THE SUEZ CANAL AND SINAI
(_January, 1916—March, 1917_)
The Division remained at Sarpi Camp, Mudros, until the middle of
January. Gallipoli had left the body weak and the spirit dulled;
every unit was much below strength, and most had less than half, and
some barely a quarter, of their full establishment. Death, wounds and
sickness had played havoc with the organization, and squad, platoon, and
company drills disclosed the fact that the men had lost much of their
barrack-square smartness, but drills and exercises, guards and pickets
soon put an edge on the dulled blade. The weather was not particularly
good, but the decent tents, the thorough and much-needed wash, the
immunity from shell and rifle fire, the freedom to walk upright, to take
exercise and play games, the arrival of six weeks’ mail, the canteens,
the unfailing interest in the shipping that went in and out of the great
natural harbour daily, all combined to promote content and happiness.
On January 13 the advance parties and the 5th and 6th Lancashire
Fusiliers sailed on H.M.S. _Mars_ to Alexandria, and then proceeded to
Mena, where they took over a large canvas camp and prepared it for the
reception of the Division. The 126th Brigade, the greater part of the
R.F.A. and other details embarked on January 14, but the weather at
Mudros grew worse, and the order to embark the 127th Brigade was received
in the early hours of a morning of violent storm, during which tents were
blown down in some camps and the men drenched. In the murky half-light of
dawn camps were struck, and companies moved off in a driving hurricane
of hail and sleet. Some boarded a tug, packed so that they could not
even turn their backs to the stinging hail, and were taken “joy-rides”
round the great harbour in unsuccessful search for their troopship, were
landed, and again embarked, transferred to a cattle-boat to be lodged and
boarded on biscuits and bully-beef for five days, and then transferred
to the right transport. Others marched through the quagmires across half
the breadth of Lemnos and embarked at North Pier, and, indeed, some
pessimists are convinced that they marched three times round the island.
An improvement in the weather soon restored cheerfulness, and with a
light heart the remainder of the 42nd Division left Mudros, the last link
with Gallipoli, on the morning of the 18th of January.
Alexandria was reached in about forty-eight hours; thence by train to
Cairo and by road to Mena, where the Division settled down in camp near
the Pyramids of Gizeh. There the 2nd (Manchester) Brigade, R.F.A., the
ammunition columns, the A.S.C. train, and other details which had been
left behind in Alexandria, or had subsequently arrived from England,
were re-united to the Division. For the past eight months the A.S.C. had
been employed on local transport work, and had supplied drafts for No.
2 Company at Helles, for the A.S.C. in Salonika, the expedition in the
western desert against the Senussi, the transport camps at Mudros, and
a small detachment had been sent to Suvla Bay. “A” Squadron, D.L.O.Y.,
which had also taken part in the fighting against the Senussi, rejoined
the Division a few weeks later. The show-places of Egypt were new to
a large proportion of officers and men, who made the most of what
opportunities were afforded to see them. Happy recollections of the
autumn of 1914 were revived by the others, and also memories of good
friends and comrades whose shallow graves lie thick in Helles. On the
whole these were pleasant days of recuperation, but the Division did
not long enjoy the flesh-pots of Egypt—if that term may be stretched to
include the French teas and ices at Groppi’s and similar delights. Orders
were received to move to Tel-el-Kebir, but after a few units had arrived
there the destination was changed to Shallufa, a few miles north of Suez,
the Division concentrating in a camp in the desert east of the Canal
during the last days of January and the first days of February.
[Sidenote: _Canal Defences_]
The Division now formed part of the 9th Corps, commanded by
Lieut.-General Sir Julian Byng, whose Headquarters were at Suez. Soon
after the arrival of the Division the command of the 9th Corps passed
to Lieut.-General Sir Francis Davies, and Brig.-General V. A. Ormsby
succeeded Brig.-General G. S. Elliott in command of the 127th Brigade.
The Division was now equipped for the first time with _pukka_ first-line
transport vehicles, and the field-kitchens were a much-appreciated
novelty. The advance-parties at Shallufa had had their fill of hard work,
for the stores had to be taken across the Canal and man-handled up the
steep banks. For a short period in the early morning and late evening the
Canal could be crossed by a pontoon bridge built by the Australians, but
during the greater part of the day the crossing had to be made by means
of a stage hauled across by a chain which lay on the bed of the Canal.
This stage often carried a motley collection of troops, natives, camels,
and stores, and the hauling was heavy work, which, at a later period, was
relegated to Field Punishment prisoners from the Divisional Compound.
The Engineers who were in this region in the winter of 1914-1915 found
that little had changed. There had been insignificant enemy raids, and no
new works of importance had been carried out. At Kubri the swing-bridge,
made of lighters fifteen months previously by Major Wells—to last a few
months, according to his instructions—was still working, and as the
chesses wore out they were covered with filled sandbags, so that the
progress of animal traffic over the bridge partook of the nature of a
steeplechase. The Divisional Band paid a series of visits to the units,
and it was surely the first time that these sandhills had echoed with
waltz music and the airs of musical comedy. On such occasions the troops
made quite a happy picture, for the strain of Gallipoli had almost worn
off, and the men, now bronzed to a ripe saddle-colour, danced and laughed
and sang, and a more cheerful and contented set of fellows could hardly
be imagined.
The Canal defences had hitherto been on the west bank, with bridgeheads
on the east bank, close to the Canal. It was recognized that the Canal
must be defended from the eastern side, so a line of self-contained
works was constructed in the desert, far enough out to prevent the enemy
from bringing guns into action within seven miles of the waterway.
Behind these first-line posts was a series of supporting works, while
bridgeheads on the Canal formed the third line. In each section of the
defence a mobile force was held in readiness for counter-offence. The
posts were connected by telephone with the Brigade Headquarters and with
one another. Visual signalling was also largely used by the Divisional
Signal Company, the heliograph being of great service for long distances
in this land of brilliant sunshine. In due course roads and light
railways were run out to the posts, and three-inch water-pipes were laid.
The posts were named after the depot towns of battalions, but, owing to
subsequent reliefs, the units did not as a rule occupy those named after
their depots. Each post had a garrison of, approximately, a battalion
of infantry, a battery of artillery, a troop of yeomanry, and a section
of engineers. The Transport of the 42nd Divisional Train was left at
Alexandria, where its services would be more useful than in the desert,
the Supply accompanying the Division to the Canal zone and in subsequent
operations.
The Field State of February 29 shows a considerable increase in the
strength of the Divisional Artillery, and that various units had been
attached.
Officers. Other Ranks.
