PALESTINE—1918
From 4th January to 14th March when we went into the line at Khan Abu
Felah, we were employed continuously on road-making. The great
difficulty experienced in bringing supplies forward over the roadless
mountainous country, impassable to motors and often even to camels and
mules, made road-making an absolute necessity before any further
advance could take place. The only metalled roads were the
Jerusalem-Nablus road, running north from Jerusalem, and the
Jerusalem-Jaffa road, running west and north-west, passing Latron
about four miles from our camp at Yalo. The rest were mere donkey
tracks over cultivated unbottomed ground in the valleys, and winding
up wadis, over boulders, and through trees in the uplands and hills.
Yalo, the ancient Ajalon, a city of the tribe of Dan, was our camp
till 24th February. Brigade H.Q. were at the head of the next wadi to
us, and below them the Devons and Somersets, while we occupied the
other side of the ridge with the 229th Field Ambulance beyond us. The
Ayrs and Lanarks were in a separate camp at Amwas. When we arrived we
found a rocky barren hill—when we left, it was almost a garden city.
The only “houses” were Battalion H.Q. and the kitchens, but every two
or three had built a home for themselves out of stones and mud, roofed
with waterproof sheets, while JOCK’S LODGE, a company sergeants’ mess,
was quite an architectural triumph. Paths lined with stones ran in all
directions, and almost every “villa” had its little garden of wild
flowers, chiefly scarlet anemones transplanted from the wadi. Below us
was the Valley of Ajalon, where Joshua defeated the kings of the
Amorites and the moon was stayed, a rich fertile plain stretching to
the hills which circled it on three sides. North-east we could see
nestling in the hills the two Beth Horons, and south of us lay the
picturesque capital of the tribe of Dan.
While we were still settling down we sent 4 officers and 200 other
ranks daily on road-making fatigue, but later on the entire battalion
was turned on to repair the road from Latron to Beit Sara. At the same
time Captain Andrew was busy with a large class teaching the Lewis gun
to officers and men, Mr Scott’s flags “spoke” from every knoll, and Mr
Gall smartened the backward squad on the drill-ground below. We had
quite a good rifle range, and quite a fair football field, and life
was really very pleasant.
On 18th February Lieut.-Colonel Younger rejoined us. He had gone off
to Cairo on leave where he was seized by Dr Tuke and put to bed in the
Citadel.
We had now pretty well completed our road, so on the 24th we left our
comfortable camp and marched six miles to our new bivouac area in an
olive grove just north of Beit Sira. We had to make a new road to link
up with the Ram Allah road at Tattenham Corner. It was a most
picturesque wadi covered with olive trees, and what was more important
with any amount of stones suitable for road-making just at hand. On
the Latron-Beit Sira road stones were scarce and had to be man-handled
in limbers or baskets often quite a distance, but here were stones of
every size within a few yards of the road. It was a 16–foot road
bottomed with large stones, then two layers of smaller stones and
blinded with gravel. Everyone went at it like a schoolboy on holiday,
and we completed our road two days before scheduled time, on one
occasion actually doing 1½ yards of road per man.
On 5th March we left our camp going by our newly completed road to
Tattenham Corner, into the Wadi Ain Arik, and up the Wadi Sad to our
halting place not far from the village of Ain Arik. We were now
campaigning again and our baggage was cut down to the bare
establishment, with one notable exception—oatmeal. We had arranged
for a regular supply from home to start as soon as we went abroad, and
though we were often short of many things we always had our oatmeal.
Our supplies had accumulated while we had been in the hills, and we
now found ourselves with about 30 cwt. for which there was no room on
the transport. This we were absolutely determined not to lose, so we
sent it on ahead about ten miles and dumped it in a wadi with a couple
of men to look after it.
Next day we continued our journey through Ain Arik, where a friendly
brass band played us past with “Bonnie Dundee” till just below the top
of the pass at Kefr Skeyan, where we rested for the afternoon as we
might not cross the skyline in daylight. This resulted in a most
tedious night march, finishing in pitch darkness over very rough going
with a bad bivouac area at the end of it. Next morning we were
surprised to find ourselves by the side of a small lake—Lake
Baluah—shallow and muddy, but welcome as giving water for the animals
quite close to their lines. Road-making near Ram Allah was the order
of the day, and one company anyhow found the return journey not
without its excitement. A Taube dived at them and opened fire at very
close range, but fortunately their aim was distinctly bad, and it was
our nervous system only that suffered.
[Illustration: BATTALION BIVOUAC, NEAR SUFFA.
