EGYPT—1916
From a military point of view 1916 can be summed up as far as we were
concerned in two words—nothing doing. It was certainly for us the
most peaceful and uneventful year. New Year saw us resting and
refitting at Sidi Bishr—bathing in the Mediterranean and sightseeing
in Alexandria. After a few days we moved to Mena Camp, under the
shadow of the Pyramids, and at the end of the tram line to Cairo.
Apart from the fact that we had two regiments of Lovat’s Scouts on one
side, and three regiments of Scottish Horse on the other, and every
man was either playing the pipes or practising on the chanter from
early morn to dewy eve, we had a peaceful time there for about five
weeks, watching our numbers gradually increase as men returned from
hospital, and wondering whether we were ever to be mounted again. That
rumour soon, however, got its quietus, as we were told we were to link
up with the South-Western Mounted Brigade (North Devon Hussars, Royal
1st Devon Yeomanry, and West Somerset Yeomanry under Brig.-General R.
Hoare), and form a dismounted Yeomanry Brigade of six regiments.
On 12th February we removed up the Nile to Minia—a dusty, dirty,
horrible place. Two expeditions of 2 officers and 43 other ranks and 3
officers and 40 other ranks set out from there—one to guard bridges
at Nazlet el Abid and the other to demonstrate along with Lovat’s
Scouts at Assiut. Minia is one of the wealthiest towns in Upper Egypt,
and it was thought probable that the Senussi might attempt to raid
Minia or Assiut, with a view to plundering the banks and giving a
start to any disaffection among the fellahin.
On 5th March we moved again farther south to Sohag, and a squadron
carried on to Kilo 145 on the Sherika line to take up an outpost line.
Camel patrols were also sent out into the desert. We had a scheme or
two in the desert and a fire in the M.G. tent, at which the local fire
brigade greatly distinguished itself by its masterly inactivity and
futile energy. To the strains of “Kam lêyâl, Kam iyyâm” at the far end
of a leaking hosepipe, the fire eventually burned itself out. We only
had two fires the whole time we were in Egypt, which was very
creditable considering the inflammable nature of our “houses,” and on
both occasions our enterprising quartermaster made full use of the
distressing occurrence.
We had two very excellent days of sports at Sohag against the
Australian Light Horse and in the Brigade, our most popular win
perhaps being in the tug-of-war. Another sporting event took place
here—a racing camel, ridden by its Bedouin owner, was backed to beat
any one of our officers’ horses over a six-mile course, of which the
first half lay along the canal bank, the last half over the desert
which was pretty heavy going. After the first mile and a half the
camel was leading by some 600 yards. After three miles the camel was
leading by about 200 yards and rolling heavily, whereas “Charlie” and
his horse were cantering steadily and easily. The latter continued to
gain and passed the camel about the four miles, and won comfortably at
a fast trot. In forcing the pace along the canal bank the Bedouin
undoubtedly burst his camel.
We received a most unpleasant welcome at Gara on the night of 13th
April. A severe sandstorm got up at night, and in the morning we had
hardly a tent standing. Gara didn’t like us. When we returned there in
November we were washed out by a cloud-burst—a thing which hadn’t
happened there since the Flood.
On the 16th of April we went to Sherika, and there we remained till
15th November. We became a small detached force—the Kharga Oasis
Detachment under Lieut.-Colonel Angus MacNeil, 2nd L.S. Yeomanry,
consisting of the Highland Mounted Brigade, a squadron of Egyptian
Lancers, and a company of the I.C.C. Later on three 15–pounders were
sent us, a company of R.E., a battery of Sikh Mountain Gunners,
R.F.C., at Meherique, and later at Sherika about 1000 baggage camels
and 2000 E.L.C. We also had an A.S.C. Bakery Section and our own
slaughter-house, and towards the end of our stay at Sherika another
company of I.C.C. joined us.
Our oasis which looked so green on the map, we found to be a deep
depression of about 1200 feet, cut out of the central limestone
plateau. On the north and east the drop was almost precipitous, and it
was really a wonderful engineering feat to get a railway down it at
all—only accomplished by means of unusually steep gradients and sharp
curves.