Divisional Headquarters 14 120
Divisional Signal Company, Cable Section
and Airline Section 5 229
Artillery and Divisional Ammunition Column 108 2,520
Royal Engineers 16 296
125th Brigade and Signal Section 124 1,764
126th Brigade and Signal Section 117 2,244
127th Brigade and Signal Section 114 1,584
A.S.C. Supply Details 9 77
R.A.M.C 24 537
_Attached_—
3rd County of London Yeomanry 5 93
1/2nd W. Lancs. Field Coy., R.E. 6 143
Monmouth R.E. 3 83
Sanitary Section, R.A.M.C. 1 22
19th Mobile Veterinary Section 1 12
1st Essex Regiment 26 934
2nd Hampshire Regiment 25 900
--- ------
Total 598 11,558
=== ======
Later the Divisional Squadron of the D.L.O. Yeomanry rejoined the
Division, and the 3rd Dismounted Brigade, mainly Yeomanry, was also
attached.
It is unnecessary to refer to the importance of the Suez Canal, not
merely to the commerce of the Empire, but also to the policy and strategy
of the Allies. But it may be well to explain here, very briefly and
roughly, the general situation so far as it affected the defence of
this main communication between East and West. Prior to the outbreak of
war there were British frontier posts in Sinai as far east as El Arish
on the coast about ninety miles due east of Port Said, and more than a
hundred miles by road from the Canal. The sole purpose of these posts
was to supervise and regulate traffic between Egypt and the Turkish
Empire, and as such traffic automatically ceased on the outbreak of
war with Turkey, the handful of troops was withdrawn. The invasion of
Gallipoli had compelled the Turks to abandon for a time any idea they
may have entertained of conquering Egypt. Now, at the beginning of 1916,
although the withdrawal of the Allies from the Dardanelles and the entry
of Bulgaria into the war on the side of her ancient enemy had set free a
large Turkish army for employment in Asia, the situation had not greatly
changed. The heavy losses sustained in Gallipoli had been a serious drain
upon the finest troops of the Ottoman Empire; the Russians had entered
Armenia victoriously, and it was not possible for Turkey to prepare and
equip new armies to arrest the Russian progress and at the same time to
cross the Desert of Sinai with any reasonable prospect of success. For,
if the evacuation of Gallipoli had released a large Turkish force for
offensive purposes, it had done no less for the British, and the conquest
of Egypt was still a remote possibility only. But, as the Turks had been
improving their communications through Palestine, there remained the
probability that they might attempt to establish themselves in strength
within striking distance of the Canal. They hoped that a successful
attack here might bring about a rebellion in Egypt. While the Egyptians
remained passive spectators there was no chance of a Turkish victory.
[Sidenote: _Routes open to Enemy_]
There are three routes by which a hostile force might approach the Canal.
(1) The northern caravan route along the coast through El Arish to
Kantara, the route by which Joseph’s brethren, and later the Holy Family,
and in more recent times Napoleon, had travelled from Palestine to Egypt.
(2) The central Hassana—Ismailia route.
(3) The southern Akaba—Suez route.
Lack of water along the greater part of the central and southern tracks
renders them impracticable for any but a small, mobile, desert-bred
force, and against raiding parties of this description the chain of
posts under construction would be a sufficient defence. But the El
Arish—Katia—Kantara route is of a different character. Oases are more
numerous, and in the vicinity of Katia and Romani, within twenty miles
of the Canal, wells are plentiful, and the water, though brackish, is
drunk by animals, and to a certain extent by natives. No army, British
or Turkish, could occupy this region until water-pipes and a railway
had been laid, but the possibility of a rapid dash had to be provided
against, so the system of defence on the northern route was extended
to a point much farther east than was necessary in the central and
southern sections, and it included the coast of the Bay of Tina and the
water-bearing area around Katia and Romani.
Kantara was the base for this northern section, El Ferdan for the
central, and Shallufa, where the 42nd Division was stationed during
February and March, for the southern. Here trenches were dug and revetted
with wooden frames and hurdles backed with canvas; miles of barbed-wire
entanglements were put up; hutments of matting over wooden frames for
mess and recreation, sun-proof standings for horses, and fly-proof
larders were erected at the posts on the Canal banks. Gangs hauled the
chain-ferry, and every one was kept steadily at work. In fact, the whole
of the Canal zone for a hundred miles from Port Said to Suez has been
described as a vast hive of workers; and the company humorist—who, by the
way, always alluded to the desert as “the croft”—would ask plaintively:
“Is it true, sir, that we’re staying here till we’ve got all the desert
into sandbags?”
Water for men and animals was obtained from the Nile, _via_ the Sweet
Water Canal, which runs a few hundred yards west of the Suez Canal.
Darius the Persian is credited with the construction of the Sweet Water
Canal, which he used for transport between the Mediterranean and the Red
Sea. After Actium the remnant of Cleopatra’s galleys took refuge therein.
It fell into disuse for centuries, and was restored by de Lesseps as a
water-supply for his workmen while the Suez Canal was under construction.
There were filtering plants at all pumping stations, and as Nile water
contains the parasite of the dreaded disease bilharziosis, there was a
strict rule against bathing in the Nile or the Sweet Water Canal. Water
for the troops was at first brought in barges from Suez and stored
in tanks on both sides of the Suez Canal, being distributed by camel
transport to the outposts in _fanatis_. A _fantasse_ (plural, _fanatis_)
is a stoppered flat box of zinc which holds from ten to twelve gallons
and usually leaks a little. A camel carries a _fantasse_ slung on either
side. As the scheme grew the engineers laid a six-inch water-main across
the desert, and thus the ancient prophecy that Palestine would never be
freed from the Turkish yoke until Nile water flowed into it was fulfilled.
[Sidenote: _Shallufa and Suez_]
The third line of works was within easy walking distance of the Canal.
It was good fun for the veterans of Gallipoli to bandy repartees from
the water with the newly-trained drafts for India and Mesopotamia who,
looking down upon them from the towering decks of big transports, asked
when they were going to “do their bit,” instead of taking a seaside
holiday at an Egyptian pleasure-resort. Much booty in the form of tins
of cigarettes thrown by passengers on liners was gathered in by bold
swimmers. The weather was cool, and, in spite of very strenuous labour in
the loose sand, the stay at Shallufa was a pleasant holiday as compared
with conditions in Gallipoli. The sandstorms of March were decidedly
unpleasant, however, for the sand penetrated everywhere. To attempt to
keep it out of food, equipment, clothing or lungs was quite futile, and
a sandstorm would quickly fill the trenches that had been dug at the
cost of several days’ steady labour. These sandstorms began with amazing
regularity about midday and continued until 6 p.m. All cooking had to be
done before or after these hours.
