishorse,whichwashiddenbehindanearbysandhill,borrowed.‘Forward,Cross,theyare surrendering in thousands. Come on, boys, we are making history,’Roystontoldhim,beforegallopingoffagain.37

Colonel George Macarthur-Onslow’s 7th Light Horse took up the highgroundsouth-eastofWellingtonRidge,whilethe6thLightHorsemovedto

thesouth-westoftheridge.ThesetworegimentscheckedtheleftflankoftheTurkishadvancebeforewithdrawingunderheavypressure.CorporalCarrickPaul was one of the horse holders with the 6th Light Horse. During thefighting, Paul’s squadron commander noticed Paul was holding his arm soaskedhimwhatwaswrongwith it. ‘Ohnothing, just a bit of a crack,’ Paulreplied.Heactuallyhadhadabulletthroughhisshoulder.38

Meldrum’sWellingtonRegimentwaskept in reserveafter retiringbehindanother ridge. After thewithdrawal, theWellingtonswere on the leftwiththe 7th and then the 6thLightHorse on their right. ‘These positionswereheldthroughouttheday,’RoystonlatertoldChaplainWilliamFraser.39Oneof theBritish generals rodeup toRoyston and asked, ‘Can youhold them,colonel?’ ‘If they get through that crowd,’ Royston replied, puffing on hiscorncobpipeandpointingtohismen,‘theycanhavethecamp.’40Butitwasahardfight,withRoystonputtingeverymachinegunintothelineandcallingup two regiments of the 1stBrigade tohelp. Leaving their horses, the lighthorsemenadvancedunderfiresome1500metrestotheirfiringline.Royston‘wasagreatinspiration’,ColonelMeldrumlaterwrote.‘HetoldmeIheldthekey of the position and had to hold on at all costs.’Meldrum’s ‘Well-and-Trulies’complied. ‘Fromdawntoduskweweredourlydefending,’Meldrumwrote.‘From10o’clockonwardsitwasimpossibleforeithersidetoadvancewithoutheavyloss.’Meldrumunderstoodthekeytothebattle:‘Wecouldwinby defending. The Turks had to advance or fail.’41 Four enemy aircraftappearedoverRomaniat5.15a.m.anddroppedabout30bombs,andat6a.m.Turkish artillery began shellingRomani station. As day broke and the heatrose,thelighthorsemenfoughttoretainWellingtonRidge.

AcamelsupplytrainatEtmaler.WalterSmythcollection.CourtesyofRobynThompson.

German officer Major Mühlmann was behind the centre of the TurkishattacklookingdownfromahighduneoverRomani.HewatchedasthelighthorsemenretreatedbeforetheTurkishadvanceonlytotakeupnewpositionsfurther back. ‘The Australian Cavalry fought in amost exemplary fashion,’Mühlmann later wrote. ‘Many a time we cursed those active and agilehorsemenintheirbigsofthats.’42

By7a.m.thedesperateTurkshadtakenWellingtonRidgeand,withthewellsatEtmaler less than1kilometreaway, the threatwas immediate.WhentheTurks on the crest of the ridge opened fire on the camps at Etmaler, theBritishartilleryrespondedandclearedthecrest.JimGreatorexwroteofhowthe artillery ‘made “Johnny” sit up and takenotice’.43Themachine-gunnersalsodidajobontheTurkishforce.HeinrichRömer-AndreaewasoneoftheGermans in the attack that reached the heights east of Romani at about 8a.m.‘Scarcelyhadwelookedoverthetopoftherange—whenatremendousmachinegunfirewasexperiencedbyus,’hewrote.44

ByextendingtheirleftflanktogetinbehindRomani,theTurkishforcewasnowvulnerabletoanattackonthatflank.Chaytor’sNewZealandMounted

Rifles Brigade andWiggin’s reformed 5thMounted Brigade stood ready atHill70forsuchastroke.45BackatKantara,however,GeneralLawrencewasinnoposition to giveChaytor theorder to strike, as communicationswithRomani had been cut by Turkish artillery fire. Bert Billings simply noted,‘Thingsserious.’Whenthelineto3rdLightHorsewentoutat10.45a.m.,JeffPlayfootandBillingswentouttofixit‘andgotpepperedalltheway,onebigshrapnelburstingrightoverusandsplatteredallround,butmissed’.46

AwellinthesandhillsnearRomani.RoyalNewSouthWalesLancersMemorialMuseumcollection.

Meanwhile, Turkish troops continued to advance aroundChauvel’s rightflankandhehadtoextendhislinetocovertherailway.Healsorealisedthatifhecouldgethistwobrigadesoutofthelineandmountthemup,hecouldmake the attack on the Turkish left flank himself. Chauvel asked that theBritish reserve brigade take over his lines but once again the absence ofLawrencedelayedadecision.Attheenemyheadquarters,CarlMühlmannobservedthat ‘astimepassed

Kress and his staff looked expectantly to his left wing where the decisiondepended’. Von Kressenstein had deployed two Turkish battalions on thatflankalongsideamountaingunbatteryandsomeofhismachineguns.WhenMühlmannwenttoseetheTurkishcommanderontheleft,‘Ifoundhimvery

depressed . . . troopswere exhausted; heat and thirst hadwrought greaterhavocwith them than thebullets of the enemy.’Ominously, asMühlmannrode off he sawmounted troopsmoving to envelop the Turkish left wing.Scoutsalsoreportedtwoothermountedbrigadesmovingupfromthesouth.‘Allhopeofvictorywasabandoned,’helaterwrote.47

ThegrimfateofaGermansoldierintheSinaidesert.WalterSmythcollection.

Chaytor’sforcehadfinallyreachedthebattleintheafternoon,andtheNewZealandersandyeomanryattackedMountRoyston.ColonelLachlanWilson’s5thLightHorse,whichwasattachedtoChaytor’sbrigade,advancedaroundthe enemy left flank and ‘this proved to be the turning point’. From4 to 5p.m. theTurkish forces on this flankput up thewhite flag.48 At 5 p.m.BillPeterson,whowasshelteringwiththesignalsection inapalmgrove,notedthat ‘the Turks around our flank have “imsheed” [gone away] and areapparently inretreat’.49By6p.m.theremainingdefendershadsurrendered.

Mostoftheprisonerstakenweredesperateforwater.‘Wecouldhavecaughthundreds more had our horses been fresh,’ GordonMacrae wrote.50 ‘Theyretiredatnightabeatenmob,’WilliamBurchilladded.51

TurkishprisonerscapturedatRomanion4and5August1916.RoyalNewSouthWalesLancersMemorialMuseumcollection.

The Turkish force may have retreated but it had not been beaten. ThateveningHeinrichRömer-AndreaekeptwatchfortheAlliedadvance. ‘Astheenemywas very bold I scarcely kept under cover,’ he later wrote. A youngAustralian lieutenant, Alan Righetti from the 2nd Light Horse, had beenkilledduringthedayandRömer-AndreaewaslaterbroughttheidentificationdiscbyaTurkishsoldier.In1920hewrotetoAlanRighetti’smother,tellingher,‘Yoursonfellasahero.’52

Thatnight,Chauvelredeployedhislighthorsemen. ‘Intheeveningallthemountedmenwalkedroundtotherightflank,theinfantrytakingourplaces,’MauriePearcewrote. ‘Moreinfantryreinforcementsarrivedaboutduskandlinedthehillsonthe left flankof theTurks.’53Therewas littlesleep for thesignallers. ‘Iwaskeptgoing frommidnightuntil about7amrejoining lineswhich were continually getting broken by rifle fire and shrapnel,’ Robert

Farneswrote.54Allnightthefieldambulancesworkedtogetthewoundedouttotherailhead.Tragically,therewasnorailstockallocatedtotransportthembacktoKantara,thoughfacilitiesforthewoundedwerenobetterthere.TheBritishofficerLieutenantGeorgeWallishadbeenseverelywoundedby

artilleryfireatRomaniandwaslyingonastretcheratCairorailwaystationwhena‘kindlyAustralianputhiswideawakehatovermyface’toshieldhimfromthesun.WhenhewasmoveditwasthereforeassumedthatWalliswasAustralian,sohewastakentoNo.3AustralianGeneralHospital,‘wheretheyjustwouldnotletmedie,’helaterwrote.DrHughPoate,whohadhonedhissurgical skills in a cramped dusty dugout at Gallipoli, carried out eightoperationsontheheadandarmofWallis.IncomparisontheBritishNazareaHospital inCairo ‘hadafoulname’andWallisthoughthe ‘wouldhavediedforacert’there.HerehecameunderthecareoftheAustraliannurseBeulahMcMinn.ShetoldWallishowthenurseshadheardhiminadeliriumtalkingofhiswifeMollieandhisnewbornson‘andwejustcouldn’tletyoudie’.55

LieutenantGeorgeWallisandtheAustraliannurseBeulahMcMinnatNo.3AustralianGeneralHospitalinCairo.‘Wejustcouldn’tletyoudie,’shelatertoldhim.HughPoatecollection.

BackatRomanitheexhaustedlighthorsemengotwhatresttheycouldintheknowledgethattheywouldbebackinthesaddlewellbeforedawn. ‘Wegave the bridle reins a twist around one foot and lay down anywhere anddroppedofftosleep,’FredTomlinswrote.‘Ourhorseswereaboutastiredaswewereanddidnotdisturbus.’56

ATurkishofficeralongsidehisGermancounterpart.RalphKellettcollection.

Chapter3

‘JOHNTURKMUSTPAYFORHISAUDACITY’5–12August1916

At4a.m.on5August1916,theWellingtonMountedRifleswiththe7thLightHorse on their right flank and British infantry on their left attackedWellington Ridge at bayonet point and drove the Turks off. As ColonelRoystonnotedinhisreport,‘thatwastheturningpoint...theenemybrokeandfledindisorder’.TheTurksretiredtoMountMeredithandthenbacktoKatia.1BillPetersonwroteofhow‘thewholelineadvanceddismounted,theled horses being brought along behind’. The bodies of twomen killed thepreviousdaywerefound. ‘LieutenantRighettiandSergeantJepsonarelyingclose together,’ Peterson wrote, ‘both shot through the head and bothstripped for their superior clothes and boots.’2 There were 800 prisonerstakenalongwithsevenmachinegunsandanammunitioncolumn.Abatteryofartillerywasabandonedinperfectorder.At 6.15 a.m. the 1st Brigade charged the Turks on the ridges of Mount

Royston. ‘Absolutely cleared the Turks out and got them running,’ BertBillings wrote. ‘Terrific bombardment by our 18 pounders, whole patchesbeing subjected to terrific shelling.’3 Ken McAulay, who was with the 2ndLightHorse,watchedasthe lineofmen ‘raisedacooeeandcharged. Itwasnot a charge but a drive.’4 As Robert Farnes observed, ‘the whole lineadvanced and cut the Turks up terribly . . . dead and dying were lyingeverywhere’.5 ‘The fruitsof victoryarenotyetpluckedand JohnTurkmustpayforhisaudacityinfull,’MickBruxnerlaterwrote.‘Atthefirstshimmeroflightthelonglineofmenwentquietlyintothedarkness.’6

Fred Tomlins observed the effects of the British artillery: ‘Camels were

lying dead everywhere some loaded with artillery shells and others withmachine guns. Amongst the dead Turks lying about were odd Germanofficers, also Germans to everymachine gunwe came across.’7 A completeTurkish ambulanceunit of fiveofficers and 58other ranks,with80 camelsand drivers attached, was captured and put to work treating their ownwounded.8‘TheJackoswerecominginwithpiecesofwhiteragtiedonstickseverywhere,’ Lloyd Corliss wrote.9 ‘Got a few prisoners . . . who wereabsolutely done in,’ Gordon Cooper added.10 Mick Bruxner watched themcomein:‘TurkshadtheirhandsstretchedhighabovetheirheadssilhouettedagainsttheskylineofWellingtonRidge.’11

1stLightHorsetroopshaltinthedesert.JohnGorrellcollection.CourtesyofRichardGorrell.

By 8 a.m. the Turks who had managed to withdraw were in preparedpositions at Katia alongside fresh troops, which had arrived to cover theretreat toOghratina. ‘Unfortunately forus the enemydidnot attackus onthe morning of the 5th but under cover of darkness retreated to Katia,’MauriePearcewrote.12AftermeetingwithMeredith andMeldrum,General

Chaytor ordered a combined attack on Katia that afternoon. The NewZealanderswouldgoinontherightwiththe1stBrigadeinthecentreandthe2ndBrigadeontheleft,alladvancingunderanumbrellaofmachine-gunfire.Thelighthorsemenreachedthepalmfringebeforedismountingunderheavyfire.13

At3.15p.m.fourmountedbrigadesmovedonKatia.MaurieEvansobservedthat ‘Everywhere the eyes could see over the desert there were mountedtroopsadvancingonKatia.’14LloydCorlisswatchedasfourmountedbrigadeslinedupandgallopeddownaslopeattheTurkishpositionabout3kilometresahead.When they cameunderheavy fire themendismounted and got thehorsesundercover.Corlisswasahorseholder,keepingthehorsesawayfromtheTurkish shellfire thatwas searching for them.15 JimGreatorexwaswiththe 1st Brigade machine-gun section. ‘We attacked at 4 p.m.,’ he wrote.‘Galloped a mile into action and brought gun into position to cover theadvance of the dismounted troops.’16 ‘A regiment of English yeomanryattacked with swords and lost 35% of their men and did no good,’ FredTomlinsobserved.‘Theirmachinegunfirewastoohot.’17

Ahorseholder.Oneofthemenfromeachfour-manlighthorsesectionhadthistask.WilfredBakercollection.

BrigadierGeneralAntill’s3rdBrigadehadleftDueidaratdawnon5August

and‘marchedunderaboilingsunallthemorning’.18At1.30p.m.the9thLightHorse moved off to attack followed by the 10th Light Horse and thesupporting gun battery. Stan Parkes remained at the oasis in charge of thedressing station. An hour later the first of fourteen men wounded in theattackscamebackonsandcarts.Whilethe9thattackedwithtwosquadrons,the10thmovedaroundtheenemyleftflank.‘Bythistimetheenemycouldbeseen to be falling back as fast as possible,’ Parkes wrote. But the Germanmachine-gunners stayedat theirguns.19 ‘After some2hours fightingenemyhoisted white flag.’20 Some 500 prisoners, including some Austrians andGermans,werecaptured,thelatterrathersurly.21‘WehavequiteanumberofGerman prisoners, mostly officers and machine gun crews,’ Maurie Evanswrote.‘TheTurksfoughtwellbutsaytheGermansturnedthemachinegunsonthemwhentheystartedtoretireorsurrender.’22BillPetersonlaterwroteof a ‘Germanofficer founddeadoutsideKatiawith aTurkish bayonet rightthroughhim’.23

TurkishprisonersescortedbyIndianguards.ThetallprisoneratthefrontisanAustrian.JosephBradshawcollection.

At5.30p.m.thebattlewasatitsheight. ‘Theyhavebeenatithardsince2

o’clock. . .thefightingisterrific,’BillPetersonwrote. ‘Machinegunsbythedozenaregoingasfastastheycanfeedthemwithbeltsofammunition,’headded. ‘Shells of all calibres are bursting around. Even shells from themonitorsawayoutintheMedareheavingthemin.’Onehourlater,Petersoncontinued, ‘the sun is fast disappearing over the horizon as if ashamed toshedthisgloriouslightonsuchaghastlysceneasthis’.24

GordonMacraewaswiththe6thLightHorse.‘Ineverfeltsodoneinallmylife,’hewrote.‘IcouldnomorerunthanIcouldflyandIdon’tthinkIcaredwhether Igothitornot.Mytongueandmouthwasso swollen Icouldnotchewabiscuit.’25‘Ourhorseshavebeen48hourswithoutadrinkandarejustabout beat,’ another 6th trooper, William Burchill, wrote.26 Maurie Evansnotedthat‘wehadIthinkbittenoffabitmorethanwecouldchew’.27‘Enemytriedhardtogetourhorseswithshells,’LieutenantStuartMacfarlanewrote.‘Thiswas theworst experience I have ever had, we only had one bottle ofwaterfor35hoursandweallhadanawfultimefromthirst.Thehorseswerefor56hourswithoutwaterandfor44hoursinthesaddle.’28

Thepositionwastooformidabletotakebeforenightfall,andwithoutthewater fromtheKatiawells thehorseshadtobetakenbacktoRomani.Thetroopsretiredat6.30p.m.asduskfell.‘UndercoverofdarknesswewithdrewtoRomani, our horses andmen being completely knocked up, hungry andthirsty after the two days strenuous battle,’Maurie Pearcewrote.29 Back atRomanithatnight,themenandhorseswerefightingatthetroughstogetthebrackishwater.30BillPetersonreturnedtoRomaniwiththe2ndLightHorseat11.30p.m. ‘Deaddogtired,hungryandwearyafterbeinginthesaddlefortwo days and nights,’ he wrote. Only some 135 men remained in theregiment.31

12thLightHorsetrooperssaddlingup.GeorgeFranciscollection.

Thenextday,6August,FredTomlinswrote,‘wecannotgetwatertodayandare livingonwhatteaweare issuedwithandsomeofthe ladsaredrinkingthe saltwater, deadhorses are lying everywhere and are beginning to humsome’.32MaurieEvans concurred. ‘To thewest of the camp the air is heavywith the scent of dead horse,’ he wrote.33 Jeff Holmes watched the Britishinfantryunitsmovingup toKatia. ‘All transport isdonebycamelsand it ismarvellous how the water, tucker, horse feed etc is kept up to so manysoldiers,’ hewrote. ‘Theremust be fully 10 thousand to 15 thousand troopsaroundKateaand5thousandormorehorses...thiscampaignisamountedman’s place and an infantry man is really out of place.’34 In temperaturesaround44degreesCelsius,theinfantryoccupiedKatiaon7Augustfollowingthe phased withdrawal of the Turkish force. ‘On the trail of Jacko,’ HarryBostockwrote.35

On7August,the11thLightHorseattackedatthegallopoversomeexposedlow ground. After dismounting, themen ran up the sand ridges where, asPelhamJacksonrelated,thetroopers ‘linedthecrestandopenedfireontheTurks’.AstheTurksretreatedunderthecoveringfireoftheirrearguards,thelighthorsemencalleduptheirhorsesandheadedoffinpursuit.Butwhenthehorsemen came over a low sand hill, the Turks opened fire from newpositions.As‘weracedalongthesideofthehilltogetundercover’,Jacksonwashit,thebulletgrazinghisrighttemple.‘Justlikeakickfromahorse,’hewrote.Pullingonthereinsinshock,hefelltothesandwithhishorseacrosshis legs,bothmanandbeastpinned to the slope.Blindedby thebloodandsand, Jackson lay helpless as more shots whistled by. After about fifteenminuteshewasabletomoveasideandallowhishorsetorolldownthehillbeforestaggeringaway.Nextday,Jacksonwasbackinaction.36

SupplycartsatKatiaoasison11August1916.ArthurReynoldscollection.

At3p.m.the8thLightHorsemovedout,followingthe‘thousandsoffoottracksinthesoftsand’oftheretreatingTurks,andwasintouchwiththemall night. Early the next morning, the regiment drew rations for man andhorse—abouttendoublehandfulsofbarleyforthehorseandsixbiscuitsand

atinofbullybeefforthemanplussomesectionrations.Onlyonebottleoffreshwaterwasallocatedperman.Towater thehorses,onemandrew thewaterfromthewellwhileanothercarriedthebucketstothehorses.37

The8thLightHorsewassoonincontactand ‘thefiringwasprettybrisk’.VernerKnuckeywasbehindthetopofasandhillbutwasbeingfiredonfromthe flank. The first thing he knew therewas ‘a vicious “zip” and sand roseabouttwofeettomyright’.Whenthesecondshothit thesamedistancetohisleft,Knuckeyknewitwastimetomoveandsureenoughthethirdbullethitthegroundwherehehadbeenlying.Hissquadronretiredsoonthereafter,the lighthorsemen suffering terribly in theheat. ‘Theonly shadewaswhatthehorsethrew,’Knuckeywrote.Inthemiddleoftheday,eachmanwouldtry to sleep under their horse, whichwould notmove an inch.38 That day,ArthurHoganwrotehome tohismother abouthis ‘first fightwith JohnnytheTurk’: ‘Iwasfightingfor36hourswiththebulletsflyingaroundmethewhole time. ‘I was expecting to get hit everyminute but Johnnywasn’t asluckyasme&hecouldn’tshootstraight.’39

Awellinthedesert.FredHorsleycollection.CourtesyofCliffHorsley.

Threelighthorsemenasleepintheshadeoftheirhorses.GeorgeFranciscollection.

GeneralChauvelknewhismountedbrigadeswereattheendoftheirtetherbuthewasdesperatetodefeattheTurkishforcebeforeitcouldwithdraw.HeorderedageneralattackonBirelAbdfor9August.TheobjectivewastogetbehindthetownandcutoffanyremainingTurks,buttheenemyforcewaswell entrenched, with strong redoubts that extended 24 kilometres inlandfromthecoast.Some6000menweredefendingthepositionandtheywerewellsupportedbyartillery.Duringthenightof8–9August, the1stand2ndBrigadesmovednorth,withthe3rdBrigadeandtheNewZealandersbearingsouth.Chauvel,whohadonlyabout3000men,deployedthe1stBrigadeontheleftflank,the2ndtoitsright,thentheNewZealandMountedRiflesand3rdBrigades.The 8th Light Horse attacked first followed by the 9th but, as Verner

Knuckey noted, ‘it proved impossible to turn the enemy’s left’, despitesupportfromsevenmachinegunsandtheInvernessbattery.‘Thefeelingwasglorious,bulletshissingaroundus inopenformationgalloping forward,’hewrote. One horse was shot in the front leg yet kept going with the mob,

‘screaminglikeahumanbeing’until‘oneofthemenledthehorseawayandshothim’.Theregimentdismountedandcrossedthegroundundermachine-gun fire through a hail of lead. ‘One could almost feel them going past,’Knuckeywrote.40

‘TheTurksopenedtheshowbyputtingacoupleofshellsrightamongstourhorsesbeforewedismountedforaction,’FredTomlinswrote, ‘butgotnoneofus.’The1stLightHorsemountsweremovedbehindasteepsandhill forsafety while the light horsemen took up positions on the hill above. ‘TheTurkish infantry welcomed us with a burst of rifle fire from the ridgeoppositeandthefuncommenced,’Tomlinswrote.41

After the Ayrshire battery opened up, ‘they then gave us what oh!’ BertBillings wrote. The Turkish artillery got onto the four 13-pounder guns,whichwereoutintheopen.At12.35p.m.ashellhittheledhorses,killingfourmenandwoundingaboutfifteenothers.Manyhorseswerealsokilled.42TheTurkishartilleryfiretookaterrifictoll.‘Itwasapitifulsighttoseethehorses,theshellswerelandingrightinamongstthem,’RobertFarneswrote.43Yet,asBill Peterson observed, ‘the four guns of the RHA kept on barking . . . thenoisewasearsplitting’.44FredTomlins,whowasworkingwiththebatteryasasignaller, ‘sawsomeofthefinestartilleryshootingIhaveeverseenwipingout a camel train and cutting upTurkish troops advancing across an openstretchofcountrytoreinforcetheirmen’.45

The1stBrigadeleavingEtmalerfortheattackonBirelAbd,8August1916.GeorgeFranciscollection.

Soon after noon theTurks opened upwith two 6-inch howitzers on theRHAbattery.Lowonammunition,thebatterysoonretired.TheTurksthenfiredonthehorsesandmen.‘Itwasconcentratedhellforawhileandwasthehottest corner I have ever been in,’ Jim Greatorex wrote.46 The Ayrshirebatteryfiredfrom7.15a.m.to2p.m.whenthegunswereorderedback,butitwasrenderedimmobilebythelossofhorses.Reservesfrom2ndand3rdLightHorse were sent to the extreme left to hold back the Turks and providehorsestoenabletheartillerytoescape.47

At 2.15 p.m. themen ofColonel Bourne’s 2nd LightHorse hadmountedand gone out to the left flank. ‘Jacko opened up with everything,’ BillPetersonwrote, ‘horsesgoingdown likeninepins . . .bleedingand limpingsomewere lying and strugglingwhere theywere struck down, numbers ofthemkilled and some literally blown to pieces’.48 The farrier quartermastersergeant had perhaps the most difficult role of all: shooting the woundedhorses.At3p.m.themachinegunsmovedupinsupporttofireovertheheadsof

the light horsemen, but this attracted shellfire from all around. ‘The next

hourwas agony for us,’ VernerKnuckeywrote. FiveEchuca boys copped itandonlytwosurvivedtobe invalidedhome.Knuckey’s tentmateandgreatfriend, Dick Chambers, was one of those killed, along with twelve horses.‘Poor brutes,’ Knuckey wrote. ‘There are no half measures about shrapnelpellets.’49 ‘Most of the casualtieswere from shrapnel,’ Fred Tomlins added.‘Ourhorsessufferedbadly.’Fortunately,manyoftheTurkishhowitzershellssankwellintothesandbeforeexploding.Tomlinswrotethat‘theymadebigholesandknockedscoresofmendownfromtheshockbuthitnoone...mybodywasparalysedattimesfromtheexplosions’.50

Theheatwasmerciless, the temperature44degreesCelsius in the shade,‘whichdoesnotexist’.51‘Ifeverthesunburntitdidthatday,’Knuckeywrote.‘Thehotsandscorchedourskin.’Woundedmenwouldcrawloffforhelp.‘InseveralcasesIsawthemcrawlingononehandandtheotherarmpracticallyblown off, blood was everywhere and at last we knew what war meant.’52

Servingwiththe3rdLightHorseFieldAmbulance,StanParkeshelpedtreat50woundedmen,someterriblymutilated.Fiveofthemsoondiedofwoundswhile theotherswereevacuatedoncamels. ‘Ithasbeenaveryhardday forourmenandtheyhavehadaseverecheck,andbadlyknockedabout,’Parkeswrote.53Duringtheday,LanceSergeantJohnFlockhart,whowasattachedtothe8thLightHorse,broughtinsevenseverelywoundedmenfromthefiringline on horseback while under fire. He was recommended for the VictoriaCrossbutawardedaMilitaryMedal.FlockharthaddonesimilarworkduringthefightingatBirNagidtwodaysearlier.WhentheTurkishinfantryadvanced,theRHAbatterywasorderedtouse

rapidfirebutonlyhadtwentyroundsleftandhadtoholdontothem.At3.45p.m.the2ndLightHorseretiredinsectionsthrough‘atornadoofshellsandbullets’.By5p.m.thewholecolumnwasheadingbacktoHodedDebabis,7kilometreswest ofBir elAbd.Thehorses drank their fill despite thewaterbeing ‘particularly vile’ and at 8.30 p.m. the 2nd Light Horse was back atOghratina. ‘Jacko made the pace exceptionally hot to make up for hissmashingdefeatatRomani,’BillPetersonwrote.54HarryMaddrellnotedhowitwas‘allopenfighting...onlycoverwaswhatnatureprovidedandIcantellyoutheTurksdidn’tforgettousetheirartillery’.55

MauriePearcewrotethat‘itwasabaddayforus,oneofourbesttentpals

poorlittleNobbskilled...“Nobby”diedwonderfullygame,hewashitinthesidebyapieceofshellandalsohadhisarmbadlygashed.’HediedinthesandcartonthewaybacktoRomani. ‘Beforehediedhemerelyremarkedthatitwasthefortuneofwar,’Pearcewrote.‘Hewasonly21.’56

With considerable Turkish reinforcements moving up and artilleryammunitionlow,Chauvel’smenpulledout.Whenthe1stLightHorseretiredat4p.m.,HarryBostockwasoneofthelasttogo.‘Laidinalittleholealldayin the burning sun with bullets flying round,’ he wrote. ‘I had a moststrenuoustime.Norationsorwaterallday.’57

By late afternoon the light horsemen were ‘nearly mad for water’. Asdarkness fell, Lieutenant William McGrath pulled his 8th Light Horsetroopers out, covered by the 10th Light Horse, which held back a Turkishcounterattack.Mostofthemenandhorseshadgoneformorethan24hourswithoutwater.58HenryLangtipwatchedthewoundedcomebacktoRomani‘onsandcartsandcamels’.‘Itmustbeterribletobeoutinthedesertfordays,’hewrote.59TrooperGordonMcCookknewit.Threedayslatertheyfoundhimstilloutthereonthebattlefield,shotthroughbothlegsandunabletomove,barelyalive.TheTurkshadfoundhimfirst,madehimcomfortableand lefthima fullwaterbottle.Thatwasonlyhalf the story.RonRoss said thatallMcCook’smoney and clothes had been stolen.60 McCook would die of hiswoundselevendayslater.The battle ofRomaniwas asmuch a triumph for thehorses as themen.

‘Until Romani our horses had never been really tested,’ Don Cross wrote.‘Now they certainly were—ploughing through sand in the middle of anEgyptiansummerwithanaverageof[125kilograms]ontheirbacks,theywentfor56hourswithoutwater...onthelastdaytheyweresowearythatateachbriefhalttheywouldliedownandstretchout,untilthetimecametomoveagain.’61 ‘ThefightsatBirelAbdandBirBayudspelttheendofthepursuit,’Major Carl Mühlmann wrote. ‘We could not consider attempting a newattack.Buttheworsewasthatourunsuccessfulattackshadclearlyrevealedtotheenemyourweakness.’62

Watertroughssetupatadeserthod.ArthurReynoldscollection.

AchurchserviceatRomaniintheshadowofoneofthesandridges.WilliamandFrancisWoodscollection.CourtesyofElizabethWoods.

AdozenlighthorseofficerswhohadbeenwoundedatRomanirecuperatingatNo.3AustralianGeneralHospitalinCairo.HughPoatecollection.

Broncothecircusrider,nowservingwiththeImperialCamelCorpsbutstillperforming.Awell-handledcamelcouldendurefivedayswithoutwaterandcarryconsiderablymoreweightthanahorse.JosephBradshaw

collection.

Chapter4

‘OH,YOUBEAUTIES’September1916toJanuary1917

FollowingthefailuretotakeRomani,theTurkishforceshadwithdrawntoElArishwitha forwarddetachmenton the coast atMazar.Any furtherAlliedadvance was dependent on how quickly the railway line and water-supplypipelinecouldbepushedforwardfromRomani.Meanwhile,GeneralMurrayhad returned to Cairo and Major General Charles Dobell had taken overcommandofoperationsintheSinaifromGeneralLawrence.On16and17September1916,GeneralChauveladvancedwithhis2ndand

3rd Brigades, the latter now under the command of Brigadier GeneralRoyston, and a detachment from the Imperial CamelCorps underCaptainGeorge Langley, with three artillery batteries in support. But the CamelBrigadeandtwooftheartillerybatteriesfailedtoarriveand,underordersnottoattackiftherewasresistance,Chauvelcalleditoff.Iftheaimhadbeentocapture Mazar, Chauvel’s non-attack had the desired effect; the Turksabandonedtheplacetwodayslater.As always, the issue ofwater supply dictatedChauvel’s actions. Although

64,000litresofwaterwassuppliedforthetwobrigades,theineffectiveuseofpumps and troughsmeant thatmany horses went without. The quality offodder was also poor and, asMichaelMinahan wrote, themen fared littlebetter. ‘Since we left Romani on October 18 our daily rations have beenBacon, Meat, Potatoes, Onion, Bread, Jam. Cheese occasionally. Figs very,veryseldom,’hewrote.‘Notenoughtofattenarat.’1

TheAlliedforces,nowcomposedofChauvel’sAnzacDivision,theImperialCamel Corps and four understrength and inexperienced infantry divisions,werenowformedintotheDesertColumnunderthecommandofLieutenantGeneralSirPhilipChetwode.Of theAustralians,Chetwodeobserved: ‘Your

mennot only fail to salute but as I passed along they laughed aloud atmyorderlies.’2 The Turkish forces arrayed against Chetwode were limited toabout25,000bytheirneedtoholdstrongforcesinSyriatoguardagainstanamphibiousoperation.TheshadowofGallipolilingered.

ReturningtoBirelBayudforwater.GeorgeFranciscollection.

AsChauvelpreparedtoattackElArish,airreconnaissanceshowedthattheTurkswereretiringnorth.On20December,Chauvelsentfourbrigadesona40-kilometrenightmarchtointercepttheretirement.Theridemeantleavingtheharshsandydesertbehindforfirmerground;theofficialhistoriannotedthat‘Nonightrideinthewholecampaigngavethelighthorsemensomuchsatisfaction.’3Notallweresatisfied.RobertFell,whowaswiththe10thLightHorse,wrotehowthemen‘pushedonthruthenight.Awfuljourney(rough).Felldownsandhillwithcamel.’4

Onthemorningof21December,MauriePearcewroteofhow‘thebrigadierdrewa cordonaround the townand commenced searching thehouses andinhabitants’.5TheTurkshadgone,butnotfar.TheAlliedforcesplit,headingnorthtopreparedpositionsatRafaandeasttoMagdhaba.OfElArish,TomBakerwrote,‘fairlylargetownbuiltoflimestonebricksintheEgyptianstyle,

veryhappyathavinggothereatlast,andwithoutfiringashot’.6HoldingElArish would enable limited supplies to be shipped up the coast, but toforestall this the Turks had laid mines along the foreshore beforewithdrawing. At least one of the seamines had drifted ashore or had beenpurposefullyplacedon thebeach.Two inquisitive 1stLightHorsemenwhohadgoneforaswimcameintocontactwithit.‘Thebiggestpartofthemthatcouldbefoundwouldbeassmallasaman’shand,’LloydCorlisswrote.7‘Thevagariesoffortune,’MaurieEvansadded.‘Blowntoatoms.’8

After aircraft had confirmed the Turks were there, Chetwode directedChauvel to the fortified railhead townofMagdhabawhilehis infantryheldthe new base at El Arish. The brigades left El Arish on the night of 22December.Itwasanothernightmarch,30kilometresalongtheWadielArishthat ran south, but again over firm ground. ‘Good hard track all the way,’TomBakerwrote.9Thedryriverbedoftheancientwadiwas2–5kilometreswideandcoveredwithfinewhiteclaythatroseinacloudofdustunderthehoovesofthepassingcolumn.ThewadiranallthewaytoMagdhabaandwellbeyond. At the rear of the column, Major Horace Robertson, second-in-command of the 10th Light Horse, found the pace varied from slow to agallop,causinga‘continualconcertinamotion’withinthecolumn.Formostofthelighthorsemenitwastheirthirdnightwithoutsleep.10Everyhourthemenwouldridefor40minutes, leadthehorses fortenminutes inordertowarm themselves up in the bitter cold and then rest for ten minutes. Onarrival at about 4 a.m., thewhole force formed up in parade-ground orderabout 3 kilometres from the enemy positions.11 ‘It was like a billiard tableexcepthereandtherewherewatercourseslay,andgullieshadbeenwashedout,’JeffHolmeswrote.12

Chauvel scouted the defences and made his plans in the predawn light.Aircraftappearedat6.30a.m.,drawingfire fromtheTurksandgivingawaytheirpositions toChauvel’skeeneye.Theplanesalso landedso theairmencouldreporttheirobservationsdirectlytoChauvel.‘Itwasaqueersighttoseetheairmenintheirflyingtogsgallopingaboutonhorsesforachange,’FredTomlins wrote.13 As always, water was the key consideration. The wells atLahfan,midwaybetweenElArishandMagdhaba,hadbeendestroyedbytheTurks, so if Magdhaba could not be captured before dusk Chauvel would

needtopullhismountedforcebacktothecoast.

AnenemyminewasheduponaPalestinianbeach.HarryMattockscollection.

Lighthorsemenonthemovethroughthebarrenhills.FredHorsleycollection.

