WE SET OUT FOR THE FRONT.
By the end of May our training was completed and on the 5th June, 1918,
we left Egypt for Palestine, getting a very hearty "send-off" from Col.
Margolin and the 39th Battalion.
Before we set out I had the gratification of receiving from General
Robertson the following letter:
SAVOY HOTEL,
CAIRO,
4TH JUNE, 1918.
DEAR COLONEL PATTERSON,
On the eve of your departure for the front I desire to wish you and the
officers and men of the 38th Royal Fusiliers God-speed, and success in
the tasks which you may be called upon to undertake in the future.
From what I have seen of your battalion I know it will uphold the
glorious traditions of the Regiment to which it has the honour to
belong, and its career will be watched with interest and sympathy by its
well-wishers in all parts of the world.
Personally I am proud to have been associated with the battalion even
for a short time.
Its well-known good behaviour must be a source of satisfaction to you,
because that will provide a sound foundation on which to build a solid
battle discipline, while the progress it made in the training at Helmieh
augurs well for its future efficiency.
Yours sincerely,
(Signed) A. B. ROBERTSON.
Lieut.-Col. J. H. Patterson, D.S.O.,
38th Battn., Royal Fusiliers, E.E.F.
The Battalion entrained smoothly and quickly at the railway siding close
to our camp and we were soon rolling onward to realize our ideals and
aspirations in the Promised Land.
Our Chaplain, who was a man of insight and vision, arranged that our
trumpets should sound, and that a short prayer should be said by the
troops as they entered, for the first time, the ancient land of their
Fathers.
All through the night, as we sped across the Sinai Desert seated in our
open trucks, we could see the funnel of the engine belching forth a
pillar of flame, and we were greatly reminded of the wanderings of the
forefathers of these men in this very Desert, who in their night
journeys were always guided by a pillar of fire. Nor did the simile
cease as dawn broke, for then the pillar of flame turned into a cloud of
smoke shot up into the still morning air.
Soon after sunrise we passed Gaza, the scene of Samson's exploits, and
saw, in the distance, the hill to the top of which he carried the gates
of the town. Gaza may be considered the bridgehead leading into or out
of Egypt. In Biblical times it was always a thorn in the side of the
Jews, and they were never able to capture it. It was, however, captured
from the Philistines on various occasions both by the Egyptians on their
expeditions into Syria and by the Syrians on their expeditions into
Egypt. No army could afford to leave it untaken on their lines of
communication. It will be remembered that we ourselves made two costly
failures here in our first attempts to enter Palestine during the Great
War. The third time of course we succeeded, and with its fall the whole
plain of Philistia was at our mercy.
As we rolled onward historical places cropped up every few miles and
kept us spellbound with interest. Beersheba was away thirty miles to the
east, and we hoped in good time to see Dan; meanwhile the Shephelah
downs ran parallel to us, ending up with Mount Gezer where David won a
victory over the Philistines. This hill was well known to every invading
force that has passed through Palestine, and around its base gallant men
of many nations have fallen.
In the distance, like a cobalt mist, loomed the mountains of Ephraim and
of Judæa, while the "utmost sea" occasionally shimmered on our left.
About noon we steamed through a grove of olives into Ludd (the ancient
Lydda), where we detrained. It was one of the hottest days I have ever
experienced, and our march to Surafend, under a blazing midday midsummer
sun, loaded up as we were with full kit, was a severe test of the
endurance of the men.
[Illustration: CHOIR OF THE JEWISH REGIMENT]
Almost as soon as we reached our bivouac at Surafend the Jewish
Colonists of Richon-le-Zion, Jaffa, Rechoboth and all the surrounding
colonies came out in their hundreds with flags and banners, on foot, on
horseback, and in chariots, to greet us, and show us how much they
thought of their brethren who had come all the way from England to help
them to redeem their country. Amongst the Zionists from Jaffa and
Richon-le-Zion were many scores of both men and women who had already
volunteered for service with the Army.
It was an inspiring sight to see how these young men and women rode and
managed their horses. No cowboy of the Western States of America could
be more expert. It is quite evident that a new and free Jewish race is
arising among the colonists of Palestine, for even the small children of
eight and nine years of age can ride and manage horses with ease. We
celebrated our first Sabbath in Palestine at Surafend, where special
prayers for the occasion were recited, including one composed by the
Haham Bashi of Egypt, Rabbi Simeon.