During the Shallufa period many officers and men returned to duty from
hospital. These would feel that this record of the 42nd Division would
be incomplete indeed were no reference made and no tribute paid to the
founder and the workers of the admirable Convalescent Home at Alexandria,
established in June, 1915, by Lady Douglas, whose solicitude for the
welfare of all ranks under her husband’s command will be remembered
with lasting gratitude by the Division. The hospital was supported by
the units and by subscriptions from friends at home. In addition to the
return of those who had been absent through wounds and sickness, units
were further strengthened by small drafts from home—but numbers still
remained much below strength. The Division was weakened by the return
to England of time-expired Territorials, including a number of the best
men. Two officers who had been in command of their units throughout the
Gallipoli campaign also left the Shallufa camp for England in the spring
of 1916—Lieut.-Colonel S. L. Tennant, R.E., on leave, and Major England,
A.S.C., who left to take charge of the 66th Divisional Train, the duties
of Senior Supply Officer devolving upon Captain A. Gillibrand.
The Artillery here received their 18-pounder guns—handed over by the
29th Division—and their training and reorganization were taken seriously
in hand, with firing practice in the desert. The three Field Ambulances
remained on the Canal bank, and when not engaged in training or in
attending to the cases brought in on camels or by light railways from the
desert posts, were able to enjoy the bathing in the Canal. Sick were
conveyed by steam launch from Kabrit and Genefa to Shallufa, and many
of the high-temperature cases were dipped and sponged in the cooling,
refreshing water of the Salt Lake. The Division settled down to a diet
of “ginger, spit, and polish,” the hard work, the swimming, games,
sports, concerts—including a singing competition “for the championship
of Asia”—proved wonderfully efficacious in restoring the vitality and
the smartness of the Division after its long spell of trench life.
Invariably, however, there is the man who has to acquire polish at the
cost of much tribulation to himself and to his immediate superiors. There
was, for instance, the sentry who failed to turn out the guard for the
Divisional Commander. In excuse he explained: “Well, sir, I didn’t see
at first that you were a _Staff Colonel_,” then, being of an amiable
disposition, he leant forward and added in confidential tones: “You see,
by rights I oughtn’t to be here at all. I’m the sanitary man!” It was
felt that this man was not a success, either as sentry or diplomat.
During the last days of March and the first days of April, the Division
left Shallufa to camp in the desert about two miles north-west of Suez.
With the assistance of a Belgian contractor and native carpenters the
infantry, under the supervision of the engineers, rapidly erected a
large number of huts with double roofs of matting and also long lines
of stables. A macadam road was made through the camp and was eventually
extended to Kubri. A thorough course of company, battalion, and brigade
training was carried out here, the physique and efficiency of the troops
improving greatly in consequence. Much of this training was carried
out in the desert west of Suez and along the ancient tower-marked road
that leads to Cairo—the “far end” of the very road which had become so
familiar to the Division in the first autumn and winter of the war. The
machine-gun sections had constant practice; and it was here that the
Brigade M.G. Companies took definite form as separate units. Emphasis
was laid on the training of the young officer; and the offensive spirit
was successfully fostered and stimulated. Once more it was proved that
close-order drill and punctilious discipline, diversified and relieved
by games and sports, formed the basis on which that military ideal must
be built up. Rugby, soccer, hockey, and even donkey polo were played,
and the Rugby team of the 5th Manchesters won great renown. Canteens
now provided cigarettes, biscuits, chocolates, and other articles much
appreciated by the troops. A Dramatic Society was formed, and plays
specially written by Major G. B. Hurst were given at the “Theatre Royal.”
The rehearsals and presentation gave great fun.
While at Suez the Artillery brigades and batteries were renamed. The 1st
E.L. Brigade became the 210th Brigade, and the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th became
the 211th, 212th, and 213th respectively, each having three four-gun
batteries designated A, B, and C, with the exception of the 213th
Brigade, which consisted of two howitzer batteries. After the Division
left the Shallufa camp it was found that the defences there were not
progressing with sufficient rapidity, and at the end of May the 7th and
8th Lancashire Fusiliers and the 127th Infantry Brigade were sent to
Kubri and Shallufa to assist the 54th Division. In spite of the great
heat, the Lancashire men, now more or less acclimatized, got through more
in a few days than the recently arrived troops had accomplished in a
month, and they received deserved praise from the G.O.C. of the section
for their work at Manchester, Salford, Ashton, and other posts.
The heat in June was terrific, and a temperature of 120 degrees in the
shade—the difficulty being to find the shade!—was normal, and on one
or two occasions a midnight temperature of 105 degrees was registered.
During this hot period the scouts and signallers of the 125th Brigade,
while taking part in a training scheme, were sent out to the Ataka Hills,
some seven or eight miles from camp, two parties operating as opposing
forces. Movement among the hills proved more arduous than had been
anticipated, and the men suffered much from the blazing sun—the rays
being refracted by the rocks—and also from want of water. The greater
part of them got back to camp with considerable difficulty. A Yeomanry
patrol and an aeroplane were sent out on June 16, and parties of Arabs
two days later, to look for the missing, and the bodies of two men who
had died from heat and exhaustion were brought in. After this no training
was permitted between the hours of 8.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. For the remaining
ten hours of the day the average man could do little except lie, lightly
clad, envying the Russians in the Caucasian snows, and dreaming of the
invention or discovery of an ice-cold drink that could be produced in
unlimited quantities even in a desert, and would remain unaffected by the
temperature. But—
“Who can hold a fire in his hand,
By thinking on the frosty Caucasus?”
Khamsin winds made life almost unbearable, and bathing was the one
resource, for even bridge became too strenuous a game, though nap was
played occasionally by the energetic ones.
[Sidenote: _El Ferdan_]
On June 19 the Division was ordered north to take over from the 11th
Division the El Ferdan Section, the central section of the Canal zone,
midway between Ismailia and Kantara. The move was completed by the end of
the month. The 7th and 8th Lancashire Fusiliers took over the defences at
Ballah, a station on the Canal, and the 5th and 6th Lancashire Fusiliers
at Ballybunnion, a desert post about six miles to the east. The 6th and
8th Manchesters and the 126th Brigade were stationed at El Ferdan and
Abu Uruk, about five miles north-east of El Ferdan. The artillery was
split up among the posts, the 210th Brigade at Ballah and the 211th at
El Ferdan, and during this period the howitzer batteries were rearmed
with 4·5 Q.F. howitzers. The 1st Field Company, R.E., was at Ballah
and Ballybunnion; the 2nd Field Company at Abu Uruk, and the recently
arrived 3rd Field Company at Ferdan, where were also the 2nd and 3rd
Field Ambulances. The Division was now occupying the ground where,
according to tradition, the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. The 5th and
7th Manchesters went as far north as Kantara, where they were attached to
the 52nd Division, and the friendship with the Lowland Scots, begun and
cemented in Gallipoli, was here revived. They also took over posts from
the 11th Manchesters, the first of the “Kitchener” battalions of their
own regiment.