TheAustraliansattackedMagdhabafromthefrontandflanksatabout9.30a.m.on23December.AsFredTomlins,whowaswiththe1stLightHorseinreserve,wrote,‘TheNewZealandersandthe3rdBrigadecommencedtheballrolling.’14 Royston’s 3rd Brigade was sent to the south, where LieutenantColonel Leslie Maygar’s 8th Light Horse and Lieutenant Colonel WilliamScott’s9thweregivenorders ‘to stormandtake trenches’.GeneralRoystonaccompanied his third regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Todd’s 10th,which was sent out to block a Turkish camel train seenmoving south. AsRoyston later noted, ‘[Todd] cut off the fugitives.’15 Meanwhile, GeneralChaytorattackedatthewadiandtookHill345,andthenChauvel,actingonaerialreportsthattheTurkswerepullingout, launchedCox’s1stBrigadeatMagdhaba.

LightHorsedesertcamp.JosephBradshawcollection.

Despitecomingunderartilleryfire,Cox’sbrigadegallopedonuntilstoppedby heavymachine-gun fire. Cox had his men dismount some 1800metresfrom No. 2 Redoubt. The New Zealanders and Brigadier General ClementSmith’s ImperialCamelBrigadewere alsoheldupby theTurkish fire. ‘Theredoubtswereallroundworks,’ArthurMillswrote. ‘TheTurkscouldfireinany direction . . . with about 2½miles flat country to fire over.’16 Anothercameleer, JoeBolgerwrote, ‘Fierce fightingallday,veryhot,hadnodinner,nearlyhitanumberof times.’17CoxsentLieutenantColonelDavidFulton’s3rdLightHorse tohelp in theattackonNo.2Redoubt,but justbefore theattack Chauvel ordered a general withdrawal.WhenCox saw the order hetoldthemessengerto‘Takethatdamnedthingawayandletmeseeitforthefirsttimeinhalf-an-hour.’18Theredoubtsoonfell,withthreeofficersand92men captured, and from it Fultonwas able to direct effective fire onto thenext one. Harry Bostock, who was with Fulton’s regiment, wrote, ‘Afterdismounting for action three times on three ridges we came in closequarters.’19

Fred Tomlins, whowas with the 1st LightHorse, wrote that ‘The Turks

fought well from the redoubts.’ At midday, Tomlins noted, when theambulance wagons galloped up to the front line, ‘Abdul gave us anotherinstance of fair fighting as he stopped firing in the direction of theambulance.’Tomlins’sCSquadronthenjoinedanothersquadronfromeachregiment incapturing theguns in thehills to the south.20 ‘In theafternoontheartillerymadethetrenchesuntenableandourfellowsadvancedandtookthem,’JeffHolmeswroteoftheaction.21

A2ndLightHorseFieldAmbulancecartatRafa.RegDixoncollection.

Soonaftermidday,RoystoninformedMajorRobertsonthatColonelToddhadbeeninjuredinahorsefallandRobertsonwasnowincommandoftheregiment. Royston then told him to push forward. ‘I well remember himriding over to me at Magdhaba to tell me that I was in command of theregiment,’ Robertson later wrote. ‘He was gone almost before I recoveredspeech.’22

Robertsongothisregimentmountedupandthelighthorsemenadvancedinanextendedlineoveraflatriverbed‘asbareasone’shand’intotheenemyfire. The fire came from the south-west, to Robertson’s right front, so hisregimentsweptfurthereast,raisingdustthatscreenedthem.Thepacevaried

between a trot and canter, rising to a gallop as they neared themainwadichannel.Heretheregimentcutoffagroupof300retreatingTurks,capturingthelot.Robertsonnowswungnorthtocutoffanyfurtherenemyescapeandalso to press the rear of the redoubts. ‘I put one squadron against each,’Robertson later recounted. With 30 to 40 men, Lieutenant Fred Cox andLieutenant AlexMartin rushed a redoubt of some 350 defenders, gallopingpast.WhenMartin’shorsewasshotoutfromunderhim,FredCoxwentbackandrescuedhim.The10thLightHorsecaptured722prisoners,includingthechiefengineeroftheTurkishArmy.23Fivehadcomefromatrenchcapturedby the imposingGeneral Royston. ‘I yelled something in Zulu to them,’ hetoldtheofficialhistorian.24

ThreeCamelCorpsriflementakeshelterinacapturedtrench.JohnDavidsoncollection.CourtesyofRobDavidson.

The men of the 2nd Light Horse were also prominent. Major GilbertBirkbeck led a squadron at the same redoubt that Cox and Martin hadattacked, the light horsemen shooting from their saddles and breaking theTurkdefence.‘Birkbeck’sforcechargedovergroundlitteredwiththeirhorsesandsomemen,’HenryGullettwrote.ThechargeputBirkbeck’smenacross

theTurks’lineofretreat‘andthismadethemveryjumpy’.25Meanwhile,No.1Redoubtfellatabout4p.m.andtheMagdhabacommander,KhadirBey,wasamongthosecaptured.No.3Redoubtsoonfollowed.The8thand9thLightHorsemadeanotherdismountedadvance,butunder

the added weight of a second bandolier this was difficult. The extraammunitionsoonproveditsworth,however.Thoughoverallcasualtieswerelight, the 8th lost three of its officers killed and anotherwounded.Around4.15p.m.,thedefenders‘threwinthesponge’.26The8thwateredtheirhorsesatthecapturedhospitaland,asRonRossrelated,spentthenextday‘cleaningandburyingthedead,burningeverythingthatwouldburn’.The8threturnedtoElArishwiththecamelsdraggingthewoundedonsandcarts.27

DuringtheridebacktoElArish,FredTomlinswatched‘mendroppingofftosleepastheyrodealong’.Inthecongestedwadi‘itwasveryamusingtoseesomeone wake up and ask where he was, to find himself with the wrongbrigade’.28Meanwhile, the Scottish infantry used camels to carrywater andhorsefeedouttomeetthecolumn11kilometresfromElArish.AsTomBakernoted,‘verytiredhorseshadnowaterfor30hours’.29

Many prisoners were captured, including—mistakenly—the protestingFrench military attaché Captain Count St Quentin. Aside from the 1282prisoners,theTurkshadlost92deadandabout300wounded.Amongthosecaptured were the men and guns of the German 603rd Machine GunCompany.Chauvel’smenhadlost22menkilledand124wounded.Themudhuts atMagdhabawere turned into hospitals. ‘Wemoved into theTurkishhospital with our wounded,’ Leo Hanly wrote. ‘Some very bad cases camethrough our hands.’30 ‘In the redoubts the dead and dying were lyingeverywhere,’FredTomlinswrote.‘ScoresofTurkswerefoundstandinginthefiring position leaning on the parapet with a bullet hole through theforehead.’31

LightHorsecampatElArish.WilfredBakercollection.

A train of 150 camels, each carrying two wounded men on cacolets—coveredplatformsthatwereslungeithersideofacamel—madeitswaybacktoElArish in the cold anddust.With the railhead still 50kilometres awayand sea transport disorganised, it would be more than a week before thewounded reached hospitals. The stoicism of these wounded men stood indirectcontrasttotheinefficiencyoftheBritishrear-areastaff.Nextday,LeoHanlywentoutwithcamels tocollectTurkishwoundedwhohadbeenoutthere all night. ‘Got seven but one died,’ he wrote. ‘Cacolets no good forwounded.’32‘Ahideousnight,’HenryGullettwrote,with‘groaningmen’.33

DeadTurkatMagdhaba.RoyalNewSouthWalesLancersMemorialMuseumcollection.

On26December, thetwelvemenofthemobileambulancesectionofthe3rd Light Horse Field Ambulance had 250 wounded in their hospital,including60Turks.Two capturedSyriandoctorshelpedout. ‘Wehave thewhole of the casualties from Magdhaba,’ Stan Parkes wrote. ‘We hope toevacuate the poor devils tomorrow.’ They got 60 out on sand carts to therailheadthenextdayandtherestthedayafter.34TheprisonerswerealsoontheirwaybackfromMagdhaba,andJeffHolmeswatchedthempass:‘Suchanon-descriptlotyouneverseteyesupon.’35

On26December,aftermakingthemwaitfortwohours,GeneralChetwodeaddressedthemenandtoldthemitwasthefirsttimehehadseenmountedmen assault and capture trenches. Meanwhile, El Arish was being rapidlydevelopedasasupplybase.MaurieEvans,whowatchedasupplyshiplandingstores on the shore, observed, ‘The place will soon be like Anzac.’36 FredTomlinswrotethat‘anarmyofnativeshadtheunenviablejobofpushingtheboatsofffromtheshoresintothebreakers’.37

On 1 January 1917, Bill Peterson wrote, ‘we buried poor old 1916 at 12o’clock’.38FredTomlinsenjoyedthefirstrumissuesinceGallipolibutitwas

miserablethenextday,bitingcoldwithaviolentsandstormblowingupandthen rain at sundown and ‘not even a tent for the CO’.39 ‘Terrific windblowing,’RobertFellwrote.‘HadthecoldestswimIeverhad...rumoursofbigbattletocomeoffatRafa.’40

Landingstoresonthecoast.WilliamandFrancisWoodscollection.

AfterGeneralMurray had come forward to El Arish andmetwithGeneralChetwodetopress fora furtheradvance,GeneralChauvel’sDesertColumnwassoononthemoveagain.On8January,ChauvelrodeoutofElArishwiththe1stand3rdBrigades,theNewZealandMountedRiflesBrigadeandmostoftheImperialCamelBrigade.AsthecolumnclosedinonthesmallfrontierpostofMagruntein,2kilometressouthofRafa,thehorsesfoundgrassforthefirsttimesinceleavingtheNileDelta.Furtheron,theTurkswereinastrongelevated position at Rafa, marked by redoubts at three corners and thedominatingHill 255 at the fourth. ‘An excellent positionwith no cover foradvancingtroops,’StanParkesobserved.41ButasJeffHolmeswrote,‘thistimethere were more troops than the Magdhaba stunt’.42 The attack would bemadeon9January.

Withtheattackgoinginoveropenground,ataskmoresuitedtoinfantrythanmountedtroops,artillerysupportwouldbecritical.OncetheRHAgunbatteriesopenedup,Chaytor’sNewZealandersmovedinfromtheeastwhileCox’s 1st Brigade approached from the south-east. Cox sent the 1st LightHorse inat9.45a.m.,coveredby fourmachineguns.ThetownofRafawasoutside theTurkish fortress, and at 10.40 a.m. troops from theCanterburyMountedRiflesoccupiedit.TheTurkishheadquartersatRafaPolicePostwascapturedalongwitheightofficers, sixof themGerman,aswellas 163otherranks.43

‘Wejustdroppedoffsandontogreenpastures,’JohnDavidsonobserved.HarryMattockscollection.

With theNewZealanders on their right, the lighthorsemen advanced towithin 1800metresanddismounted,moving in short stretchesacrossopengroundunder fireuntil they reached a sunken road 700metres east of theenemy positions. The ground ahead ‘was as level as a tennis court, andaffordednoprotection’.44‘Verylittlecoverforus,’LloydCorlisswrote.‘Infactit was murder to ask men to advance across such country . . . we had toadvance in short rushes.’ The last rush left the men sheltering along thesunken road. ‘A goodmanymenwerewoundedwhile there, butwemade

thingswarm for theTurks andmost of them cleared further back,’ Corlisswrote.45StuartMacfarlanewasaLewisgunnerwiththe1stLightHorse.‘TheLewisgunworked splendidly,’hewrote. ‘Wemanaged tokeepher rightupwiththelineandonlyhadonestoppage.’46At11a.m.Coxsenthisothertworegiments forward, the2ndLightHorse to therightandthe3rdto the left.The advance came under enfilade fire from the Turkish redoubts, heaviestagainstthe3rdontheleft.JimGreatorexhadonly arrived atElArishon6 January, having comeup

fromKantarawith his section from the 1stMachineGun Squadron on thepreviousday.Heleftcampontheafternoonof8Januaryandafterridingallnight, ‘gottobizz’atabout10a.m. ‘Gotgoodpositionforgunintrench,’hewrote. With his gun he was able to give covering fire to the troopersadvancingonthemainredoubtbeforemovingupontoaridgetofireintotherearoftheTurkishtrenches.47 ‘WecanseetheTurksgoinginalldirections,’Gordon Cooper wrote. Cooper’s machine-gun section ‘charged acrossploughed fields for about a mile then dismounted and advanced overploughedgroundforoveramile’.48

TurkishtrenchesatRafa.RegDixoncollection.

The 3rd Brigade and the 5th Mounted Brigade (Yeomanry) entered thebattleatabout 11a.m.RobertFellwaswith the 3rdBrigade. ‘We thenwentintoactiondismounted.Fightingveryhot.Ourmendroppingfast,’hewrote.Fell,whowasinchargeofaLewisgun,hadhisgunnershotintherightarmand was himself wounded. ‘Got a bullet through my tunic singlet andcardigan—justgrazedmyrightshoulder,’hewrote.49

At2p.m.theTurkishpositionwassurroundedbutstillunbroken.Roystonwas able to gallop around the fortress but could find no obvious point ofweakness in its defences. ‘Our batteries now poured shrapnel in as fast astheycould,’ JohnStephenwrote. ‘Meanwhile the regimentswereadvancingby short rushes towards trenchesunderheavy fire.’50As thedayprogressed,however, some of the Allied machine guns and artillery pieces ran out ofammunition,easingthepressureontheapproximately2000defenders,whowiththebenefitofthehighergroundwereabletofireonAlliedtroopswithlittleornocover.51AsHarryBostockwrote, itwasa ‘hard fightalldayoverlevelbareground’.52

The decisive thrusts came from the cameleers in the south and theNewZealandersinthenorth.Butwithsome2500enemyreinforcementsreportedtobeapproachingthebattlefieldfromtheeast,GeneralChetwodeorderedawithdrawal at 4.25 p.m. and rode off with the 5th Mounted Brigade. AsRoystonobserved, ‘thingswere lookingratherblackabout4p.m. . . .orderswere given for all forces to retire’.53 The Anzac commanders, however,rememberedMagdhabaand,withthetroopsalreadyadvancing, ignoredthewithdrawal order. ‘Order reached NZ Brigade too late,’ Michael Minahanwrote. ‘They were at Jacko with the bayonet.’54 At 4.30 p.m. the NewZealandersswept forwardupanopengrassyslope,under thecoverof theirbrigade machine-gun squadron and Lewis gun teams against the mainredoubtonHill255inthenorth.Thatsupport‘madetheredoubtappearlikeasmokingfurnace,andkepttheTurks’ firedown’.Fromtheirnewpositionthey were able to fire on the rear of the other redoubts, unhinging theTurkishdefence.55

‘NZbrigadecomingonwitharushonourrightflanktookmainredoubt,’JimGreatorexwrote.56LesHorderwasalsowith themachineguns. ‘Severaltimesweranoutofammunitionandwateraswewereusing rapid fire,’he

wrote.TheNewZealanders‘hoppedoutandattackedwithfixedbayonets’.57

After seeing theNewZealanders advancing over the skyline, the 9th LightHorsejoinedtheminthatfinalattack.‘Itwasamarvelloussighttoseethem,’John Stephen wrote, ‘with bayonets fixed and cheering like mad, rush theposition.Jackoflewwhiteflagthenbutourboysmadeitwarm.’58 ‘Theyhadno shelter whatever while covering fully a thousand yards in front of thetrenches,’ Jeff Holmes wrote of the attackers. The machine guns kept theTurkishheadsdownand‘keptthemfrombeingwipedout’.59

Themen of the Imperial Camel Brigade dismounted at dawn. ‘Therewestood, broad daylight, in full view of the Turkish position,’ John Davidsonwrote. ‘We dismounted and handed over camels, eight to a man.’ Thecameleersthenadvancedonfootfromthesouth.‘Wemovedoffin3linesofopenorder,’JohnDavidsoncontinued.‘Jackopumpedhisshellsatusinrapidsuccession.’60 Joe Bolger was with them and wrote at noon, ‘Battle in fullswing.RiflefireandMGandcannonfiredeafening.’61Despiteorderstoretire,the lineofmeninthe3rdCamelBattalionadvancedinrushes ledbyMajorHubert Huddleston, a ‘great giant of a man waving a stick’. In the lateafternoon,Huddleston’scameleersmadeabayonetchargeoveropengroundwithHuddleston’swordsringingintheirears: ‘Intothem,lads!’heshouted.Thechargeleftthemenexhaustedbutscaredthefightoutofthedefenders,whoreadilysurrendered.‘TheTurk,theytooktheirshirtsoffandthrewtheirshirtsaway,’JohnDavidsonrecounted.‘Theywereafraidofthebayonet.’The3rdBattalionofcameleershadmadethekeybreakthrough.62

With the defences broken, the light horse regiments also took up theadvance.‘Itwasallover(includingtheshouting)in15minutes,’JimGreatorexwrote.63 ‘Turks in trenches didnotwait for the bayonet,’GeneralCox latertoldHenryGullett.‘Asourfellowsappearedonparapettheyjumpedoutandshookhands.’64TheTurkssurrenderedat4.45p.m.‘Enemytrencheswerefullofdeadandwoundedwhileourswerestillonthefield,’JohnStephenwrote.65

As the 1st Light Horse headed back with a swag of prisoners, GeneralChetwoderodeup, ‘hisfaceasredasfire’. ‘Oh,youbeauties,’heroaredandshooksomeofthemen’shands.66

DeadhorsesfollowingthebattleatRafa.RegDixoncollection.

ItwasmidnightbeforethefieldambulanceshadbroughtallthewoundedtotheCasualtyClearingStation3kilometreswestofRafa.67 ‘Everyavailablesand cartwas requisitioned—still 120woundedmenwere left on the field,’ColonelRoystonsaid.Flesh-woundcaseswereoffloadedmidwaytoElArishand the sand carts sent back to Rafa formore, but thewoundedwere notcleareduntil9a.m.thenextday.Roystonpulledhismenoutat 10a.m. ‘BythistimetheBedouinstartedtostripourdead,’helatersaid.68Astheofficialhistorian noted, ‘afterwards it was found that even the graves had beenopened’.69

OfChauvel’sbrigades,71menwerekilledand415woundedduringtheRafaaction.TheTurkshad200killed,168woundedandlost1434prisonersalongwithfourmountainguns.70RobertFellarrivedbackatElArishthedayafterthebattle,‘deadwearyandhungry.Hadnosleepfor58hoursandnilfood.’71

GullettlatercalledMagdhabaandRafa‘sparklinglittlevictories’.72

CecilFerris,1stLightHorseRegiment.JohnGorrellcollection.

Chapter5

‘BUTWEHAVEGAZA’FebruarytoMarch1917

The railhead fromKantarawasnowapproachingElArish, though itwouldrequireconstantattentionfromlabourgangstocleardriftingsandfromtherails.Asalways,waterwasthemostvitalnecessity,andthreepumpingplantsat Kantara forced drinkingwater up the 12-inch pipeline towards El Arish.ConcretereservoirshadbeenconstructedatRomani,BirelAbdandMazar,and another was under construction at El Arish.1 Large-scale militaryoperationswerenotpossibleoncethefiercesummerweatherarrivedaroundMay,soabuild-upofforcesforwardofElArishquicklygotunderway.GeneralMurray now had four infantry divisions available for operations

andasecondmounteddivisionwasbeingformed.NowthattheywereoutofthedesertdunesoftheSinai,theinfantrycouldbemoreeasilyemployedandthe slow camel supply trains could be replaced by more efficient wheeledtransport.Unfortunately,MurraychosetoremaininCairo,andthelackofadynamic commander-in-chief at the front would hinder the upcomingcampaigns.TheAnzactroopscertainlyhadlittlerespectforunseengenerals.2

The remaining enemy outposts south of the Gaza–Beersheba line weresooncaptured.AssoonasthesoldiersofthesmallgarrisonatNekhlsawthemenofthe11thLightHorseapproaching,theyfledintothehillstotheeast.Bir elHassana fell the following day. By earlyMarch,Murraywas ready toattack Gaza, the Arabian Dehliz el Moulk or ‘threshold of the kingdom’.‘Latest furph [rumour], a stunt to Gaza is coming off shortly,’ Stan Parkeswroteon3February1917.‘Infantryhavebeenarrivingherebythehundreds.’3

Gaza’sdefenceswerestrong.Some15,000TurkishtroopswerecoveringtheGaza–Beersheba line,withabout4000 inGaza itself.Thesedefenderswerewellduginbehindamazeofimposingcactushedges,withsteepsanddunes

protecting the coastal flank. About 3 kilometres to the south of the Gaza–Beershebaline,theimposingWadiGhuzze,the‘riverofGaza’,cutacrosstheplain parallel to the Turkish front line. ‘This wadi is very rough and deepbeing a mile across in places, and is only fordable where roads cross,’ JeffHolmeswrote.4

Egyptianlabourersmovetherailheadforward.‘Theyareveryslowworkersbuttheworkgoesonthroughsheerexcessofnumbers,’FrankHurleywrote.HarryMattockscollection.

MajorGeneralDobellwould use two infantry divisions atGaza, the 53rdWelsh and 54th East Anglian. He also had available the Anzac MountedDivision(comprisingthe1stand2ndLightHorseBrigadesalongsidetheNewZealandMounted Rifles and 22nd Yeomanry Brigades) andMajor GeneralHenryHodgson’snewlyformedImperialMountedDivision(comprisingthe3rd and 4th Light Horse Brigades alongside the 5th and 6th YeomanryBrigades). The failure to keep the four Australian light horse brigades

togetherasanAustralianmounteddivisionwastypicaloftheapproachoftheBritishcommanderstoAustralianunits.TheBritishwerealwayshappiestinboth world wars to integrate Australian brigades, divisions and corps intohigher British (or imperial) formations, be they divisions, corps or armies.Staff appointments to the new division followed the same disrespectfulformula.HodgsonappointedseventeenBritishstaffofficerstohisdivisionalheadquartersbutonlytwoAustralians,oneajuniorstaffofficerandtheotherthe veterinary officer. The Imperial Camel Corps brigade, three-quartersAnzacs,hadBritishstaffofficersexclusively.Suchanarrow-mindedpolicyledto,asHenryGullettcalledit,‘evilresults’.5

AlighthorsecampintheSinai,29January1917.ArthurReynoldscollection.

Lifeinthedesertcontinuedtotestthelighthorsemen.Afterasandstormhiton11March,RobertFarneswroteof‘aterriblenight...thewindandsandisawful...allthebivvies[bivouacs]areblownaway’.6MichaelMinahanalsocopped it. ‘Bivvie down again. Pouring rain. Wet to the bone,’ he wrote.‘Buggerof aday.Blowingawful.’7 ‘The sand is showeringon topofme likerain,’JoeBurgesswrote,adding‘it’sthelimit’.8

On 16March, Stan Parkes’s unit crossed the border and arrived at KhanYunis, ‘a quaint little village of mud huts’. This was a different world, a‘promisedland’asParkessawit,with‘beautifulfertileplainswhichstretched

out in frontofus as far as you could see’.9After thedesolatewastesof theSinai,RobertFarneswasalso impressed: ‘Avery largevillagesurroundedbyorchards,itdoesn’tlookabadplacefromtheoutside.’Hewaslessimpressedthat‘alargewellwithanengineandpumphadbeenblownupbytheTurks’.10

On 21 March there was a Desert Column race meeting at Rafa. RobertFarnes noted that ‘the Australians won five out of the six races they wereallowed to start in’.11 Tom Baker probably spoke for the majority, writing,‘couldnotpickawinnerbutdidnotlosemuch’.12Itwasachanceforthemento enjoy a drink and a smoke away from the normal campaign rigours,although, asBillRoseobserved, ‘onedoesn’t know thehorrorsofwaruntilonehastosmokeissuetobacco’.13

ThedailywaterissuetothewomenofKhanYunis,‘whereDelilahlivedandwasborn’.WilliamandFrancisWoodscollection.

Inthelead-uptotheattackonGazatheAustralianFlyingCorpswasbusy.On20 March, planes from No. 1 Squadron carried out a bombing raid onJunctionStation,northofGaza.Damaging theTurkish supply line toGazawouldplayanimportantpartintheupcomingbattle.Aerialbombingwasinits infancy at this stage of the war, and the bomb that Lieutenant FrankMcNamara’s Martinsyde aircraft carried reflected that. The bomb wasactuallyamodified4.5-inchartilleryshellanditdetonatedprematurelywhenreleased,woundingMcNamaraintheleg.AsheturnedbackforhisbaseatElArish,however,McNamaraspottedanotherplaneintrouble,aB.E.2.AsFredTomlinsnoted,‘OurB.E.2planesaretooslowforfightingmachinesandareusedforbombdropping.’14

CaptainDavidRutherfordhadbeenforcedtolandhisB.E.2duetoenginetrouble. Though McNamara could see Rutherford’s plane below, he couldalsoseeenemycavalryinthedistance.Nonetheless,heturnedhisplanebackandlandednexttoRutherford’sB.E.2.Theprognosiswasnotgood.Thoughthe B.E.2 was a two-seater,McNamara’sMartinsyde was only a single-seataircraft, so Rutherford scrambled up onto the Martinsyde’s wing andMcNamarabegantotakeoff.ButtheextraweightunbalancedtheplaneandwithMcNamara’swoundmaking effective rudder use difficult, the aircraftcrashedduringthetake-offrun.Fortunately,bothmenwereallright,buttheMartinsydewasnolongerflyable,sothetwoairmensetitalighttopreventitscaptureandheadedbacktotheB.E.2.

ARoyalFlyingCorpsB.E.2,thesametypeofaircraftflownbyFrankMcNamaraduringtheactionforwhichhewasawardedtheVictoriaCross.RoyMillarcollection.CourtesyofPaulBatman.

SomeTurkishcavalrymenhadnowappeared,andwhileRutherfordworkedon the B.E.2 engine, McNamara fired his revolver at the approachinghorsemen.Overhead,someof theotherplanesof thesquadroncircledoverthedownedplanesandwereable tohelpkeep thecavalryatbaywith theirmachineguns.Meanwhile,Rutherfordhadmanagedtogettheenginestarted

and after both men climbed aboard, the wounded McNamara piloted theaircraftbacktoElArish.Forhisbravery,FrankMcNamarawasawardedtheVictoriaCross,theonlysuchawardmadetoanAustralianduringthedesertcampaigns.The headquarters of the Desert Column and the Eastern Force were

groupedtogetheratDeirelBelah,whichwasontheedgeofthecoastalsanddunessome10kilometresbeyondKhanYunisand16kilometressouth-westof Gaza. From here the 3rd Brigade moved out to reconnoitre the Gazadefences on 25March. The long El Sire ridge, running north–south about1100metreseastofGaza,was thekey terrain, and its crowningknollofAliMuntarwas thecriticalpoint. ‘It isbelieved thatGaza isnot stronglyheld,’theoperationorders stated, ‘and it is therefore intended topush theattackwithgreatvigour.’15 ‘Wehave togetGaza tomorrowandbyall accountswearegoingtohaveatoughproblem,’JoeBurgesswrote. ‘Thereisachanceofus being sandwiched as we go the other side of Gaza and hoe intoreinforcementswhile the infantry tear intoGaza.’ Burgess’s final commentwasprescient—‘Ihopetheygetitquickorwe’llbeupatree,’hewrote.16

Map3:FirstbattleofGaza

TheAllied forceswouldhave tobewelldirectedandwouldhave to fightwelltowinthisbattle.Chetwodesentthe53rdDivisionagainstGazafromthesouth-eastwhile directingChauvel’smounted division tomove around thetown to the north-east and then north as far as the coast. Hodgson’smounteddivisionandtheCamelBrigadewouldtakeupablockingpositioneastofGazatostymieanyTurkishreinforcements.The54thDivisionwasinreservebehindthe53rd.17

Thesignaller’stools—aheliograph,atelescopeandsunlight.WilfredBakercollection.

Chauvel’sdivisioncrossedtheWadiGhuzzeintheearlymorningdarknessof 26 March while the infantry and artillery moved up to the start line.‘Infantryandartillerypassed throughKhanYunusallnight,’HarryBostockwrote.18AheavymorningfogcoveredanyAlliedmovementsfromtheTurkishobserversuntilitbegantoliftat8a.m.19‘Aboutdaylightaheavyfogcameup,andbythetimeithadlifted,wehadagreatscreenforourmovements,’JeffHolmeswrote.20Thefogalsohinderedthelighthorsemen,makingitdifficulttokeep the columnson the right track. ‘About4 ama thickblanketof fogscreened everything and progress was very slow,’ Gordon Macrae wrote.‘Severaltimesthecolumnalmostgotawayfromus.’21BythetimeStanParkesmovedoffwith the 3rdLightHorseFieldAmbulance at 5 a.m. ‘adense fogobscuredeverything’.22

The troopers of the 7th Light Horse got in close enough to charge anenemyaerodrome,where twoGermanaircraft justmanagedtoget intotheairbeforethehorsemenarrived.‘Ifithadn’thavebeenforacoupleofcamel

menwho fired their rifleswe could have got them on the ground,’ RobertFarneswrote.23Thetroopersgallopedon,crossingtheGaza–Beershebaroad,cuttingthephonewiresastheywent.ATurkishgeneral,thecommanderoftheTurkish 53rdDivision,whowas onhisway to take over the defence ofGaza,wascapturedalongwiththreeofhisstaffofficers.Thegeneralofferedasmoke fromhisgoldcigarettecase tohiscaptors,oneofwhomproducedahalf-smokedexampleinreturn.24Thegeneralwas ‘veryupsetatbeingtakenprisoner, more so because the fellows laughed at him,’ Farnes wrote.25 AsGordonMacraedescribedit,thelighthorsemen‘pushedrightinbehindGazacuttingoffallcommunicationandcapturingmoreprisoners.Thewholefightseemedmore likeabigparadegroundmovement.’26 JeffHolmesnotedthat‘to surround Jackowehad travelled fully 15mile’.27 ‘Wemade awide semi-circle,’ was how Joe Burgess put it.28 Robert Farnes wrote, ‘we were notallowedtopushonintoGaza’,butthelighthorsemen‘gavetheTurksaverywarmtimeastheywerecomingoutandweannihilatedaboutacompanyofthem’.29WithGazanowsealedoff,itwasuptotheinfantrytocaptureit.

MajorGeneralAlisterDallasshouldhavehadhis53rdDivisiontroopsacrosstheWadiGhuzze by dawn. Aftermarching up fromKhan Yunis, the 158thBrigade had leftDeir el Belah at 1 a.m. but the guide lost hisway and thebrigadeonly reachedWadiGhuzze justbeforedawnat4.30a.m. Itwasnotuntil5.45a.m.thattheleadbattalion,the1/5thRoyalWelshFusiliers,reachedthestartlinefortheattack,onlytobeheldupbythefog.Whenthefogbeganto lift at 7.45 a.m., two enemy aeroplanes took off fromGaza andwarningbuglessoundedoutfromtheTurkishlines.Thetwo-hourdelayinthemainattackwascostly.DespiteChetwode’sorders toget theattackgoing,Dallasnowbrought furtherdelaysuponhis troopsby insisting theywaituntilhisartillery spotters could see their targets. This cost the British troops anychanceofsurpriseorutilisingthefogcover,andtheywouldpaydearly.By12p.m. the infantry reached the cactus garden about 700 metres from AliMuntar,where theycameunderheavy fireboth fromAliMuntarand fromGreenHill on the left flank.30 A battalionwas sent to attackGreenHill insupportofthemainassaultonAliMuntar.‘Itwasagreatsight;buttheyhada

largenumberofcasualties,’RobertFarneswrote.31

Atmiddaytheinfantryattackfinallygotunderwaywhentwobrigades,the158thand160th,begantheiradvance.Withmorethan3kilometresofopenground to cover against forewarned defenders in strong and dominantpositions,itwasaconsiderablechallenge.Atarangeofabout1kilometre,therifleandmachine-gunfirecrackedoutacrosstheopenplainandtheinfantryintheirlongtextbooklinesweremowndown.TheTurkishartilleryaddedtothe slaughter and the attack stalled about 500metres short of AliMuntar.After the 159thBrigademovedup at 2 p.m. someof the lower-levelBritishofficers began to show the sense their seniors sorely lacked and advancedtheir men in rushes. A small party of infantry managed to get into theTurkishdefencesamongthecactushedgesandthepositionwasconsolidatedby6.10p.m.Bynowthegunshadbeenbroughtuptowithin1500metresofAliMuntar,andtheirwell-directedfirehelpedbreakdownthedefences.‘Thewholebattlewas like amedieval affair,’LieutenantColonelFredWollastonwrote.32

Further back, Joe Bolger lay in the shade of his camel and watched theassault.‘IcanseetheshrapnelshellsfiredbytheTurksafewmilesaway,’hewrote. ‘TheyarefiringintotheScottiesinfantry,theyareputtingit infairlythick too.’33 The infantry hadno shade from the frightful heat. JoeBurgesswatched the battle fromnorth of the town. ‘The littleTommieswent at itbravely,’ he wrote, ‘and for hours fought in perfectly open country . . . itlookedandsoundedverydinkum.’34

ATurkishmachine-gunsectionkeepsalowprofileonabarrenplaintypicalofmanyontheSinaiandPalestinebattlefields.ClarenceReidcollection.CourtesyofLyndallCaldwell.

TheinfantrythathadreachedthemazeofcactushedgesbelowAliMuntarfoundfurtherprogressdifficult. ‘Alltheorchards invillageshaveahedgeofprickly pearwhichwould take a gooddeal of negotiating and it is in theseorchards behind prickly pear the Turks have their positions in Gaza,’ FredTomlinswrote. ‘I’dratherfacebarbedwire.’35WithflankingfirefromGreenHillcuttingintotheinfantryranks,Dallasthrewthe161stBrigadeagainstthepositionand,despiteheavycasualties,bothGreenHillandAliMuntarwerefinally taken.Although timewas runningout, the sun sinkingcloser to thesea,Dallas’smenwerespentandcouldnotexploittheirsuccess.

CactushedgerowsnearGaza.‘Massesofsmallfieldsenclosedwithgreatwidecactushedgeswhichmadefinecover,’HenryGullettwrote.ArthurHitchcockcollection.

Bymidafternoon,ChetwodewasdesperatetotakeGaza,andwithnosightofenemyreinforcements,heorderedthetwomounteddivisions,withChauvelincommand,tocloseonGazatosupportthe infantryattack ifandwhenitcame. At 2 p.m. Chauvel was ordered to use the AnzacMounted Divisionagainst Gaza while the Imperial Mounted Division acted as the screeningforce.After somecomplexmanoeuvres torepositionthesescreening forces,ChauvelbeganthemountedattackonGazaat4p.m.36

Attheendoftheline,CaptainJohnCain’s2ndBrigademachinegunshadtocutgapsinthecactushedgesforthetrooperstogetthrough. ‘ThewholeplaceisfullofpricklypearhedgesalongtheroadsandstreetsandtheTurkswereconcealedbehindthem,’RobertFarneswrote.‘Ourfellowsdrovethemout and gave them a very rough time. TheTurkswent right back into thetown.’37LieutenantFredWaite’s5thLightHorsetroop ‘kepttotheirhorses,jumped the hedges and got amongst them still mounted’. Waite fired hisrevolverfromthesaddleuntilthricewounded.38MajorArchBolingbrokeled

twoothertroopsfromthe5thLightHorseintothecactusonfoot,themenhackingtheirwaythroughwithbayonets.‘Ourmenweresnipingasatrabbitsat Turks running in and out of hedges.’39 Granville Ryrie used the sameanalogy: ‘Some of our fellows were shooting off their horses like shootingrabbits,theysaidtheycouldseethembetterfromupthere,theychargedtheTurkswiththebayonetandkilledagreatmany.’40

Asnightfell,troopersfromthe7thLightHorsedashedintotheoutskirtsofGaza. TheNew Zealanders came in from the east before dismounting andentering the town.GordonMacraewatched fromahill behindGaza as theNew Zealanders ‘galloped across an open grass plain and dismounted andchargedwithbayonets.Itwasagreatsight.’41MichaelMinahanwroteofhowChaytor’sNewZealandersandRyrie’s2ndBrigade‘wentintotheTurkswithfixed bayonets about 4 pm and advanced about two miles capturing 360prisonersand2guns.Ourcasualtiesverylight.’42By5p.m.theNewZealandbrigadehad‘effectedlodgementintheouterhousesofGaza’.43

At6p.m.GeneralDobell,despiteChauvel’sprotests,orderedawithdrawal.‘ButwehaveGaza!’ChauveltoldDobell.‘Yes;buttheTurkishreinforcementsare all over you,’ Dobell replied down the phone line.44 Aware that some10,000enemyreinforcementswereonthewaytoGaza,Chetwode,whohadthe final say,agreedto thewithdrawal.Withabouthalfhismountedforcesdiverted to Gaza from the screening force, Chetwode believed there was aserious threat of a Turkish counterattack.What he didn’t realise was thatresistanceinGazahadcrumbledandthetownwasthereforthetaking.