The floor of the oasis is, for the most part, just as bare and
desolate as the plateau above, but here and there are patches of green
round the Artesian wells, which were the only sources of water. Except
for the surroundings of the village of Khargeh itself, where there are
a number of splendid wells, a small shallow brackish lake, and
considerable date and fruit groves, no watered patch in the northern
half of the oasis is more than half a mile long and a few hundred
yards wide. The usual patch round a well would include a few
date-palms, perhaps an apricot tree, and an acre or two of Bersim, the
clover of the country, and a kind of Lucerne.
The groves of Khargeh produce great quantities of excellent dates, and
a considerable trade is done with the Nile Valley in rush matting,
made chiefly in the southern portion of the oasis, at Boulak and
Beris.
Points of interest were the half-buried and utterly filthy village of
Khargeh, the Persian Temple near Railhead in a very fair state of
preservation, and the Roman Fort near Meherique. This was still
remarkably intact—a large square with bastions at the four corners,
and built of mammoth bricks—about 60 feet high, with walls 12 feet
broad even at the top.
The only notable natural feature was Gebel-el-Ghenneiem, which was
just a portion of the original limestone plateau left standing. Its
slopes were full of various sorts of fossils—sea-urchins and the
like—so that evidently the sea had been there at one time. From its
flat top one had a wonderful panorama of the desert.
War, with a No-Man’s-Land of eighty miles and a very doubtful enemy at
the far end, is war at its very best—even though we did have only
marmalade and nothing but marmalade. But no war is without its
horrors—these came about once a month in the shape of inspecting
generals, who ordered us to raze our defences and build fresh and
proper ones—not a bad game in sand, where you do anyhow see some
result for your labours.
[Illustration: IN THE VILLAGE OF KHARGEH.
_To face page 34_]
[Illustration: CAPTAIN TUKE ON “JOSEPH.”
_To face page 34_]
Every other week a squadron would go off to either Kilo 145, at the
top of the Scarp, Meherique, the only place the engines could water,
or Kharga (Railhead), and latterly to Water Dump A, to take over the
outpost there with the I.C.C., or a troop of Gyppy Cavalry. Life there
was not quite so pleasant on account of the mosquitoes (which, thanks
to Dr Tuke, we had exterminated at Sherika), and the sand hill which
formed the key to the situation at Kharga had a nasty habit of moving
on and leaving our wire entanglements buried up to the neck. We owe a
great debt of gratitude to Dr Tuke and his sanitary squad for the
comfort and health of the Regiment at Sherika. At all hours of the day
the doctor and his faithful mule waged war on the mosquito and the
Gyppy sanitary squad indiscriminately, and with complete success. Fly
and fellah, mosquito and reis—all fled at his approach, or buried
themselves in the sand.
After the departure of Lovat’s Scouts for Alexandria, whence they
emerged as 10th Camerons, and proceeded to Salonika, the West Somerset
Yeomanry joined us, and on 1st August two detachments from the North
Devon Hussars and the Royal 1st Devon Yeomanry were attached to us.
The half section of guns—old Nordenfeldts—had arrived without a
crew, but a couple of officers and one or two N.C.O.’s and men who
had once been Territorial gunners took the matter in hand with great
alacrity. Mobility was their chief trouble. Camel harness was
produced—they were taken out a couple of days before a field-firing
practice, and the targets were adjusted till the guns could hit them
every time, and really when the inspecting general arrived they gave a
most creditable performance.
We also had a mounted troop, under Lieutenant W. Gray, mounted mainly
on mules for the longer patrols, and a Light Car Patrol (Lieutenant
A.S. Lindsay) consisting of 2 officers, 45 other ranks, and seven Ford
cars, fitted with Lewis guns, and one armoured car, which went out
with the camelry. Lieutenant M‘Dougal’s bombing school and the rifle
range combined instruction with amusement.
The heat during the day was very trying-as much as 120° F. being
recorded in the shade—but we only worked from reveille (5.30) to
breakfast, and in the afternoon from 4.30 to 6. Polo and an occasional
jackal hunt, cricket and football, and all kinds of foot sports kept
us fit, but the most enjoyable time of all was in the swimming-baths.