The Engineer-in-Chief, Major-General H. B. Wright, called to his aid
the engineers of the Egyptian Government. Civil contractors, labour and
plant were brought down to the Canal and material was requisitioned
from all parts of the globe—from Australia, timber and wire-netting,
the latter to be used for road-making over the loose sand; from India,
water-pipes, matting and meat-safes; reed-matting from the Sudan; the
whole of her stock of Decauville (two-foot gauge) railway material from
Egypt; engines and pumps from England; and from the United States,
through Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan, a shipload of water-pipes which were so
precious as to require a cruiser as escort. It was, however, upon the
R.E. of the Division and Corps that the brunt of the work fell, though it
might almost be said that the whole Division was temporarily transformed
into a corps of engineers. The system of communication maintained by the
Divisional Signal Company was extensive, all posts and outlying positions
being connected with Headquarters by cable, often buried in the sand for
many miles, and by visual signalling. Also all posts had their own system
of inter-communication by telephone. Though the great heat continued
during the six weeks in this section there was often a cool breeze on
the higher ground, and conditions generally were far preferable to those
prevailing in the dusty, fiery atmosphere of Suez.
Toward the end of July information was received that a large enemy force,
led by German officers, and armed with German and Austrian artillery and
machine-guns, was moving, with a rapidity that was surprising when the
difficulties of the march of an army across the desert are realized,
westwards from El Arish. Before long aircraft located Turkish troops at
Oghratina Hod—a hod being a plantation of date-palms—about ten miles east
of Romani, held by the 52nd Division. Aerial activity increased on both
sides, and traffic swarmed on the Romani road. The Turks meant to force
a fight in the worst possible season for British troops, and their march
across the desert was a notable military achievement.
It was now decided to transform the 8th Corps, of which the 42nd Division
formed part, into a Mobile Column, under Major-General the Hon. H. A.
Lawrence (a former Brigadier of the 127th Brigade) for operations in
the desert east of the fortified posts. Camels were to be provided to
carry all stores, such baggage as was absolutely necessary, engineering,
material, food, ammunition, and water. Kit was cut down to the bare
minimum. Wheeled transport was removed as useless, and gun-carriages
and limbers were fitted with pedrails and equipped with extended
splinter-bars to allow four animals to pull abreast, each team consisting
of twelve horses. Sand-carts and camel cacolets would be provided for
the R.A.M.C., and for the engineers new equipment for well-sinking on an
extensive scale, with camels to carry the well-lining materials, troughs,
pumps, tools, etc.
In the last week of July the Division was hurriedly ordered north to
Kantara, the El Ferdan and Ballah area being handed over to the 54th
Division and the 3rd Australian Light Horse Brigade. On the 29th and
30th of July the Mobile Column scheme was issued to unit commanders in
rough outline, details being left to them. A Base Depot was formed at
Ballah for the R.A. of the Mobile Force, and A Battery, 210th Brigade,
and certain Ammunition Column details remained at the depot. The horse
transport of the remainder of the Division and the heavier baggage were
left at the base camp at Kantara.
The 127th Brigade, now complete, as the 5th and 7th Manchesters had
rejoined, was the advance brigade at Hill 70. On July 31 it moved forward
along the new railway to Gilban, together with the Divisional Squadron,
a battery of the 212th Brigade, R.F.A., the 3rd Field Company, R.E., and
the 3rd Field Ambulance. On the evening of August 3 the 6th Manchesters
proceeded to Pelusium, near the coast and six miles north-west of Romani,
to prepare defensive works east of the railway line, and to cover the
detraining of the rest of the Brigade. Early in the morning of August
4 the sound of artillery fire from the direction of Romani announced
that the Turkish attack had begun. The remainder of the Brigade was
hurriedly ordered to Pelusium, and at 3.27 p.m., as the last battalion
was detraining, Brig.-General Ormsby received the order to march at once
in support of the Anzacs, who were heavily engaged in the neighbourhood
of Mount Royston, to the south of Romani. At 3.30 p.m., within three
minutes of receipt of the order, the 5th, 7th, and 8th Manchesters moved
off _without any transport_—as none of the camels had arrived—and also
without their dinners, the stew which had been prepared for them being
left untouched. They passed through the 6th Manchesters, who were ordered
to remain in their positions covering Pelusium, in order to escort and
assist in organizing the expected camel transport. Artillery, cavalry,
and engineer detachments arrived at Pelusium and moved forward, but
nothing was seen or heard of the camels until 11 p.m., when two long
files, each of 1000 camels, turned up. It was pitch dark, the transport
was new to the Division, and the task of sorting out the animals,
allocating them to the various units, loading them with fanatis, rations,
ammunition and blankets, was a stupendous one. But the 6th Manchesters
understood what every moment’s delay in delivering the goods—especially
the water—might mean to their comrades, and they put their backs into
it. By 4 a.m. the camel convoys for the 127th Brigade and the attached
troops had been despatched on their trek into the desert, and the 6th
Manchesters had moved off to rejoin their Brigade.
[Sidenote: _Battle of Romani, Aug. 4, 1916_]
The Turkish army numbered about 18,000 men, including 4000 in reserve,
and was well equipped. The soldiers had been assured that during
the great Fast of Ramadan they should destroy the infidel and march
victoriously into Egypt. But General Lawrence, whose cavalry and aircraft
had been in touch with the advancing army since July 21, had made very
thorough preparations for its reception, and the Battle of Romani was
fought strictly in accordance with his plans, the enemy conforming with
pleasing docility to the tactics he laid down for them. General Lawrence
had a large force of artillery, cavalry, and infantry in an entrenched
camp at Romani, secured on the north by the sea, and conspicuously
protected on its eastern and southern fronts by strong redoubts and
entrenchments. The south-western front, being left open ostentatiously,
invited attack. The enemy could not ignore the force at Romani and march
on towards Kantara and Dueidar, where the 42nd Division and two brigades
of cavalry were stationed, as they would then be taken in rear and
flank by the troops from Romani and in front by the Kantara force. They
fell into the trap. Their aircraft reported the strength of the British
position to the east and south of Romani and its apparent weakness to
the south-west. On the night of August 3 they had attacked the cavalry
outposts to the south of the camp, and had slowly driven them in. On
the morning of the 4th they made a strong feint, with the greater part
of their artillery, against the redoubts held by the 52nd Division
on the east, while their main body moved to the south-west to attack
the front that had been invitingly left open. The Anzac Light Horse,
withdrawing slowly and skilfully, and now fighting on foot, led them on
until they were involved among the sandhills, and at noon the cavalry
and R.H.A. from Dueidar closed in from the south-west. The attacks on
Katib Gannit, held by the 52nd, had now been repulsed with heavy loss
by the Lowlanders, and it was at this stage that Major-General Chauvel,
commanding the Anzacs, asked that the 127th Brigade might be sent with
all speed to help “mop up” the Turk, who so far had been fighting stoutly
as usual.