Gaza.WalterSmythcollection.

WhenRyrieandChaytor,whosebrigadeshadcrackedopenthebackdoortoGaza,receivedthewithdrawalordertheyweredumbfounded.Thetroopsweresimplydisgusted.Ryrie’sbrigadehadhadonlyonemankilledandfivewounded, Chaytor’s only two killed and 29 wounded. General Dallas, whohad initiallymishandled the operation only to be saved by the drive of hisWelshmen, was equally astonished at the order. The sacrifice of his braveinfantrymen had been for naught. It was said that when the Turkishcommander Tala Bey was told of the withdrawal he ‘laughed for a longtime’.45Whether true ornot, the story spread throughout the ranks,whosefaithintheirhighercommandersplummeted.Turkishmoralemovedintheother direction and many more Allied troops would die before Gaza wassecured. The often misused phrase ‘lions led by donkeys’ was never moreappropriate than in this case. ‘Just as it was getting dark we got orders towithdraw,’RobertFarneswrote.‘Nobodycaredwhethertheygotoutornot,another twohoursand [we’d]havehadGaza . . . itwas2300beforewegotawayfromGaza,everybodyverywildandafairnumberwounded.’46‘WehadtoretireastheTommieshadheavedinthetowel,itwasacrookfeeling,’JoeBurgess wrote. ‘If they had only known that we were imshying the Turks

wouldhavehadusontoast.’47

To Brigadier General H.A. Vernon, the 158th Brigade commander, thewithdrawal ‘appeared to be out of the question’, but the retirement of theinfantry from the hard-won heights commenced at midnight. Later it wasascertainedthatadvancedpartiesfromVernon’sbrigadehadpushedonintoGaza and made contact with some of the Anzac mounted troops beforeretiring at dawn.48 Colonel J.W.Wintringhamwas in commandof the 18thMachine Gun Squadron, attached to the 22nd Yeomanry Brigade. ‘We hadthem completely surrounded,’ he wrote. ‘The New Zealanders were in thestreets . . . it seemed almost unbelievable to be told to packup and retire.’SomeoftheTurksweretryingtobreakout.‘Theystartedcomingthroughanative cemetery and our MGs were laying them out neatly among thetombstones,’ Wintringham wrote. ‘We would only have to turn our gunsnorthifarelievingforcecame.’49

GeneralsGranvilleRyrie,seated,andCharlesCox,standingalongside.JohnGorrellcollection.

ForthelighthorseregimentsnorthofGaza,gettingoutofthetownwasanightmare.Thetroopersofthe7thLightHorsewereabout6kilometresfromtheirhorseswhentheygottheorder.‘Itwasaveryterriblerideback,’Robert

Farneswrote. ‘Wegot totheWadiGhuzzeaboutdaylight . . . itwasalmostimpossible to keep awake.’50 Tom Baker simply wrote, ‘Left for Belahmidnightandrodeallnight.’51‘Remainedoutallnight...verytired,nosleep,hungry,horseshungryandthirsty,’StanParkeswrote. ‘Generalopinion,ifadivision of “Scotties” had attacked with the Australians, Gaza would havefallen.’52JoeBurgesscamebackwiththe6thLightHorse,thetroopersfinallyreachingDeir el Belah ‘with empty stomachs, empty haversacks and emptywaterbottles’.53

Thelighthorsemenwereintotheirthirdnightwithoutsleepand‘allrankswere almost comatose from exhaustion’ during thewithdrawal.54 ‘Our eyeswerelikeburntholesinablanket,’GranvilleRyriewrote.55MichaelMinahanadded, ‘8000 Turk reinforcements attacking our rear, 3rd Brigade holdingthemuntilweclearout.’56Royston’sbrigadewas indeedholding them.The9thLightHorsestayedouttotheeastofGazauntil3a.m.andsawTurkishtroopsmovingupthatnight.GordonMacraenotedthat‘the3rdBrigadegavethemawarmtimeandstoppedthemfromreachingGazatillnextmorning’.57

‘Enemyon all sides except one small outletwhichweused,’HarryBostockwrote.‘Retiredunderrifleandgunfireatthedouble.’58RobertFell,whowaswith the 10th Light Horse, was ‘almost surrounded and captured’ but ‘gotbacksafelythankstoGenRoyston’sleadership.’RonRoss,whowaswiththe12thLightHorse,wrote, ‘TheBrigtakesusoffatagalloptoengageTurkishreinforcementscomingfromtheeast.About4ammoverightoutofitwithartilleryfollowingusupwithriflefirehalfinfrontofus...Wewereluckytoget out of it so light.’59 A detachment of armoured cars helped cover thewithdrawalofRoyston’sbrigade.

Dobell and Chetwode obviously conferred for their later reports, bothmentioningtheneedtowithdrawtowaterthehorses.ButChauvel,whohadbeenmade aware fromaTurkishdeserter that all but threeof thewells inGazahadbeendestroyed,hadcertainlynotbrought itupasan issueat thetime.60Hewassimplyaghastattheorder.AsJeffHolmeshadobserved,therewasamplewaterinandaroundGaza: ‘Alongtheflatwherewestoppedthatday,wefoundseveralwaterholesandfeedwasinabundanceforourhorses.’61

The official historian, Henry Gullett, could find nomessage to the DesertColumnorEasternForce recording aparticular concern about theTurkishreinforcements, though therewere general reports. TomBaker,whowas asignallerwith3thBrigadeheadquarters,hadnoted,forexample,‘3000Turksreportedtobeontheeast’.62

GeneralMurraytriedtocoverupthedisasterbytellingtheWarOfficehistroopshadadvancedfromRafatoWadiGhuzzetocovertheextensionoftherailway line, using the excuse that ‘The fog and waterless nature of thecountry just sav[ed] the enemy from complete disaster.’63 Jeff Holmes sawthrough the fog: ‘At one time we had them surrounded, and the Turkscompletely cut off, and then to let them and the reinforcements get awaytheremusthavebeenabigbloomerandsomeonewillhavetosuffer.’64StanParkesknewthat‘agreatopportunityhasbeenlostandtheTurksareingreatstrength now . . . it is quite evident there has been a lot of bungling . . .everybodyisdisgustedwiththedisplay’.HesaidwhatalltheAnzactroopersknew—itwas ‘a big blunder from start to finish thanks to theTommies incharge’.65

WateringhorsesintheWadiGhuzze.Eachofthefivepumpsshownhereprovidedwatertoaseparatetrough.WalterSmythcollection.

BruceLester,oneoftheMudgeeboyswiththe6thLightHorse,outsidethe‘Palestinehome’hesharedwithRalphKellett.RalphKellettcollection.

Chapter6

‘ANUNQUALIFIEDFAILURE’April1917

ThequickestwayforGeneralsMurray,DobellandChetwodetocoverupthefiascothatwasFirstGazawastorecapturethetownbutthistimeholdontoit. Murray had little choice; on 30 March 1917 the British War Cabinetdirected him to advance on Jerusalem. As normally occurs in warfare, thefailuretotakeadvantageofthesurpriseandshockvalueoftheinitialattackinvariablyresultsinthesecond,moredeliberateattackmeetingmuchgreaterresistanceandalmostinevitablefailure.ThefirstattackhadshownwheretheGaza defences were weakest, and the defenders worked hard to improvethosepositions,particularlyaroundthecriticalheightsofAliMuntar.‘Those3 weeks had given the Turks time to dig a very strong trench systemreinforcedwithmiles of barbedwire,’ ColonelWintringhamwrote.1 ‘Thereare miles and miles of trenches and machine gun positions and deepundergroundplacestogetawayfromtheshelling,’GranvilleRyrieadded.2

On9April,Maurie Pearcewas at KhanYunis. ‘We have a big armyherenow,’hewrote.‘TodayIsawsomethinglike30,000horsesinvariouscamps,some thousands of camels, all kinds of motor transports and some of thefamous“tanks”whichhavemadesuchanameforthemselvesinFrance.’3TherailwayhadnowreachedDeirelBelah,andnewwaterreservoirswerebeingbuiltthere,suppliedbythewaterpipelinefromKantara.ThenewattackonGazawouldusenewweaponsofwar.Tankswouldbe

employed and 2000 gas shells had been brought forward. As AustraliantroopsatBullecourtontheWesternFrontwouldalsosoondiscover,relyingonasmallnumberoftankswasadangerousthingtodo.On3April,RobertFellwatched the tanks arrive. ‘Great secrecy observed,’ hewrote. ‘They arewellcovered.’4On12April,MaurieEvansobserved,‘Ihavejustbeenwatching

thetanks.Theystartedupforthefirsttimetonighttakinghedgesandditchesand even railway lines in their stride.’ After a closer look Evans observed,‘Inside rather like the cab of an engine, 6 pounder guns are mounted inbarbettesstickingouteachside.’5TomBakerthought‘theywillbeusefulouthere’6whileMichaelMinahanwrote that theywere ‘very complicated’.7 JoeBurgesssimplysawthemas‘greatrelentlessqueerthings’.8

HisMajesty’sLandShipPincher,oneoftheMarkI‘male’tanksatDeirelBelah,beforeSecondGaza.WalterSmythcollection.

The eightMark I tanks, amix ofmale (two 6-pounder guns) and female(fourmachine guns) typeswithnames includingTiger,Nutty,WarBaby, SirArchibald,PincherandKia-Ora,werecommandedbyMajorNormanNutt.Onthebattlefieldtheywouldoperateinwidelyseparatedpairs.AsMaurieEvanswrote,theconditionsforthemeninsidewerehorrific:‘Oneofthecrewtoldmethatthetempinsideeven inEnglandreached115° [46degreesCelsius]!’9

Sand also got in everywhere and readily accrued to the grease used on thetracks.Thissoonbuiltuponthesprockets,causingtankstothrowofftheirtracks. JoeBurgesswrotethat ‘twogotstuck inswampygroundonthewayupanditwasmidnightwhentheygotout’.10

Thetroopswerealsoinstructedintheuseofgas.Gashelmetswereissuedand gas drills took place only days before the attack. On 13 April,MichaelMinahan wrote, ‘Received gas helmets, we are going to use gas shells.’11

MauriePearceaddedthat‘theyaremostunpleasantthingstohavetowear’.12

Ignoring the extraordinary success of the mounted troops at First Gaza,Dobell’s tactics for thesecondbattlewerestraight fromtheWesternFront.Heplannedaninfantryassaultagainstpreparedpositionsoveropenground,tacticsthatinFrancehadledtocatastrophiclosses.AtleastontheWesternFronttherewasplentifulartillerytobattertheabove-grounddefencesbeforesuchanattack,butatGazaDobellhadlimitedartillerybothinquantityandquality. Maurie Evans thought the outlook positive, writing, ‘If it is notmuddledupweoughttotaketheplace.’13

Gasdrill:troopslineupintheirgasmaskstopassthroughacloudofgas.ArthurReynoldscollection.

CrossingtheWadiGhuzzeatShellal.ArthurReynoldscollection.

On17Aprilit‘wasveryhotwithhardlyabreathofair’asthebombardmentofGaza began.14Under this cover, the infantrymoved acrossWadiGhuzze toestablish intermediate jump-off positions in front of the Gaza defences.Robert Fell, who was with the 10th Light Horse, wrote, ‘Dismounted in awadiandmoveduptoaridgepositionbeforedaylight.Turksopenedfireatdaylight. . .enemyfrontalandenfiladefire. . .hadtoruntoawadiforourlives under fire and shells.’15 Lieutenant Frank Throssell was one of thosekilled. His brother Hugo, who had been awarded the Victoria Cross atGallipoli,waswounded.SowasLieutenantArthurAdams,whowaswiththe12th Light Horse and wrote, ‘Dismounted, handed horses over and waiteddawn.Foleyfirstmanhit,helpbandagehimup...menknockedallround...gothit3placesmyselfat8am...enemyverystrong.’16

Onthe right flank, themounteddivisions formedoutpost lines to isolateGaza from the east. ‘We left after tea for Shellal,’ JohnMacNamarawrote.

‘Thewholedivisionwentout.Travelledallnight.’17Anenemyairraidon2ndBrigade lines killed six andwounded thirteenmen,while seventeen horseswerekilledandthirteenwounded.18RobertFarnes,whosegroomwaskilled,wrote, ‘We had just got clear of the place when a plane came over anddropped threebombs inquick succession.’19When aBritish six-gunbatterymoved up, another Taube dropped a smoke bomb next to them and theywerethenheavilyshelled.Thegunswerequicklymoved.‘Itwasgreattoseethewaytheteamscameupatthegallop,swunground,limberedupandawayin about 3 or 4 seconds, under heavy shell fire,’ MacNamara wrote.20 FredTomlins added that ‘it was a fine sight to see the Tommies get their gunsawayatthegallop’.21

The attack resumed two days later. At 5.30 a.m. on 19 April, the Britishartilleryopenedupatwo-hourbombardment.Itincludedthemuch-vauntedgasshellsbuttheyhadlittleeffectinthehot,dryatmosphereandseabreezes.Mostoftheenemygunbatterieswerealsoleftuntouched.Theinfantrymenfromboththe52ndand54thDivisionslostheavilyuponleavingthetrenches.‘TheTurksseemedtohavereservedtheirmachine-gunfireforcertainplaces,’wrote Colonel Fred Wollaston, a battalion commander in the 54th. ‘Thetroopswerecaughtbythisfirefromeverydirectionandoncomingtotheseselectedspotstheyweresimplymowndown.’22

The 52nd headed for Ali Muntar on the left while the 54th made goodprogress towards what became known as Tank Redoubt on the right.Scatteredastheywere,thetanksgatheredinfantrymenaroundthemandthatattractedconcentratedartilleryfire. ‘ThetanksthencrawledalongtheridgefollowedbyeverysortofTurkishshelluntilonewashitanddestroyed,’FredWollastonwrote. ‘It was a pitiable sight to see it burning and all the crewwerecasualties.’23

TheremainsofNuttyatTankRedoubt.WhenArthurMillssawitninemonthslater,hewrote,‘theenemybiggunshadgivenherabadtimeofit.Shehadgotrightuptotheenemytrenches.’WalterSmythcollection.

TheCamel Brigademoved in to support the attack from the right flank.Two companies of the 1st Camel Battalion dismounted some 4 kilometresaway and advanced towardsTankRedoubt in support of the 54thDivisioninfantry.‘Weadvancedsmartly,’JoeBolgerwrote.‘Theshrapneljustmowedeverything...atankinaction,itdidnotlastlong...wedugourselvesinandlaidthereallday.Theheatwasfrightful.’24Despitebeinghitbyshellfire,thecrewofthetankNutty,‘stickingtotheirinfernalposts,droveitbangintotheredoubt’.25 Here it ‘caused great havoc amongst the enemy’ before being‘brewedup’.26 ‘Thistankgotintooneredoubt,’FredWollastonwrote, ‘butitwasknockedoutafewminuteslaterandthecrewcameoutofitburning.’27

Under cover of six Lewis guns, the Australians rushed the redoubt, butcasualties increased as they got closer and copped much of the shellfiredirectedtowardsNuttyandthesmallUnionJackthatflutteredfromit. ‘Wegot it in the neck,’ John Davidson wrote. ‘Curse the tank!’28 Of the twoAustraliancamelbattalions,onlysome100menremainedtomakethefinalcharge at the redoubt and only a remnant of about 30 under LieutenantArchieCampbellmadeit,joiningabouttwentyBritishinfantrymenwhohadalso succeeded. Some 500 Turkish defenders had been put to flight and

another 40 captured. The Australians hung on for two hours before beingforcedout.ThesixLewisgunnersweremighty,fightingtotheend,fivedyinggamely by their guns and the sixth, William Barry, having his right armshattered. Barry continued to operate the gun until Campbell told him tosavehis life as best ashe could. ‘What aboutmy gun, sir?’ Barry asked andthen, after Campbell told him to leave the gun behind, said, ‘I think I cancarry it.’ Barry then carried it out over his left shoulder. Of the 102 menCampbellhadtakenintoaction,92werecasualties.29

‘Threeofmygunners,’JohnDavidsonwroteonthecaption.‘Twoonrightkilled.’VeryfewoftheAustralianLewisgunnerswhotookpartinSecondGazasurvived.JohnDavidsoncollection.

Meanwhile,the3rdCamelBattalion,joinedbysome11thLightHorsemen,hadadvancedon the right, crossing theBeersheba road.Withhis companycommander wounded, Lieutenant John Davidson was at the heart of thesinglecompanytryingtohangonbut finallyhavingtoretire. ‘Enemyshellscrashedinourrear,’hewrote. ‘Rifleandmachinegunfireinfront.’30RobertFarnesgotitrightwhenhewrote,‘TheCamelCorpsgotcutupbadly.’31

‘HangingonatGaza,’JohnDavidsonwroteonthecaption.JohnDavidsoncollection.

General Hodgson’s orders were to ‘demonstrate strongly against’ theAtawineh defences. The official historian called Royston impetuous inadvancing his brigade earlier than the 7.30 a.m. scheduled start time, butRoystonknew thatoncedawnbrokehismenwouldbeeasy targets for theTurkishmachinegunsandartillery.Royston’sbrigadethereforegotaheadofMeredith’s 4th Brigade on the left and the 5th Yeomanry Brigade on theright.32

GeneralMeredithdeployedLieutenantColonelWilliamGrant’s11thLightHorse and Lieutenant Colonel HaroldMcIntosh’s 12th Light Horse in theattack.The11thdismountedabout4kilometresfromAtawinehredoubtandthemenadvancedincolumnsthroughthefieldsofbarley,soonoverrunninganenemyoutpost.TheTurkishartilleryopenedupwithshrapnelfire,whichwas soon followedbyheavymachine-gun and rifle fire.The two regimentswent to ground about 500 metres from the redoubt with no prospect ofgetting closer without severe losses. McIntosh was one of those hit, ashrapnelball severinganartery inhisgroin.Althoughhewasevacuated,he

diedafewdays lateratElArishafterhiswoundreopened.By10a.m.everyofficer in one of the squadrons was a casualty. One of them called out,‘Stretcherbearerhere,Ihavegotoneintheleg,’butwhenhesatuphewaskilledbyshrapnel.33 ‘Whentheshrapnelhittheground,dustwouldbeflungupand,tome,itlookedlikerainpouncingontheground,’BillSmythwrote.34

‘Ourladsadvancedinopenorder.TurkishHEandshrapnelcomingoverallthe time,’ Pat Hamilton added. ‘Wounded all up and down wadi. A hotcorner.Atank in flames.’35Afterholdingtheir lineallday, the11thand12thLightHorsewithdrewat7.30p.m.

Thisphoto‘wastakenduringthebiggestbattleinPalestine’accordingtoJoeBradshaw.FortheAustraliancameleersthatwasSecondGaza.‘Allthesemenarewounded,’Bradshawadded.‘Thepoorfellowwhoislyingdownhadhiskneecapblownoff.Heisnowaprisonerofwar.’JosephBradshawcollection.

InRoyston’sbrigadethe9thand10thLightHorseadvanceduptheslope.When dawn broke, the men lay down in the barley before advancing towithin 500 metres of the Atawineh redoubt. After reaching the Beershebaroad, there was a bare slope ahead with no chance of getting closer.Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Maygar’s 8th Light Horse had no cover andsufferedheavily, butMaygar, aVictoriaCross recipient from theBoerWar,inspiredhismen tohangon. ‘I hadmy chargerDick shot fromunderme,’Maygar,whohadlosthisotherhorseatRomani,wrote.‘IcantellyouJacktheTurk is a good fighter . . .wewill have somehardhittingbeforeweget toJerusalemandDamascus.’36 ‘Ourhorses sufferedheavily.The shells used todropamongst themandgive thehorseholders all theyknew tokeep themfromstampeding,’JohnStephennoted.37 ‘Thebiggestbattlethe10theverin.Lastedallday,’RobertFellwrote.‘Ihadthreenarrowescapes...watchsavedme from stomachwound.’38 RonKemp,whowas alsowith the 3rdBrigadewrote, ‘I had the escape ofmy life.One of the coal boxes [howitzer shells]lobbedatmyfeet,killedthetwohorsesIwasholding,woundedBillHall,50yardsaway,butdidn’ttouchme.’Thebrigaderetiredatsunsetafter‘manyof

our old mates were killed’.39 As always, Royston was an inspiration. StanParkeswrotethat ‘the“oldbrig”musthaveacharmedlife;hewasgallopingupanddownthefiringlineallday’.40‘OurBrigadierRoystonasusualworkedsplendidlyandisadmiredbyall,’LeoHanlyadded.41

CaptainWilfredEvans,helpedby fourorderlies fromthe3rdLightHorseFieldAmbulance,treated240woundedmenthatday. ‘Wehadonlysixsandcartstodoallthework,butwegotinallthewounded,’StanParkeswrote.42

‘It was the worst cutting up since Gallipoli this brigade had had,’ JohnStephenobservedoftheeffectonhis3rdBrigade.43PelhamJackson,whowaswith the 11th Light Horse, was killed on 19 April while helping to carry acomrade to safety. Jackson’smother later received a letter fromMajor JimLoynes, the commander of A Squadron, who apologised for not havingwrittenearlier;hehadhadtwobulletsinhisshoulderfromthesamebattle.44

As the official historian later noted ‘The day’s offensive had been anunqualifiedfailure’.45

GeneralRoyston(standingatleft)withasignalssection.WilfredBakercollection.

Further out on the right flank, Chauvel’s as yet uncommitted mounteddivisionmovedfromShellalagainsttheHareiraredoubt.Thoughthereweresome clashes with Turkish cavalry, German aircraft caused the greaterdamage.At11a.m.on20April,fouraircraftdroppedsixteenbombsonlighthorselineswestofShellal,causing32casualtiesamongthemenandkilling53horses. As FredTomlins put it, ‘FourTaubes came over and gave us a fineexhibition of bomb dropping.’46 John MacNamara thought one Taube hadspotted the brigade and then, ‘half an hour later four more came up onebehind the other and dropped 16 bombs on us. We did not have time toscatter so just got off our horses and laid down as flat as one could get.’Following this attack, the 2nd Brigade adopted a new ‘Taube formation’,whichmaintainedgreaterdistancebetweeneachtroop.47

TurkishcavalryonparadenearKuneitra.TheTurkishcavalry‘neverononeoccasionchargedlighthorseorevenwaitedifourmenrodeatthem,’HenryGullettwrote.ArthurMillsdescribedtheTurkishponiesas‘littlefellowsbutverystrongandwiry’.RoyalNewSouthWalesLancersMemorialMuseumcollection.

ThelighthorseoutpostskeptanyTurkishcavalryatbay.On24April,the7thLightHorsecapturedacompletetroopofTurkishlancerscomprisingoneofficerandseventeenother ranks.48 ‘Noshotswere firedandeveryonewascaptured,’RobertFarneswrote. ‘Ourfellowshadagreattimechasingthem,theysimplychargedintothemandknockedtheirhorsesover.’49TomBakerwatchedtheprisonersbeingbroughtin.‘Theywerewellequippedandarmedwith lance, sword and carbine,’ he wrote, ‘but their horses were in poorcondition.’50

AsJohnMacNamaraobserved,‘TheattackoverGazawayhadnotdonewellatall...averysevereknockback.’51‘Ourattackhasblownout,’MaurieEvansadded. ‘Our people seem to have a habit of putting two and two togetherexpectingtomakefiveandthenfindoutthattheyonlyachievethree.’52 JeffHolmes summed itup: ‘Jackohas entrenched in a very strongpositionand

willtakesomeroutingout.’53

GeneralDobellabandonedtheoffensivewithGazastillinenemyhandsandwith 5900of hismen casualties.Comingon topof the failure of theArrasoffensiveinFrance,thisdidnotgodownwellinLondon.‘GazaappearstobeasecondGallipoli,’wasthegeneralopinionthere.54Therewereramifications.DobellwasreplacedbyChetwodeandChauveltookoverChetwode’sroleattheheadof theDesertColumn.Chaytormovedup tocommand theAnzacMountedDivision.Inashorttime,GeneralMurraywouldalsobereplaced.

ThegravesofSergeantRobertThomson(2ndLightHorseFieldAmbulance),LanceCorporalCharlesAustin(ProvostCorps),TrooperLeoUssher(6thLightHorse)andPrivateHerbertThorpe(2ndBrigadeHeadquarters),whowereburiedalongsidetheinterpreterArmenacKemkemian,whowasworkingwiththeAustralians.Allwerekilledonthemorningof17April1917duringabombingraidonthe2ndBrigadecampatShellal.Thebombingalsokilledseventeenhorses.HarryMattockscollection.

When a black-and-white mosaic with a Nabatean inscription had beendiscovered on a hill at Rafa at the end of March 1917, Chaplain ReverendWilliamMaitlandWoods, a keen amateur archaeologist and a man of thecloth,clearlyunderstood thevalueof thediscovery. ‘I saw it foramoment,returnedtotakeacopyoftheinscriptionafterthelapseofafewdays,tofindthat the troops in the district, who at that time were sweeping over thecountry,hadtakenupeverysinglestonewithbayonetsand[jackknives].’55

Onlyweekslater,on6April1917,anothermosaicwasuncoveredonahillatShellal above the Wadi Ghuzze, which the Turks had evacuated in earlyMarch.Themosaic,partlydamagedbyTurkishtrenches,layacrossaruinedchurch floor and dated from the reign of the Roman emperor Justinian.Woods considered themosaicof immense valuedue to the inscriptionandthe date thereon (AD561–62). ‘I recognized this as soon as I saw it in situ,’Woods later wrote to the Australian Official First World War Historian,

CharlesBean.Woods,with the incident atRafa still fresh inhismind, alsorealisedthedangerofleavingthemosaicinsituatShellal.AsWoodswrote,onthisoccasion, ‘Iraisedasuccessfulhowl,aguardwasputon,andagreatportionof itwassaved.’56RobertFellvisitedthesite,nowknownasMosaicHill,on5Juneandwrotehowthefloorwas‘beautifullyinlaidinmosaicwithcoloured stone . . . Bones of some cleric named George discovered underfloor.’57

It tookmore than fourteen days to complete the ‘delicate and laboriousoperation’ to remove the mosaic. At the request of the new EgyptianExpeditionary Force commander, General Edmund Allenby, Woods laterwent to Cairo and had some of the crates opened to show him and acollectionofimperialstaffofficersthis‘mostwonderfulpieceofwork,some1400yearsold’.AmovethendevelopedtotakethemosaictoEurope,‘wherethesavantsoftheworldcouldseeit,’Woodsnotedsarcastically.‘IwastoldtogoandpackitupforEngland,’hetoldBean.Fortunately,thefoodcontrollerinEgyptdeclined to take the cratedmosaic onboard a steamer leaving forEngland as ‘it was not food’. Aware of his own lack of influence, Woodshoped that Australia would prevent the move to England. ‘The value wascreatedonlywhen theAustralian forceshad removed it outof danger, andpossibledestruction,suchashadhappenedtotheRafamosaic,’Woodswrote.‘ItshouldbecomethepropertyoffuturegenerationsofAustralians...thereis nothing else like it in the world.’58 The Shellal mosaic was brought toAustraliaandistodaydisplayedattheAustralianWarMemorial,anenduringmonumenttotheAustralianLightHorse.

Partofthe‘Anzacmosaic’,asReverendWoodscaptionedit,beforeitwasremoved.‘Weunearthedawonderfulpieceofancientworkhereontopofahill,ithasevidentlybeenthefloorofaTemple,therearelions&tigers&birds&dogschasingrabbits&peacocksandallsortsofthings,’GranvilleRyriewrote.‘Itisdoneindifferentcolouredlittlesquarestonessetincement.’WilliamandFrancisWoodscollection.

Operationsnowwounddownforthesummer.StanParkeswroteon24Aprilthat the ‘weather iswarmingupand thedust is somethingawful, thegrass

hasalldisappearedandthegroundislikepowder’.59Thenextday,LesHordernoted that itwas ‘Still hotwith a scorchingwind,must be 130 [54 degreesCelsius] in the shade.’60HenryLangtipalso felt it,writing, ‘It is terriblehotdayandonlyabottleofwater.’61

TheruinedchurchwheretheShellalmosaicwasfound.WilliamandFrancisWoodscollection.

Smoko.ArthurReynoldscollection.

Chapter7

‘FIRST-RATEHORSE-MASTERS’MaytoOctober1917

FromGaza toHareira the Turks had built a series of strong redoubts, butbetweenHareiraandBeershebatherewasa7-kilometreunfortifiedgap.Thelackofwaterintheareaforanyattackingforceprovidedthesecurity.GeneralChetwode had replaced the bungling Dobell and set about regaining theconfidence of the men who had been so badly let down by their highercommand(includingChetwode)duringbothGazabattles.WiththeadditionofMajorGeneralGeorgedeSymonsBarrow’sYeomanryMountedDivision,Chetwode now had threemounted divisions, and his planning focused onutilising thepriceless advantage theirmobility offered.TheDesertColumnnowbecametheDesertMountedCorps,andthethreedivisionsofthecorpsrotated,eachspendingamonthpatrollingtheinlandflank,amonthtrainingatAbasanelKebirandamonthrestingatDeirelBelah.Theheat,dustandaconstant lackofwaterandgood foodmade itadifficult summertosurviveformanandhorsealike.TrooperTedDengate,whoarrivedatthefrontinmid-May1917,foundthe

frequentsandstormsaproblem,writinghometohiswife,‘Bulletswon’tbeasbadasthesandwhich isblowingabouthere.’DengatewasfromMolong intheCentralWest ofNewSouthWales, one of five ‘Molongites’ in the 12thLightHorse.Hewas trained as aHotchkiss gunner. ‘Rather a complicatedaffair,’hewroteofthegun.‘IamgoingtotakeoneofthembacktoAustraliatoshootfoxeswith.’1

Toprotect theAllied right flank, engineerswereescortedout toAsluj, 25kilometressouthofBeersheba, todestroytheTurkishrailway.Therideoutwas tough going. ‘We were blinded with dust and the night was horriblysultry,’ Joe Burgess wrote.2 The party reached the railway line the next

morning,23May.‘Theengineersimmediatelygottoworkandintwohours’time had blown up two railway bridges and fifteen miles of railway line,’MauriePearcewrote.‘At10.30a.m.wesetoffonthereturntriphomeandwedid not reach home till midnight,’ he continued. ‘These night treks aresomething to live indreadof.’Theonlyoppositionencounteredduring theoperationwereBedouinsnipers,sohaystacksandcropswereburnedonthewaybackinretaliation.3Thetroopshadbeen34hoursinthesaddleandJoeBurgessfeltit:‘TheridebackseemedneverendingandIwasassaddlesoreascouldbe.’4JohnMacNamaraconcurred:‘Forthelast10milesorsoIcouldnotsitinonepositioninthesaddleformorethan5minutesasIwassosore.’5

GodfreyBurgessandTomBradley,twoofthe12thLightHorse‘Molongites’,readingtheMolongnewsatTelelFarain1917.GodfreyBurgesscollection.

AHotchkissmachinegun.Thegunwasfedby30-roundmetalstrips,andtwelvegunswereallocatedtoeachlighthorseregimentinApril1917.Theywereusuallydeployedontheflanksoftheline,thusprovidingenfiladingfireagainstanyenemyattackersordefenders.RegDixoncollection.

MaurieEvanssawthetwosidesoflifeinthedesert.‘Inthetwinklingofaneyetheglowfades,thestarsrushout,andthe...darknessofaneasternnightdescends on land, sky and sea,’ he observed on 22 June. Two days later hewrote,‘Duringthelastdayortwo,apparentlyoutofthevoid,hascomeuponusaplagueofblackcrickets.’6Aftermoving fromthecoastup toAbasanelKebir,JoeBurgesswrote,‘thisisabsolutelythedirtiestanddustiestholeofacampwehaveeverstruckyet...Iwasweepingmudtears.Thewholecountryis like hot ashes in consistency for about six inches in depth.’7 Suchconditionsdrove themenunderground. ‘Living indugoutsbelowground—onaccountofheat,dustandflies,’RobertFellwrote.8

On 13 August, John MacNamara was out on a stunt with the 1st LightHorse.Thelighthorsemencrossedtherailwaylineandthenwentonabout1500metrestoHill1160,wheretheywereengagedatlongrangebyTurkishsmall-armsfireandthenshelled.‘Afterabout2minuteseveryonewasoffthehillwiththeexceptionofmymate&myself,’hewrote.MacNamara,whowassendingamessageonaheliographatthetime,waslaterawardedaMilitary

Medal for his devotion to duty. ‘You could have knockedme downwith afeather,’hewroteonbeingtoldoftheaward.9

‘Thewreck.’HowtheAustralianslefttheAslujviaduct.RalphKellettcollection.

UponhisarrivalinEgypton27June,thenewcommanderoftheEgyptianExpeditionaryForce,GeneralEdmundAllenby,immediatelysettothetaskofplanning the next offensive. Allenby had directions from the British WarOfficetodriveintoPalestine,andhisrecentexperienceontheWesternFrontwith cavalry and infantry made him an ideal appointment. By moving hisheadquarters from the Savoy Hotel in Cairo to Rafa in Palestine, Allenbymadeanimmediateimpressionontheofficersandmenunderhiscommand.AsHenryGullettwrote, ‘Hewentthroughthehotdustycampsofhisarmylikeastrong,fresh,revivingwind.’10

Thelighthorsemengather.ClaudeBallardcollection.CourtesyofCarolWhiteside.

Allenby impressed the lighthorsemen. JoeBurgesswrote that ‘he looks aprettycapablesortofcove,hehasabigharddialwithlipsthattwistinaflintysortofwaywhenhe isamused’.11GranvilleRyrie,whohada lowopinionoftheBritishcommandersfollowingtheGazashemozzle,wrote,‘ImetthenewC in C [commander-in-chief] Gen Allenby and I think it will be a greatimprovement.’12ThelocalsweretoldAllenbywasAllahelNebi,the ‘prophetof God’.13 The Australian light horsemen also impressed Allenby. He laterwroteof themas ‘tannedby theeastern sunand theparchingdesertwind;lean,butinhardcondition;lighthorsemeninverity;wellmounted,andfirst-ratehorse-masters’.14

GeneralAllenby,ontheleft,reviewingtroopsinCairo.His‘bigharddial’impressedthosewithwhomhecameintocontact.RegDixoncollection.

In addition to the mounted corps, Allenby now had seven divisions ofinfantryplustwoseparatemountedbrigades,oneoncamels.Heplannedtostrike in lateOctober and reach Jerusalem before the late-November rainsbroughtmovements toahalt.FollowingChetwode’swell-thought-outplan,Allenby would strike on the inland flank with the four divisions of XXInfantryCorpsalongside twodivisionsofChauvel’sDesertMountedCorps.Theorderswereissuedon22October.

TherailbridgeatWadiGhuzze.ArthurHitchcockcollection.