_To face page 110_]
[Illustration: THE IRISH ROAD CROSSING THE WADI AIN ARIK.
_To face page 110_]
We were now only a few miles behind the line, and though our
Brigade was only to be in support for the next advance the C.O. and
Company Commanders climbed Sheikh Abdullah, from which a good view of
the surrounding country could be obtained. This was an easy climb, but
the view from here showed us that the next advance would be no picnic
even if the country alone had to be overcome. Ridge upon ridge faced
us, rising higher and higher to the horizon about six miles away where
Burj Lisaneh stood up like a sugar-loaf, while to our half-right
steepish slopes covered with fig trees, not yet in leaf, rose up to
the heights of Tel Asur 3318 feet high. In all this country there was
but one road which wound its way among the hills towards Nablus (the
ancient Shechem) and the north. There were a few miles of road up as
far as Beitin (the Bethel of the Bible), but there it stopped short,
which meant that the 53rd Division on our right would have to do their
advance without any road at all; but we had all done without roads
before, and no doubt we should do equally well again. However, we had
now completed a road through from Latron to Ram Allah and the Nablus
road, so that a further advance was possible as supplies could now be
brought up. The corps had been more or less stationary across the
Jerusalem-Nablus road for six or seven weeks, though there had been a
lot of activity on the eastern flank towards Jericho.
On 8th March B Company (Captain D.D. Ogilvie) started off to report to
the gunners near Ain Yebrud and make the track passable for the
artillery as far as Selwad on the far side of Tel Asur. The track was
a dry river bed between two very thick walls most of the way, and
where it was impassable a track had to be made across country, which
meant cutting down trees and levelling terraces. Though there was
about five miles of road to prepare, so well did they work at it that
they were actually working on the road in front of the supports before
Tel Asur was finally captured, and the guns were able to move forward
that night.
Meanwhile the other three companies had gone up the Nablus road to
repair it, as it had not only been heavily shelled by our artillery
but also blown up in a great many places by the retreating Turks. The
enemy were offering a stout resistance to our advance, and held a
strong line across the road. Tel Asur was captured and lost three
times before it finally remained in our hands, and it was not until 1
P.M. that our line was sufficiently far forward for us to proceed to
Ain Sinia for road repair. Even then the road was being so heavily
shelled that we had to make our way by side paths and across country.
We were busy road-repairing for the next day or two, and officers were
reconnoitring forward to see the lie of the country which we were to
take over.
On 14th March we moved on again, halting behind the skyline for the
midday meal while the C.O. and Company Commanders went on to see the
line we were to take over. It had been a rough journey. The tracks
were positively heart breaking. The usual pattern was 4 to 6 feet wide
with stout drystone walls on either side; the “pathway” being over
rough and uneven rocks with an occasional boulder, and here and there
the walls had collapsed completely, blocking the track—or else over
cultivated soil which was immediately converted into a muddy morass of
uncertain depth. On such paths only single file was possible, and pack
mules and donkeys had to be almost carried over some of the places.
But the worst was yet to come, and though we were not intended to go
down into the Wadi Kolah by day as it was in full view to the Turkish
artillery, the track down was so bad the C.O. wisely preferred risking
a shell or two to certain suicide going down in the dark. A mist
helped us, and we got down unmolested and had taken over the new line
by 5 P.M. The track down into the wadi was so steep and slippery from
the rain that donkeys were actually lowered down in some places by
their tails.
The line we took over was a long one—about two and a half
miles—previously held by nine companies of the 159th and 160th
Brigades (53rd Division). There were three mountains with steep wadis
in between, and each company was given a hill which formed an isolated
post. Touch even between companies was very difficult to maintain at
night, and touch with the units on either flank was found impossible
and had to be abandoned. So sketchy was our line that we sometimes
discovered in the morning a miserable Turk or Arab well inside our
lines trying to desert but finding no one to whom to surrender. When
“captured” their joy was complete. Miserable, half-starved, ill-clad
wretches, conscripted to fight for a nation they loathed and feared.
D Company (Captain J. M’Nab) held the Round Hill on the right and a
platoon of A Company held the village of Khan Abu Felah. C Company
(Captain I.C. Nairn) held the centre hill and B Company (Captain D.D.
Ogilvie) were on the left holding a “hog’s back” known as Fusilier
Ridge, and the wadi on either side. A Company (Captain Sir W.A.A.
Campbell) were in reserve at Battalion H.Q. Later A Company relieved D
Company, and D and C Companies moved a hill to their left, while B
came into reserve. Our horses, mules, and donkeys were with us, but
camels could not negotiate the steep slopes and remained on the high
ground above us along with the wheeled transport.