When we first went there, there was only a small swimming-bath built
for the officials of the Western Oasis Corporation, which was reserved
for officers and for sergeants twice a week. However, with the help of
the Engineers, we built a beautiful swimming-bath, 26 yards long,
which was formally opened by Lieut.-Colonel A. M’Neil, O.C. troops, at
a swimming gymkhana on 6th August.
[Illustration: SENTRY ON WATER DUMP “A.”
_To face page 36_]
[Illustration: CAMEL LINES AT KHARGEH.
_To face page 36_]
Although we had abundant water at Sherika and Kharga, it had to be
bored for. There was a river about 400 to 600 feet below ground, and
the water came up quite warm—about 85° F. The problem was how to
provide water for the 100–mile advance across the desert to Dakhla.
For this purpose the R.E. started boring at Water Dump A, about
twenty-five miles from Sherika, and were so far successful that, at
the finish of the Dakhla expedition, they were obtaining sufficient
water to work the bore. By that time also the light railway had
advanced to within a few miles of Water Dump A.
The campaign was brought to an abrupt termination through the overzeal
of O.C. Light Car Patrol, who patrolled right up to Senussi outpost at
the entrance to the Dakhla Oasis. At the sight of Mr Lindsay and his
car the Senussi general fled, and when the I.C.C., after a very fine
march, got into Dakhla, all they got were 197 miserable, underfed,
diseased prisoners. Four officers and 100 other ranks from C Squadron
(Captain D.D. Ogilvie), and 2 officers and 30 other ranks from the
M.G.C. (Mr D. Marshall) set off on 25th October to relieve the I.C.C.
It was a trying march. Cars dumped fanatis with water for the midday
meal, twelve miles on and more for the evening meal, and breakfast
seven miles beyond that. The second day out was a scorcher, blazing
hot and no wind, over rough stony going for the most part, and Hell’s
Gate wasn’t reached till 7 P.M., after a very exhausting march. The
total march was seventy-six miles to Tenida, and of the 136 only 7
failed to finish which, considering the circumstances, was very
creditable. No sooner were we there than orders were received to
return again. This time, however, we went in cars as far as Water Dump
A, and there we commandeered a convoy of camels returning with empty
fanatis, and we finished our trek mounted. Great credit is due to the
Light Car Patrol and to the Ford cars which really were wonderful.
Neither sand up to the axle, nor dropping down over rocks stopped
them—they made a road for themselves as they went along, and always
seemed to get there.
That finished our 1916 campaign against the Senussi—the I.C.C. were
relieved by a London Yeomanry Company of the I.C.C, and later on some
Gyppy Cavalry went out and garrisoned Dakhla Oasis.
On 13th November the Regiment started in relays by train for Gara.
There we received orders to start infantry training, as we were to be
converted into a battalion of infantry. Till then we had always done
dismounted cavalry drill. We now started hammer and tongs at infantry
drill, instructed by an officer and two N.C.O.’s from a neighbouring
garrison battalion. We were all looking forward to becoming pukka
infantry, as we had long realised that in our eccentric form as
dismounted yeomanry we should only be given the odd jobs.
We had just got our camp tidy when the water-spout burst, and not only
washed out our lines and those of the Ayrshire and Lanarkshire
Yeomanries, but also demolished the fine earth church which the
Anglican Padre had had built.
On 1st December we arrived at Moascar, a large camp on the Sweetwater
Canal near Ismailia, and there our infantry training started in
earnest. We ate our Christmas dinner there, and on Boxing Day had
Brigade sports. There was very fair bathing in Lake Timsah, and we all
enjoyed getting a sight of the Suez Canal, and being once more in
comparative comfort and civilization.
OFFICERS
C.O. Lieut.-Colonel J. GILMOUR
2nd in Command Major J. YOUNGER
A Squadron Major C. G DE PREE and
Capt. R.W. STEWART
B Squadron Major G.E.B. OSBORNE
C Squadron Capt. D.D. OGILVIE
Adjutant Lieut. H.S. SHARP
Q.-M. Lieut. R.H. COLTHART
M.O. Capt. A. TUKE, R.A.M.C.(T.)
[Illustration: SENUSSI PRISONERS, DAKHLA.
_To face page 40_]
[Illustration: THE SERGEANTS’ REEL, MOASCAR.
_To face page 40_]