BythisstagetherailheadhadreachedDeirelBelah,withabranchrailwaybuilt towards Gamli. The vital water pipeline was now at Rafa, with anextensiontoShellalandontoImara.Additionalwellshadbeensunkonthecoast atKhanYunis andDeir elBelah.Material to extendboth the railwayand pipeline was brought forward to Wadi Ghuzze in anticipation of theadvance,andcamelsweregatheredtocarrythewaterforwardontheheelsofthe troops.15On18August, JohnMacNamarapassed throughShellal for thefirst time in threemonths. ‘There is a big railwaybridgeover thewadi,’ hewrote.‘Alsoatrafficbridgeforthewetseasonandabigdamwithapumpingplantonthebankofthewater.’16

Thebuild-upcontinued. ‘Starting fromKantaraonecouldseeremarkablechangesaroundabouthereinrailways,camps,dumps,roadsandmanyotherthings,’ Edwin Brownwrote on 29 August. ‘During the trip down artillery,munitions, troops, transports of all kinds, great supplies of rations, fodder,equipment, railway material etc etc were to be seen passing on up to thefront.’17 ‘Thereisgreatactivitynowanditisquiteevidentapushisgoingtotakeplaceshortly,’MauriePearceobservedinlateSeptember.‘Thousandsof

camels are camped all around us and a tremendous dump has beenestablishedatShellalJunctionstation.’18Theconstructioncrewswere‘fullupto the brim with tales of wonderful big guns, miles upon miles of lightrailwaysforshellcarrying,hundredsofguns,millionsofgasshells,dozensoftanks,flamethrowersgaloreetcetc,’MaurieEvanswroteon11October.19

On the Turkish side, the Turkish commander, Djemal Pasha, was at oddswithGeneralErichvonFalkenhayn,theformerChiefoftheGeneralStaffofthe German Army. Following the failure of his bloodletting strategy atVerdun on theWestern Front, von Falkenhayn had fallen from grace andaftera stinton theEasternFronthadbeensent toPalestine.ThedefensivesuccessesatGazahad lulledDjemal intobelievingapassivedefencewasallthatwasrequiredonthePalestinefront,whilevonFalkenhaynbelievedthatan active defence based on spoiling attacks was necessary. At the front,General von Kressenstein, the 4th Army commander, was faced with thedifficultyofmaintainingacohesivearmy.Desertionswereamajorproblem,exacerbated by a breakdown in the supply system. Only about half therequested supplieswere getting through to the front, due to thepaucityofsupplyanimalsandthepoorconditionofthosethatwereavailable.Withthewetseasonapproaching,furthersupplyproblemswereinevitable.20

GeneralErichvonFalkenhayn,ontheleft,alongsideDjemalPashainthebackofastaffcar.ClarenceReidcollection.

TheTurkishcommandexpectedGazawouldagainbe the target, and themain reserve of two infantry divisions was deployed there. Imaginativedeception schemes by Allenby’s intelligence officer, Colonel RichardMeinertzhagen, helped reinforce that false impression. But Allenby wouldstrikeontheinlandflank,atBeersheba,attackingfromthreedirectionswithsix divisions. On the coast, Lieutenant General Edward Bulfin’s XXI Corpswould simultaneously pressure Gaza, first with artillery and later from themonitorsandbattleshipsoperatingoffshore.ThenavywouldalsomanoeuvreitssmallercraftaroundtocreatetheimpressionofanamphibiouslandingonthecoastnorthofGaza.Furtherafield,amilitarycamponCypruswouldbeexpandedtoblufftheTurksintobelievingtroopsweregatheringforanotherlandinginSyria,thuskeepingtheTurkishgarrisonthereinplace.21Althoughthe 1915 operation atGallipoli had failed, it had left theTurkish commandwaryofanothersuchventure.TherewasconsiderableAlliedairactivityinthatlastweekofOctobertotry

tokeeptheGermanaircraftfromobservingthebuild-upontherightflank.

‘TherearesomesplendidaeroplanesherenowandtheyoughttoshakeJackoupabit,’GordonMacraewrote.22On6September,RobertFarnesgotarideinoneofthem: ‘Whenweweredoingthenosedive it feelsas ifyour inside isgoing to yourhead andwhen you shoot straightup again it feels as if it isgoingtoyourboots.’23

The new British planes got good results. On 8 October, Maurie Pearceobserved a German Albatros Scout landing in Allied lines due to a piercedpetroltank.24Theplanewascapturedintactalongwiththepilot,LieutenantGustavDittmar.Dittmarwasunfortunate,ashewasduetotakehomeleavein a few days after three years in the Middle East.25 But as Jeff Holmesobserved on 18October, some enemy planes had less gentle landings. ‘Theenemyplanewasseentodive,thenright itself,andthenitseemedas ifthepilot lost all control,’hewrote, ‘and theplanecamehurtling to thegroundfrom a terrific height . . . the plane caught fire as it was descending.’26 JoeBurgess saw the grim result, with ‘the plane and man smashed beyondrecognition’.27

LieutenantGustavDittmar’scapturedGermanAlbatrosScout.AsJohnMacNamaranoted,‘itwasthefirst[intact]Hunmachinetobebroughtdowninourlines’.RalphKellettcollection.

Meanwhile,anotherbattlewasbeingfoughtintheHejazregiontothesouth—theArabrevolt.On15June1916,theArabshadrevoltedagainsttheTurkishoccupation, capturing Mecca from the Turks six days later. Although theArabshadanominal leader inSharifAli IbnHussein, theywerefrommanydisparate tribes, with all the traditional intertribal hatreds and mistrustbetween them. The tribal Arabian lands stretched from the Red Sea toDamascus,andifthetribescouldbebroughttogetherasonenation,thispartoftheOttomanEmpirewouldbeuntenablefortheTurkisharmiesdeployedthere. TheBritish saw the opportunity but itwould take the extraordinarydiplomatic andmilitary skills of a small number of British officers, not tomentionaconsiderableamountofgold,tomakeithappen.FollowingthefallofMecca,MedinabecametheTurkishforwardbase,connectedbythearteryoftheHejazrailwaytoAmmanandDeraainthenorth.Itwasnotuntil theAlliedadvance into thenorthernSinai that theArabs

had a chance to carry out operations against the inland areas withoutbringingdownanoverwhelmingenemyforceontothem.WithmostoftheirforcesdrawntotheGaza–Beershebalineinthenorth,theTurksmaintainedonly garrison troops to cover the vast inland area. Into this situation wasthrust theBritish intelligenceofficerMajorT.E.Lawrence,whowouldhelpbring theArab tribes together and forge aneffective strategy for theuseoftheArabarmy.ThefirsttestforLawrencewasatAkabainJune1917,whenhebrought together a disparateArab force and boldly captured the importantRedSeaport fromthe inlandside.As theactionsdeveloped,Turkish forcesandsupplieshadtobeshiftedinlandfromPalestine,andthisconvincedtheBritish command that more resources should be allocated to support theArabsoftheHejaz.WiththeexpansionoftheAIF,thetrainingofsoldiersinmodernweaponry

was one of themost vital tasks at this stage of the war. After a period ofservicewiththelighthorse,bymid-1917SergeantCharlesYellswasservingasa weapons instructor in Egypt at the grandly titled Imperial School ofInstruction. On 10 August, Yells, a Lewis gun specialist, was detached forspecial duty to train the Arab irregulars in how to use modern automaticweaponsintheirfightagainsttheTurksintheHejaz.Thefollowingday,‘the

forcefulsergeant-instructor’embarkedatSuezboundforAkaba.

ColonelT.E.Lawrence,thelegendary‘LawrenceofArabia’.AustralianWarMemorialAWMB02170.

With Yells went CorporalWalter Brook from the RoyalWelsh Fusiliers,who was an instructor on the Stokes mortar. Colonel Lawrence soonchristenedthemenLewisandStokes, ‘aftertheir jealously-lovedtools’.28Hedescribed Yells as ‘long, thin and sinuous, his supple body lounging inunmilitarycurves.Hishardface,archedeyebrows,andpredatorynosesetoffthe peculiarly Australian air of reckless willingness and capacity to dosomething very soon.’ In comparison, Lawrence saw Brook as ‘a stockyEnglish yeoman, workmanlike and silent; always watching for an order toobey’.29 TheAmericanwar correspondent Lowell Thomas said of Yells that‘hewasagluttonforpunishmentandatigerinafight’.30OncetheyreachedAkaba,YellsandBrookwouldhavelittletimetoinstruct.WithhisArabarmygrowingbythedayasmoretribesjoinedhimatAkaba,LawrencewaskeentotakethefighttotheTurksassoonaspossible.YellsapproachedLawrence,requestingthatheandBrook joinaproposed

raidingparty.Lawrencesaid that ‘if theywent theywould lose theirBritishArmycomfortandprivilege’.Yells,whosebrotherhadbeenkilled inFrancefivemonthsearlier,toldhim‘thathewaslookingforjustthisstrangenessoflife’.Lawrenceagreedtotherequestand lentthemtwoofhisbestcamels.31

When Lawrencemoved his force out of Akaba, Yells and Brook rode withthem.Atdawnon16September,Lawrence’sraidingpartyleftWadiRum,some50

kilometressouth-eastofAkaba.With25NowaseratribesmenridingalongsideLawrence, theothertribalgroupsfollowedintheirownbands,unwillingtorideor even speakwith theother tribes.AsLawrenceobserved, ‘the restofourpartystrayedlikeabrokennecklace’.Lawrencehadtospendmoretimedirectingthetribesthanplanningtheraid.32

Mudawwarah was an isolated station on the Hejaz railway about 130kilometressouthofMaan.Ithadadeepwell,theonlyoneonthelinesouthofMaan,andifthatwellcouldbedestroyeditwouldparalyseoperationsontheHejaz line.Afteranightreconnaissance,however,Lawrenceruledoutadirect assault on the station,whichhad a garrisonof some 300men tohisfractured 150. He took his raiders further south, where he mined a two-archedrailwaybridgeandpositionedhismen, including ‘LewisandStokes’,on a nearby spur. ‘The sergeants set up their toys on a terrace,’ Lawrence

wrote.33

When a train of two engines pulling ten wagons approached from thesouth,theminewasblownunderthesecondengine.‘Thelinevanishedfromsight behind a spouting column of black dust,’ Lawrence observed. As thedustcleared,YellsopenedfirewithhisLewisgunandBrookfiredtwomortarbombs,thesecondofwhichfellinthegullybelowthebridgewheretheTurksfromthederailedwagonsweresheltering,making ‘ashamblesof theplace’.The survivors fled in panic, straight into the line of sight of the twoLewisguns, onemannedbyYells. ‘The sergeant grimly traversedwithdrumafterdrum,tilltheopensandwaslitteredwithbodies,’Lawrencewrote.34Some90enemytroopswerekilledand70weretakenprisoner.Yellswassaidtohaveaccountedforbetween30and40ofthemwithhisLewisgun.Whenhelaterinsistedonhisshareofthelootfromthetrain,LawrencegaveYellsaTurkishcarpetandacavalrysword.35

TwoLewisgunnersatworkinthedesert.JohnDavidsoncollection.

TheTurksrespondedtotheattacksontheHejazrailwaybyusingarmouredtrainwagons.Thisexamplewascapturedbythe1stLightHorseinSeptember1918.HarryMattockscollection.

On28September,CharlesYells returnedtoSuez,andbothheandBrookwereawardedtheDistinguishedConductMedalfortheirpartintherailwayraidandthe‘greatdestructionwrought’.Fourmonthslater,Yellsreturnedtoactiveservicewiththe3rdLightHorseMachineGunSquadron.

BoilingupthebillyinacapturedTurkishtrench.RalphKellettcollection.

Chapter8

‘AUSTRALIANSWILLDOME’OctobertoNovember1917

This land was hard on the commanders. Generals Meredith and Royston,botholdermen,hadmovedonandthe4thBrigadewasnowcommandedbyBrigadier General William Grant, while Brigadier General Lachlan Wilsonhadtakenoverthe3rdBrigade.Inthelead-uptoGeneralAllenby’soffensive,the8thLightHorsecaptured

aseriesofhillsfacingtheenemypositionsatHareiraon25October1917.Twodays later, the Turks counterattacked the position, now held by theMiddlesex Yeomanry, and during fierce fighting many were killed orwounded.1 John Stephen wrote, ‘Jacko had attacked our outpost and hadsurroundedtwosquadronsofYeomanry...found14deadYeoallstrippedofclothing and equipment.’2 Things were hotting up. Robert Fell went intoactionwiththe10thLightHorseontheafternoonof27OctoberatElBuggarridge,outpastShellal.‘Riflesandmachinegunsveryhot,’hewrote.‘Wehadtolieflat,couldnotliftourheads.’3

FortheattackonBeersheba,theinfantrywouldtaketheirwaterwiththemon30,000camels,eachcarryingtwowatercontainers,butChauvel’sdivisionswould have to find water in the field. They wouldmarch south-east fromShellaltoEsaniandthenceKhalasaandAsluj.GeneralCox’s1stBrigadeleftAbasan el Kebir on 26October and rode via Esani to Khalasa. ‘A cow of adustyday,shiftedoutat5,’LesHorderwrote. ‘ArottentriptoEsanigettingthere at midnight.’4 Of Khalasa, Maurie Evans wrote, ‘Now there is just astonehouseortwovault like inappearancewhichhasIthinkbeenbuiltbytheTurkforhisfrontierdefence.’5JohnStephenleftforKhalasawiththe3rdBrigade on 28October. ‘Saddled up (horses carrying tremendous load) andmovedoffat1600.’6Withwaterthekeyconsideration,HarryBostocknoted

thaton30Octobertherewere‘TwowellswithenginespumpingalldayandnightatKhalasainwadi.’7

DrawingwaterfromanundergroundcisternintheWadiGhuzze.Twomenworktheleveroneachhandpump.Engineerswereabletoextractabout1,300,000litresadayfromtheWadiGhuzzesprings,andthiswasstoredina2,200,000-litrereservoir.RoyalNewSouthWalesLancersMemorialMuseumcollection.

Moving amounted divisionwas amassive operation. ‘OurDiv transporttrainwas4mileslong,’HaroldMulderrecorded.8BehindChauvel’sbrigades,thesupplylinestretchedbackforsome10kilometres;therewerethousandsof camels in the convoys. As Gordon Cooper wrote, 29 October was a‘beautifully clearmoonlight night’.9 Thenext stopwasAsluj,whichMaurieEvans observed was ‘a queer little place ringed in with hills. It has wells,barracks and a smallmosque.’10 Joe Burgess saw Asluj as ‘a few solid stonebuildings’among‘theflintcoveredhardbarrenhills’.11

Ryrie’s 2ndBrigadehad reachedAslujon25October.After thehard ride,themen then had the task of clearing the water cisterns and sinking newwells. The Australians would use the same great circular stone wells fromwhichMoses and the Israelites had drawnwater in their earthenware jars.Someofthetopstoneshadcutswornintothemasmuchas20centimetresdeep,fromtheropesofthousandsofyearsofBedouinsdrawingwaterfromthewell.‘WegotherewithoutoldJackotakingatumbleatallbutoneofhisTaubeshasjustbeenover,’IonIdriesswrote.12

JeffHolmeswaswiththeengineersatAslujon26October.‘Threewellsandseveral large reservoirs, and around these were stone troughs, one beingnearlyahundredyardsinlength,’hewrote.Apiperanfromthereservoirsto

thetroughs.Theengineershadtoclearthewellsandtroughsoutandrigupoilenginesandpumps.13‘Onarrivaltherewefoundthatallthewellshadbeenblown up and were full to the top with rocks & rubbish,’ Granville Ryriewrote.‘Wehadtheengineerswithusandsettoworktocleanthemout.’14

Horsesfromthe1stLightHorsefeedingduringthemovetoKhalasaon29October1917.RoyalNewSouthWalesLancersMemorialMuseumcollection.

ClearingoutthespoilfromtheblockedwellsatAsluj.Theengineers‘hadworkingpartiesof250menandtheyworkedlikedemons,’GranvilleRyriewrote.‘Therewashundredsoftonsofstufftotakeoutofthemastheywere12ftacrossand40ftdeep.’RoyalNewSouthWalesLancersMemorialMuseumcollection.

By 29 October, a good water supply was available and when GeneralAllenby turnedup to inspect thework themen knewhow important theirtaskhadbeen.15GeneralChetwode’splanwasforthree infantrydivisionstoattacktheouterdefencesofBeershebafromthesouth-west,withtheaimofdrawing the main strength of the Turkish defenders onto them. The

preliminaryartillerybombardment fromsome100gunsopenedat 5.55a.m.on31OctoberandsoonraisedapallofdustandsmokeoverBeersheba.Theartillery included twobatteriesof60-poundergunsplus twobatteriesof6-inch siege howitzers and a battery of 4.5-inch howitzers. ‘The enemymusthavegotabigsurprisewhenourheavygunsopenedout,’ JohnMacNamarawrote.16‘OvertheredoubtsaroundBeershebaweretheshrapnelcloudsfromour shells,’ Ion Idriess observed. ‘Black clouds of smoke and thick dustmarkedtheburstingofhighexplosiveshells.’17Chetwode’smainattackwentinjustaftermidday,andundercoverofthedustpalltheinfantrymencutthebarbedwireandcapturedsomekeyouterpositions.Meanwhile,Chauvel’s twomounted divisions hadmoved out of Asluj on

thenightof30October.‘Ittookfrom1700to2400forthemtopass,’HaroldMulder wrote. ‘A dandymetal road runs through it to Beersheba,’ Mulderadded.‘Thefirstmetalroadwe’veseenthissideoftheCanal.’18‘RodesolidallnighttosometenmilesroundandpastBeershebaandturnedinatdaybreak,’Les Horder recorded.19 Just before he rode out, John Stephen pondered, ‘Iwonderwhattomorrowholdsforus.’20

Onthemorningof31October, JohnStephengotan ideaofwhat thedaymightbring:‘Dawnbrokewiththesoundofbattle.’21Fromanearbyhill,PatHamilton ‘couldseeBeershebaclearlywithnakedeye.Afinelookingtown.’His field ambulance had ridden ‘right round behind it’.22 Ion Idriess notedthat the townwas ‘closed in by its big grey Judeanhills’.23 The objective ofRyrie’s brigade was to cut the Beersheba–Hebron road to the north-east.LieutenantColonelGeorgeMacarthur-Onslow’s7thLightHorseledthewayovertoughground,reachingtheHebronroadonlytorunintostrongenemypositions in thehills. ‘Weracedacross theopen&soontheTurksstartedabarrage of shells across our front butwe never stopped,’ Ryriewrote.24 IonIdriesswaswiththe5thLightHorseinthefoothills,firingupattheTurksonthehigherground.‘WecouldseetheTurkishmachine-gunbulletssplatteringthedustupmerrilyalluparoundthechapsintheseventh,’hewrotefromtheshelterofawadibesidetheroad.25

1stLightHorsetroopsonthemovenearAsluj.RoyalNewSouthWalesLancersMemorialMuseumcollection.

Map4:ThecaptureofBeersheba

FivekilometrestotheeastofBeershebawastheredoubtofTelelSaba.Itssteepsidesandboulder-strewntoprepresentedaformidableobstacletoanyapproach. General Chaytor’s New Zealand brigade and General Cox’s 1stBrigade got the job of taking it. The Somerset and Inverness gun batteriesprovided support as the New Zealanders went in alongside LieutenantColonelGeorgeBell’s3rdLightHorse.Bell’smen,withthe2ndLightHorsein support,movedaround the southern sideof thepositionwhile theNewZealanders moved in from the north.26 One of Bell’s men, Corporal RoyDunk,watchedas ‘theyadvancedat thegallopuntil they reachedazoneofheavyfire’,wherethehorses‘werechecked,clearedandgallopedbythehorseholders’ back to suitable cover. The enemy artillery targeted the retiringhorses, unaware the riders had dismounted.27 The British artillery foughtback,directedbyflagsignalsattheTurkishmachine-gunpositions.ItwastheNewZealanderswho finally took the crucialTel el Sabaheights atbayonetpoint,theAucklandMountedRiflescapturing132prisonersandfourmachinegunsastherestofthedefendersfledtoBeershebathroughacurtainoffirefromthe2ndand3rdLightHorse.Itwasnow3p.m.28

TurkishtroopsparadeattheopeningofBeershebarailwaystation.ClarenceReidcollection.

‘OntheBeershebastunt.’GeorgeFranciscollection.

Meanwhile, Chauvel had sent Wilson’s 3rd Brigade to the east of Tel elSaba,wheretheTurkswerestillinstrengthonsomebrokenground.Butthedaywas getting on andChauvel knew hewould need to act promptly anddecisively if he was to have Beersheba before nightfall. A set-piece groundattackwouldnotachievetheresultintime,andwithGrantpleadinghiscasetoallowthe4thBrigadetogoforthetownatthegallop,Chauvelmadethecrucial decision of the battle. ‘Put Grant straight at it,’ he told GeneralHodgson, Grant’s divisional commander.29 Hodgson then told Grant to ‘gorightinandtakethetownbeforedark’.30 Itwas4.15p.m.andonlyaboutanhourofdaylightremained.31

Withthe11thLightHorseonoutpostduty,Granthadonlytworegimentsathand,LieutenantColonelMurrayBourchier’s4thandLieutenantColonelDonCameron’s12thLightHorse.DavidHarriswaswiththe12thLightHorsewhenwordcamethrough. ‘Tightenupallyourgear,’ themenweretold. ‘Inten minutes we’re going into Beersheba to water.’32 With the regimentsspreadoutasaprecautionagainstairattack,itwas4.30p.m.beforetheywereready, lined up on either side of the road about 6 kilometres south-east ofBeersheba. The 12thwere on the left and the 4th on the right. The chargewouldbeoveranopen,gentleslopetotheenemytrenchessomewhereeastofthetown.Crucially,Grantknewthetrencheswerenotprotectedbywireorditches,thoughhewasnotcertainexactlywheretheywere.

LinesoflighthorsemenmanoeuvrefortheattackonBeersheba.Theattackwas‘clearlyseenbyotherbrigadesatthestart,’HenryGullettwaslatertold,‘butsoonobscuredinduskanddust.’GeorgeFranciscollection.

The regiments formed up in three lines, each of one squadron with 5metresbetweeneachhorseman.Withoutswordorlance,themenheldtheirbayonets in hand so the defenders would see the glint of them as thehorsemenapproached.Grantandhisbrigademajor,KenMcKenzie, led theattack,with Bourchier andCameron at the head of their regiments.MajorJamesLawson ledthefirstsquadronof the4th,MajorEricHymanthe leadsquadronof the 12th.Machine-gun fire came from the left but, despite theencroachingdarkness,itwasswiftlynullifiedbygunfirefromthesupportingNotts gun battery. The horsemen galloped on. ‘Our pace became terrific,’David Harris wrote. ‘We were galloping towards a strongly held crescent-shaped redoubt.’33 As Henry Gullett later wrote, ‘These Australiancountrymenhadneverinalltheirridingathomeriddenaracelikethis...allrodeforvictoryandforAustralia.’34

Lawson’strooperstookthefirsttrenchintheirstrideandthencrossedthemain trench before dismounting amid an enemy encampment. The leadsquadron of the 12th also got across the trenches, dismounted and joinedwith Lawson’s men attacking the main trench from the rear. LieutenantsFrankBurtonandBenMeredith,bothfromthe4th,werekilled.TherecentlypromotedBurtonwasaGallipoliveteran,aswerethefourtrooperswhodiedbesidehim.The ruthless lighthorsemengot toworkwith thebayonet andafterabout30Turks fell, therestputtheirhandsup insurrender.Hyman’smenalsogotamongst it,killingsome60enemydefenders.BehindHyman,MajorCuthbertFetherstonhaughattheheadofthesecondsquadronhadhishorse hit and was then hit himself as he charged on into the trenches.Observing an enemy machine-gun setting up behind a wadi on the flank,StaffSergeantArthur‘Jack’Coxturnedhishorse90degreesandchargedthegroupwith only his revolver as aweapon, taking all 40Turks as prisoners.Thestretcher-bearerswereclosebehindtheassaulttroops,thetestcricketerAlbert‘Tibby’Cotteramongthem.Hediedashetriedtosaveothers.35

Thisphotoiscaptioned‘Chargeofthe4thBrigadeonGaza’.Are-enactmentoftheBeershebachargetookplaceusing4thBrigadelighthorsemenon7February1918nearGaza.OfficialphotographerFrankHurleywrote,‘Isensedtheexcitementmyself,forthechargewasdirectedagainstthepositionwhichIoccupied.’JohnGorrellcollection.

TedDengatewasinthecharge.‘Linedupalongthebrowofahill,pausedamoment,andthenwentatem,’hewrotetohiswife. ‘Thegroundwasnonetoosmoothwhichcausedourlinetogettwistedabit,butweallknewwherewehadtogoandwedidgo.Wespurredourhorsesandyelled . . . threeorfour horses came down, others with no riders on still going, the saddlessplashedwithblood . . . I could see theTurks’headsover theedgeof theirtrenchessquintingalongtheirrifles,a lotof thefellowsdismountedat thatpoint...mostofuskeptstraighton...someofthechapsjumpedclearoverthetrenchesinplaces...about150mengotthroughandracedforthetown,theywentupthestreetyellinglikemadmen.’36Dengatehadriddenhisluck:‘Ineverfiredashot,nooneelsedideitherIthink,andwasahugebluffstakes,weputthewindupemproperly.It’smarvelloushowwegotthrough...Igotabullet through the legofmybreeches, justabove theknee,grazedmy legbutdidn’tmakeitbleed.’37

Other light horsemen under Lieutenant Rod Robey and Captain JackDavieschargedonintoBeershebaitself.WhileRobeyheadedeast,Davies,theonlymanintheregimentwithasword,rodeupthemainstreetholdingthe

swordinonehandandhisrevolverintheother,swipingatthefleeingTurkswith the former and firingwith the latteruntil empty.38Meanwhile,oneofthescouts,ThomasO’Leary,hadchargedoutinfrontandjumpedhishorseacross the trenchesbeforegallopingalone intoBeersheba,wherehehelpedcapture a field gun and crew. Lieutenant Aubrey Abbott led his 12th LightHorsetroopin,hiscleverbaymarefollowingthetrackthatwoundthroughthebarbedwireintothetown.39DavidHarriswroteofridingonthroughthetown despite ‘falling beams from the fired buildings, exploding magazinesandarsenals,andvarioushiddensnipers’.40

ThemainstreetinBeershebaleadingtothemosque.RoyalNewSouthWalesLancersMemorialMuseumcollection.

TheterrifiedTurkishdefenderswereinastateofchaos,manyfleeingintothehillstothenorthandnorth-west.ArthurAdams,amanoffewwords,waswiththe12ththatday.Hisdiaryreads:‘EarlymornarrivedoutsideBeersheba.Poked around all day—went into action. Charged and took town—manyprisoners,manyguns, few losses.’41The lighthorsementook58officersand1090men prisoner.42 As HaroldMulder put it, ‘Jacko seems to have got itfairlyintheneck.’43LeoHanlylaterhelpedcollectthewoundedTurksfrom

theareainwhichthe4thBrigadehadattacked.‘Theyleftdeadintrenches3thick,’hewrote.44GeneralAllenbyalso recognised thecrucial impactof thelighthorsemen. ‘Theygallopedovertwolinesoftrenches,8feetdeepand4feetwide,fullofriflemen;andputaneatfinishtothebattle,’hewrote.45

Many of the horses had been without water for some 30 hours, but asGordon Cooper noted, the light horsemen ‘Had a good deal of trouble inwatering the horses.’46 Though the shock of the light horse charge hadprevented most of the wells from being blown, they could not provideenoughwateruntiltheengineerscouldgetthemintoproperworkingorder.Only the pools ofwater formed from the storms six days earlier saved theday.TheTurkshadmanaged todestroyonly twoof the seventeenwells inBeersheba,andtworeservoirsholding400,000litresofwaterwerealso leftintact.Pumpswerebroughtupby tractors to service thewells,while cattlewereusedtodrivethewaterwheelsintheinterim.By4November,1,700,000litreswerebeingdrawnperday.47

AlighthorsemanlooksovercapturedKrupp77-mmfieldgunsatBeersheba.WalterSmythcollection.

The 4th Light Horse had lost elevenmen killed with another seventeenwounded,whilethe12thhadtwentykilledandnineteenwounded.Theeffect

ofthechargegalvanisedAllenby’sarmy.EverythinghadrestedonthefallofBeersheba that day. Chetwode’s infantry corps was ready and waiting toadvance north of Beersheba but could not do so until the town fell and awater supplywas guaranteed. A capturedGerman staff officer thought thelighthorsemenwereonlymakingareconnaissanceandcouldnotbelievethecharge was pushed home. ‘They are not soldiers at all,’ he said. ‘They aremadmen.’48

‘It is quite a small place; with the exception of two big buildings and amosque there isnothingofanysize,’MaurieEvanswroteofBeersheba. ‘Allaroundwas amassof papers inTurkish.’49 ‘The town isnot very big but ismuchmoreswankythananythingwehaveyetseenouthere,’HaroldMulderadded.50But itwasclear that theTurkshadexpectedto loseBeershebaandhadprepared for it. In thesameveinasotherdiarists,MauriePearcewrotethat ‘aswe entered the townmany explosions occurred, the enemy havingminedmost of the wells, water supplies, pumping plants etc’.51 ‘ThewholeplacewasamassofcunninglycontrivedminesandIhadtobeverydiscreetinmysearchforhorsefeed,’MaurieEvansadded.52AsLloydCorlissnoted,theTurkshadplanstodestroytheplace.Hewrotethat‘therewasatrainleftontherailwaystationloadedwithmanymines’.53

‘Ihavenotheardwhatourcasualtiesinallareasyetbutourregimentonlyhad two men killed,’ Lloyd Corliss wrote in one of his last entries.54 PatHamilton was with the 4th Light Horse Field Ambulance when sevencartloads of wounded arrived. ‘Each man to his job everything went likeclockwork,’ he wrote. ‘First patient on table in about 20 minutes. Cartsarrivingallthetime.’Hisfieldambulancedealtwith46patientsthatday.55

Beershebarailwaystation.GodfreyBurgesscollection.

On 1 November a bomb landed about 30metres from the Anzac DressingStation,despiteaRedCrossflagbeinglaidoutontheground.Thestretcher-bearer lineswere laterbombed. ‘Horses rearingandneighing,men runningandshrieking,’PatHamiltonwrote.Fourmenwerekilled,fourwoundedandtwelvewoundedhorseshad tobe shot.WilliamBrownjohnhadhis left legblown off but the bearers got a tourniquet on in about 90 seconds. Thewoundedwereontheoperatingtablelessthan45minutesafterbeinghit,butthe shock of such a scene even among experienced stretcher-bearers wasprofound. One poor man, overcome with shock, was ‘sent away a knockkneed weeping idiot’. The four dead ambulance men were among the 30casualtiesburiedthenextdayatBeersheba. ‘EachonehadanAustralianredgumsapling[planted]atheadandbase.’56

Afieldambulanceonthemove.FredHorsleycollection.

The 3rdBrigade alsohad their losses.AGerman aircraft bombed the 9thLight Horse lines, killing thirteen men and wounding twenty more, alongwith 32 horses killed and 26 wounded. Aircraft also bombed the 8th LightHorsewhiletheregimentwasincloseformation,andColonelLeslieMaygarandhishorsewerehit,thehorseboltingwithitsrider.Whenfound,Maygarhadlostalotofbloodandhelaterdied.AccordingtoPatHamilton,thebomb‘blewColMaygar’sarmoffandhishorseboltedwithhimbeforetheycouldget him . . . strange ending for a VC DSO’.57 Tom Baker wrote that afterMaygarhadbeenhitbybombshrapnel,‘theyamputatedhisarmatonce’then‘as theywere bringinghim in to the fieldhospital in a sand cart, the latterslipped over in the rocky hills and he lost a lot of blood, and that settledhim’.58HenryGullettwrotethatduetotheroughterrain‘hewasafterwardsthrown out of ambulance wagon and died a little later’.59 Harold Muldersummeduptheopinionofmany: ‘Hewasagrandoldchapandthegamestman I ever saw.’60 Next day, Maygar’s men had some measure of revengewhentheyshotdownoneoftheGermanplanes.On5November,MurrayBourchiersentoffashort lettertohisparents. ‘I

ledmyregimentinacavalrycharge,’hewrote.‘Australianswilldome.’61

‘PooroldCharlieLyon.’ThegraveofLieutenantCharlesLyon,3rdANZACBattalionoftheImperialCamelCorps.Lyondiedon9November1917followingthebattleforTelelKhuweilfe.Hisbattalionhad22menkilledand54woundedinthefighting.JohnDavidsoncollection.

Chapter9

‘INCHASEOFJOHNNY’November1917

ThefallofBeershebahadopenedtheroadtoHebron.AsGeneralAllenbyhadforeseen, vonKressensteinhadmoved troopsacross fromGaza to shoreuphisdefencesnorthofBeersheba.ButAllenbydidnotwanttodrawtoomanytroops east, so the 52nd Division attacked the Gaza outpost position ofUmbrellaHillonthenightof1–2November1917.AllenbyhadtocontinuetoconfusevonKressensteinbecausehismainattack furtherwestwasdelayeduntilthewatersupplyatBeershebacouldbeconsolidated.Meanwhile,oneoftheTurkishdivisionsinGazahadbeenreplaced,havingfirstlostone-thirdofits strength due to the heavy bombardment.1 Once Allenby’s forces brokethrough at Tel el Sheria, Gaza would be in danger of isolation,making itsfinalfallinevitable.Meanwhile,Ryrie’s brigademovedonDhaheriye, on the road toHebron.

‘Thecountryissomethingawful,’Ryriewrote. ‘Biggorgeswithsteephills&covered with flat rock very slippery, so here we are shelling them & theyshellingus.’2On 2November, JoeBurgesswaswith the 6thLightHorse inRyrie’sbrigadeadvancingnorthoneithersideoftheHebronroad.Oncethelight horsemen came under fire, they dismounted and headed up into thehills. ‘Wesighted theTurkishpossie [position]on thehillsanddismountedforaction,’hewrote. ‘Gosh,I’llnotsoonforgettheclimboverthosehills, itwas soonmafeesh [without]water.’CaptainAlfredThompsonwaskilled attheheadofhistroop.‘Isawhimfall,’Burgesswrote.3

CharlesLivingstonewasalsowiththe6th.‘IwaspostedononesideoftheravinewithmyHotchkiss gun,’hewroteof theactionon 3November.Histhree-man gun section was isolated for more than two hours by enemysnipers.Duringthefight,Livingstone’sNo.1man,GeoffWarren,waskilled

by a bullet to the head and theNo. 2manwas also killed, but Livingstonekept firinghis gun, finally drivingoff the snipers.Meanwhile, on theotherside of the ravine, GeoffWarren’s brother, Ralph, had his leg broken by abullet.AshewasbroughtbackheheardofGeoff’sfate.CharlesLivingstonewasawardedaDistinguishedConductMedalforhisstaunchbravery.4

Map5:Thedrivenorth

IonIdriesswaswiththe5thLightHorsemovinguptheHebronroadwhenthe leading troop came under artillery fire from hill positions thatcommandedtheroad.‘Thattroopscatteredlikestartledsheep,’Idriesswrote.Next day the dismounted light horsemen made their way up through thedeepgulliestooccupyhillsononesideoftheHebronroadalongthevalley,withtheTurksentrenchedatopthehillsontheotherside.IonIdriesswroteofasectionoffour6thLightHorsemenmovingoutaheadofthemainforce.‘Atthirtyyardsrangesnipersopenedoutonthem.Onemangotaway.’TheAyrshirebatterymovedupinsupportbutablackcloudrosearoundthemastheTurkishgunsgot their range. ‘Butoutof theblackcloudcame thegun

flashes of the two little guns in reply,’ Idriesswrote. ‘Then shell after shellburstabovetheguns . . .vicioushail . . . theirscreamingfragmentsstrikingthegunshieldsandwheels.’5

ThetypeofbarrenhillcountryoverwhichtheadvanceonDhaheriyetookplace.HarryMattockscollection.