Richon-le-Zion, besides sending its quota of young men and women to
greet us, sent us also three casks of choice Richon wine, which in those
thirsty days the battalion much appreciated.
We remained at Surafend for three days, and during our stay there, were
inspected in our bivouac by General Allenby, who again expressed himself
as well pleased with all he saw.
Major James de Rothschild came over from Jaffa, where he was then doing
recruiting duty, and gave us a God-speed as we left our pleasant
surroundings at Surafend for our journey to the Front.
We marched off at 3 o'clock on the afternoon of the 9th June, and
reached El Kubab at 8.15 the same evening. Personally I only went
half-way, for I was recalled to Cairo to preside at a General
Court-Martial assembled there for the trial of three Royal Air Force
officers who had been performing some unauthorised stunts. I rejoined
the Battalion at Umm Suffah, a few miles short of the Turkish lines.
While the 38th was at this place there was an air raid on our lines, but
no damage was done.
From El Kubab the Battalion went to Beit Nuba. They left on the 11th,
and reached Harith the same day, where they came under the orders of
Brigadier-General E. M. Morris, a first-rate soldier commanding the 10th
Irish Division. They marched out of Harith at 5 p.m. on the 12th, and
arrived at Umm Suffah at 10 p.m. the same day.
We were now among the hills of Samaria and the transport was much
delayed on this march owing to the frightfully rough and stony road.
Several wheels got broken and, as a matter of fact, the transport, with
the food, etc., did not arrive until the early morning of the 13th.
On the 13th June the Battalion was placed in Divisional Reserve. On
Saturday the 15th it first came under shell fire while we were holding
Divine Service. Shells exploded quite close to the men, but no damage
was done, and the battalion took its baptism of fire quite cheerfully.
During the week that followed the Companies were posted to units already
in the line, to gain some knowledge of the country, and to learn the
nature of the duties to be carried out in the fighting zone.
Before we took our place in the line we were inspected by the G.O.C.
10th Division, who, when the inspection was over, expressed himself as
very pleased with the general appearance and steadiness of the men.
On the 27th June A, B, and C Companies were detailed to garrison
supporting points on the front occupied by the 31st Infantry Brigade, to
which we were now attached, and which was under the command of
Brigadier-General W. B. Emery, a genial gunner.
Battalion Headquarters and D Company moved up to the front on the 30th
June and took over the second line of supporting points, from a place
known as the Wadi Tiyur to the Wadi Belat, just to the west of the main
road running from Jerusalem to Nablus (the ancient Shechem), where it
cuts the Wadi Jib some twenty miles north of the Holy City.
On the 3rd July the Battalion relieved 2/101 Grenadiers in the left
sector of the 31st Infantry Brigade front, the relief being commenced
after dark and completed by 10.15 p.m.
We found the piece of country we took over most interesting. We occupied
the summits of the hills facing the Turkish position, and were
responsible for some three or four miles of front.
Our right rested upon Jiljilia, a pretty hamlet of Samaria, and our left
upon Abwein, a strong, stone-built Arab village, nestling half-way down
a steep hillside, surrounded by fig and olive trees. Our line on the
hills between these two places twisted and turned about like a snake,
for of course we conformed to the nature of the ground. Our frontage
towards the enemy descended into the valley, some 200 feet below, in a
series of rocky terraces, each having a drop of from six to twenty feet.
These terraces and hill slopes were dotted with olive trees. A wadi,
called the Wadi Gharib, ran through the narrow valley which lay at the
bottom, and then there was a very steep ascent up the opposite side to
the Turkish line.
Our front wire was actually a few hundred yards down over the crest of
the hill on the Turkish side, for from this position we had a better
field of fire.
When we took over this position from Lieut.-Colonel Strong, the O.C. of
the 2/101 Grenadiers, a considerable amount of work necessarily remained
to be done, building stone sangars, digging trenches, making roadways,
and generally improving the position in every possible way.
Our line was divided into four sections, one company guarding each part,
Major Neill on the extreme right holding Jiljilia, and Captain Brown
with his Company in Abwein.
We at once assumed a vigorous offensive policy; our patrols were pushed
out every night down into the valley, and often up to the Turkish wire
on the opposite hills. During daylight only the Observation Posts were
manned along our front wire. A couple of men in each vantage point,
equipped with field glasses or telescopes, and provided with a
telephone, kept us informed of any movement in the Turkish lines. As
soon as darkness had fallen each company marched its men over the crest
of the hills and took up position in the sangars and defence posts along
the barbed wire fence. All night long work and building, etc., went on,
the unfortunate men getting very little rest. Listening posts were
established well out beyond the wire, and strong patrols went down the
ledges looking for trouble in Turkish territory. Our aggressive policy
thoroughly scared the Turks, so much so that they never once attempted
to come anywhere near our front.