To return to the 127th Brigade. The three battalions had set off
immediately the order was received, the 5th and 7th Manchesters leading.
Heavy though the going was under the pitiless desert sun, they arrived
upon the scene sooner than the Anzac commander had thought possible. As
they drew near they could see the Turkish shrapnel bursting above the
Anzacs, who, now that reinforcements were at hand, regained their horses
and began to mass for a charge or pursuit. At about 2000 yards from the
enemy position the leading battalions extended into lines, the 7th on the
left, the 5th on the right. But the Turk did not wait. Worn out as he was
by the marching and fighting of the past few days, the sight of the new
British troops moving steadily towards him, line after line in regular
waves, shook his faith in the assurance of victory. As the Manchesters
attacked the ridge of Mount Royston the Battle of Romani was over. Those
Turks who doubted their ability to get away in safety held up their white
sandbags in token of surrender, seven officers and 335 men, with many
horses, mules, rifles, and much ammunition falling into the hands of the
Brigade. The Anzac cavalry accounted for the rest of the Turkish force
at Mount Royston, having swept round the hill and cut off the retreat.
Hundreds of Turks were seen being rounded up and marched back by a
handful of troopers.
It was a great and decisive victory, in which, though the 42nd Division
had played only a minor part, their share had been most opportune. The
127th Brigade had entered at exactly the right moment, and their march
across three miles of deep, loose sand, under a blazing sun, in the
hottest season, coming into action within one hour thirty-three minutes
of receiving the order at Pelusium, was a noteworthy performance, which
richly merited the following letter from the G.O.C., Anzac Mounted
Division—
_Romani_, 18. 8. 16.
MAJOR-GENERAL SIR WM. DOUGLAS, K.C.M.G., C.B., D.S.O.
Commanding 42nd Division.
“MY DEAR GENERAL,
“Just a line to ask you to be kind enough to express my thanks
to Brig.-General Ormsby and the 127th Brigade for the prompt
manner in which my request for support was complied with on the
afternoon of the 4th inst., in spite of the heat and the soft
sand-dunes the men had to march over.
“I understand the Brigade moved within three minutes of getting
the order from you, and I found them actually in position at
least an hour before I expected them.
“Yours very sincerely,
“H. G. CHAUVEL, Major-General.”
The Turk had been decisively beaten, and on August 4 the menace to the
Canal had passed, and it was now our turn to take the offensive. That
evening plans were made to follow up the success by a forward move which,
though slow and wearisome at first, and discouraging in its second stage,
finally developed into the brilliant campaign in Palestine and Syria
under Allenby, with its amazing succession of shattering victories.
The Manchesters rested after their toilsome march as best they could,
with little food and water, until 3.30 a.m., when they stood to, awaiting
the order to advance. It was, perhaps, fortunate that this was delayed
in transmission as, while they waited, a string of camels laden with
fanatis was sighted. There was no food, but the omission passed unheeded
in the delight of obtaining water, though the supply was only enough to
allow three-quarters of a bottle to each man. This small ration had to
be husbanded carefully, for it might have to last them the whole or the
greater part of the day.
[Sidenote: _March to Katia, August 5-6, 1916_]
By 7 a.m. on the 5th the 127th Brigade was on the move. During the
night the enemy had retired to Hod-el-Enna, where he was holding a line
northward toward Katib Gannit. The 42nd Division was ordered to advance
and envelop the Turkish left flank in conjunction with the mounted
troops, the Anzac Mounted Division operating on their left, and the 5th
Mounted Brigade on the right, linking up with the 3rd Australian Light
Horse. The 125th Brigade, which had arrived at Pelusium on the previous
evening, had made an early start in the small hours of the morning,
and was now on the left, the 127th Brigade being on the right, and the
126th Brigade in Corps Reserve at Pelusium. The heat, especially in
the valleys, was stifling, and many men were sunstruck or completely
prostrated by the heat. Souvenirs picked up earlier in the day—Turkish
bayonets, swords, belts—were quickly discarded. The heavy, yielding sand
greatly hindered the horse-drawn guns of the 212th Brigade, R.F.A., and
for the same reason the cable wagons could not keep up, the teams being
utterly exhausted. The Divisional Squadron reached Mount Royston at noon,
after patrolling the railway line throughout the previous night, and
they too had to halt for a time, the horses being badly in need of rest,
food and water. In the evening the squadron arrived at Hod-es-Seifania,
together with a hundred troopers of the Bikanir Camel Corps. The infantry
gained their objectives, and on the ridge of higher ground saw the
cavalry pursuing the Turks and our guns flinging shrapnel among them.
Out at sea, a monitor, looking like a toy boat, could be seen bombarding
the enemy positions—first a flash, then after a long interval the roar
of the great gun, then an ear-splitting explosion among the fleeing
Turks. The Division now held the line Hod-el-Enna to Mount Meredith,
and cavalry patrols reported that the enemy rearguard was holding the
line Bir-el-Rabah—Katia—Bir-el-Mamluk. The 125th Brigade on the left and
the 127th on the right rested for the night on Mount Meredith and Mount
Royston, and the number of Turkish dead lying on these hills showed how
heavy had been the casualties. The evening was cool—in fact, the night
was even chilly after the extreme heat of the day. There was little to
eat or drink. The news came that Katia was to be taken next day, that the
enemy was holding the oasis basin strongly, and that the march to Katia
would be more exacting even than those of the past two days. The prospect
was not alluring, for there was no sign of water to replenish the empty
bottles, many of the native transport drivers having been stampeded by
enemy shell fire. The prospect of an advance across the desert without
food or water was far more alarming than the Turk, however strong might
be his position and his numbers. Thirsty, hungry, and exhausted the men
of the two brigades scooped hollows in the sand and snatched a few hours
sleep.