Nextday,Idriess’ssectioncameundersimilarfire:‘Somemendown,somehorsesweredown,othersrearingontheirhindlegs,onepoorbrutestoodonhead for secondsbefore itcollapsedandrolleddownthehill . . . screamingshellsandahailofjaggedironandlead...theTurkishgunswererightontous . . . the leadenhail justsplasheddownamongstus . . .onehorsehadhisneckcutcleaninhalf.Lookingupthehillthatevening,withitsbloodstainedrocksanddeadhorses,madeamanthinkwhatamiserable,rottenthingthiswaris.’On6November,Ryrie’sbrigademovedbacktowardsBeershebawith‘thealmostparalysingwishforsleep’.6

Othermountedtroopsmovedagainstthebareanddominatingfeaturethatwas Tel el Khuweilfe, 15 kilometres north of Beersheba. On 2 November,Brigadier General John Wigan’s 8th Mounted Brigade with LieutenantColonelArchMcLaurin’s8thLightHorseattached,movedonKhuweilfe.Thelighthorsemengallopeduptothedefences,butaftercomingunderheavyfiretookshelteramongtherocksofthefoothills.The8thLightHorsekeptatit

untilthemenranoutofwaterandammo.HaroldMulderwasatBeershebawhentheregimentrode in fromthefrontafterdarkon3November. ‘Deadbeatandinanawfulstateforwater,’hewrote.‘Menandhorseswereoutfor40hourswithoutadroptodrinkandfightingallthetime.’7

TurkishforceswatchingthefightingnearTelelSheria.GeorgeFranciscollection.

On 3 November, the infantry of the 53rd Division plus Cox’s 1st BrigadeweresentinagainstKhuweilfe.ThelighthorsemenfromLieutenantColonelCecilGranville’s 1stLightHorsedismountedandmovedupon theTurkishleft flank, where they found themselves isolated andmanywerewounded.‘Position very exposed & casualties heavy but hung on all day,’ wrote JimGreatorex,whowasoneofthewounded.‘Bulletcutthroughputteeonrightleg,’ was how he put it. Greatorex noted that these were the ‘Heaviestcasualties in regiment since 7Aug onGallipoli& hardest fight sinceRafa’.8

Theregimentlostsixteenmenkilled, includingthreeofficers,while43menwerewounded.9

‘Wewere given no supports and only about two thirds of the Regtwentintoaction,’MauriePearcewrote.‘Thepositionprovedtobefartooextensiveand formidable for us to take andwe suffered a severe reverse. It was the

most severe fighting I have ever been in. All our A Squadron officerswereeitherkilledorwounded.’HalfofPearce’s troopwerekilledorwounded. ‘IlostsomeofthebestpalsIhaveeverhad,’hewroteofOliverHindandJohnMartin.10LesHorder,whowaswithASquadron,foundthattheregimentwasunabletogetcloserthan1000metrestotheTurkishredoubt.‘Agoodmanyhorseshit,’ hewrote. ‘Had a job retiring atnight.’11MaurieEvans,whowaswith the field ambulance,wrote, ‘Wewere kept very busy all day under anintermittentlyheavyandfortunatelyerraticshellfire...theTurkshaveheldus up.’12 Jim Greatorex thought the shellfire was intentional: ‘Turks fireddeliberatelyonRedCrosscausingconsiderablecasualtiesinmen&horses.’13

The infantryof the54thDivisionplus the3rdAustralianCamelBattalionattackedTelelKhuweilfeagainon6November.Theyweresupportedbythe2ndBrigadeMachineGunSquadron,whichhadeightmenkilledandsixteenwounded intheunsuccessfulattack.TheTurksonlyevacuatedthepositionafterTelelSheriahadfallen.

WithmoreTurkishforcesmovingeastagainstthemountedtroops,Allenbynow let looseGeneralChetwode’sXXCorps to strikenorth-west forTel elSheriaandHareira.ChetwodestruckatKauwukahatdawnon6NovemberwiththreeinfantrydivisionsandtheMountedYeomanryontherightflank.By2.30p.m.Chetwode’sdivisionshadbrokenthroughandtheTelelSheriarailwaystationwascapturedlateintheday.‘WesetoutforafivemilegalloptooutflanktheTurks,’LesHorderwrote.‘Tookagoodmanyprisonersallthewaybuthadtopullupastheshellsweretoothick.’14JohnMacNamarawentthroughlaterandwrote,‘thereareanyamountofdeadlyingaboutandtheyareallswollenandblackfromthesun...Therewerehundredsofriflesandbayonetslyingaboutincludingsamesaw-edgedones.’15

With the loss of Tel el Sheria, the Tel el Khuweilfe fortress was nowisolatedandthewaytothenorthwasopentoChauvel’smountedbrigades.Theymovedthrough,headingforwateratJemmamehandthenHuj.Beforedawnon8November, the8thLightHorse leftcampnearTelelSheriaandheadednorth.‘WeleftthatmorningandwentinchaseofJohnny,’BillSmythwrote.16

On7November,MajorPercyBailey’s11thandColonelDonCameron’s12thLightHorse crossedawadiunder firenorthofTel el Sheria.Withdifficultterrainahead,Camerondismountedhismenwhiletwosquadronsofthe11throde on before halting. But a troop of light horsemen under LieutenantAlwynBrierty remainedmountedas theyadvanced intoheavyTurkish fire.All horses were hit and eleven men were killed, while all but one of theremainingtenmenwaswounded.Another11thtroopleader,LieutenantJohnBartlett,wentoutwithaHotchkissgunandnineriflemen,andopenedfireontheTurksbeforetheytooweretargeted.Fourofthetenwerekilledandthreewounded.Thetworegimentshungonalldaybeforebeingrelievedbyinfantryatdusk.17Thehorseshadhadnowaterfor40hours.18

GettingwaterfromawellnearTelelSheriaon8November1917.RoyalNewSouthWalesLancersMemorialMuseumcollection.

Following Chetwode’s breakthrough, General Bulfin’s XXI Corps hadattackedaweakenedGazaon7November,takingAliMuntarontheeastsideandadvancingalongthecoasttothewest.Britishtroopsfinallyenteredtheshatteredtownlaterthatday.‘Alldaylonglargeshellswereburstingallalong

ridgefromGazaandfurtherdowntowardsBirSheba,’EdwinBrownwrote.19

‘Theskyisallaglow,theTurkshavesetfiretotheirdumps,’washowMauriePearcesawit.20

WhenGeorgeHuntpassedthroughGazaamonthlaterhewrote,‘Sceneofdesolation everywhere . . . In places cactuswas torn out by roots with bigshells.. .Holesmadebymonitorshells10feetdeep,12feetacross.. .Mosthouses half down.’21 Robert Fell rode through two months later: ‘Place inruins and deserted. Shell holes everywhere. Buildings smashed and housesdemolished.WentovertoTurkishtrenchesatUmbrellaHill.Theyareblowntopieces.’22FrankHurley,theAustralianofficialphotographerwhohadseenrecent service on the Western Front, later wrote, ‘Gaza is the Ypres ofPalestine.’23

MaurieEvansnotedthat ‘aneverceasingstreamofbigmotorlorrieswithstoresandmunitions,batteriesofguns,longlinesofmotorambulanceshavebeenpassingby’.24PatHamiltonwatchedthesamescene:‘Everyonepushingon,rushingon,hurryingon—staffcars,wireless,transports,camels,mountedtroops.Turksretiringfast.’25BillSmythobservedthatallthetransportcreateddust ‘six timesas thickasanyduststormwehadseen. In fact, thedustdidnotmove...youcouldnotseeyourhandinfrontofyou.’26

AmountedcolumnmovesunderthedemolishedrailwaybridgeacrosstheWadielSheria.GeorgeFrancis

collection.

WhenCox’s 1stBrigade advancedon the rail centreofAmeidat,northofTel el Sheria, on 7 November, nearly 400 men plus significant stores andtransportwerecaptured.Coxwrotethat‘althoughtheenemyshellfirefromboth flanks was very persistent, this dashing move was carried out at thegallopuntiltheobjectivewasattained’.27MauriePearcewaswiththe1stLightHorseintheattack:‘WehadafivemilegallopintothemainTurkishdump.Hadonly slight skirmishingbut succeeded inbaggingnearly250prisoners.’Theadvanceofthemountedtroopshadcausedchaos. ‘Wepassedhundredsof the enemy’s transportwagons today abandoned by the roadside,’ Pearcewrote.‘WehadampleproofoftheTurk’sdemoralisationtoday.’28

Eager to interdict theTurks now pulling out ofGaza,Chaytor sent Ryrie’s2nd Brigade to attack Tel Abu Dilakh on 7 November. ‘Away the wholebrigadewentfullgallopoutontotheplain,’IonIdriesswrote. ‘Presentlyupcame the old Brigadier at a hard gallop, pipe alight.’ The 5th Light Horsespreadoutbehindtherailwaylineandthen,asIdriesswrote,‘awaywewent,full gallop towards the guns . . . itwas a grand gallop’.Under heavy small-arms fire, the light horsemen found shelter in a gully before renewing thecharge. ‘Inadensecloudofblacksmokeanddustwespurredourhorsesupthebank,’Idriesswrote. ‘Thetearingwhistleofmachine-gunbulletsathighpressure,strainingholdonourmaddenedhorses.’Whenthemenandhorsesfoundshelter,Idriesswrote,‘Atlastpantinghorsesandstrainingmenoutoftheinfernointocover.Poolsofbloodwerelyingabout.’29

It was getting dark as the men moved up the ridges towards the guns,whichwerewithdrawnthatnight.Onthefollowingdaythelighthorsemenchasedafter thegunsuntil theywereabandonedandcaptured. ‘Squat solidlittle brutes they looked,’ Idriess wrote of what were probably 4.7-inchhowitzers. The light horsemen, including Idriess, stopped to fire at theretreatingTurks:‘Howgreatitwastoseethespitefulspurtsofdustkickthegroundaroundtheirdesperatelymovinglegs.’30

Itwasnotalloneway; later thatdaytheTurkscounterattacked. ‘WesawadvancingtowardsusalonglineofTurkishinfantry,’IonIdriesswrote. ‘We

juststoodupandfiredasfastaswecould.’TheTurksmovedtooutflankthe5th LightHorse on the right. ‘Bulletswere now coming like hail from twodirections,’ Idriess continued. His troop pulled back under fire, bullets‘whizzingpast,kickingthedustinfrontallaroundandbehindus’.31

TroopersfromCTroop,BSquadron,6thLightHorse,advancingonEsdud.RegDixoncollection.

Allmorning the light horsemenmovedback as theTurks advanceduntilthe5thMountedBrigadearrivedaboutmidday.Idriesswatchedas‘alonglineof blue clad Turkish infantry’ came steadily on,with other lines some 200metres behind them: ‘They looked simply grand those chaps, big bluemencoming topushusoff the faceof theearth.’But thedefenceheld.The500light horsemen held off about ten times their number. Idriess watched atextbook lighthorseattackontheTurkish infantry. ‘SawasquadronofourfellowsgalloprightuptotheTurks, jumpofftheirhorses,’hewrote, ‘swingtheir machine gun and rifle fire into the enemy while their horse holdersgallopedthehorsesbacktocover.’32

The3rdLightHorseenteredJemmamehontheafternoonof9November.Of most value there was a reservoir and pumping station, both capturedintact. The horses of the two Australian brigades had now been without

waterfor50hoursandweretakentoJemmamehandNejiletobewatered.

HodgsonnowmovedonHuj,wherethe9thand10thLightHorsecameupagainst heavy opposition. Perhaps inspired by the Australian charge atBeersheba, a squadron of mounted yeomanry under Lieutenant ColonelHughGray-Cheape charged an enemy gunposition.AsCaptainAlanAlan-Williams wrote to his father, however, with the gun position protected bymachine guns and infantry, ‘it was like charging into hell.’ The guns‘continuedtofireuntilwewerewithin20yardsofthem,’hewrote.Ofthe50men in the squadron, 33 were casualties, including Alan-Williams. Moretellingoftheferocityofthedefencewasthelossof46ofthe50horsesthattookpart.The charging yeomanry captured fourKrupp field guns, four 10-poundmountainguns,two5.9-inchhowitzers,threemachinegunsandmorethan 100prisoners.33 ArthurMillswent throughHuj fourmonths later andlookedovertheformerTurkishstronghold.‘Hewasverystronglyentrenched& had a wonderful field of fire,’Mills wrote. ‘Howwe ever took it I don’tknow.’34

On 9 November, Robert Fell wrote from Jemmameh of, ‘Turks in fullretreat.Sawfiresofthedumpsburning.’AstheregimentmovedtoHuj,Fellsaw‘Debriseverywhere.Wagonsalongtheroad.’35‘Wesawsomeawfulthingsontheroad,’GranvilleRyrieadded. ‘Dead&woundedTurksandbullocks&horsesinhundredsjustkilled&leftintheteamsharness&all.’36Despitethedebris, the bulk of the Turkish Army had escaped. The lack of water andheavyTurkishresistancehadkepttheirpursuersatbay.MostofthewellsatHuj had been destroyed. The hardworking horses of the artillery batteriessuffered themost. ‘Some of the horses they have had to shoot forwant ofwater,’JeffHolmeswrote.37

PumpingwaterintohorsetroughsatAbasanelKebir.Abrigadeof2000horsesandcamelscouldbewateredinlessthantwohoursusingsixspearpointpumpseachfeedingacanvastrough.ClaudeBallardcollection.

Out on the plain, thousands of Turks streamed north, but they wereprotected from cavalry charges by the German machine-gunners andAustrianartillerymen.MajorLewisTimperleynoted that theTurkswere inchaos but used their artillery and machine guns well. Without swords,Wilson’s brigade could not ride down the Turkish soldiers, so his lighthorsemenhadtostandoffandpickthemoffwithriflefire.The8th,9thand10th Light Horse harassed the retreatingmasses but could not stop them.Another 10th Light Horse troop, under Lieutenant Arthur Thompson,chargedin;althoughstoppedbymachine-gunfire,thetrooperswereabletoshootup to60draughthorses,denying theenemy theammunitionaboardthenow-staticwagons.A 5.9-inchanda 150-mmgunwere capturedby thebrigade.38

Chaytor moved his division out from Jemmameh on the morning of 9NovemberwithRyrie’sbrigadeon theright flank.The7thLightHorsewasheavily shelled soon after leavingNejile butmovedon toKaukabah,where390 prisonerswere captured alongwith 110wagons. The Australian supplycarts followedcloselybehind, ensuring theadvancecouldcontinue.Amongothers who organised the supply network, Lieutenant Colonel WilliamStansfield,whomtheofficialhistoriancalled‘theQueenslandmagician’,haddonehisjobverywell.39

TheGerman air armwas losing aircraft in the air andon the ground.AtHuj the airfield hangars had been burned, along with seven aircraft—identifiableonlybytheirframes.On11November,LeoHanlypassedthroughand‘sawskeletonsofsevenTaubes.Aeroplaneswhichhadbeendestroyedbyour airmen.’40 ‘Watered then lay down holding our horses and slept tilldaybreak,’RobertFellwrote.‘StenchfromdeadTurksawful.’41

DuringthedrivenorthtoJunctionStation,LieutenantFrank‘Towser’NivisonpositionedhisVickersmachinegunstoshootup40–50Turkishdefenders,leadingtothecaptureoftheposition.ThisphotoshowsNivison’sgunsectioninactionduringtraining.GeorgeFranciscollection.

Withonlybucketandrope,itwasdifficulttogetmuchwaterfromthedeepvillagewells.Reinsandphonewireoftenhadtobeusedtolowerthebuckets.TheTurkishprisonersalsosufferedfromthelackofwater.DespiteChaytor’spush, Ryrie got his brigade a day’s break so they could water their horsesbeforetheybegantodrop.‘Thewaterisveryscarceanditisbeginningtotellon thehorses,’RobertFarneswrote.42Ryriemovedhisbrigade to thecoast,where springwaterwas foundametredown.For threedays themen sleptandswamintheoceanwiththeirhorses.On10November,Cox’s1stBrigademovedonEsdud,thebiblicalAshdod.‘I

think theymusthave retreated in terribledisorder,’ JeffHolmeswrote. ‘Ononehillwe saw the remains of a stubborn fight; dead bodieswere strewed[sic] all over the ridge—all Jackos.’Holmes alsopassed about 30 abandonedgunlimbers,allloadedwithammunition.‘Thiswasasadsight,’hewrote,‘as

the enemyhad shot all the limbermules through thehead, and even somewereknockedontheheadbypicks.’43

Aburned-outhangarandplane,probablyatHuj.HarryMattockscollection.

NorthofEsdud,theWadiNahrSukereirwasaformidablebarrier,coveredbyTurkish positions in the hills beyond.On 11November,Cox pushed hismenacross,LesHorderamong them. ‘Shrapnel fire veryheavybutScottiesadvance against it,’ Horder wrote. ‘By 4 Turks had been driven into oneredoubt.’44Maurie Pearcewas also there.His regiment teamedupwith theScottishinfantryontheirrightandafter‘havingtoadvanceoverathousandyardsacrossflatcountryabsolutelywithoutcover...attackedanentrenchedridgewith redoubts’. Such actions took their toll. ‘Ourhorses andmen aregetting worn out,’ Pearce wrote on 11 November. ‘Some of the horses aredroppingdead.’45

The fluidityof the frontmeant the signallerswerekept verybusy.On 10November,JohnStephen,a3rdBrigadesignaller,wroteofhowthey‘passedalong line of Bedouins running for their life with their belongings. Cause.Jackoput a coupleof shells into their village.’Thenextdaywas ‘dusty andwindy resulting inhardwork forvisual signalling . . .put throughover 100

messages’.46

WateringhorsesfromthevillagewellatEsdudon12November1917.RoyalNewSouthWalesLancersMemorialMuseumcollection.

NorthofBalin,enemyreinforcementshadarrivedandtherewasathreatofa counterattackon the yeomanry there.The8th and9thLightHorseweresent in to support the yeomanry atnearbyBurkusieRidge, but about4000Turks finally drove the Australian regiments off.Harry Bostockwrote that‘the3rdBrigadehadatoughfightalldaytoholdit,andhadtoretireatnight.. . casualties in all regiments’.47Wilson pulled the brigade out andhis lighthorsemenheadedtothecoastforabreak.OnthecoastnorthofGaza,theinfantrymenofthe52ndand75thDivisions

werealmostlevelwithChauvel’smountedtroopsfurtherinland.Airraidsonthe Turkish transport centres further hampered the enemy withdrawal.‘Yesterday we saw the finest sight we ever seen,’ Jeff Holmes wrote on 9November.‘Atdinnertime20ofourplanespassedoverlikeaswarmofbees,to drop bombs on the enemy, and near dusk, 27 pass over on the same

mission.’48

TheTurksfellbackonKatraandJunctionStationontheirrightflankandWadiSuntsouth-westofBethlehemontheirleft.TheBritishinfantry,ledbyBrigadier General John Pollock-McCall, attacked Katra. Brigadier GeneralCharlesGodwin’s6thMountedBrigadethentookovertheattacktowardsElMughar,chargingonhorsebackfromthecoastalflank.Despiteheavylosses,particularly among the horses, they took the position, along with 1100prisoners and 22machine guns. HaroldMulder went through Katra a fewhoursafterthebattle.‘ThewholeplacewascoveredwithdeadbodiesmostlyTurks,’hewrote,‘thowesufferedprettyheavily.’49

ARolls-Roycearmouredcarfromthe11thLightArmouredMotorBattery.KenMcAulaycollection.CourtesyofMargaretSmithers.

TheinfantrypushedontoJunctionStation,wheretwoarmouredcarswerethe first into the town, capturing two trains and 45 motor vehicles. Therailway line to Jerusalemwasnow cut, andon 14November the 12thLightHorse entered a burning Et Tine (see Map 6) unopposed. Jerusalem laybeyond the hills to the east. Cox’s 1st Brigade headed for Ramleh via theJewish village of Khurbet Deiran, with its red-tile-roofed houses, orangegroves andabundantwater. ‘Locality very finehere&groves&orchards allover the landscape, truly a land flowingwithmilk&honey,’ JimGreatorexwrote.Healsosampledthewine,whichtastedlikethe‘nectaroftheGods’.50

DavidLeggewrotethat‘it’squiteashocktoseepictureshangingonthewall

andcarpetonthefloorsagain,especiallyouthere’.51‘ThestreetsarewellkeptandavenuedwithAustraliangumtrees,’FrankHurleyadded.52

LieutenantColonelGeorgeBourne’s2ndLightHorseenteredRamleh,onthemain road from Jaffa to Jerusalem, on themorning of 15November. ‘AdirtysortofGyppo[Egyptian]town,’washowLesHorderdescribedit.53The1stLightHorseheadedfurthernorthtoLuddandthenstruckatthecolumnsof retreatingTurks.Two troops, ledbyLieutenantWilliam James, gallopedalongoneithersideofthefleeingTurks,bravingriflefireandshrapnel. ‘Wecontinueduntilwehadheadedthelot.Capturedover300Turks,’JamestoldHenryGullett.54‘TheTurksseemedabsolutelytiredoutandtoodemoralisedtoshowfight,’MauriePearceadded.55Meanwhile, theNewZealandbrigadecapturedJaffa.ThecaptureofJunctionStationhaddividedtheTurkish8thArmyonthe

coastfromthe7thArmyfurtherinland.ThoughthelatterbarredthewaytoJerusalem through the JudeanHills, the loss of their supply line from JaffameantthattheirdefenceofJerusalemwouldbeadifficulttask.

ThebarrencountryoftheJudeanHillswestofJerusalem.‘Thecountryisaseriesofgreatlimestonehills,terriblyroughandimpassablebutforthebridletrackswehavemade,’FrankHurleywrote.JohnGorrellcollection.

LightHorsetroopsenterJerusalem.‘EveryinchofthegroundwasinterestingwithsomeBiblicalassociation

andIsincerelyregrettedmylackofTestamentalenlightenment,’FrankHurleywroteofhisvisitthere.JohnGorrellcollection.

Chapter11

‘ICAN’TLOSEHALFMYMOUNTEDTROOPS’FebruarytoMay1918

AfterthefallofJerusalem,GeneralAllenby’snextobjectivewastooccupythewesternsideoftheJordanValleyfromtheDeadSeatoWadielAuja.GeneralChetwode’sXXCorpswasgiventhetask,whiletheAnzacMountedDivisionadvanced from Bethlehem on the right flank heading for Jericho. Theadvancewasvianarrowvalleysandmountaintracks, ‘agauntplaceoffierceheat, strong winds, and blinding dust-storms, giving sustenance to neithermannor beast’.1 Themain enemydefenceswere astride the Jericho road, a‘trackveryroughandhilly’asJimGreatorexdescribedit.2

General Cox’s 1st Brigade and the New ZealandMounted Rifles Brigadeconcentrated at ElMuntar some 10 kilometres from the Dead Sea. On 20February1918,theNewZealandersoverranTurkishdefencesamongthehills,thus opening the way for Lieutenant Charles Parbury’s troop from the 1stLightHorsetomovedowntheWadiKumrantotheDeadSeaPlain.TherestofCox’sbrigade followedand forced theTurksback fromthe Jericho road.EdwinBrownobserved that ‘Bridges blown away in several places caused alittle delay.’ At 8 p.m. the 1st Brigadewas ordered tomake a nightmarch,‘passingdownsomeverysteephillsandgullies...andverywindytillatlastwecomeoutontheflatsideoftheDeadSea’.3FrankHurleyaccompaniedthebrigade: ‘At times the horses slid,more thanwalked down the steep rockyfaces,andtheonlyguidewasthedimoutlineofthehorsemanaheadorthetrailofsparksfromthehorseshoes.’4

The squalid town of Jericho was entered by the 3rd Light Horse on themorning of 21 February. ‘A dirty little hole containing only one building of

anysize...theJordanHotel,’MaurieEvanswrote.5‘Wecapturedonlysome40prisoners,’FrankHurleyadded,‘wretchedspecimensofbeings,unshaven,unkemptandhungry.’6Chetwode’sinfantrynowmovedforwardtodrivetheTurksacrosstheJordanRiver. ‘Theircampswecouldseeatthefootofhillsover the Jordan,’ Edwin Brown wrote.7 On the western side of the Jordanthere were some imposing sights, such as the spectacularly sited GreekOrthodoxMonasteryofStGeorge,hewnoutofthecliffsofWadiKeltafewkilometres above Jericho. Nearby was the white Monastery of theTemptation, on TemptationHill. Evanswrote that this was ‘where JCwastemptedbythedevilandfasted40daysetc’.8

TheJerusalemtoJerichoroadwindsitswaythroughgreatwavesoflimestoneatTalatedDumm.‘Abarebarrenplace,’GranvilleRyriewrote.‘Asortofwhitechalkygroundcoveredwithstones,nograssortreesofanysort.’WalterSmythcollection.

Map7:EsSaltandAmman

Jericholocals.RegDixoncollection.

TheMonasteryoftheTemptationhewnoutofthecliffsoftheMountofTemptationaboveWadiKelt.RegDixoncollection.

Onthenightof28February,aMartinsydeaeroplanewastransportedtothewesternshoreoftheDeadSea.Theplane,whichwasnicknamedMimi,wasstripped of its wings and tail and fitted with floats, then launched beforedawntoattackafleetofenemyboatsontheeasternshore.Thehydroplaneskimmedacrossthewateruntiltherudder-yokebrokeanditdriftedashore.The pilot then had the floats removed and converted tomakeshift canoes,eachtocarryfourmen,butthemenwereunabletorowcloseenoughtotheenemyboatstocompletethemission.9

RushingacanteenintheJordanValley.RalphKellettcollection.

Mimi,theMartinsydehydroplaneontheDeadSea.WilfredBakercollection.

Amman, 50 kilometres north-east of Jericho, was an important rail centre,with a rail tunnel and viaduct for the Hejaz railway nearby. Wanting tomaintaintheinitiative,GeneralAllenbyorderedanoperationagainstAmmanto destroy the rail infrastructure and draw Turkish forces away from thecoastal plain and the southern region. Major General John Shea wouldcommand a force based around his 60th Division, but floods delayed thecrossingof the Jordanand theenemyrushed in reinforcements tohold theeastbank.

AcartcrossestheJordanRiveronabarrelpontoonbridge.Sixemptydrumshavebeenlashedintoawoodenframetocreateeachpontoon.RegDixoncollection.

Bymid-March,theAnzacMountedDivisionandtheImperialCamelCorpsbrigade had concentrated at Talat ed Dumm. The infantry of the 60thDivision finally crossed the Jordan atHajla on thenight of 21March, via apontoon bridge constructed by the Australian engineers of the 1st FieldSquadron. One of the engineers, Fred Bell, had swum downstream underheavyfiretopositionthestaycablesofthebridge.TheNewZealanderscrossedtheJordanandheadednorthuptheeastbank

toclear theGhoraniyecrossingpoint,whileother troops landedeastof theJordanestuaryontheDeadSeashore.Inresponse,theTurkspulledbacktothefoothillsaroundShunetNimrin,blockingthemainroadtoEsSalt.The6thLightHorsewasthefirstAustralianregimenttocrosstheJordan,andtherestofRyrie’s2ndBrigadefollowed.‘Itisonlyafewyardswideandacoupleoffeetdeep,bridgedbyapontoon,andthebanks,andeventhestreamitselfwas dense with foliage and made a pretty sight,’ Jeff Holmes wrote.10 ThetrackthatRyrie’smenfollowedtotheeastwasbarelysuitableforledhorses.Ryrie‘hadtoturnalllimbersandcartsback&itwassoonevidentthatitwasan almost impassable goat track’.11 Rainmade progress evenmore difficult,particularlyforanycamels.‘Weclimbedahill,andsliddownprecipicesanditbeatsmetothisdayhowsomeofusnevergotkilled,’JeffHolmeswrote.‘Wetravelledawfulslow,standingforhoursinthecoldrain.’12

AlineoflighthorsemenboundforEsSalt.JohnGorrellcollection.

Cox took his 1st Brigade north but the supposed road reallywas ‘ameregoattrack’.Movinginsinglefile,ittookLieutenantColonelGeorgeBell’s3rdLightHorsethreehourstocoverthefirst5kilometres.‘Atonestageitwasasmuchaswecoulddotoget thepackhorsesalongthenarrow ledge,’MajorJamesClerkewrote. ‘Theammunitionpanniersonthe insidewerescraping

therockywall,whilethoseontheoffsidehungoveraprecipice,fromwhichwasasheerdropofhundredsof feet.Fortunately, theTurksdidnotexpectus.’13

Nooppositionwasencountereduntilmid-afternoon,bywhichtimeBell’sregimenthadcrossedtheformidablerange.14Itmayhavebeenroughbut,asJimGreatorexwrote, thewildflowersgave the country theappearanceof ‘averitablegardenofEdeninplaces’.15Lateontheafternoonof25March,Bell’s3rdLightHorsereachedEsSalt,anoldmountaintownof15,000inhabitantswestofAmman.Bell sent80ofhisdismounted lighthorsemenaround theTurklinesatnight,andwhendaylightbroketheyopenedfirewithHotchkissgunsonthreeTurkishmachine-guncrews.Asaresult,some1000defendersfledinpanicandEsSaltwassecured.16Thelighthorsemenwereparticularlywelcomed by some 4000Christian residents of the town. ‘The inhabitantsseemedverypleased to seeus, firingoff rifles in the air and running amokgenerally,’ Greatorex wrote.17 British infantry arrived soon thereafter tooccupy the town, while the light horsemen moved out to cover theapproaches.

ATurkishmachine-gunnerdeadathisgun.‘Outoftime,’GodfreyBurgesswroteasthecaption.Godfrey

Burgesscollection.

Meanwhile, Ryrie’s brigade and Chaytor’s New Zealanders headed forAmman.ArthurMillsledthe4thBattalionofcameleersacrossthehills.‘Thetrackgotslipperier,wetterandsteeper,’hewrote.‘Lostquitealotofcamels,brokenlegsdislocatedjointsetc.’18MajorArchBolingbrokeledthe5thLightHorseintheabsenceofColonelCameron,andtheregimentcapturedenemymotor lorries along the Es Salt to Amman road. But although the NewZealandersandcameleerswereabletocuttherailwaylinesouthofAmman,the5thLightHorsecouldnotdothesamenorthofthetown.TheTurkshelda strong position atAmman,with good observation for their artillery fromtheother side ofWadiAmman, alongsidewhich the railway line ran. ‘Veryheavymachinegunfire,’GeorgeHuntwroteoftheenemyresponse.With‘noartillery to shift them from dominating position’, Amman would not falleasily.19

When the 2nd Brigade, the New Zealand brigade and the cameleersadvanced on 27 March, the Turkish fire was devastating. The attackscontinuedthenextdayandthecasualtiesmounted.GranvilleRyrie’sbrigadeattacked dismounted and his cousin, Major Harold Ryrie of the 6th LightHorse,wasbadlywounded;withintwoyearshewoulddieofthosewounds.Ofthe58meninMajorRyrie’ssquadron,40werekilled,woundedormissing.TrooperBertScurrahwasoneof thewounded, shot through the spineandrightfoot,‘dangerouslyill’ashisservicerecordputit.20‘Itwasapoorlotwholinedtheridge just in frontofour lines lastnight,’ JoeBurgesswrote.Suchdismountedinfantryattackswerealongwayfromthegloriesofthemountedcharges. ‘Jacko is obstinate,’ Burgess added.21 The 7th Light Horse alsosufferedheavily—bytheendof thedayonly50menwere inthe firing line.ArthurMills’scameleerstookpartinanassaultthatnightalongsidetheNewZealanders.‘At0200myboysfixedbayonetsandchargedtheJackolines,’hewrote.‘WewithNZclearedenemyoutofhissangarpossies...ourboysdidwonders they are all heroes.’22 But the attackers were up against Turkishreinforcementsthathadarrivedbyrailfromthenorth,andAmmanremainedinTurkishhands.GeneralSheaorderedawithdrawal.CacoletswereusedtobringsomeofthewoundedmenfromAmmanback

toEsSalt.Oftheseswayingplatformsslungeithersideofacamel,theofficialhistorian wrote that ‘It would be scarcely possible to devise a more acutetortureforamanwithmutilatedlimbsthanthishideousformofambulance-transport.’23 ‘The damnedest thing ever invented,’ was how Arthur Millsdescribedthem.24Asanalternative,elevenwoundedmenwerestrappedfacedownonthebacksofhorsesonabedofgreatcoatsandgotoutthatway.‘Weputthemonahorsebacktofront,’Millswrote,‘puttheman’sfeetinawaterbuckethungfromthehorse’sneck,laidtheman’sbellyonthesaddleandtiedtheman’shandstogetherunderthehorse’sflank.’25‘ThatnightwastheworstIhadeverputin,’GranvilleRyriewrote.‘Thecoldwassimplyawful,werodeallnight&gottoEsSalt.’26

TherewereanumberofCircassianvillagesinthisarea.ManyCircassians,whohadbeendisplacedfromthenorthernCaucasusregionbyRussianforcesinthe1860sandbeenresettledbytheTurks,hadstrongsympathiestowardstheTurkishforces.‘TheCircassiansareopenlyhostiletoourpeople,’ArthurMillswrote.EmboldenedCircassianvillagersatAinesSir firedon theNewZealand rearguard, killing four or five.27 In response, 36 Circassians weredriven from theirhouses andkilled.As theofficialhistorianobserved, ‘Theretreatwasnotagainmolested.’28

TheTurksalso increasedpressureonEsSalt.The3rdLightHorse foughthardtoholdit,butalthoughColonelBellthoughtitamistake,thetownwasevacuatedon1April.‘WeimshiedtonearEsSalttodayandwewereglad,’JoeBurgesswrotethatday.29TheChristianstrudgedbackwiththeAlliedforcesinthewetandcold.Someofthelighthorsemencarriedwomenandchildrenup on their saddles. ‘There were 3 or 4000 of all sorts and sizes and agestryingtocarryalltheirworldlypossessionsandwalkthe20oddmilestotheJordan,’GranvilleRyriewrote.30‘It’scrooktoseethepooroldfolkstrugglingback,’JoeBurgessobserved.31‘Wedidourbestforthetravellingmyriads,’TedWoodswrote. ‘Our first twopassengerswere baby girls . . .we finishedupwith more civvies than soldiers on the transport.32 ‘Many of the boys hadkiddiesontheircamels,’ArthurMillsnoted.33

RefugeesfromEsSaltgatherfollowingthearduoustrektotheJordanValley.‘Allalongwepassedthepoorunfortunaterefugeestrekking,walking,draggingthemselvesalong,’ArthurMillswrote.‘Men,boys,girls,women,oldmen,babies.’JohnGorrellcollection.