Just as dawn was breaking, having made certain by means of patrols and
scouts that no Turks were in the neighbourhood, the troops returned to
their bivouacs behind the crest, leaving only the Observation Posts on
the watch.
I had a very good Intelligence Officer in Lieutenant Simon Abrahams, who
explored "no man's land" very methodically, and who earned a high
measure of praise from our Brigade Commander. Abrahams would go out with
a daring scout like Pte. Angel (who afterwards won the M.C.) and sketch
roads, routes, tracks, etc., right under the very noses of the Turks,
and so careful was he, and so secretive, that his presence on the
debatable ground was never even suspected by the enemy.
It might be thought that when the men had finished their night's vigil
they would be allowed to rest, but instead of this, as soon as a hasty
breakfast had been swallowed, they immediately had to fix up barbed wire
entanglements, build stonework redoubts, gun emplacements, make
railways down the hills, or bury animals which had died or been killed
in somebody else's camp.
Anything and everything was demanded from the battalion, and every call,
no matter how distasteful, was responded to with readiness, if not with
cheerfulness. All the time we were holding this bit of the Nablus front,
from the Wadi Jib to the Wadi Gharib, the men were constantly running
about on arduous jobs and as busy as bees.
About this time there was a rumour that we were soon to take the
offensive, and I was especially pleased when I got a confidential
communication from our Brigade Commander ordering me to prepare a
careful reconnaissance of the country to our left front, where the
surprise attack on the Turks was to be made. A good track up to the
enemy wire, concealed as much as possible from his view, had to be
found, the general idea being that once there we would make a sweep to
the right along the Turkish front opposed to our lines. I detailed
Captain T. B. Brown for this important task, which he carried out
admirably. A suitable route by which to return with the expected
prisoners and loot had also to be discovered and sketched, and
Lieutenant Simon Abrahams was in his element when I selected him for
this adventure.
The hope of coming to grips with the Turks buoyed us up considerably,
and the prospect of a battle in which we felt sure we would do well
helped us through the trying and weary round of daily routine.
Our Brigadier was a soldier whom we all liked, but he had a mania for
putting up barbed-wire fences, and at last we erected so much on our
front that we caused a serious shortage of this material in the E.E.F.,
and further wiring was prohibited.
On the 10th July our Transport was shelled. Luckily only one mule was
killed and one wounded.
We were heavily bombarded by guns of various calibres at 2.30 in the
morning on July 14th, but it was an absolute waste on the part of the
Turks, for not a single casualty of any kind was sustained.
On this day the Turks and Germans attacked in the Jordan Valley and got
severely mauled by the Anzac Mounted Division. We, too, expected an
attack, but soon after dawn the shelling ceased and the situation became
normal.
While the Battalion was holding the forward trenches I always made a
round of the posts every night to see that every one was on the alert
and that they knew what to do in case of attack.
I made the men place white stones along the wire so that they could take
aim on them in case of a Turkish assault in the dark, and arranged
bombing parties at various points; in fact, we were all ready to give
the enemy a very warm reception if he ever came our way.
Once, on going my rounds, I heard a noise a little way down the hill, so
I ordered a young soldier to throw a bomb; he failed to get the pin
quite out and slipped the "dud" into his great-coat pocket; fortunately,
a sergeant standing near saw what had happened and, on examining the
"dud," found the pin practically released! The slightest movements would
have set the bomb off and we should all have been blown sky high.
No matter at what hour I returned from my tour of inspection along the
battle line, I always found my faithful orderly, Corporal Hutchinson,
awaiting me with a "nightcap" such as could only be mixed by the
dexterous hand of an old campaigner. Hutchinson served with me when I
commanded a battalion of the Irish Fusiliers, and followed my fortunes
when I went to command the Dublin Fusiliers. On asking him if he would
go with me to the Jewish Battalion, he replied, "Oh, be the hokey!--but
shure, Sir, that's where you'll be wanting me the most."
Hutchinson remained with me until we set out for the Jordan Valley, when
he was taken ill and invalided home. I missed him sadly, for he used to
remain by my tent door and ward off any undesirable intruder like a
well-trained watch dog. A more faithful, loyal and trust-worthy soldier
never shouldered a rifle.