[Sidenote: _Sufferings of the Manchesters, Aug. 6, 1916_]
At 3 a.m. on August 6 the infantry with the 1st and 3rd Field Companies,
R.E., were preparing to move, each man wondering if he would be able
to hold out, when a beatific vision of distant fantasse-laden camels
was hailed with rapture. The pestiferous _oont_ is an ungainly beast,
with disgusting manners and a vile temper, but there are moments when
one could almost wish that he would allow himself to be caressed, and
this was one of such occasions. Though the allowance of water was
disappointingly small, there being barely a pint per head, still it
made all the difference to the spirit of the troops. The start was made
at 4 a.m., the 42nd Division on the right, the 52nd on the left, with
cavalry on both flanks. Viewed from a ridge, the advance on Katia was
picturesque. The plain was covered with long lines of infantry, mounted
troops on the flanks, batteries of field-guns with traction-engine
wheels hauled through the sand by huge teams of horses. Far away to
the rear came endless strings of grunting, bubbling camels, and miles
in front, a tantalizing sight, lay the green oases that brought to
mind the desert pictures of childhood. The prediction that the march
would be more exhausting than any yet attempted proved only too true,
and officers who had been through the worst of the Gallipoli campaign,
and at a later date had eighteen months’ experience of trench and open
warfare in Flanders and France, declare that they have known nothing
to surpass in horror the sufferings of the 127th Brigade on the 6th of
August, 1916. The 125th Brigade, moving by a more direct route, reached
the shade of the Katia oases in the forenoon, and found that the Turk
had not awaited their coming. But while the Fusiliers rested there, the
Manchesters were still trudging wearily through the soft sand, every step
seeming to sink deeper and deeper, until it needed not only physical
strength but also will-power to drag one’s legs along. In the depressions
between the ridges there was not a breath of air. The sun grew more and
more malignant, and the men became more and more dejected and taciturn.
Hundreds collapsed from sunstroke, or because every ounce of energy they
had possessed had been expended. The instructions to husband the meagre
allowance of water had been explicit, and every one knew that the bottles
could not be replenished until Katia should be reached. It was forbidden
to drink without first obtaining the permission of the platoon or unit
commander, and the best results were obtained where the officers insisted
firmly on exact obedience to this order. The men behaved splendidly,
and even when their powers of endurance seemed to have reached the
limit, they forced themselves heavily and listlessly onward, stedfastly
resisting the ever-increasing temptation to drink. A regimental Medical
Officer described their appearance as “that of men being gradually
suffocated, their faces turning a dusky blue; they were panting for
breath and falling unconscious on the track. All that could be done was
to try to collect them in groups and place their heads under any low
scrub that could be found.” At one spot the torture was most cruelly
augmented by an unfulfilled hope of relief. The sight of great quantities
of attractive fruit, outwardly resembling oranges, was hailed with hoarse
cries of delight. The “oranges” were seized upon ravenously, and in a few
cases bitten into—and thrown away with curses. It was that most bitter
of fruits, calumba—bitter as the disappointment it had caused, for the
prospect of allaying the agonizing thirst intensified the anguish. Then
it was that the officers, who were in no better case than their men but
were upheld by their sense of responsibility, silently blessed him whom
they had so often found occasion to curse, the “funny man” of the platoon
or company. Luckily these men are to be found in every British unit, and
when things are at their worst they extract humour from hardship until
even the most despondent begin to feel less depressed.
[Illustration: KATIA.]
[Illustration: KATIA. BIVOUACS.]
[Illustration: CAMEL CARRYING WATER TANKS.]
[Illustration: CAMELS CARRYING FANATIS WAITING AT THE WATER POINT.]
[Illustration: ROMANI. WATER TRUCKS ON THE BROAD-GAUGE RAILWAY.]
[Illustration: ROMANI. EAST LANCASHIRE ARTILLERY.]
As they struggled gamely on General Douglas rode from company to company
to cheer them with the news that more than 3000 prisoners and a vast
quantity of material had already been captured, and to show the men that
their commander recognized the strain to which they were being subjected,
and appreciated the gallant response they were making. About midday an
oasis, a mile from Katia, was sighted, and men staggered on towards the
trees and the hoped-for water. But there was no sign of water. Rumour
quickly passed from man to man that water lay within two feet of the
surface; and distressing scenes were witnessed of men half mad with
thirst desperately digging into the sand with entrenching tools and
even bare hands in a vain attempt to find water. Fortunately the camels
arrived an hour later bringing an allowance of a pint for each man, and
undoubtedly this saved many lives.
Refreshed by the water and a lie down in the shade, parties of volunteers
went forth into the hateful desert again, in spite of their great
fatigue, to seek out and bring in those who had fallen by the way.
Through the night desultory rifle fire in front told that the cavalry
were still in touch with the Turkish rearguard, who had put up a good
fight at Oghratina, and managed to get away most of their guns and
transport, though followed and harassed by the R.H.A. and cavalry as far
as Salmana. Complete victory had crowned the operations, as the following
figures show—
Enemy’s strength 18,000
Enemy’s losses 3,930 (prisoners)
1,251 (killed and buried)
4,000 (wounded)
------
Total losses 9,181
======
The captured material included a complete Krupp Mountain Battery with 400
rounds of ammunition, 9 German machine guns with 32 extra barrels, 30
boxes of belt ammunition, and 9 shields, 2300 rifles, 1,000,000 rounds
Small Arm Ammunition, large numbers of pack saddles, sandbags, clothing,
equipment, rockets, barbed wire, stretchers, tools, swords, etc.; one
aeroplane engine and 3 petrol tanks, 100 mules and horses and 500 camels.
The following telegram was received from H.M. the King—
“Please convey to all ranks engaged in the Battle of Romani
my appreciation of the efforts which have brought about the
brilliant success they have won at the height of the hot season
and in desert country.”
Katia, which was bombed daily, was occupied until the 14th August, on
which date the Divisional Headquarters and the units that had taken part
in the operation moved back to Romani and Pelusium to engage in very
arduous training, and to put the finishing touches to the new equipment
after the extremely severe test that had been undergone. The units were
distributed as follows on the evening of the 15th August—
Pelusium:
Divisional Headquarters.
Signal Company.
Headquarters, R.E.
Divisional Squadron, D.L.O.Y.
126th Infantry Brigade.
A Battery, 211th Brigade, R.F.A.
2nd Field Company, R.E.
2nd Field Ambulance, R.A.M.C.
Attached—100 Bikanir Camel Corps.
Romani:
C Battery, 210th Brigade, R.F.A.
A Battery, 212th Brigade, R.F.A.
1st and 3rd Field Companies, R.E.
125th and 127th Infantry Brigades.
1st and 3rd Field Ambulances, R.A.M.C.
The remainder of the Artillery and Divisional Ammunition Column were at
Kantara and Ballah.
[Sidenote: _Camels and other “Pets”_]
Reference has been made to the arrival of the camels on the night
before the march of the 127th Brigade to Mount Royston. The Ship of the
Desert henceforward played so important a part in the operations of
the Mobile Column that gratitude demands a few words of appreciation.