Though a stretch of the Hejaz railway had been destroyed during theoperation,theAmmantunnelandviaductremainedintact;theoperationhadbeen a failure, with 1200 officers and men as casualties.34 Jeff Holmessummed it up formost: ‘It was by far the worst time I spent inmy life.’35

GranvilleRyrieconcurred:‘IneverhadanythinglikeasroughatimesincethedayIwasborn.’36

Utilising the natural hills and swamps, the light horsemen had addedtrenches,wireandcleared firingpositions to forma strongdefencearoundthe three Jordan River bridgeheads, which now came under considerableTurkishpressure.‘Johnnyhasanyamountofgunsherenowandnearlyeverymorningwakes us upwith his earlymorning drum fire,’ JohnMacNamarawrote.37 On 11 April, the Turks made a pre-dawn attack down the Wadi

NimrinagainsttheGhoraniyeandMusallabehbridgeheads.‘Inthehalflight(0400)eachburstcouldbeseenlikeasmallstrokeoflightning,’ArthurMillswrote.‘Theechoboomsandrollsalongtherockywadi.’38‘Allthroughthedaytheartillerykeptgoing,’EdwinBrownnoted.‘AboutathousandTurktroopshadcomedownfromthehills.’39

AtGhoraniye, the2ndLightHorsedefendersallowedtheattackers togetwithin 100metres of their positions before opening firewith their VickersandHotchkiss guns.Most of the attackers fell under this fire, and the fewthatreachedthewiregotnofurther.ColonelCameron’s5thLightHorsealsotookatoll,asdidthesupportingartillery.GeneralCoxwrotethattheartillerydropped ‘a perfect hail of shrapnel on the thick scrub’, under the cover ofwhichtheenemytroopsadvanced.40TheTurkswithdrewthatnight.At the Musallabeh bridgehead, Colonel George Langley’s 1st Australian

CamelBattalionwasusingstonesangarsinlieuoftrenchesduetotherockyterrain. The Turkish assault troops worked their way up the wadis whileartilleryfirekeptthedefenders’headsdown,butthecameleersheldthemoff.Thebridgeheadsremainedsecure.

AGermandespatchridermakesroomforanativecartontheroadfromAmmantoEsSalt.RoyalNewSouthWalesLancersMemorialMuseumcollection.

To support the Arab army operating to the south, General Allenby nowdecided tomake a second attack on Es Salt and Amman. General Chauvelwould command the force, which was based around his two mounteddivisions with two infantry brigades, two Indian cavalry regiments andconsiderable artillery resources in support. Chauvel had been ordered byAllenbytomake‘boldandrapidmarches’.Underpressuretoreleaseupto23of his infantry battalions to France following theGerman spring offensive,AllenbywantedtogaintheAmman–EsSaltareawithaviewtopushingontoDeraaandbeyondbeforehelostmostofhisinfantry.41

ChauvelmovedtheAustralianMountedDivisionacrosstheJordanontheeveningof29April, covering theLondonersof the60thDivision industasthe infantrymen prepared to attack the Turks at Shunet Nimrin. SydneyBarronlaterwrote,‘Wemovedoffjustafterdusk,leavingourfiresburningtodeceive the enemy.’42 Barron was with Grant’s 4th Brigade as it advancedacross the Jordan plain, attracting artillery fire once day dawned. ‘Just ondaylight Jackodiscoveredusand started to shellus fromtheopposite side,’Barronwrote.43ArthurMillswatched‘themountedmenworkinguptheflatunder theenemybiggun fire.Waveafterwave inextendedordergallopingandtrottingalongasthoughonparade.’44

Continuingatthegallop,Grant’sbrigadesuffered23casualtiesduringthecharge across the plain, six of them fatal. Wilson’s 3rd Brigade followedGrant’sandheadedforEsSalt.‘Turkshadthewindup.Starshellseverywhereand heavy artillery opened at random,’ Robert Fell wrote. ‘We were whitewithdustafterournight ride.’45 ‘Wehadclimbed four thousand feet in theten miles from the river,’ Ron Kemp wrote of the subsequent move to EsSalt.46 ‘Words cannot describe that climb up, it seems a nightmare,’ StanParkesadded.47

DawnintheJordanValleyatJisredDamiehon30April1918.‘Justbeforebattle,’JoeBradshawwroteasthecaption.JosephBradshawcollection.

Therewasnooppositionuntil3kilometreswestofEsSalt,wheretheTurksheldhillpositions,buttheseweresoontakenbythedismountedtroopersofthe 9th and 10thLightHorse, before LieutenantCharles Foulkes-Taylor ofthe10thledthefirsttroopsintothetown.TheysurprisedaTurkishtransportcolumntryingtoevacuate,forcingthecartsoffthetrackdownintothewadiand taking 200 prisoners plus considerable material, including 28 newGermanmachineguns.

BackdownintheJordanValleyonthenightof30April,aforceofsome4000Turks crossed the JordanRiver at Jisr edDamieh and attackedGrant’s 4thBrigade, threatening to cut the supply lines of the force at Amman and EsSalt.‘TheylookedlikeantscrawlingalongthewhitebanksoftheJordan,’BillSmythwrote.48Grantwasforcedtopullhisbrigadebacktodefendthetrackto Es Salt, abandoning nine guns as he went. ‘Breech blocks and sightsremoved, guns abandoned,’ Henry Gullett wrote. ‘A wild galloping chaos,everymanforhimself.’49Chauvelorderedupreinforcements.Meanwhile,Ryrie’s 2ndBrigade and a brigade ofmounted yeomanryhad

also reached Es Salt. But the Turkish breakthrough at Jisr ed Damiehcompelled Chauvel to concentrate on opening the Es Salt road at Shunet

NimrinratherthanpushingontowardsAmman.ShunetNimrinhadprovedimpregnable from the valley side, so the yeomanry, supported by part ofRyrie’sbrigade,weredirectedtoattackthestrongholdfromtherear.InfantryfromShea’s60thDivisionalsomovedup to support theoperation, and forfive days in stifling heat the Londoners battered at the defences withoutsuccess.‘Theroadwoundthroughagorgebetweenhillswhichrosetierupontier in rear,making amost effective position for observation and gun fire,’JamesClerkewrote.50

TheroadthroughWadiNimrin.JohnGorrellcollection.

Meanwhile,Wilson’s brigade adopted defensive positions around Es Salt.The 10th Light Horse was attacked on the night of 2 May but cut downhundredswithminimalloss.ItwasnowthreedayssincethecrossingoftheJordan, but supplies were plentiful in Es Salt and there was good grazingcountry around the town. The 5th Light Horse, with the 8th and 10thalongside, now came under attack but drove theTurks back, capturing 319prisoners.Some200moreattackerswereleftdeadinfrontoftheAustralianpositions.RobertFellwasinthethickofthefightingwiththe10th:‘Fightingvery close. I do somebombing, crawled out in front and settled amachinegunandcrew.’51

Butwith ShunetNimrin still inTurkishhands,Chauvel, after conferringwithAllenby, ordered awithdrawal late on the afternoonof 3May. ‘I can’tlosehalfmymountedtroops,’Allenbyconceded.52‘Wewithdrewatnightandgotout through thepass,’GranvilleRyriewrote. ‘It took somedoing toget5000horses&menoutinsinglefile, ifyouallow3ydsperhorseitmakesacolumn 8miles long ormore.’53 Once again, the wounded suffered greatlyduring the retreat.Of twobadlywoundedmenwhowere left behind atEs

Salt,onelaterdiedbuttheother,CorporalWilliamSimms,wasfoundaliveina hospital at Aleppo five months later. Arthur Mills watched the lighthorsemenreturn.‘Theycameasfastastheirtiredanimalscouldcarrythem,’hewrote.‘Wecouldseethemscurryingdownthemountaintrackandacrossthe flat.’54 Back down in the JordanValley,Grant’smen took a hammeringbut,withtimelyreinforcements,theykepttheTurksatbay.As with the first Es Salt ‘raid’, this second operation, despite the

extraordinarydashofGrant’sandWilson’sbrigades,hadended inapparentfailure.When General Allenbymotored down to the valley to see Chauvelafter the action, Chauvel expressed his regret at the operation’s failure.‘Failurebedamned. Ithasbeenagreatsuccess!’Allenbyrepliedandsaidhewould explain later.55He did so in a letter to a friend in London: ‘Nothingmuchdoinghere,forthemoment,butmybigraidsbeyondtheJordanhavedrawn Turks against me, and have eased pressure on the Arabs furthersouth.’56Thetwooperationswouldprovecrucialtotheoutcomeofthewarinthe Middle East. As Allenby observed, they had the effect of forcing theTurkishcommandtodirectmoreattentiontotheAmmanarea,andAllenbywouldsubsequentlyexploitthisindramaticfashion.

Inthiswarthereweremanywaystodie,suchasatPortSaidon10January1918.‘ExplosiononshipladenwithBenzene,soononfire,’AlfSlywrote.‘Onepoorunfortunatecaughtupinporthole—terribledeath.’57NormGardenalsowatched. ‘The flamesweremountainshighand the smokeblackas ink,’hewrote.‘Hersternwasblownaway.’58

AshipablazeatPortSaid.JohnGorrellcollection.

AlineoflighthorsemendescendsthedistanthillstocrossapontoonbridgeovertheRiverJordan.RalphKellettcollection.

Chapter13

‘TERRIFIEDOFTHEBEDOUINS’September1918

WithDeraaandevenDamascusnowunderthreatinthenorth,theTurkish4thArmywestofEsSaltandAmmanwas inaprecariousposition.TurkishforcesfurthersouthintheHejazwereunderanevendarkercloud,andhadbegun the longwithdrawalnorthharriedby theemboldenedArabarmy. IntheJordanValley,GeneralChaytor’smountedforcesecuredtherightflankofAllenby’soffensiveandwaitedfortheanticipatedwithdrawaloftheTurkish4thArmytoopenthewaytoAmman.‘OurjobtowatchtheJordanflank,’LesHorderwroteon20September1918.1JerichoJane,along-rangeTurkishgunpositioned in the Wadi Nimrin (see Map 7), fired on the light horsemenaroundJerichobutwithlittleeffect.‘Janehasjustsentovertwodudshrapnelnear the dump at Jericho from Shunet Nimrin in the hills opposite us,’MaurieEvanswrote.2

With most of the experienced British infantry battalions now shifted toFrance,newtroopsfromthedominionstooktheirplace.Onthemorningof21September,abattalionofBritishWest IndiantroopsseizedtwoTurkish-occupied spurs north ofWadi el Auja before coming under heavy shelling.Thatevening,GeneralMeldrum’sNewZealandMountedRiflesBrigademadeanightapproachand,helpedbytheWestIndians,seizedthebridgeovertheJordan at Jisr edDamieh the next day, 22 September. TheNewZealanderscaptured724prisoners,70vehiclesandconsiderablestoresatElMakhruk.The Indians supplied the bulk of the new units from the dominions.

Risaldar Badlu Singh was an Indian cavalryman serving with the 14thMurray’s JatLancers,partof the29thLancers fightingon thewestbankoftheJordansouthofBeisan.Afterhissquadrontookcasualtiesfromanenemyhillposition,Singhgatheredupsixothermenandchargedandcapturedthe

position. As he reached the crest of the hill, however, he was mortallywounded.BadluSinghwasposthumouslyawardedtheVictoriaCross.

Beforedawnon23September,GeneralChaytor let looseMeldrum’s,Ryrie’sand Cox’s brigades across the Jordan against the withdrawing Turks. Thefoothills were soon secure and once more the advance to Amman began.Maurie Evans, who had been on the receiving end of the Turkish artilleryonlydaysbefore,moveduptheroadthroughtheWadiNimrin.‘OnturningacornerinthewadiweweredelightedtoseeJerichoJanelyingonhersideinthe streamwith a deadTurk alongsideher,’ hewrote. ‘Shewas justwhat Ithoughtshewas—a5.9navalgun.’3

Meldrum’sNewZealandbrigadereachedEsSaltintheearlyeveningof23September and boldly despatched a fighting patrol that finally blew therailwaynorth ofAmman, severely disruptingTurkish plans forwithdrawal.Cox’s1stBrigadefollowedtheNewZealandersintoEsSalt,thistimetostay.

‘JerichoJane’,the150-mmgunthathadbeenpositionedtofiredowntheWadiNimrinintotheJordanValley.Hereitliesoverturnedandabandoned.JohnGorrellcollection.

TakingabreakonthewaytoAmman.JohnGorrellcollection.

Meanwhile, General Granville Ryrie’s 2nd Brigade closed in on Amman,withLieutenantColonelDonCameron’s 5thLightHorseprominent in theattack.LieutenantArchibaldCurrie tookaparty forwardoveropengroundunder heavy fire to attack an enemy post, and when they were within 75metres awhite flagwas raised from the position.Currie andhismen thenstood up and advanced only to be cut down by enemy fire. All but two ofCurrie’s men were hit, and Currie’s wounds would prove fatal. SergeantPatrickKellyandtwoothermen,oneofwhomwaswounded,continuedtoadvanceandcapturedthepostalongwith33prisoners.4Thefactthatanyofthe prisoners survived spoke volumes for the discipline of these lighthorsemen.At10.40a.m.asupportaircraftdroppedamessagetoRyrie’sheadquarters

stating that the Turks were evacuating Amman, and three hours latertroopersfromthe5thLightHorsewerefightingtheirwayintothestreetsofthe town.By 3.20p.m. the trooperswere through the townandheaded forthehighgroundtotheeast.Theresistanceaheadofthe7thLightHorsewasgreater, but by 4 p.m. all of Ammanhad been captured.5 GeorgeHuntwaswith the 7th. ‘Dismounted for action and tore into retreating enemy,’ hewrote.6 At Amman, Maurie Evans saw ‘an enormous quantity of guns and

materialatthestation’plus‘analmostperfectoldRomanamphitheatre’.7

GranvilleRyriewroteof‘theremainsofahugeRomanamphitheatrewithsomefinecarvedstonecolumns’atAmman.HarryMattockscollection.

The 1st LightHorse cut off any retreat fromAmman and 2360 prisonerswere captured aswell as six guns. ‘Weencountered theTurks . . . escapingalong the railway line,’ Les Horder wrote. ‘After knocking a few theremaindersurrendered,76ofthem.’8MaurieEvanssawthecarnagealongtheEsSalttoAmmanroad:‘Forthefirsttimeinthewarthescenesickenedme.Itwastoomuchlikebutchery.’9

Some 190 kilometres south of Amman, the 5000–6000 Turkish forces atMaanwere now all but isolated. At dawn on 29 September,Cameron’s 5thLight Horse headed south from Amman, and Cameron soon receivedinformation that significant numbers of Turks had reached Ziza, 32kilometressouthofAmman.AsCameron’smenapproachedthetown,itwasobviousthattheTurksweretrappedtherebyalargeforceoflocalmountedArabs,who could be seen on the hills to the east andwest of the town. ATurkishofficerandfourmenunderawhiteflagthencameoutofZizaalong

the railway line on a rail trolley to meet the light horsemen. They had amessage from the Turkish commander in Ziza—he wanted to meet withCameron.10

The Turkish commander, Ali Housain, was unwilling to surrender toCameron, as he feared that a regiment of light horsemen was not strongenough toprotecthis troops from the 10,000Arabs once they surrenderedtheir arms. Cameron sent one of his squadron commanders, Major JohnBoyd,tothetownandhereturnedwithasigneddocumentsurrenderingtheforcebutinsistingthat‘insodoing[I]claimyourprotectionforthesafetyofmysoldiers,woundedandsick’.Cameronwouldneedtowaitfortherestofthe brigade to arrive, however, before the Turks felt secure enough to laydown their arms. A number of Arabmoves on the town had already beenstoppedbytheTurkishdefenders.At4p.m.CamerontoldtheArabsthat iftheyattackedagainhewouldattackthem.TheoccasionalsoundofcapturedTurksscreaming‘likedyingpigs’convincedCameronofthedangertheArabsposedtoanunarmedgarrison.11

GeneralRyriemovedupwith the 7thLightHorse to reinforceCameron,andthelighthorsemenmovedintoZizabeforedusk.Onarrival,Ryrie‘foundawildmobofArabsthousandsofthemroundtheposition.TheywereverytruculentandverycheekyandsaidtheywereSheriff’smenand itwastheirright to take the place.’ Ryrie took three Sheik chiefs hostage and ‘left theTurksinthetrencheswiththeirriflesandmachineguns,andputthemontofighttheArabsandmywordtheydidpouritintothem’.12

GeorgeHuntwroteofhow‘4000Turkssurrenderedandweregatheredinfrom their lines of defence into Ze Za [sic] Railway Station’.13 ColonelCameron ‘was greatly struck by the fact that the Turkish garrison . . . wasterrified of the Bedouins’.14 ‘We formed a square round the whole of theTurkish force and kept theArabs outside,’ Robert Farneswrote. ‘It seemedvery strange to have all the Turks round youwith fixed bayonets and ballcartridge.’15Itwasauniquemomentinthewar.

TurkishprisonersatAmman.RegDixoncollection.

Nextday,theNewZealandbrigadearrivedtohelpescortthenowdisarmedTurkish force to Amman. Three trains were captured at Ziza station withsome30wagons,loadedwithfifteenfieldgunsandatleast30machinegunsplusconsiderableammunitionandotherstores. ‘Onlyoneoftheenginesfittouse,’JeffHolmeswrote,‘andthatenginewasemptyofwater.’16Forthecostof 139 casualties, Chaytor had unhinged the Turkish 4th Army east of theJordan, taking 4060 prisoners at Ziza, including 216 officers,while another600 sick andwounded remained in the townawaiting evacuationonce therailway linewas reopened.17 ‘I counted the prisoners along the railway linejustlikealotofsheep,’Ryriewrote.‘Someofthemhadtheirwiveswiththem&one a young baby.’18 JeffHolmes later saw the prisoners outside Ammanaftertheyhadmadeawaterlesstrekof32kilometresfromZiza.‘Theyrushedusforwater,’hewrote.‘Onefellowpulledoutabagfullofmoney...severalofferedusringsandGallipoliStars.’19GeorgeHuntgotsomething:‘Gaveoneoldmanarideandhegavemearing.’20

AcapturedtrainatSamra.JohnGorrellcollection.

On 28 September, Cox’s 1st Brigade headed north. Major Geoff Harris’ssquadron from the 1st Light Horse reached the station at Samra north ofAmman(seeMap9),wheretwotrainswereabandoned,alongwithanotherfouratMafrak.EightkilometresnorthofSamra, the lighthorsemen foundBedouins looting and stopped them. The Bedouins then opened fire andkilledtwolighthorsemen.AsHorderwrote,thereprisalswereswift.‘SotheyroundupallBedouinsinsightandshootthelotofthem,’hewrote.21Thirteenofthemwerekilled.JimGreatorexputitmoresimply:‘HadslightencounterwithBedouinontheway.’22

AlighthorsemanperchedonacragofrockoverlookingBaradaGorge.Theroadandrailwayfollowthelineoftheriveralongthebaseofthegorge.RoyalNewSouthWalesLancersMemorialMuseumcollection.

Chapter14

‘WEAREGOINGTOCHARGETHETOWN’SeptembertoDecember1918

On 22 September 1918, General Allenby met with General Chauvel atMegiddo. Chauvel now had his eyes on Syria, in particular Damascus andthenAleppo,thelossofwhichwouldalmostcertainlyendthewarintheeastfor the Turks. Allenby’s first objectives were Haifa and Acre on the coast,while inland Chauvel would drive for the Sea of Galilee at Tiberias andSemakhwithGeneralHodgson’sAustralianMountedDivision.Grant’s4thBrigadeadvancedonBeisan,clearingiton24September.Grant

was then ordered to attack Semakh, on the southern edge of the Sea ofGalilee,onthenextday.Thatnightthe11thLightHorsecrossedtheJordanRiver just south of the Sea ofGalilee andmoved off in squadron columns.Whenthelighthorsemencameunderfire,ColonelJohnWParsonscalledout‘wearegoingtochargethetown,formsquadronline’.TwosquadronsunderMajorEdwardCostelloandMajorJimLoyneschargedthroughthedarknessattheGermanmachineguns.AlbertDonovanwaswithLoynes’sASquadron:‘“Drawswords,charge!”camethecommand,andawaywewent, fullgallop,straightforthelineofspurtingflame. . .bravingbullets,earthpitsandtripwires.’Donovanwatched as ‘thewild sons of theAustralian bush . . . theirswords gleaming in the moonlight, seemed to demoralise the Turks’.Donovan’s horse leapt across a machine-gun position as it opened fire atpoint-blankrange.1

Onepositionwasoverrunandthentherailwaybuildings,atadistanceof1600 metres, were charged, but heavy machine-gun fire split the advancesome 700metres out. Loynes’s squadronwent left towards the townwhile

Costelloswunghissquadrontotheright,headingfortherailwaystation.Hismen cameunderheavymachine-gun fire andnearly 50horseswent down.Thesquadrondismountedabout200metresawayfromthestationandtookwhatcoveritcould.Eightlighthorsemachinegunswerequicklydirectedatthewindows of the station building to keep theGermanmachine-gunnersfromusingthem.2

Twodeadenemymachine-gunnersandtheirwell-usedmachinegunalongsidetherailwaylineatSemakh.WalterSmythcollection.

Map9:Syria

Meanwhile, Loynes’s men dismounted by the Galilee shore some 150metres from the station. Sheathing their swords and fixing their bayonets,they closed in on the station buildings under the cover of Major HaroldHarper’smachine-gunners.Many of the light horsemen sheltered behind awoodenfenceontopofacuttingabout20metresfromthestationbuildings.3

BertDonovanwaswith a group ofmen sheltering behind the railway linefiringatthestationbuildingwhenahandcameoutthedoorholdingawhitehandkerchief.WhenCaptainWesleyWhitfieldorderedaceasefireandwentforwardtotakethesurrender,however,hewasshotdown.Theenragedlight

horsemen then attacked. ‘Needless to say we took no prisoners from thatjoint,’Donovanlaternoted.4‘Thisactionsentourboysmad.Theyrushedthestation building,’ Arthur Mills was told. He also offered a possibleexplanation.‘Unfortunatelyonepartofthegarrisonintherailwaystationputupthewhiteflagwithoutlettingtheothersinthebuildingknow.’Whenthelighthorsemenreachedthebuildingthey‘couldnotforcethedoorsandtheenemythrewbombsatthemthroughthewindows’,butoncethedoorswereforced, ‘ourmenrushed inwith thebayonette [sic] and thatwas theendofit’.5

Semakhrailwaystationafterthebattle.‘Theenemywasinsideastoutbrickbuildingwithplentyofammunitionandgoodcover,’ArthurMillswroteofthetwo-storeybuildingshownhere.RegDixoncollection.

Oneofthetrooperslaterputtheactiontoverse:

Victorsandvanquishedfightwitheyesaflush,Whiledawnbreaksoutwithgoldencrimsonflush,Dustsmearedandsweating,straininglifeforlife,Pointblanktherange,andhandtohandthestrife.6

Therewere ‘deadmen andhorses just outside the station yard, closerup

moredeadmenandinthebuildingmoredeadmen,’ArthurMillswrote.‘Thewalls were scored with bullets and splashed with blood . . . blood from awounded Turk upstairs was dripping through the ceiling into the roombelow.’7DuringthefightforSemakh,threeAustralianofficershadbeenkilledalongside eleven of their men. Another 29 men were wounded. Incomparison, 98 enemy troops were killed and 364 captured, including 150Germans.WhenGeneralChauveltoldAllenbyofthefallofSemakh,Allenbymadeit

clearthatDamascuswasnowtheobjective.TiberiassoonfellandtheroadtoDamascusbeckoned. ‘Theroadwindsdownthehills likeacorkscrew,’ JohnLowewrote,‘andweseeTiberiasnestlingontheshoreoftheSeaofGalileeatthefootofthehills.’8Meanwhile,GeneralBarrowwasdirectedeasttoDeraa,where he could link up with Colonel Lawrence’s Arabs. If Deraa could betaken,the20,000–30,000menoftheretreatingTurkish4thArmywouldbecut off. FromDeraa, the plan was that Barrow would also drive north forDamascus.OncehetookDeraa,however,BarrowdidnothavethetroopstocapturetheTurkishforcethatwaswithdrawingtoDamascus.Thecolumnswerewell protected byGermanmachine guns anddisinclined to surrenderwhiletheArabswereontheireasternflank,bayingforblood.

ThelighthorsemenenterSemakh.WalterSmythcollection.

GermanprisonersatSemakh.WalterSmythcollection.

The3rdBrigademovesalongtheroadpasttheSeaofGalilee.RalphKellettcollection.

Onthemorningof27September,theAustralianMountedDivisionmovedout—withMacarthur-Onslow’s5thBrigadeleading,followedbyWilson’s3rd.AtBenatYakub,aspanofthestonebridgeacrosstheJordanRiverhadbeenblown and, under fire from the opposite bank, Wilson looked north andsouth for a fordingpoint.ColonelBourchier’s 4th andLangley’s 14thLightHorse scrambled across a ford about 3 kilometres south of the bridge, butharshgrounddelayedaflankingmoveuntildaylight.‘Hatsoflighthorsemenpeeped above long dry grass at top of ridges,’ Henry Gullett wrote of theattackatBenatYakub, ‘andinvalleysbehindwerethehorseholdersrestlessforthegallopwhichsooftenfolloweddismountedfight.’9

ColonelTodd’s 10thLightHorse got across to thenorth, andLieutenantColonelArchMcLaurin’s8thLightHorsefollowedasthe10throlleduptheenemypositions.Wilson’sbrigadekeptmoving,andlaterinthedaycapturedthe Circassian village of Kuneitra, ‘a hungry little bluestone village’ on themainroadtoDamascus.10Ofthevillagers,JohnLowewrote,‘themenwearalargeblackfurheadgearsimilartoaBritishsoldier’sbusby’.11

The9thLightHorse ledWilson’s brigadeup the road toDamascusuntilstoppedbymachine-gunfiresouthofSasa.Thisforcedthetroopersfromthe9thand10thLightHorsetodismountandadvanceovertheroughterrainon

eithersideoftheroad.Meanwhile,the8thLightHorseadvancedclosetotheroad in the darkness and all six enemymachine-gunswere captured, theirlocations given away by their gun flashes.When the 1500 defenders pulledoutinmotorvehicles,Grant’sbrigadetookupthechase.‘Themen,unshavenanddusty,thinfromtheordealoftheJordan,andwith

eyesbloodshotfromthelackofsleep,rodewiththeburstingexcitementofathrongofschoolboys,’HenryGullettlaterwrote.12GeneralHodgsoncouldseetheTurkishcolumntotheeasttryingtobeathimtoDamascus.Withsupportfrom the ever-reliable Notts battery, Bourchier led the 4th and 12th LightHorseagainstKaukabwhileMacarthur-Onslow’sbrigadecrossedtheBarbarRiver,whichrunsintoDamascusfromthesouth-west.TheappearanceoftheFrench cavalry regiment moving around their right flank disturbed theGerman machine-gunners, and twelve machine guns were abandoned toBourchier’smen.TheBaradaRiverbroughtwater from themountains through theBarada

GorgetoDamascus,butwhatbrought lifetothecityonlybroughtdeathtotheTurkishArmyretreatingnorth-westthroughthegorge. ‘Itwas longandverynarrowbetweenverysteepcliffsandonlybareroomforthestream,therailwaylineandanarrowroad,’RonKempwroteofthegorge.‘Wehadgreatdifficultyingettingthroughthehavocanddebris.’13Thelighthorsemenhadearlier set upmachine guns covering the gorge and shot up the retreatingenemycolumns.‘Machinegunspostedonthehillsoverlookingthegorgehadthe enemy at theirmercy,’ ArthurMills laterwrote.14 The retreating Turkswerecutoffandsome4000prisonerstaken.Damascus itself had few natural defences and could not long be held,

despitesignificantnumbersofTurkishtroopsinthecity.Wilsondecidedthatthe chaotic state of those troops gave him the chance to march his lighthorsemenstraightin.Aftersome400yearsofTurkishrule,Damascuswouldfall to theAustralians. In this theywerehelpedbyanactof treachery fromthe Turkish commander, Ali Riza, whomet with General Barrow north ofDeraaandhandedovertheplansforthecity’sdefence.DjemalPashaleftthecity on the afternoon of 30 September, and that night John Lowewatchedfrom the hills as the Turks fired an ammunition and petrol dump. ‘Theexplosions shake the ground like an earthquake and the flames make the

nightlikeday,’hewrote.15

ThedestructionintheBaradaGorge.RoyalNewSouthWalesLancersMemorialMuseumcollection.

Atdawnon1October,Wilson’s3rdBrigadeleftitsbivouaconthesouthernoutskirts ofDamascus andmade its way towards the city, aiming tomovethroughquicklyandtaketheHomsroadnorth.The10thLightHorsepassedtheTurkishhospitalandbarracks,andsoonthereafterEmirSaidsurrenderedthecity.‘Webeingthefirsttroopstoenterwegotagreatreceptionfromthepeoplewholinedthestreetsandwelcomeduswithcheersandclapping,’RonKempwrote.16Guidedoutof thecityandonto theHomsroad,Wilsonwasclear not long after 7 a.m. The Australians soon encountered Germanmachine-gunnersatDumacoveringtheretreatingTurkishcolumns,buttheyrapidly broke through, taking 500 prisoners and 37machine guns. ColonelLawrenceandhisfrenziedArabsenteredDamascusafterWilsonhadalreadyleft.

ThelighthorsemenenterDamascus.RalphKellettcollection.

Under Arab control, conditions in Damascus were soon chaotic. Thepopulationwasstarving,aswerethemanyTurkishprisoners,buttheArabswereincapableoforganisingfoodsupplies.Escortedbyasquadronfromthe2nd Light Horse, Chauvel rode through Damascus at noon on 2 October,followedbyotherunitsofhismultinationalforce.ArthurMillswastherefourdayslater.‘Alldaylongandatnighttooriflesarebeingdischarged,’hewrote.‘Street fights between the [Hejaz] troops and the Druses take place daily.’Conditionsat thehospitalwerehorrific. ‘The jobofburying thedead fromtheTurkishhospital isabigone,’Millswroteon11October. ‘Hundredsdiedaily.’17On2October,ArthurMillsnoted,‘Ourchieftroubleisnotfromtheenemy but from “friendly natives” who loot everything they can get theirhandsonandsnipeatourdespatch ridersand [motor transport]drivers.’Acapturedsniperwasexecutedinfrontofthelocalvillagesheiksasawarning.‘Shootingthismanmayputanendtothis,’Millswrote.18Thefinallighthorseactionofthecampaigncameon2October,whenMajorTomDaly’s9thLightHorse charged enemypositions and captured some 1500 troops, three field

guns and 26machine guns. Back inEgypt, EdwinBrownwatched as ‘LongtrainloadsofTurkishprisonersstillcontinuetogothrough.’19

From 19 September to 2 October, the Australian Mounted Division hadcaptured31,355prisoners,althoughmorethan3000ofthemwouldsoondieof disease and starvation. The division lost only 21 men killed and 71wounded,20 but asArthurMillswroteon 5October, ‘thehorses are lookingplayedoutandmanyofthemenaresickbuttheymusthangonabitlonger’.21

ChauvelnowaimedforAleppo,some300kilometrestothenorth.His4thand 5th Cavalry Divisions headed in that direction while the AustralianMountedDivision remained at Damascus. General Allenby already had hisinfantrymovingup the coastwith the aimof securing theport facilities atBeirut, from which Chauvel’s mounted troops could be better supplied.Preceded by armoured cars, General Macandrew’s 5th Cavalry Divisionmoved throughRayak andBaalbek, thenenteredHomson 15October.Butwiththetwocavalrydivisionsnowdrasticallyweakenedbydisease,Chauvelsoon sent the Australian Mounted Division north to help. ‘The boys arehaving a pretty rough time of it,’ Arthur Mills wrote from hospital on 21October. ‘Most of them are sick [and] the others have 10 and 12 horses toattend to besides cooking and looking after their sickmates.’22MacandrewreachedAleppoon22Octoberbutdidnothave the troopstrengthtoenteruntil26October.CaptainErnestJameswaswiththearmouredcarsthatfirstenteredAleppo.‘Weenteredwithoutopposition,’hewrote.‘AsthelasttrainofTurkishtroopswassteamingoutatoneend,thearmouredcarsandlightcarpatrolsweredrivingintotheother.’23

Waterforthehorses.WalterSmythcollection.

Thirteen kilometres north-west of Aleppo, 2500Turks took up defensivepositions,butasGeneralHodgson’sAustralianMountedDivisionpreparedtoconfront them, the Turks made their smartest move of the campaign andsigned an armistice. ‘I never saw such a change inmen before,’ RonKempwroteofthewearylighthorsemen.‘Theywerelikealotofhappyschoolboys,just let out of school.’24 The Australian Mounted Division then marchedacrossthemountainsfromHomstoTripoli,wherethecampconditionsweresuperior.Meanwhile,theAnzacMountedDivision,badlyaffectedbydiseaseduring the advance from the Jordan Valley, pulled back to their camps inPalestine.Thelighthorsemenwhohadenlistedin1914werealreadyontheirway home. On 12 November, JohnMacNamara wrote of how ‘all the 1914menaredownherenowawaitingembarkationanydayforAustralia’.25Mostofthemsailedon15NovemberandwerehomeforChristmas.The Australians lost 1397 men during the Middle Eastern campaigns.

AlthoughcasualtiesonthisscaleweresufferedonanumberofoccasionsbyAustralians in a single day of fighting on the Western Front, it does notdiminish the sacrifice of these brave men, whom some derided as ‘cold-footed’fornotbeinginvolvedinFranceandBelgium.Referringtothelossesat Second Gaza, Ted Dengate wrote that ‘if they could have seen theBattlefield after the 19th April last year,where the LightHorse andCamelCorpswentintoaction,theywouldhaveseenthebonesof“coldfootedlight

horsemen”,slowlybleaching inthehotsummersun’.26Therethebonesstilllie, buried alongside somany others from conflicts past and present acrossthisharshland.

The6thLightHorseRegimenttook520horsestowarin1914.Theeighteenhorsesshownhereweretheonlyoriginalsthatremainedattheendofthewar.NohorsesreturnedtoAustraliaafterthewar.ThemajoritywereeithertransferredtoIndianmountedunitsorshotduetooldage.RalphKellettcollection.

Thewarwas over but the killingwas not. Surafendwas a small townnearLuddaroundwhichthelighthorsemenhadspentconsiderabletimeincamp.On 9December, the AnzacMountedDivisionwas in camp therewhen anArabthiefshotaNewZealandsoldier.TheaggrievedNewZealanders,joinedby some other troops, soon surrounded Surafend and demanded themurdererbehandedover.TheNewZealandershadpreviouslyhadmenkilledby local Arabs, notably at Ain es Sir inMarch 1918. Their response on thatoccasionwasimmediate,butthistimetheywaitedthroughouttheday,givingthehigherauthoritiestheopportunitytotakeaction.Bynightfallnoactionhad been taken so the troops, ‘angry and bitter beyond sound reasoning’,went into the village, evacuated thewomen and children and then burneddown the village, killingmanyArabs in theprocess.Anearbynomad campwas also razed.27 ‘They got all the women away and then burnt the villagedown,’RobertFarneswrote.‘AlotoftheArabswerekilled...therewillbeaterrible rowabout it.’28 ‘TheAnzacDivision are in great disgrace,’Granville

Ryrieadded.29

WhenGeneralAllenbyvisited theAnzacDivisionaweek laterand ‘spokeabout the show on the Arab village he was very upset’, Robert Farnesobserved.‘Hesaidhehadbeenproudofusbutwasnolonger.’30Theofficialhistorian had earlier noted that ‘British policy pandered foolishly’ to theBedouin and that ‘Firmpunishment for gross offences at the outsetwouldhavesavedinfinitetroublelateron.’31Nowthatthetroublehadarrived, ‘thedisciplinarymachinerywas as active as hitherto it had been tardy’ and thewholedivisionwasheldresponsible.32

Nonetheless, theBritishcommandwas stillhappy tohave the lighthorseunits kill Arabs when it suited their cause, such as to put down a revoltagainstBritishruleinEgyptinMarch1919.Thetwelvelighthorseregimentsthat were still in Egypt awaiting repatriationwere used to help suppress arebellion that had turned violent. ‘Christians in the country towns wereattackedandmurdered,particularlyArmenians.BritishofficersandtouristsproceedingtoUpperEgyptonholidayswereattackedinthetrain,’BrigadierGeneral Lachlan Wilson wrote. ‘Several of them were murdered and somutilatedwithsticksthattheirbodiescouldnotbeidentified.’33OneofthosecasualtieswasPrivateLawrenceRedding,aSouthAustralianservingwiththeAustralianArmyMedicalCorps.HewasaboardaCairo-boundtrainthathadleft Luxor late on 17 March 1919 and was the object of boisterous stone-throwingEgyptiancrowdsasitpassedthroughstationsheadingnorth.Nextmorning at Dairut, about 300 kilometres south of Cairo, the train wasboardedbyriotersandsevensoldiersweremurdered.Redding,whohadbeenonaweek’sleaveinLuxorandwasreturningtoCairo,wasamongthem.