Our stay here was uneventful. The Turks shelled us regularly but
without doing much damage, and we sent over one or two patrols every
night, but there was no great activity on either side. On 22nd March a
company of the Ayrs and Lanarks (Captain P. Campbell) carried out a
most successful raid on the isolated hill Amurieh opposite B Company.
Mr Cruickshank with 12 men from his platoon held White Hill, a small
intermediate knoll, and covered the advance, returning when the raid
started. Fully 100 prisoners were taken, with the loss of only one or
two wounded. At the same time we made a demonstration from Kent Hill,
firing off rifle grenades and rifles, which drew a lot of fire from
the raiding party on Amurieh.
On 7th April the enemy attempted a bombing raid on A Company’s hill,
but it was a halfhearted affair, and they were easily driven off and a
few casualties inflicted.
We had two or three days of very heavy rain just after we took over,
which made life very miserable for the outpost companies on the hill
tops, and especially for the mule leaders who had to make the journey
up and down that perilous wadi with rations and water at least once
and sometimes twice a day, and then wade through the mud to the
companies. The rain, however, helped them, as it gave us water close
at hand which was excellent for cooking and washing purposes. On the
whole, however, the weather was glorious, and the wild flowers were a
great joy to us all.
After we had done a fortnight in the line we were to have been
relieved by another battalion in the Brigade when news came through
that the whole Division was to be relieved and march to Railhead,
which was now at Ludd. This, combined with a memo, which said “All
units XX. Corps except 74th Division will indent for shorts
forthwith,” made it quite clear that we were bound for France, and so
it proved.
On 9th April we were relieved by the 2/4 R.W.F. (53rd Division), and
bivouacked that night at our transport lines on the shoulder of Tel
Asur. Next day the Brigade marched via Beitin to Bireh and bivouacked
just west of Ram Allah. The following day we went down the Ain Arik
road to Tattenham Corner, along the road we ourselves had made to our
bivouac area, near the old Devon Camp below Suffa.
On 12th April we made Amwas, and next day after a long and dusty march
we reached our destination Ludd. We spent a busy day there drawing
stores from Ordnance and returning things for which we had no further
use. H.Q. and B Company entrained that evening, and the remainder the
following morning, and we all got to Kantara that night, or very early
on the morning of the 16th.
We were at Kantara just a fortnight, during which time we were
disinfected and refitted, put through gas and exercised in field days
on the desert. We had never been allowed to draw clothing in
Palestine after Yalo as we were on the waiting list for France, and
when we arrived at Kantara we were a most disreputable looking
crowd—clothing patched and torn, garments showing where they should
never be seen, and boots in some cases almost without soles at all.
But when we marched out we were clad once more in new tunics, new
trousers, and new boots, and looked very smart.
The transport left on 19th April under Mr J. Drysdale, and the
Battalion followed on the 29th, reaching Alexandria early next
morning, and embarking at once on H.M.T. _Indarra_. Brigade H.Q. were
with us. Lieut.-Colonel Younger was O.C. troops, and Mr R. Colthart,
ship’s adjutant.
We left Alexandria on 1st May, and so bade good-bye to Egypt and the
East after a sojourn there of over two and a half years. We had all
had a great experience, at times very strenuous and unpleasant, but on
the whole interesting and not too bad. Our fighting had been almost
entirely open warfare, for which as yeomanry we were well adapted, and
which contrasted very favourably with the trench warfare on the
Western Front. But few were sorry to go. None of us anticipated
Allenby’s triumphant drive to Damascus, and felt we would be “doing
our bit” more effectively on the Western Front where we well knew the
final decision rested. But what counted much more was relief at
escaping another hot, dusty, thirsty summer in the East, and the
change to the civilisation and comparative comfort of France, and of
course most of all to the proximity of Blighty, and the prospect of
leave home. Though short local leave had not been so difficult to
obtain, home leave, owing to the difficulty of transportation, had
been very much restricted, and the great majority had never been home
since coming out.
We had a very good trip to Marseilles. The captain laid himself out to
make everything as comfortable as possible; the feeding was excellent,
plenty of cabin accommodation for officers and N.C.O.’s, and the men
were as comfortable as they ever can be in a crowded troopship. There
were seven ships in the convoy which was escorted by British
destroyers as far as Malta, and there relieved by Japanese destroyers
who took us in safely to Marseilles. There was only one piece of
excitement on the fourth day out. A destroyer sighted a submarine,
rushed ahead at great speed and dropped a couple of depth charges.
Nothing more was seen of the submarine, and we proceeded on our
journey uninterrupted.