A hundred, more or less, with from thirty to forty native attendants,
were apportioned to each battalion, and the troops by now would have
been unimpressed if a squadron of elephants had been dumped upon them.
The camels and their satellites were placed in charge of the odd-job
subaltern, the sergeant surplus to Company strength, and the few simple
men who would volunteer to trudge alongside a grunting, grumbling,
snapping mass of vermin and vile odours, and listen to its unpleasant
internal remarks, while gazing upon its patchy hide and drooping,
snuffling lips. British soldiers are notoriously fond of animals, and
will try to make a friend of anything with four legs, or even with
none,[8] and no doubt some of these volunteers had visions of their
sloppy, shambling charges eagerly responding to affection, answering to
a pet name, and turning soft eyes of devotion upon the beloved master
while he fondled it. If so, they were quickly disillusioned, and soon
they became prematurely aged men, bitterly regretting the impulse that
had led them to volunteer. The native gentlemen had apparently been
chosen for their knowledge of the English language—some could even count
up to four in that tongue!—their gambling propensities, their detestation
and ignorance of camels, and their appearance of abject misery. By the
camp fire, at the end of the day’s march, they became more cheerful as
they compared thefts, smoked vile cigarettes, and babbled of the riotous
time they would have in Cairo when they returned with their accumulated
wealth. They were handy men, however, and the Lancashire lad regarded
them with kindly tolerance, touched with the wondering pity he extends to
all who have never watched Manchester United play Bolton Wanderers.
On the coast, two or three miles to the north of Romani, lies the hamlet
of Mahamadiyeh, which sprang into fame as the most popular seaside
resort in Africa, the battalions, with the exception of those of the
126th Brigade guarding the railhead, being sent there in turn for rest,
recuperation, and sea-bathing. Further advance eastward by the Division
was impracticable until the railway and pipe line had been pushed farther
ahead, the present limit being a few miles beyond Romani. Meanwhile,
a position was sited east of Oghratina to cover the extension of the
railway, and this was reached by the Division, less the 125th Brigade,
1st Field Company, R.E., eight batteries, R.F.A., and the 1st Field
Ambulance, on September 11. A prospecting party of Engineers had located
considerable supplies of water, and the few trial wells were rapidly
increased to forty-three, supplying 9000 gallons an hour. The water was
slightly brackish, but was drunk by horses and camels. Water for the men
was supplied to units at the railhead tanks. The 125th Brigade had been
moved to section defences, the 5th Lancashire Fusiliers to Kantara, the
6th to Dueidar, the 7th to Hill 40, and the 8th to Ballybunion. A few
weeks later the Brigade was reunited at Mahamadiyeh, where D.H.Q. was
established.
For more than two months the Division shared with the 52nd Division and
the mounted troops the duty of protecting the railway and water-pipe
from raiders, the troops occupying a succession of forward positions
along the coastal road in advance of and covering the railway, each
Division returning to Romani when relieved by the other. To pack up,
load the camels, and move off to a fresh bivouac quickly became second
nature. Steadily the railway was pushed forward towards El Arish, and
alongside it a road was constructed, the sand being conquered at last
by the ingenious device of wire rabbit-netting laid and pegged down. In
this way the fatigue of marching was much reduced. The large main through
which a daily supply of 40,000 gallons was pumped from the Sweet Water
Canal through filters to Romani, was carried forward by the Engineers,
who also erected reservoir tanks at the railhead. This supply was barely
sufficient for the men, and none of it could be spared for the animals,
so exploring parties of sappers went ahead to sink innumerable wells and
erect signboards giving a rough estimate of the supply per half hour and
the degree of salinity. They also prepared maps of a region that had
hitherto been practically unmapped. It was an engineer’s war, and the
amount of work done by them in the face of difficulties that had been
considered insuperable was indeed amazing.
The health of the troops had suffered greatly by the prolonged strain
under a tropical sun, and a number of men had been sent into hospital
with dysentery. There had also been a few cases of cholera, presumably
contracted from Turkish prisoners and camping grounds. A number of
men, pronounced medically unfit for the arduous duties of the Mobile
Column, were formed into a composite battalion and stationed at Kantara,
where they were engaged upon guard duties and training. In October a
much-appreciated scheme of rest and holiday cure was recommended by the
medical authorities. Parties of officers and men were sent to Alexandria
for a week’s real relaxation, and during this week they were practically
free to do as they liked. It was a novel military departure, as there was
neither work nor duty for officers or men. The change of surroundings,
the freedom, and the sea-bathing worked wonders. The coming once more
into touch with civilization had in itself a good effect; health quickly
improved, and with the cooler weather a complete change for the better
was experienced.
In October, Major-General Lawrence, having returned to England, from the
23rd of the month until the arrival of Lieut.-General Sir Philip Chetwode
early in December, Major-General Sir William Douglas was given temporary
command of the Desert Column, the name by which the Mobile Force was
now known, Brig.-General Frith assuming command of the Division. As
Brig.-General King had been appointed C.R.A. of the Desert Column, the
command of the Divisional Artillery was taken over by Brig.-General F. W.
H. Walshe, D.S.O., who had been in command of the artillery attached to
the Anzacs.
[Sidenote: _The Advance to El Arish_]
The mounted troops, co-operating with bodies of infantry from one or
other of the two Divisions, kept in touch with the enemy, and pressed
him farther and farther to the east as the work of construction went
forward. The railway reached Bir-el-Abd, nearly thirty miles east of
Romani and more than fifty from the Canal, then to Salmana, then Tilul,
and in November the railhead was at El Mazar, about eighty miles east
of the Canal. Engagements took place at Bir-el-Abd and at El Mazar, the
latter forcing the enemy to withdraw upon El Arish, their base and the
most important town in Sinai. As each stage of railway and water-main
construction was completed the main bodies of the 42nd and 52nd Divisions
also advanced a stage. Viewed from a distance, the slow-moving column
seemed to have strayed into the scene from out of the twentieth century
B.C., as the long line of laden camels wended their deliberate way along
interminable stretches of bare sand, or across salt lakes of dazzling
whiteness, or through undulating scrub country which raised fleeting
hopes that the desert had been left behind. Turkish aircraft continued
to harass the advance, but the bombing was rarely effective, and even
the natives of the Egyptian Labour Corps grew accustomed to the raids,
and no longer bolted like rabbits for cover when a plane was sighted.
Due acknowledgment must be rendered to these Gyppies, who worked with
admirable rapidity and cheerfulness, each gang being in charge of a
native ganger whose badges of authority were two stripes and a stick
which was freely used. While working they invariably chanted, the ganger
acting as fugleman, and the heavier the work the louder the chanting.