Thetraincarriageinwhichsevensoldiers,includingPrivateLawrenceRedding,weremurderedbyriotingEgyptians.GodfreyBurgesscollection.

On that same day, at Minet el Qamh, north-east of Cairo near Zagazig,some 1000 stone-throwing rioters rushed a post held by Lieutenant FredMacgregor and twentymen from the 10th LightHorse. The rioters got towithin10metresofthepostbeforeMacgregororderedhismentoopenfire;itwaskillorbekilled.Themobbroke,leaving39riotersdeadandanother25wounded,but in the rush to flee, another40or soweredrowned trying tocross a canal.34 Therewere other clashes over the next twoweeks, but theuprisingpeteredoutinearlyAprilandbyJuly1919thelast lighthorseunitshadembarkedforAustralia.

For somewho returned toAustralia the sacrificewent on.GeorgeMitchellwasahighlydecoratedwarherofromtheWesternFrontwhoappreciatedthecomradeshipthatwarhadengenderedamongthemenofthe1stAIF.WhenheattendedalighthorseAnzacDayreunioninApril1936,Mitchell’seyewasdrawntoagroupoflighthorsemengatheredaroundamaninawheelchair.‘This cheerful looking youngster was shot in the spine during the fight atAmman,whenawholesquadronoftheSixthwaslaidout,’Mitchellwrote.35

ThedisabledyoungsterwasBertScurrah, the6thLightHorse trooperwhohadbeenwoundedatAmmanandthencarriedoutstrappedacrosstheback

ofahorsedowntheruggedmountaintracktotheJordanValley.Thatpainfuljourney had been only the start of Bert Scurrah’s struggle, and he wasbetween life and death for three months before being evacuated back toAustraliainJuly1918.Thingsgotnoeasierforhimbackhome;thoughhehadleftthewarbehind,thewarwouldneverleavehim.FollowingthatAnzacDayreunion in1936,BertScurrahwouldonlyseeanothertwoof them.Mayweever remember his ilk, that tough breed of Australian horseman who hadriddenintohistory.

LightHorseveteransatRandwickstablesinSydneyonAnzacDay1982.Lefttoright:MaxNichols,EricTurner,TedPavel(7thLightHorse),StanMcColl,JackBowden(9thLightHorse),DuncanMcKenzie(1stRemountUnit)andJackPollock(1stLightHorse).TenterfieldMuseumcollection.

WRITERBIOGRAPHIES

Private Sydney Barron served with the 12th Light Horse Regiment in theSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.Barron,whowasborninEngland,wasastocksalesman from Perth in Western Australia. He enlisted in July 1915 andreturnedtoAustraliainJune1919.

Corporal Hubert Billings served as a signaller with the 1st Brigade in theSinaicampaign.InDecember1916hejoinedtheAustralianFlyingCorpsasawirelessmechanic. Billingswas a clerk fromBrightonBeach inMelbourne,Victoria.Heenlisted inAugust 1914and returned toAustralia inDecember1918.

SergeantHenry‘Harry’Bostockservedwiththe10thLightHorseRegimentintheSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.BostockwasafarmerfromPingellyinWestern Australia.He enlisted in August 1915 and returned to Australia inAugust1918.

DriverEdwinBrownservedwiththe1stSignalSquadron(attachedtothe1stBrigade) intheSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.Brownwasamattress-makerfromHurstvilleinSydney,NewSouthWales.HeenlistedinAugust1914andreturnedtoAustraliainOctober1918.

LieutenantColonelMickBruxnerservedwiththe6thLightHorseRegimentintheSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.Bruxnerwasagrazierandstockagentfrom Tenterfield in New South Wales. He was made a member of theDistinguishedServiceOrderandtheFrenchLegionofHonour.HeenlistedinOctober1914andreturnedtoAustraliainJuly1919.

Sergeant JosephBurgess servedwith the 6th LightHorse Regiment in theSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.Burgesswasa tramconductor fromRedferninSydney,NewSouthWales.HeenlistedinSeptember1914andreturnedtoAustraliainNovember1918.

Trooper Gordon Cooper served with the 1st Machine Gun Squadron

(attachedtothe1stBrigade)intheSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.CooperwasfromInverell inNewSouthWales.HeenlistedinAugust1914andreturnedtoAustraliainNovember1918.

PrivateLloydCorlissservedwiththe1stLightHorseRegimentintheSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.CorlisswasalabourerfromCurlewisinNewSouthWales.HeenlistedinJanuary1915anddiedofwoundson17November1917.

TrooperEdwardDengateservedwiththe12thLightHorseRegimentintheSinai andPalestine campaigns.Dengatewas a farmer fromMolong inNewSouthWales.HeenlistedinOctober1916andreturnedtoAustraliainAugust1919.

Lance Sergeant Maurice Evans served with the 1st Light Horse FieldAmbulance(attachedtothe1stBrigade)intheSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.Evans,whowasborninEngland,wasanagriculturalstudentfromKyogleinNew SouthWales.He enlisted inAugust 1914 and returned toAustralia inDecember1918.

LieutenantRobertFarnes servedasa signallerwith the2ndBrigade in theSinai and Palestine campaigns. He was awarded theMilitary Cross duringoperations at Jerusalem in December 1917. Farnes was a tea blender fromSouth Melbourne in Victoria. He enlisted in August 1914 and returned toAustraliainJune1919.

LanceCorporalRobertFell servedwith the ImperialCamelCorps and the10thLightHorseRegiment intheSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.FellwasatravellerfromGlebeinSydney,NewSouthWales.HeenlistedinJuly1915andreturnedtoAustraliainJune1919.

Lieutenant James Greatorex served with the 1st Machine Gun Squadron(attachedtothe1stBrigade)intheSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.GreatorexwasamechanicalengineerfromCoburginMelbourne,Victoria.HeenlistedinSeptember1914andreturnedtoAustraliainMay1919.

Sir Henry Gullett was an official Australian war correspondent on theWestern Front from 1915 to 1917. In 1917 hewas put in charge of theWarRecords Section in Egypt, and in August 1918was appointed as the official

AustralianwarcorrespondentintheMiddleEast.AfterthewarhewrotethevolumeoftheofficialhistorycoveringtheAustralianforcesintheSinaiandPalestine campaigns. Gullett, who was a Federal MP, was killed in an airaccidentatCanberrainAugust1940.

LanceSergeantPatrickHamilton servedwith the 3rdand4thLightHorseFieldAmbulanceintheSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.Hewasmentionedindespatches in March 1917 for his actions at First Gaza. Hamilton was auniversity student fromKew inMelbourne, Victoria.He enlisted inMarch1915andreturnedtoAustraliainFebruary1919.

DriverLeoHanlyservedwiththe3rdLightHorseFieldAmbulance(attachedtothe3rdBrigade)intheSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.Hanly,whowasbornin England,was a timekeeper fromElwood in Victoria.He enlisted in July1915andreturnedtoAustraliainFebruary1919.

Driver Jeff Holmes served with the 1st Field Squadron and the EngineersTraining Unit in the Sinai and Palestine campaigns. Holmes was a farmerfrom Allora in Queensland. He enlisted in April 1916 and returned toAustraliainApril1919.

SergeantLeslieHorderservedwiththe1stMachineGunSquadron(attachedtothe1stBrigade)intheSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.HorderwasagrazieroriginallyfromWilloughbyinSydney,NewSouthWales.HeenlistedinApril1915andreturnedtoAustraliainSeptember1919.

Trooper George Hunt served with the 7th Light Horse Regiment in thePalestinecampaign.HuntwasanorchardistfromParramattainSydney,NewSouth Wales. He enlisted in December 1916 and returned to Australia inSeptember1919.

Captain James Francis ‘Frank’ Hurley was the official Australian warphotographerontheWesternFrontin1917.FromOctober1917toMay1918heservedinthatcapacityintheMiddleEast.HurleyalsoservedasanofficialphotographerintheSecondWorldWar.

PrivateIonIdriessservedwiththe5thLightHorseRegimentintheSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.IdriesswasamineroriginallyfromWaverleyinSydney,

NewSouthWales.Heenlisted inOctober1914andreturnedtoAustralia inFebruary1918.HelaterbecameanimportantAustralianauthor.

TrooperPelhamJackson servedwith the 11thLightHorseRegiment in theSinai and Palestine campaigns. Jackson was a clerk from Kynuna inQueensland.HeenlistedinJanuary1915anddiedofwoundson19April1917.Although specific details of his grave locationwere recorded, his bodywasneverrecoveredafterthewar.

CorporalRonaldKempservedwiththe3rdSignalTroop(attachedtothe3rdBrigade)intheSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.KempwasacivilengineerfromEast Malvern in Melbourne, Victoria. He enlisted in February 1915 andreturnedtoAustraliainAugust1919.

CorporalVernerKnuckeyservedwiththe8thLightHorseRegimentintheSinai campaign before transferring to the Australian Flying Corps as amechanic in January 1917. Before the war, Knuckey was a clerk at theCommonwealth Treasury from East Malvern in Melbourne, Victoria. HeenlistedinJuly1915andreturnedtoAustraliainSeptember1919.

PrivateHenryLangtipservedwiththe4thLightHorseRegimentintheSinaiand Palestine campaigns. Before the war, Langtip was a farmer from PortAlbert in Victoria.He enlisted in January 1916 and returned toAustralia inJuly1919.

CorporalCharlesLivingstoneservedwiththe6thLightHorseRegimentintheSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.HewasawardedaDistinguishedConductMedalduringthefightingnorthofBeershebainNovember1917.Beforethewar, Livingstonewas a tram conductor, originally fromHarvey inWesternAustralia.He enlisted inOctober 1914 and returned toAustralia in January1919.

SapperJohnLoweservedasasignallerwiththe5thSignalTroop(attachedtothe5thBrigade)inthePalestinecampaign.Lowe,whowasborninEngland,wasa telegraphist fromBrisbane inQueensland.Heenlisted inMarch 1917andreturnedtoAustraliainMarch1919.

LieutenantStuartMacfarlane servedwith the 1stLightHorseRegiment in

the Sinai and Palestine campaigns. He was awarded the Military Cross inSeptember 1918.Macfarlane, who was born in New Zealand, was a grazieroriginally fromDarling Point in Sydney, New SouthWales. He enlisted inAugust1914andreturnedtoAustraliainMay1919.

Private John MacNamara served with the 1st Light Horse Brigade in thePalestine campaign before transferring to the Australian Flying Corps as awireless operator in September 1917. MacNamara was awarded a MilitaryMedalforbraveryon24August1917.MacNamarawasanagriculturalstudentfromCoffsHarbour inNewSouthWales.Heenlisted inFebruary 1916andreturnedtoAustraliainMarch1919.

SergeantGordonMacrae servedwith the6thLightHorseRegiment in theSinai and Palestine campaigns.Macraewas a farmer fromDorrigo inNewSouth Wales. He enlisted in September 1914 and returned to Australia inDecember1918.

LieutenantColonelArthurMillscommandedthe1stDoubleSquadronAIF,the4thBattalionoftheImperialCamelCorpsandthenthe15thLightHorseRegiment in the Sinai and Palestine campaigns. He was mentioned indespatchesandmadeamemberoftheDistinguishedServiceOrder.MillswasadentistfromParramattainSydney,NewSouthWales.HeenlistedinMarch1915andreturnedtoAustraliainJuly1919.

TrooperMichaelMinahanservedwiththeDesertColumnHeadquartersandthe6thLightHorseRegimentintheSinaiandPalestinecampaignsuntilhewaswoundedon3December1917.MinahanwasadroverfromTibooburrainoutbackNew SouthWales.He enlisted in September 1914 and returned toAustraliainDecember1918.

CaptainHaroldMulder served with the 8th LightHorse Regiment in theSinai and Palestine campaigns. Mulder was a grazier from Geelong inVictoria.HeenlistedinAugust1914andreturnedtoAustraliainApril1918.

CaptainStanleyParkesservedwiththe3rdLightHorseFieldAmbulanceinthe Sinai and Palestine campaigns and with the 8th Sanitary Section fromJune1917.HewasmentionedindespatchesinMarch1917duringFirstGaza.

Parkes was a draughtsman from Albert Park in Melbourne, Victoria. HeenlistedinOctober1915andreturnedtoAustraliainMarch1919.

LieutenantMauriePearce servedwith the1stLightHorseRegiment in theSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.PearcewasastationoverseerfromOrangeinNew SouthWales. He enlisted inMarch 1915 and returned to Australia inMarch1919.

SergeantWilliamPetersonservedwiththe2ndLightHorseRegimentintheSinai campaign. Peterson was a telephone serviceman from Warwick inQueensland.HeenlistedinAugust1914andreturnedtoAustraliainMay1917withadebilitatingnervouscondition.

SergeantRonaldRossservedwiththe8thLightHorseRegimentintheSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.Rosswasablacksmith’sstrikerfromMaidstoneinVictoria. He enlisted in September 1914 and returned to Australia inSeptember1919.

MajorGeneralSirGranvilleRyrieservedasthecommanderofthe2ndLightHorseBrigadeintheSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.Ryriewasafarmerandpolitician fromMichelago in New SouthWales. He enlisted in September1914andreturnedtoAustraliain1919.

TrooperWilliamSmyth servedwith the 4th SignalTroop (attached to the4th Brigade) in the Palestine campaign. Smyth was a postal assistant fromNorthCarltoninMelbourne,Victoria.HeenlistedinJune1916andreturnedtoAustraliainAugust1919.

Sapper JohnStephen servedwith the 3rdSignalTroop (attached to the 3rdBrigade) in the Sinai and Palestine campaigns. He was mentioned indespatcheson18March1917duringFirstGaza.StephenwasapublicservantfromRochesterinVictoria.HeenlistedinJune1915andreturnedtoAustraliainAugust1919.

SergeantFredTomlinsservedwiththe1stLightHorseRegimentintheSinaiandPalestine campaigns.Tomlinswas a farmer fromCowra inNewSouthWales. He enlisted in August 1914 and returned to Australia in November1918.

Driver FrankWillis servedwith the 1st LightHorseRegiment in the Sinaicampaign. Willis was a farmer from Crookwell in New South Wales. HeenlistedinMay1915anddiedofwoundson4August1916.

ColonelJ.W.WintringhamservedasanofficerintheLincolnshireYeomanryin Egypt and then with the 18th Machine Gun Squadron (attached to the22ndYeomanryBrigade)inPalestine.HewasawardedtheMilitaryCrossandmadeaCBEduringhisservice.

LieutenantColonelFrederickWollastoncommandedthe1/5thBattalionofthe Suffolk Regiment (163rd Brigade, 54thDivision) in Egypt and Palestinefrom August 1916 to January 1918. He was made a member of theDistinguished Service Order during his service. He was killed during azeppelinraidonLondonon7March1918.

PHOTOCOLLECTIONBIOGRAPHIES

Wilfred‘Tom’Baker

Sapper Wilfred ‘Tom’ Baker served as a signaller with the 1st SignalSquadron in the Sinai and Palestine campaigns. Baker, who was born inEngland,wasalabourerfromSouthYarrainMelbourne,Victoria.HeenlistedinOctober1914andreturnedtoAustraliainJuly1919.

ClaudeBallard

LanceCorporalClaudeBallardservedwiththe2ndandthe7thLightHorseRegiments in the Palestine campaign. Ballard was a forest guard fromMallanganee in northern New SouthWales. He enlisted in June 1916 andreturnedtoAustraliainAugust1919.

JosephBradshaw

Trooper Joseph Bradshaw served with the 4th Anzac Battalion of theImperial Camel Corps and the 15th LightHorse Regiment in the Palestinecampaign. Bradshaw was a labourer from Kogarah in Sydney, New SouthWales.HeenlistedinAugust1916andreturnedtoAustraliainAugust1919.

GodfreyBurgess

CorporalGodfreyBurgessservedwiththe12thLightHorseRegimentinthePalestine campaign.Burgesswas aproducemerchant fromMolong inNewSouthWales.HeenlistedinNovember1916andreturnedtoAustraliainJuly1919.

JohnDavidson

Lieutenant John Davidson served with the 3rd Anzac Battalion of theImperialCamelCorps in theSinai andPalestine campaigns.Healso servedwith the 15th Light Horse in the Palestine campaign. He was awarded aMilitaryCross during SecondGaza andwas latermentioned indespatches.Davidson,whowasborninScotland,wasafarmerfromCowrainNewSouthWales.HeenlistedinAugust1914andreturnedtoAustraliainJanuary1919.

RegDixon

LanceCorporalRegDixonservedwiththe6thLightHorseRegimentinthePalestine campaign. Dixon was a warehouseman from Centennial Park inSydney,NewSouthWales.HeenlistedintheAIFfromtheRoyalAustralianNavalReserveinApril1917andreturnedtoAustraliainAugust1919.

AustinEdwards

CorporalAustinEdwards servedwith the 1stLightHorseRegiment in theSinai and Palestine campaigns. Edwards was a joiner from Cundletown inNewSouthWales.HeenlistedinFebruary1915andreturnedtoAustraliainOctober1919.

GeorgeFrancis

LieutenantGeorgeFrancis servedwith the 12thLightHorseRegimentandthe4thMachineGunSquadronintheSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.Franciswas a station overseer fromNeutral Bay in Sydney, New SouthWales. HeenlistedinMarch1915andreturnedtoAustraliainAugust1919.

JohnGorrell

Trooper John Gorrell served with the 1st Light Horse Regiment in thePalestinecampaign.GorrellwasabankofficerfromUnanderrainNewSouthWales.HeenlistedinMarch1917andreturnedtoAustraliainMarch1919.

ArthurHitchcock

Private Arthur Hitchcock served as General Chauvel’s batman in theheadquartersof theAustralianMountedDivision in theSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.HitchcockwasashipstewardfromSydneyinNewSouthWales.HeenlistedinMay1915andreturnedtoAustraliainSeptember1919.

FredHorsley

Private Fred Horsley served with the 4th Light Horse Regiment in thePalestinecampaign.HorsleywasateamsterfromLeichhardtinSydney,NewSouth Wales. He enlisted in November 1916 and returned to Australia inAugust1919.

BertInall

PrivateBertInallservedwiththe1stAnzacBattalionoftheImperialCamelCorpsinthePalestinecampaign.InallwasapostallinesmanfromRichmondinNewSouthWales.HeenlistedinMarch1916andreturnedtoAustraliainMay1919.

RalphKellett

Sergeant Ralph Kellett served with the 6th Light Horse Regiment in theSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.KellettwasaclerkfromMudgeeinNewSouthWales.HeenlistedinDecember1915andreturnedtoAustraliainJune1919.

PrivateKenMcAulayservedwiththe2ndLightHorseRegimentintheSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.McAulaywasateacherfromChatsworthIslandinNew SouthWales.He enlisted in August 1915 and returned to Australia inSeptember1918.

HarryMattocks

SergeantHarryMattocks servedwith the 2nd LightHorse Brigade supplytrain in the Sinai and Palestine campaigns.Mattockswas a carpenter fromMaitlandinNewSouthWales.HeenlistedinSeptember1914andreturnedtoAustraliainDecember1918.

PrivateRoyMillarservedwiththe6thLightHorseRegimentinthePalestinecampaign.MillarwasahorsebreakerfromLeichhardtinSydney,NewSouthWales.HeenlistedinMay1917andreturnedtoAustraliainJuly1919.

EdwinMulford

LieutenantEdwinMulfordservedwiththe12thLightHorseRegimentintheSinai and Palestine campaigns. He was awarded a Distinguished ConductMedal and was mentioned in despatches before joining No. 1 Squadron,Australian Flying Corps, in January 1918. Mulford was an electrician fromWaverley in Sydney, New South Wales. He enlisted in August 1914 andreturnedtoAustraliainJanuary1919.

HughPoate

LieutenantColonelHughPoateservedwiththeAustralianGeneralHospitalinEgyptandEngland.PoatewasasurgeonfromSydneyinNewSouthWales.HeenlistedinAugust1914andreturnedtoAustraliainOctober1917.

SergeantClarenceReidservedwiththe1stLightHorseRegimentintheSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.ReidwasalabourerfromGunnedahinNewSouthWales.HeenlistedinAugust1914andreturnedtoAustraliainJuly1919.

ArthurReynolds

SergeantArthurReynoldsservedwiththe6thLightHorseRegimentintheSinaiandPalestinecampaigns.ReynoldswasastationmanagerfromMerriwainNew SouthWales.He enlisted in July 1915 and returned to Australia inJune1919.

WalterSmyth

DriverWalterSmythservedwiththeAustralianMountedDivisiondivisionaltraininthePalestinecampaign.SmythwasanapprenticefromWoollahrainSydney, New South Wales. He enlisted in March 1917 and returned toAustraliainAugust1919.

Private Horace Taberner served with the 1st Remount Unit in Egypt.Taberner was a farmhand from Kensington in Victoria. He enlisted inDecember1915andreturnedtoAustraliainAugust1919.

WilliamMaitlandWoods

FrancisMaitlandWoods

LieutenantColonelWilliamMaitlandWoodswastheseniorchaplaintotheAnzac Mounted Division and then the Desert Mounted Corps. He wasdecoratedwith theOrder of the British Empire.WilliamWoods, whowasEnglish-born, had been a chaplain to the forces since 1893. He enlisted inAugust1915andreturnedtoAustraliainFebruary1919.Hisson,TemporarySergeantFrancisMaitlandWoodsservedwiththe7thLightHorseRegimentand later with the Camel Transport Corps in the Sinai and Palestinecampaigns. FrancisWoodswas an engineer fitter originally fromThursdayIsland.He enlisted in September 1914 andwas discharged from the AIF inMarch1918.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thankstoallthediaristsandcorrespondentswhosestoriesmakeupthetext.Thoughallhavelongsinceleftus,theirwordscanstillinspireus.Thankstothe staff at the AustralianWarMemorial, the State Library of New SouthWales,theNationalLibraryofAustralia,theImperialWarMuseumandtheUKNationalArchivesforfacilitatingmyresearchintotheircollections.Thanks to those people who provided access to family photo and diary

collections: Kay Alliband, Cameron Archer, Paul Batman, Colin Beaton,Robert Burgess, Lyndall Caldwell, Joan and Eleanor Cupit, Rob Davidson,KerrieFerguson,JohnFrancis,AngelaGlover,RichardGorrell,CliffHorsley,Barry Inall, Alan Kellett, John McFarlane, Russ Mattocks, Pat Murphy,Wendell Peacock, Jim Poate, Joan Scott, Bob Smith, Margaret Smith,Margaret Smithers, Kay Stacy, Laurie Taberner, Robyn Thompson, CarolWhiteside, Elizabeth Woods and Merrien Wrighter. Thanks also to RossBrownand JohnHowells at theRoyalNewSouthWalesLancersMemorialMuseumand to theTenterfieldMuseumforaccess to theirphotoarchives.ThankstoKeithMitchellforhisoutstandingworkonthemaps.AspecialthankstothepeopleatAllen&Unwin—SueHinesforinstigating

theproject,andAngelaHandley,NicolaYoungandPhilipCampbellfortheireditorialanddesignwork.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

PRIMARYSOURCESBaker,Wilfred‘Tom’,diary,courtesyofJoanCupitDavidson,John,TheDinkumOilofLightHorseandCamelCorps,Robina,Queensland:BruceandRichardDavidson,1996(writtencirca1934)Hogan,Arthur,postcardalbum,author’scollectionInall,Bert,notes,courtesyofBarryInallMcAulay,Ken,diary,courtesyofMargaretSmithersMurphy,Patrick,‘AustinWilliamEdwards’Wallis,George,notes,<www.mamisa.net/Reference/Transcriptions/WallisGL54R(T)001.htm>Woods,WilliamMaitland,letters,courtesyofElizabethWoodsAustralianWarMemorial

OfficialrecordsAWM4 AIFunitwardiaries,1914–18WarAWM8 Unitembarkationnominalrolls,1914–18WarAWM22 AIFHeadquarters(Egypt),Centralregistryfiles,1914–18WarAWM25 Writtenrecords,1914–18WarAWM27 AWMLibraryrecordsAWM28 Recommendationfilesforhonoursandawards,AIF,1914–18WarAWM38 OfficialHistory,1914–18War,RecordsofC.E.W.Bean,OfficialHistorianAWM40 OfficialHistory,1914–18War,RecordsofH.S.GullettAWM46 CapturedGermandocuments,1914–18WarAWM133 NominalrollofAIFwholeftAustraliaforserviceabroad,1914–18War

PrivaterecordsPR86/300 AubreyAbbottletters1DRL/0005 ArthurAdamsdiaryPR89/179 HeinrichRömer-Andreaeletter3DRL/6060 HubertBillingsdiaryPR83/110 HarryBostockdiary2DRL/0444 MurrayBourchierletters2DRL/1285 EdwinBrowndiaryPR00991 WilliamBurchilldiary1DRL/0211 GordonCooperdiaryPR01906 LloydCorlissdiaryPR00870 CharlesCoxdiary3DRL/7678 EdwardDengatelettersPR00469 RoyDunkpapersPR83/106 RobertFarnesdiaryPR03456 WilliamFraserdiaryPR00836 NormanGardendiary3DRL/6776 JamesGreatorexdiary3DRL/7521 PatrickHamiltondiaryPR05366 LeoHanlydiaryPR85/289 JohnHobbsdiaryPR00740 JeffHolmesdiary3DRL/6595 LeslieHorderdiaryPR91/140 GeorgeHuntdiary1DRL/0373 IonIdriessdiary

1DRL/0373 IonIdriessdiary1DRL/0380 PelhamJacksonpapers3DRL/3747 RonaldKempdiaryPR03193 VernerKnuckeydiaryPR00053 HenryLangtipdiaryPR01457 DavidLeggediary2DRL/0211 StuartMacfarlanediaryPR02017 HarryMaddrelllettersPR00696 LeslieMaygarletters1DRL/0501 ArthurMillspapers3DRL/3400(B) HaroldMulderdiaryPR01571 StanleyParkesdiaryPR01032 RonaldRossdiaryPR01268 AlfredSlydiaryPR00633 WilliamSmythdiary3DRL/3584 JohnStephendiaryandlettersPR01058 HenrySullivandiaryPR01168 FrankWillislettersPR02088 EdwardWoodsdiary

NATIONALLIBRARYOFAUSTRALIAMS883,1,5 FrankHurleydiaryMS986 GranvilleRyrieletters

STATELIBRARYOFNEWSOUTHWALESMLMSS584 JohnAntilldiaryCY4132(MLMSS1219) JosephBolgerdiaryCY4947 JosephBurgessdiaryCY4960(MLMSS1576) MauriceEvansdiaryCY4893 RobertFelldiaryMLMSS2873 JohnLowediaryMLMSS2876 JohnMacNamaradiaryCY2417(MLMSS958) GordonMacraediaryMLDOC1360 MichaelMinahandiaryMLMSS2940 MauricePearcediaryCY2472(MLMSS2942) WilliamPetersondiaryCY587(MLMSS1002) FredTomlinsdiary

IMPERIALWARMUSEUM,LONDON,UNITEDKINGDOM

4082AlanAlan-Williamspapers

203C.W.Battinepapers

C.H.Livingstonepapers

13560

6759J.W.Wintringhampapers

12702F.H.A.Wollastonpapers

NATIONALARCHIVES,LONDON,UNITEDKINGDOMWO95 FirstWorldWarunitwardiariesCAB44/12 AbriefrecordoftheadvanceoftheEgyptianExpeditionaryForce

NATIONALARCHIVESOFAUSTRALIA

B2455 1stAIFservicerecords

A1194,33.68/ HarryChauvel,‘TheAustralianLightHorseintheGreatWar:

15152AShortStoryoftheDesertMountedCorps’

SECONDARYSOURCESBean,C.E.W.&Gullett,H.S.(eds),OfficialHistoryofAustraliaintheWarof1914–18,vol.XII,PhotographicRecordoftheWar,Sydney:Angus&Robertson,1938(firstpublished1923)Bou,J.,Australia’sPalestineCampaign,Sydney:AustralianArmyHistoryUnitandBigSkyPublishing,2010Dennis,P.,Grey,J.,Morris,E.,Prior,R.&Bou,J.(eds),TheOxfordCompaniontoAustralianMilitaryHistory,2ndedn,Melbourne:OxfordUniversityPress,2008Gullett,H.S.,OfficialHistoryofAustraliaintheWarof1914–18,vol.VII,SinaiandPalestine,Sydney:Angus&Robertson,1941(firstpublished1923)Lawrence,T.E.,SevenPillarsofWisdom:Atriumph,Harmondsworth:Penguin,1962(firstpublishedbyJonathanCape,1935)ReturnedSailorsandSoldiers’ImperialLeagueofAustralia(NSWbranch),Reveille(magazine),1929–1939Thomas,Lowell,WithLawrenceinArabia,London:Arrow,1962(firstpublishedbytheCenturyCo.,1925)

NOTES

Introduction1 Chauvelnotes,AWM,2DRL/0793.2 Gullett,OfficialHistoryofAustraliaintheWarof1914–18,vol.VII,SinaiandPalestine,p.20.3 Hurleydiary,NLA,MSS883,1,5.

CHAPTER1:‘SOLDIER’SHELL’1 LighthorsebrigadesaredesignatedBrigadeonly—e.g.1stBrigade;lighthorseregimentsare

designatedLightHorse—e.g.1stLightHorse.2 Gullettnotes,AWM40,60;Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.62.3 Chauvel,‘TheAustralianLightHorseintheGreatWar’,NAA:A1194,33.68/15152.4 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.49.5 Ibid.,pp.81–4.6 Gullettnotes,AWM40,76.7 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,pp.85–8;Sullivandiary,AWM,PR01058.8 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.9 Macraediary,SLNSW,CY2417.10 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.11 Billingsdiary,AWM,3DRL/6060.12 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.13 Petersondiary,SLNSW,CY2472.14 Felldiary,SLNSW,CY4893.15 Knuckeydiary,AWM,PR03193.16 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.17 Mulderdiary,AWM,3DRL/3400(B).18 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.19 Sullivandiary,AWM,PR01058.20 Knuckeydiary,AWM,PR03193.21 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.22 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.23 Gullettnotes,AWM40,62and76.24 6thLightHorseWarDiary,AWM4,10/11/18,Pt1.25 Macraediary,SLNSW,CY2417.26 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.27 Ryrieletters,19June1916,NLA,MS986.28 Petersondiary,SLNSW,CY2472.29 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.30 Petersondiary,SLNSW,CY2472.31 Ibid.32 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.33 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.34 Petersondiary,SLNSW,CY2472.35 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.

Billingsdiary,AWM,3DRL/6060.

36 Billingsdiary,AWM,3DRL/6060.

37 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.38 Macfarlanediary,AWM,2DRL/0211.39 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.40 Billingsdiary,AWM,3DRL/6060.41 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.42 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.43 9thLightHorseWarDiary,AWM4,10/14/16,2–4;Antilldiary,SLNSW,MLMSS584.44 Petersondiary,SLNSW,CY2472.45 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.46 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.47 2ndBrigadeWarDiary,AWM4,10/2/18,6.48 Pearcediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2940.49 Knuckeydiary,AWM,PR03193.50 Cooperdiary,AWM,1DRL/0211.

CHAPTER2:‘COMEON,BOYS,WEAREMAKINGHISTORY’1 McAulaydiary.2 Gullettnotes,AWM40,61.3 AWM46,157.4 Reveille,March1938,pp.14–16.5 Chauvel,‘TheAustralianLightHorseintheGreatWar’,NAA:1194,33.68/15152.6 Mulderdiary,AWM,3DRL/3400(B).7 Macraediary,SLNSW,CY2417.8 Pearcediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2940.9 Holmesdiary,AWM,PR00740.10 158thBrigadeWarDiary,NA,WO95/4625.11 Petersondiary,SLNSW,CY2472.12 1stBrigadeWarDiary,AWM4,10/1/25,12.13 Reveille,August1936,p.24.14 Cooperdiary,AWM,1DRL/0211.15 Reveille,August1936,p.24.16 Livingstonepapers,IWM,13560.17 Cooperdiary,AWM,1DRL/0211.18 Petersondiary,SLNSW,CY2472.19 Petersondiary,SLNSW,CY2472.20 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.147.21 Hobbsdiary,AWM,PR85/289.22 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.23 Corlissdiary,AWM,PR01906.24 Willisletters,3August1916,AWM,PR01168.25 Reveille,August1936,p.24.26 Farnesdiary,AWM,PR83/106.27 2ndBrigadeWarDiary,AWM4,10/2/19,4.28 Reveille,August1936,p.24.29 Holmesdiary,AWM,PR00740.30 Cooperdiary,AWM,1DRL/0211.

Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.

31Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.

32 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.33 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.34 Murphy,‘AustinWilliamEdwards’,p.5.35 Reveille,August1936,p.24.36 Farnesdiary,AWM,PR83/106.37 G.Cross,‘Romani’,Reveille,August1933,p.46.38 Reveille,June1935,p.8.39 Fraserdiary,AWM,PR03456.40 Reveille,August1936,p.24.41 Reveille,August1933,p.20.42 Reveille,March1938,pp.14–16.43 Greatorexdiary,AWM,3DRL/6776.44 Römer-Andreaeletter,AWM,PR89/179.45 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,pp.151–2.46 Billingsdiary,AWM,3DRL/6060.47 Reveille,March1938,pp.14–16.48 Fraserdiary,AWM,PR03456.49 Petersondiary,SLNSW,CY2472.50 Macraediary,SLNSW,CY2417.51 Burchilldiary,AWM,PR00991.52 Römer-Andreaeletter,AWM,PR89/179.53 Pearcediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2940.54 Farnesdiary,AWM,PR83/106.55 Wallisnotes.56 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.

CHAPTER3:‘JOHNTURKMUSTPAYFORHISAUDACITY’1 2ndBrigadeWarDiary,AWM4,10/2/19,4.2 Petersondiary,SLNSW,CY2472.3 Billingsdiary,AWM,3DRL/6060.4 McAulaydiary.5 Farnesdiary,AWM,PR83/106.6 Reveille,August1936,p.25.7 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.8 WellingtonMountedRiflesWarDiary,NA,WO95/4547;LightHorseFieldAmbulanceWarDiary,

NA,WO95/4530.9 Corlissdiary,AWM,PR01906.10 Cooperdiary,AWM,1DRL/0211.11 Reveille,August1936,p.25.12 Pearcediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2940.13 1stBrigadeWarDiary,AWM4,10/1/25,12.14 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.15 Corlissdiary,AWM,PR01906.16 Greatorexdiary,AWM,3DRL/6776.17 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.18 Knuckeydiary,AWM,PR03193.

3rdBrigadeWarDiary,AWM4,10/3/19.

193rdBrigadeWarDiary,AWM4,10/3/19.

20 10thLightHorseWarDiary,AWM4,10/15/14,3.21 Knuckeydiary,AWM,PR03193.22 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.23 Petersondiary,SLNSW,CY2472.24 Ibid.25 Macraediary,SLNSW,CY2417.26 Burchilldiary,AWM,PR00991.27 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.28 Macfarlanediary,AWM,2DRL/0211.29 Pearcediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2940.30 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.31 Petersondiary,SLNSW,CY2472.32 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.33 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.34 Holmesdiary,AWM,PR00740.35 Bostockdiary,AWM,PR83/110.36 Jacksonletter,30August1916,AWM,1DRL/0380.37 Knuckeydiary,AWM,PR03193.38 Ibid.39 Hoganpostcard,8Aug1916,author’scollection.40 Knuckeydiary,AWM,PR03193.41 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.42 Billingsdiary,AWM,3DRL/6060.43 Farnesdiary,AWM,PR83/106.44 Petersondiary,SLNSW,CY2472.45 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.46 Greatorexdiary,AWM,3DRL/6776.47 1stBrigadeWarDiary,10/1/25,14.48 Petersondiary,SLNSW,CY2472.49 Knuckeydiary,AWM,PR03193.50 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.51 Parkesdiary,AWM,PR01571.52 Knuckeydiary,AWM,PR03193.53 Parkesdiary,AWM,PR01571.54 Petersondiary,SLNSW,CY2472.55 Maddrellletters,28August1916,AWM,PR02017.56 Pearcediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2940;TrooperGeorgeNobbswaskilledinactionon9August1916.57 Bostockdiary,AWM,PR83/110.58 Knuckeydiary,AWM,PR03193.59 Langtipdiary,AWM,PR00053.60 Knuckeydiary,AWM,PR03193;Rossdiary,AWM,PR01032.61 Cross,‘Romani’,Reveille,August1933,p.46.62 Reveille,March1938,pp.14–16.

CHAPTER4:‘OH,YOUBEAUTIES’1 Minahandiary,SLNSW,MLDOC1360.

Gullettnotes,AWM40,68.

2Gullettnotes,AWM40,68.

3 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.208.4 Felldiary,SLNSW,CY4893.5 Pearcediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2940.6 Bakerdiary.7 Corlissdiary,AWM,PR01906.8 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.9 Bakerdiary.10 Reveille,December1933,p.3.11 Pearcediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2940.12 Holmesdiary,AWM,PR00740.13 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.14 Ibid.15 Fraserdiary,AWM,PR03456.16 Millsreport,AWM,1DRL/0501.17 Bolgerdiary,SLNSW,CY4132.18 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.221.19 Bostockdiary,AWM,PR83/110.20 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.21 Holmesdiary,AWM,PR00740.22 Reveille,October1934,p.8.23 Reveille,December1933,p.27.24 Gullettnotes,AWM40,69.25 Ibid.26 Pearcediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2940.27 Rossdiary,AWM,PR01032.28 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.29 Bakerdiary.30 Hanlydiary,AWM,PR05366.31 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.32 Hanlydiary,AWM,PR05366.33 Gullettnotes,AWM40,69.34 Parkesdiary,AWM,PR01571.35 Holmesdiary,AWM,PR00740.36 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.37 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.38 Petersondiary,SLNSW,CY2472.39 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.40 Felldiary,SLNSW,CY4893.41 Parkesdiary,AWM,PR01571.42 Holmesdiary,AWM,PR00740.43 NewZealandMountedRiflesHeadquartersWarDiary,AWM4,35/1/21.44 2ndLightHorseWarDiary,AWM4,10/8/26.45 Corlissdiary,AWM,PR01906.46 Macfarlanediary,AWM,2DRL/0211.47 Greatorexdiary,AWM,3DRL/6776.48 Cooperdiary,AWM,1DRL/0211.

Felldiary,SLNSW,CY4893.

49 Felldiary,SLNSW,CY4893.

50 Stephendiary,AWM,3DRL/3584.51 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,pp.237–8.52 Bostockdiary,AWM,PR83/110.53 Fraserdiary,AWM,PR03456.54 Minahandiary,SLNSW,MLDOC1360.55 NewZealandMountedRiflesHeadquartersWarDiary,AWM4,35/1/21;AucklandMountedRifles

WarDiary,NA,WO95/4545.56 Greatorexdiary,AWM,3DRL/6776.57 Horderdiary,AWM,3DRL/6595.58 9thLightHorseWarDiary,AWM4,10/14/23;Stephendiary,AWM,3DRL/3584.59 Holmesdiary,AWM,PR00740.60 Davidson,TheDinkumOilofLightHorseandCamelCorps,p.75.61 Bolgerdiary,SLNSW,CY4132.62 Gullettnotes,AWM40,73;Davidson,TheDinkumOilofLightHorseandCamelCorps,p.75.63 Greatorexdiary,AWM,3DRL/6776.64 Gullettnotes,AWM40,73.65 Stephendiary,AWM,3DRL/3584.66 Corlissdiary,AWM,PR01906.67 Pearcediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2940.68 Fraserdiary,AWM,PR03456.69 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.242.70 Ibid.71 Felldiary,SLNSW,CY4893.72 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.244.

CHAPTER5:‘BUTWEHAVEGAZA’1 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.257.2 Ibid.,p.246.3 Parkesdiary,AWM,PR01571.4 Holmesdiary,AWM,PR00740.5 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.256.6 Farnesdiary,AWM,PR83/106.7 Minahandiary,SLNSW,MLDOC1360.8 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.9 Parkesdiary,AWM,PR01571.10 Farnesdiary,AWM,PR83/106.11 Ibid.12 Bakerdiary.13 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.14 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.15 158thBrigadeWarDiary,NA,WO95/4625.16 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.17 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,pp.265–6.18 Bostockdiary,AWM,PR83/110.19 Theofficialhistorysaysthefogliftedatabout6a.m.butthe158thBrigadeWarDiary,160th

BrigadeWarDiaryandChauvel’sreportallstatethatitdidn’tliftuntil8a.m.

20 Holmesdiary,AWM,PR00740.21 Macraediary,SLNSW,CY2417.22 Parkesdiary,AWM,PR01571.23 Farnesdiary,AWM,PR83/106.24 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,pp.268–9.25 Farnesdiary,AWM,PR83/106.26 Macraediary,SLNSW,CY2417.27 Holmesdiary,AWM,PR00740.28 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.29 Farnesdiary,AWM,PR83/106.30 158thBrigadeWarDiary,NA,WO95/4625.31 Farnesdiary,AWM,PR83/106.32 Wollastonpapers,IWM,12702.33 Bolgerdiary,SLNSW,CY4132.34 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.35 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.36 Chauvelreport,AWM22,739/4/101.37 Farnesdiary,AWM,PR83/106.38 5thLightHorseWarDiary,AWM4,10/10/27.39 Gullettnotes,AWM40,64.40 Ryrieletters,30March1917,NLA,MS986.41 Macraediary,SLNSW,CY2417.42 Minahandiary,SLNSW,MLDOC1360.43 Chauvelreport,AWM22,739/4/101.44 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,pp.293–4.45 Gullettnotes,AWM40,64.46 Farmesdiary,AWM,PR83/106.47 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.48 158thBrigadeWarDiary,NA,WO95/4625.49 Wintringhampapers,IWM,6759.50 Farnesdiary,AWM,PR83/106.51 Bakerdiary.52 Parkesdiary,AWM,PR01571.53 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.54 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.285.55 Ryrieletters,30March1917,NLA,MS986.56 Minahandiary,SLNSW,MLDOC1360.57 Macraediary,SLNSW,CY2417.58 Bostockdiary,AWM,PR83/110.59 Rossdiary,AWM,PR01032.60 Chauvelreport,AWM22,739/4/101.61 Holmesdiary,AWM,PR00740.62 Bakerdiary.63 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.296.64 Holmesdiary,AWM,PR00740.65 Parkesdiary,AWM,PR01571.

CHAPTER6:‘ANUNQUALIFIEDFAILURE’

CHAPTER6:‘ANUNQUALIFIEDFAILURE’1 Wintringhampapers,IWM,6759.2 Ryrieletters,21April1917,NLA,MS986.3 Pearcediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2940.4 Felldiary,SLNSW,CY4893.5 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.6 Bakerdiary.7 Minahandiary,SLNSW,MLDOC1360.8 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.9 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.10 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.11 Minahandiary,SLNSW,MLDOC1360.12 Pearcediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2940.13 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.14 Macraediary,SLNSW,CY2417.15 Felldiary,SLNSW,CY4893.16 Adamsdiary,AWM,1DRL/0005.17 MacNamaradiary,SLNSW,MLMSS2876.18 2ndBrigadeWarDiary,AWM4,10/2/28.19 Farnesdiary,AWM,PR83/106.20 MacNamaradiary,SLNSW,MLMSS2876.21 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.22 Wollastonpapers,IWM,12702.23 Ibid.24 Bolgerdiary,SLNSW,CY4132.25 Gullettnotes,AWM40,45.26 3rdBattalionImperialCamelCorpsWarDiary,AWM4,11/8/4.27 Wollastonpapers,IWM,12702.28 Davidson,TheDinkumOilofLightHorseandCamelCorps,p.82.29 Gullettnotes,AWM40,64.30 Davidson,TheDinkumOilofLightHorseandCamelCorps,p.83.31 Farnesdiary,AWM,PR83/106.32 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.318.33 Ibid.,pp.320–1.34 Smythdiary,AWM,PR00633.35 Hamiltondiary,AWM,3DRL/7521.36 Maygarletters,1August1917,AWM,PR00696.37 Stephenletters,4May1917,AWM,3DRL/3584.38 Felldiary,SLNSW,CY4893.39 Kempdiary,AWM,3DRL/3747.40 Parkesdiary,AWM,PR01571.41 Hanlydiary,AWM,PR05366.42 Parkesdiary,AWM,PR01571.43 Stephenletters,4May1917,AWM,3DRL/3584.44 Loynesletter,3July1917,Jacksonpapers,AWM,1DRL/0380.45 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.329.46 Tomlinsdiary,SLNSW,CY587.

MacNamaradiary,SLNSW,MLMSS2876.

4748 7thLightHorseWarDiary,AWM4,10/12/19,Pt1.49 Farnesdiary,AWM,PR83/106.50 Bakerdiary.51 MacNamaradiary,SLNSW,MLMSS2876.52 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.53 Holmesdiary,AWM,PR00740.54 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.335.55 Woods,lettertoCharlesBean,27April1918.56 Ibid.57 Felldiary,SLNSW,CY4893.58 Woods,lettertoCharlesBean,27April1918.59 Parkesdiary,AWM,PR01571.60 Horderdiary,AWM,3DRL/6595.61 Langtipdiary,AWM,PR00053.

CHAPTER7:‘FIRST-RATEHORSE-MASTERS’1 Dengateletters,19and22May1917,AWM,3DRL/7678.2 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.3 Pearcediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2940.4 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.5 MacNamaradiary,SLNSW,MLMSS2876.6 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.7 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.8 Felldiary,SLNSW,CY4893.9 MacNamaradiary,SLNSW,MLMSS2876.10 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.357.11 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.12 Ryrieletters,11July1917,NLA,MS986.13 Wintringhampapers,IWM,6759.14 Reveille,March1931,p.12.15 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,pp.365–7.16 MacNamaradiary,SLNSW,MLMSS2876.17 Browndiary,AWM,2DRL/1285.18 Pearcediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2940.19 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.20 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,pp.370–2.21 Ibid.,p.374.22 Macraediary,SLNSW,CY2417.23 Farnesdiary,AWM,PR83/106.24 Pearcediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2940.25 MacNamaradiary,SLNSW,MLMSS2876.MacNamarareferstothepilotasDietmach.26 Holmesdiary,AWM,PR00740.27 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.28 Lawrence,SevenPillarsofWisdom,p.352.29 Ibid.,p.352.30 Thomas,WithLawrenceinArabia,p.104.

31 Lawrence,SevenPillarsofWisdom,p.353.32 Ibid.,pp.367–8.33 Ibid.,pp.370–5.34 Ibid.,pp.376–7.35 Thomas,WithLawrenceinArabia,p.104.

CHAPTER8:‘AUSTRALIANSWILLDOME’1 5thMountedBrigadeHeadquartersWarDiary,NA,WO95/4507.2 Stephendiary,AWM,3DRL/3584.3 Felldiary,SLNSW,CY4893.4 Horderdiary,AWM,3DRL/6595.5 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.6 Stephendiary,AWM,3DRL/3584.7 Bostockdiary,AWM,PR83/110.8 Mulderdiary,AWM,3DRL/3400(B).9 Cooperdiary,AWM,1DRL/0211.10 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.11 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.12 Idriessdiary,AWM,1DRL/0373.13 Holmesdiary,AWM,PR00740.14 Ryrieletters,5November1917,NLA,MS986.15 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,pp.378–9.16 MacNamaradiary,SLNSW,MLMSS2876.17 Idriessdiary,AWM,1DRL/0373.18 Mulderdiary,AWM,3DRL/3400(B).19 Horderdiary,AWM,3DRL/6595.20 Stephendiary,AWM,3DRL/3584.21 Ibid.22 Hamiltondiary,AWM,3DRL/7521.23 Idriessdiary,AWM,1DRL/0373.24 Ryrieletters,5November1917,NLA,MS986.25 Idriessdiary,AWM,1DRL/0373.26 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,pp.390–1.27 Dunkpapers,AWM,PR00469.28 AucklandMountedRiflesWarDiary,NA,WO95/4545.29 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.393.30 W.Grantcomments,AWM38,7953–31.31 4thBrigadeWarDiary,AWM4,10/4/10.32 D.Harrisletter,Gullettnotes,AWM40,45.33 Ibid.34 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,pp.396–7.35 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,pp.400–1;Gullettnotes,AWM40,59.36 Dengateletters,5November1917,AWM,3DRL/7678.37 Ibid.,17January1918.38 Gullettnotes,AWM40,59.39 Abbottletters,8October1973,AWM,PR86/300.40 D.Harrisletter,Gullettnotes,AWM40,45.

Adamsdiary,AWM,1DRL/0005.

41Adamsdiary,AWM,1DRL/0005.

42 4thBrigadeWarDiary,AWM4,10/4/10.43 Mulderdiary,AWM,3DRL/3400(B).44 Hanlydiary,AWM,PR05366.45 Allenbyletter,20November1917,Battinepapers,IWM,203.46 Cooperdiary,AWM,1DRL/0211.47 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,pp.435–6.48 Gullettnotes,AWM40,59.49 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.50 Mulderdiary,AWM,3DRL/3400(B).51 Pearcediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2940.52 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.53 Corlissdiary,AWM,PR01906.54 Ibid.55 Hamiltondiary,AWM,3DRL/7521.56 Ibid.57 Ibid.58 Bakerdiary.59 Gullettnotes,AWM40,59.60 Mulderdiary,AWM,3DRL/3400(B).61 Bourchierletters,5November1917,AWM,2DRL/0444.

CHAPTER9:‘INCHASEOFJOHNNY’1 Allenbyreport,NA,CAB44/12.2 Ryrieletters,5November1917,NLA,MS986.3 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.4 Livingstonepapers,IWM,13560;Livingstoneservicerecord,NAA:B2455.5 Idriessdiary,AWM,1DRL/0373.6 Ibid.7 Mulderdiary,AWM,3DRL/3400(B).8 Greatorexdiary,AWM,3DRL/6776.9 1stLightHorseWarDiary,AWM4,10/6/31.10 Pearcediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2940.11 Horderdiary,AWM,3DRL/6595.12 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.13 Greatorexdiary,AWM,3DRL/6776.14 Horderdiary,AWM,3DRL/6595.15 MacNamaradiary,SLNSW,MLMSS2876.16 Smythdiary,AWM,PR00633.17 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,pp.432–4.18 Adamsdiary,AWM,1DRL/0005.19 Browndiary,AWM,2DRL/1285.20 Pearcediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2940.21 Huntdiary,AWM,PR91/140.22 Felldiary,SLNSW,CY4893.23 Hurleydiary,6February1918,NLA,MS883,1,5.24 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.

Hamiltondiary,AWM,3DRL/7521.

25Hamiltondiary,AWM,3DRL/7521.

26 Smythdiary,AWM,PR00633.27 Coxdiary,AWM,PR00870.28 Pearcediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2940.29 Idriessdiary,AWM,1DRL/0373.30 Ibid.31 Ibid.32 Ibid.33 Alan-Williamsletter,IWM,4082.34 Millsdiary,AWM,1DRL/0501.35 Felldiary,SLNSW,CY4893.36 Ryrieletters,15November1917,NLA,MS986.37 Holmesdiary,AWM,PR00740.38 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,pp.446–8.39 Ibid.,pp.451–2.40 Hanlydiary,AWM,PR05366.41 Felldiary,SLNSW,CY4893.42 Farnesdiary,AWM,PR83/106.43 Holmesdiary,AWM,PR00740.44 Horderdiary,AWM,3DRL/6595.45 Pearcediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2940.46 Stephendiary,AWM,3DRL/3584.47 Bostockdiary,AWM,PR83/110.48 Holmesdiary,AWM,PR00740.49 Mulderdiary,AWM,3DRL/3400(B).50 Greatorexdiary,AWM,3DRL/6776.51 Leggediary,AWM,PR01457.52 Hurleydiary,NLA,MS883,1,5.53 Horderdiary,AWM,3DRL/6595.54 Gullettnotes,AWM40,73.55 Pearcediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2940.

Chapter10:Jerusalem1 8thLightHorseWarDiary,AWM4,10/13/29.2 Allenbyreport,NA,CAB44/12.3 Mulderdiary,AWM,3DRL/3400(B).4 Cooperdiary,AWM,1DRL/0211.5 Allenbyreport,NA,CAB44/12.6 Allenbyreport,NA,CAB44/12.7 Langtipdiary,AWM,PR00053.8 Mulderdiary,AWM,3DRL/3400(B).9 Allenbyreport,NA,CAB44/12.10 Mulderdiary,AWM,3DRL/3400(B).11 Stephendiary,AWM,3DRL/3584.12 Ryrieletters,6December1917,NLA,MS986.13 Allenbyreport,NA,CAB44/12.14 Felldiary,SLNSW,CY4893.15 Gullettnotes,AWM40,65.16 Ibid.17 Greatorexdiary,AWM,3DRL/6776.18 Browndiary,AWM,2DRL/1285.19 Parkesdiary,AWM,PR01571.20 Hurleydiary,NLA,MSS883,1,5.21 BertInallnotes.22 Ibid.

CHAPTER11:‘ICAN’TLOSEHALFMYMOUNTEDTROOPS’1 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.537.2 Greatorexdiary,AWM,3DRL/6776.3 Browndiary,AWM,2DRL/1285.4 Hurleydiary,NLA,MS883,1,5.5 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.6 Hurleydiary,NLA,MS883,1,5.7 Browndiary,AWM,2DRL/1285.8 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.9 Reveille,April1939,p.44.10 Holmesdiary,AWM,PR00740.11 Ryrieletters,10April1918,NLA,MS986.12 Holmesdiary,AWM,PR00740.13 Reveille,April1937,p.60.14 Coxdiary,AWM,PR00870.15 Greatorexdiary,AWM,3DRL/6776.16 Gullettnotes,AWM40,62.17 Greatorexdiary,AWM,3DRL/6776.18 Millsdiary,AWM,1DRL/0501.19 Huntdiary,AWM,PR91/140.

Scurrahservicerecord,NAA:B2455.

20 Scurrahservicerecord,NAA:B2455.

21 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.22 Millsdiary,AWM,1DRL/0501.23 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.577.24 Millsletters,8May1918,AWM,1DRL/0501.25 Ibid.26 Ryrieletters,10April1918,NLA,MS986.27 Millsdiary,AWM,1DRL/0501.28 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.580.29 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.30 Ryrieletters,10April1918,NLA,MS986.31 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.32 Woodsdiary,AWM,PR02088.33 Millsdiary,AWM,1DRL/0501.34 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.584.35 Holmesdiary,AWM,PR00740.36 Ryrieletters,10April1918,NLA,MS986.37 MacNamaradiary,SLNSW,MLMSS2876.38 Millsdiary,AWM,1DRL/0501.39 Browndiary,AWM,2DRL/1285.40 Coxdiary,AWM,PR00870.41 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,pp.599–600.42 Reveille,January1936,p.21.43 Ibid.44 Millsdiary,AWM,1DRL/0501.45 Felldiary,SLNSW,CY4893.46 Kempdiary,AWM,3DRL/3747.47 Parkesdiary,AWM,PR01571.48 Smythdiary,AWM,PR00633.49 Gullettnotes,AWM40,62.50 Reveille,December1939,p.30.51 Felldiary,SLNSW,CY4893.52 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.631.53 Ryrieletters,6May1918,NLA,MS986.54 Millsdiary,AWM,1DRL/0501.55 Reveille,June1936,p.23.56 Allenbyletter,22August1918,Battinepapers,IWM,203.57 Slydiary,AWM,PR01268.58 Gardendiary,PR00836.

Chapter12:FromhelltoArmageddon1 Reveille,September1929,p.23.2 Reveille,January1936,p.21.3 Allenbyletter,7June1918,Battinepapers,IWM,203.4 Millsdiary,AWM,1DRL/0501.5 Burgessdiary,SLNSW,CY4947.6 Farnesdiary,AWM,PR83/106.7 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.642.8 Parkesdiary,AWM,PR01571.9 Pearcediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2940.10 Felldiary,SLNSW,CY4893.11 Dengateletters,5May1918,AWM,3DRL/7678.12 Reveille,January1936,p.21.13 Allenbyletter,7June1918,Battinepapers,IWM,203.14 Felldiary,SLNSW,CY4893.15 Kempdiary,AWM,3DRL/3747.16 Farnesdiary,AWM,PR83/106.17 Ryrieletters,17July1918,NLA,MS986.18 Greatorexdiary,AWM,3DRL/6776.19 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.20 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.671.21 Ibid.,p.667–8.22 Browndiary,AWM,2DRL/1285.23 MacNamaradiary,SLNSW,MLMSS2876.24 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.25 Livingstonepapers,IWM,13560.26 MacNamaradiary,SLNSW,MLMSS2876.27 Millsdiary,AWM,1DRL/0501.28 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.695.29 Gullettnotes,AWM40,70.30 Lowediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2873.31 Millsdiary,AWM,1DRL/0501.32 Ibid.33 Ibid.34 Felldiary,SLNSW,CY4893.35 Lowediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2873.36 Reveille,August1930,p.30.37 Millsdiary,AWM,1DRL/0501.38 Davidson,TheDinkumOilofLightHorseandCamelCorps,p.103.39 Millsdiary,AWM,1DRL/0501.40 Lowediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2873.41 Reveille,August1930,p.30.

CHAPTER13:‘TERRIFIEDOFTHEBEDOUINS’Horderdiary,AWM,3DRL/6595.

1 Horderdiary,AWM,3DRL/6595.

2 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.3 Ibid.4 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.720.5 2ndBrigadeWarDiary,AWM4,10/2/45;5thLightHorseWarDiary,AWM4,10/10/45.6 Huntdiary,AWM,PR91/140.7 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.8 Horderdiary,AWM,3DRL/6595.9 Evansdiary,SLNSW,CY4960.10 5thLightHorseWarDiary,AWM4,10/10/45.11 Ibid.12 Ryrieletters,1October1918,NLA,MS986.13 Huntdiary,AWM,PR91/140.14 5thLightHorseWarDiary,AWM4,10/10/45.15 Farnesdiary,AWM,PR83/106.16 Holmesdiary,AWM,PR00740.17 7thLightHorseWarDiary,AWM4,10/12/36.18 Ryrieletters,1October1918,NLA,MS986.19 Holmesdiary,AWM,PR00740.20 Huntdiary,AWM,PR91/140.21 1stLightHorseWarDiary,AWM4,10/6/41;Horderdiary,AWM,3DRL/6595.22 1stLightHorseWarDiary,AWM4,10/6/41;Greatorexdiary,AWM,3DRL/6776.

CHAPTER14:‘WEAREGOINGTOCHARGETHETOWN’1 Reveille,September1936,p.12.2 Gullettnotes,AWM40,75.3 Ibid.4 Reveille,September1936,p.12.5 Millsdiary,AWM,1DRL/0501.6 Smythdiary,AWM,PR00633.7 Millsdiary,AWM,1DRL/0501.8 Lowediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2873.9 Gullettnotes,AWM40,59.10 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,pp.743–4.11 Lowediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2873.12 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.747.13 Kempdiary,AWM,3DRL/3747.14 Millsdiary,AWM,1DRL/0501.15 Lowediary,SLNSW,MLMSS2873.16 Kempdiary,AWM,3DRL/3747.17 Millsdiary,AWM,1DRL/0501.18 Ibid.19 Browndiary,AWM,2DRL/1285.20 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.772.21 Millsdiary,AWM,1DRL/0501.22 Ibid.23 Reveille,October1934,p.21.

Kempdiary,AWM,3DRL/3747.

24Kempdiary,AWM,3DRL/3747.

25 MacNamaradiary,SLNSW,MLMSS2876.26 Dengateletters,30March1918,AWM,3DRL/7678.27 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.789.28 Farnesdiary,AWM,PR83/106.29 Ryrieletters,27December1918,NLA,MS986.30 Farnesdiary,AWM,PR83/106.31 Gullett,SinaiandPalestine,p.242–3.32 Ibid.,p.789.33 Reveille,June1938,p.13.34 Ibid.,p.20.35 Reveille,May1936,p.6.

INDEX

AbasanelKebir

AbuTellulAcreAdams,LtArthur

AinesSirAjjehAkaba

Alan-Williams,CaptAlanAleppoAliMuntar

Allenby,GenSirEdmundappointmentofandBeersheba

andJerusalemandJordanValleyandMegiddo

andDamascusandSurafend

Ameidat

AmmanAnebtaAntill,MajGenJohn

AslujAtawinehAujaRiver

Austin,LCplCharlesAustralianFlyingCorps

AustralianImperialForce

CamelBattalions

1st3rd4th

LHRegiments

1statRomaniinJordanValley

atAmman2ndatRomani

atBeershebainJordanValley

3rd

atRomaniatBeershebainJordanValley

4thatBeersheba

5th

inJordanValleyatAmman

6th

atRomanionHebronRoadinJordanValley

7thatRomaniatGaza

atAmman8thatRomani

atMagdhabaatKhulweilfeinJudeanHills

9thatRomaniatMagdhabaatGaza

atHujinJudeanHillsatDamascus

10thatRomani

atMagdhabaatHuj

inJordanValleyatDamascus

11th

atGazaatTelelSheria

12th

atBeershebaatTelelSheria

14th

15th

LHFieldAmbulances

1st2nd3rd

4th

LHFieldSquadrons

1st

LHMachineGunSquadrons

1st2nd3rd

4thAustrianarmy

Baalbek

Bailey,MajPercyBaker,SprWilfredTomBalin

Ballard,LCplClaudeBaradaGorgeBarbarRiver

Barron,PteSydneyBarrow,MajGenGeorgeBarry,PteWilliam

Bartlett,LtJohnBean,CaptCharlesBeersheba

battleofBeirutBeisan

Bell,LCplFredBell,LtColGeorgeBenatYakub

Benkwitz,LtBethlehemBey,Izzet

Bey,KhadirBey,TalaBillings,CplHerbert

BirelAbdBirelBayudBirelHassanaBirNagid

Birkbeck,MajGilbertBolger,PteJosephBolingbroke,MajArch

Bostock,SgtHarry

Bourchier,LtColMurrayBourne,LtColGeorge

Boyd,MajJohnBradley,PteTomBradshaw,TprJoe

Brierty,LtAlwyn

Britisharmy

ImperialCamelCorpsRoyalHorseArtillery

Divisions

4thCavalry5thCavalry52nd

53rd54th60th

74th75thAnzacMtd

AustralianMtdYeomanryMtd

Brigades

5thMtd6thMtd22ndMtd

Brook,SgtLouisBrook,CplWalterBrown,DvrEdwin

Brownjohn,PteWilliamBruxner,LtColMichaelBulfin,LtGenEdward

Burchill,DvrWilliamBurgess,CplGodfreyBurgess,SgtJoe

BurkusieRidgeBurton,LtFrank

Cain,CaptJohn

CairoCameron,LtColDonCameron,William

Campbell,LtArchieChambers,TprArthurChauvel,GenSirHarry

andRomaniandMagdhabaandGaza

andBeershebaandJordanValleyandMegiddo

andSyriaChaytor,MajGenSirEdwardChetwode,LtGenSirPhilip

andRafaandGazaandBeersheba

Circassians

Clerke,MajJamesCooper,LCplGordonCorliss,PteLloyd

Costello,MajEdward

Cotter,PteAlbertCox,SSgtArthur

Cox,MajGenCharlesandRafaandJordanValley

Cox,LtFredCross,MajDonaldCurrie,LtArchibald

DairutDallas,MajGenAlisterDaly,MajTom

DamascusDavidson,LtJohnDavies,CaptJack

DeadSeaDeirelBelahDengate,TprEdward

DeraaDhaheriyeDittmar,LtGustav

Dixon,LCplRegDjemalPashaDobell,MajGenCharles

Donovan,SgtAlbertDueidarDuffy,PteJames

DumaDunk,CplRoyDunkley,MajCharles

Edwards,CplAustinElAfuleElArish

ElBuggarElBurjElMakhrukElMughar

ElMuntarEsSaltEsani

EsdraelonPlainEsdud

EtTineEtmalerEvans,CplMaurice

Evans,CaptWilfred

Falkenhayn,GenErichFarnes,LtRobert

Fay,CaptGeorgeFell,LCplRobertFerris,PteCecil

Fetherstonhaugh,MajCuthbertFletcher,LtHowardBowdenFlockhart,LSgtJohn

Foley,PteThomasFoulkes-Taylor,LtCharlesFrancis,LtGeorge

Fraser,ChaplainWilliamFulton,LtColDavid

Galilee,Seaof

GallipoliGamligaswarfare

Gazafirstbattleofsecondbattleof

GermanairdetachmentGermanarmyGhoraniye

Godwin,BrigGenCharlesGorrell,TprJohnGrant,BrigGenWilliam

andBeershebaandJordanValley

Granville,LtColCecilGray-Cheape,LtColHugh

Greatorex,SgtJamesGreenHillGullett,SirHenry

andMagdhabaandRafa

andBeershebaandJerusalemandJordanValley

HaifaHajlaHall,SprWilliam

Hamilton,LSgtPatrickHamisahHanly,DvrLeo

HareiraHarper,MajHaroldHarris,SgtDavid

Harris,MajGeoffHassall,LtRowlandHebron

HejazHejazrailwayHind,TprOliver

Hitchcock,PteArthurHobbs,SprJohnHodedDebabis

HodelEnnaHodSalmanaHodgson,MajGenHenry

andGazaandBeershebaandHuj

andSyriaHogan,PteArthurHolmes,PteJeff

HomsHorder,SgtLesHousain,AliHuddleston,MajHubert

HujHunt,TprGeorgeHurley,CaptFrank

Hussein,SherifAliIbnHyman,MajEric

Idriess,TprIonImaraInall,PteBert

Indianarmy

Jackson,TprPelhamJaffa

James,CaptErnestJemmamehJenin

Jepson,SgtChristianJerichoJerusalem

JifjafaJisredDamiehJordanRiver

JordanValleyJudeanHillsJunctionStation

KantaraKatiaKatra

KaukabKaukabahKellett,SgtRalph

Kelly,SgtPatrickKemkemian,ArmenacKemp,PteRon

KhalasaKhanYunisKhurbetDeiran

Knuckey,PteVernerKressenstein,GenKressvonKuneitraKut-el-Amara

LahfanLangley,LtColGeorge

with1stCamelBnwith14thLH

Langtip,StaffSgtHenryLatronLawrence,GenSirHerbert

Lawrence,LtColT.E.LawrenceofArabiaseeLawrence,LtColT.E.Lawson,MajJames

Legge,CplDavidLester,PteBruceLivingstone,CplCharles

Lloyd-Baker,CaptMichaelLong,LtWalterLowe,SprJohn

Loynes,MajJamesLuddLuxor

Lyon,LtCharles

MaanMacAndrew,MajGenHenry

McAulay,TprKenMcCook,TprGordonMacfarlane,LtStuart

McGrath,LtWilliamMacgregor,LtFredMcIntosh,LtColHarold

McKenzie,DuncanMcKenzie,MajKenMcLaurin,LtColArch

McMinn,NurseBeulahMcNamara,LtFrankMacNamara,PteJohn

Macrae,SgtGordonMaddrell,CaptHarryMafrakMagdhaba

MageibraMagrunteinMartin,LtAlex

Martin,TprJohnMattocks,SgtHarry

May,SgtRobertMaygar,LtColLeslieMazar

MeccaMedinaMegiddo

Meinertzhagen,ColRichardMeldrum,BrigGenWilliamMeredith,LtBen

Meredith,BrigGenJohnMesopotamiaMillar,PteRoy

Mills,LtColArthurMinahan,TprMichaelMinetelQamh

MiniaMitchell,GeorgeMoore,LtVin

MudawwarahMühlmann,MajCarlMulder,CaptHarold

Mulford,LtEdwinMurray,GenSirArchibaldandGaza

MusallabehMusmusPass

Nablus

NazarethNebiSamwilNejile

NekhlNelson,LtWilliamNewZealandMountedRiflesatRomani

atMagdhabaatRafaatGaza

atBeershebaatJaffa

inJordanValleyatAmman

NileRiver

Nivison,LtFrankNobbs,TprGeorgeNutt,MajNorman

OghratinaO’Leary,PteThomasOnslow,BrigGenGeorgeM.

Papen,MajvonParbury,LtCharlesParkes,LtStan

Parsons,ColJohnWPaterson,LtRegPaul,CplCarrick

Pearce,CaptMauricePeterson,PteWilliamPlainofSharon

Playfoot,PteJefferyPoate,MajHughPollock-McCall,BrigGenJohn

PortSaid

Radburn,TprClarenceRafa

battleofRamlehRayak

Redding,PteLawrenceReid,SgtClarenceReynolds,SgtArthur

Righetti,LtAlanRinaldi,SgtFrancisRiza,AliRobertson,MajHorace

Robey,LtRodRomani

battleofRömer-Andreae,Heinrich

Roper,TprWalterRose,CplWilliamRoss,SgtRon

RoyalFlyingCorpsRoyston,BrigGenJohnandRomani

andMagdhabaandRafaandGaza

Rutherford,CaptDavidRyrie,MajGenSirGranvilleandGaza

andBeershebaandHebronRoadandTelAbuDilakh

andJordanValleyandAmman

Ryrie,MajHarold

SaintQuentin,CaptCountSamraSanders,GenOttoLimanvon

SaronaSasaScott,ColWilliam

Scurrah,TprGordonSemakhShanahan,MajMichael

Shea,MajGenJohnShellalShunetNimrin

Simms,CplWilliamSingh,RisaldarBadhuSmith,BrigGenClementSmyth,DvrWalter

Smyth,TprWilliamSohagStansfield,LtColWilliam

Stephen,SprJohnSuezCanal

Sullivan,PteHenrySurafend

Taberner,PteHorace

TalatedDummtankwarfareTelAbuDilakh

TelelKhuweilfeTelelSabaTelelSheria

Thomas,LowellThompson,CaptAlfredThompson,LtArthur

Thomson,SgtRobertThorpe,PteHerbertThrossell,LtFrank

Throssell,LtHugoTiberiasTimperley,MajLewis

Todd,LtColThomasTomlins,LtFredTripoli

TulKeramTurkisharmy

Divisions

3rd53rd

Ussher,TprLeo

ValePostVernon,BrigGenH.A.

WadielArish

WadielAujaWadiFaraWadiGhuzze

WadiKeltWadiKumranWadiNahrSukereir

WadiNimrinWadiRumWadiSunt

WadiUmMuksheibWaite,LtFredWallis,LtGeorge

Ware,SgtVernonWarren,TprGeoffWarren,PteRalph

watersupplySuezpipeline

Wells,SgtColin

Whitfield,CaptWesleyWigan,BrigGenJohnWiggin,BrigGenEdgar

Willis,TprFrankWilson,BrigGenLachlanandJordanValley

andDamascusandEgyptianuprising

Wintringham,ColJ.W.Wollaston,LtColFred

Woods,SgtEdwardWoods,SgtFrancisM.Woods,RevWilliamM.

Yells,SgtCharles

Zagazig

Ziza