When they were not chanting they were not working. It was at times
fortunate that the soldiers did not understand the words chanted. The
English soldiers soon took up the idea, and when collective effort was
required, it was done to the accompaniment of some extraordinary singing.
Towards the end of November the 42nd Division occupied El Mazar, only
twenty-five miles from El Arish, and the railway was already pushed on to
El Maadan, about ten miles further east, where an important railhead was
constructed and arrangements made for the storage of a large water supply
to be fed by railway tanks. Three or four times a week every man had for
breakfast a 1 lb. loaf baked in Kantara on the previous afternoon.
On December 20 a concentration of all available troops was effected at
El Maadan. There were at least 30,000 men, including natives, and 18,000
camels, marching in parallel columns as far as the eye could reach. A
rapid forward move and a surprise attack upon the Turkish positions
covering El Arish had been planned, and the prospect of celebrating the
close of the year 1916, and the completion of the hundred-mile stage of
the conquest of the desert, by a good stand-up fight was looked forward
to with exhilaration, except by the pessimists who freely betted that
there would be no fight. In the small hours of the morning of December
21 the company commanders received orders to prepare to march—but, alas!
back to El Mazar, not forward to El Arish, for the bird had flown and the
stunt was a “washout.” Brig.-General Walshe had gone out in an aeroplane
to reconnoitre the position for artillery purposes, and as no sign of the
enemy could be seen the pilot brought the machine down until they skimmed
along the top of the palm-trees, and made sure that the Turk had cleared
out. The disappointment was intense. El Arish was occupied by the mounted
troops and the 52nd Division, while the 42nd gloomily marched back to
Mazar. In the words of the order: “The Turks having fled, the Division
was no longer required to fight them.”
They were not downcast, however, for any length of time. A remark of the
Divisional Commander, as he commiserated with his men on having missed
the promised “scrap,” gave rise to rumours and much discussion of the
Division’s prospects. “Never mind, lads,” he had said, “you’ll get as
much as you want very soon.” Could it mean France, Salonika, India,
Mesopotamia? Perhaps, even an advance through Palestine—though this was
scouted as too wild a notion. But Christmas was at hand, and hopes and
chagrin were laid aside for the moment, as men’s thoughts were wholly
occupied with visions of Christmas festivities. Anticipations were fully
realized; the mail and parcels from home arrived at the right time,
and the Christmas of 1916 was thoroughly enjoyed. The rest of the stay
at El Mazar was not. The Turk had been stationed here in force and had
bequeathed a legacy of lice of abnormal size and ferocity, which swelled
the fighting strength of the Division to many times its normal number. A
delousing apparatus was brought up by train, and the men conceded that
it was not wholly ineffective—in assisting the young lice to attain
maturity more speedily, and in whetting their appetites. There was also
an alarming development of septic sores, probably due to the filthy sand.
Meanwhile the mounted troops had been busy. On Christmas Eve they had
struck suddenly at Maghdaba, a dozen miles to the south of El Arish,
and had destroyed the garrison there, and, later, had made a brilliant
lightning raid on Rafa, about thirty miles to the east, on the border of
Sinai and Palestine. The enemy, taken completely by surprise, surrendered
after putting up a good fight.
In the middle of January 1917, the 42nd Division marched by stages to El
Arish, halting for a few days at El Bitia en route. This place furnished
a welcome change from the ordinary desert scenery—palm groves, flat
stretches of firm sand peculiarly adapted for football, a roaring sea
close at hand, and a fine beach for bathing. El Arish was reached on the
22nd, and this was the furthest point east attained by the Division,
though the Engineers, with a Company of the 8th Lancashire Fusiliers,
spent a few days at El Burj, ten miles beyond. At El Arish wells were
sunk at the edge of the beach where, to every one’s surprise, excellent
water was found in abundance only twenty yards from the sea. A very bad
sandstorm was experienced here, and there were periodical but ineffective
bombing raids by aircraft. Before the end of the month the Division, less
the squadron D.L.O.Y., was ordered back to the Canal, their destination
being Moascar, near Ismailia.
[Illustration: BIR EL GERERAT. BIVOUACS.]
[Illustration: A “HOD” OR OASIS OF DATE PALMS.]
[Illustration: TURKISH LINES AT MASAID.]
[Illustration: EL ARISH.]
[Illustration: EL ARISH.]
[Sidenote: _The Work Accomplished_]
The heavy sand through which the guns had been hauled and the
difficulties of the water supply for the horses had provided a hard test
of the endurance and skill of the Divisional Artillery, and it is greatly
to the credit of the batteries that they had overcome all obstacles.
Men and horses had become accustomed to desert trekking, and at the
end of a day’s march the bivouacs were prepared, the horses watered,
and everything running as smoothly as under peace-time conditions. On
Christmas Day the batteries had (on paper) been formed into six-gun
batteries, but the scheme was not actually put into operation until the
Division had returned to the Canal zone.
As in Gallipoli, the Divisional Signal Company had been kept continuously
at work and had displayed energy and efficiency beyond praise. Every task
that had been set them—and their name was legion!—had been done well.
The Supply details of the A.S.C. had accompanied the Division during the
six months’ operations in the desert, and it may safely be said that no
Division was better maintained in the matter of supply. The R.A.M.C. had
formed mobile sections in each Field Ambulance, and two of these with
camel convoy had accompanied each infantry brigade, and had shared their
experiences. In spite of the heat and the shortage of water the desert
life had on the whole proved healthy.
The magnitude of the work accomplished in the desert may be estimated by
the following figures—
Railways 360 miles
Pipe lines 300 ”
Roads 220 ”
Timber Hurdles 800 ”
Timber for hutting 2,000,000 square feet
Wire netting 50,000 rolls
Barbed wire 7,000 tons
Cement 2,000 tons
Sandbags used 30,000,000
The defence of the Suez Canal had now been made secure. The revolt
against Ottoman rule in the Hedjaz had broken out, and the Turk was in no
mood for further adventurous enterprise. Henceforward he would confine
his energies to defensive operations, and would ask nothing more than to
hold his own.
The infantry entrained for Kantara, _en route_ for Moascar, during the
first days of February, and though the hundred-mile railway journey was
far from luxurious the troops were glad enough to be spared the weary
march back to “th’ Cut.” They had watched the railway grow mile by mile,
and their interest in it was almost that of a proprietor, but this was
the first time they had ridden upon it for any distance.[9] Most of the
units halted for a day or two at Kantara, a station with which they
were familiar enough. Here the only subject for comment seems to have
been the remarkable number of gulls that swarmed overhead at meal times.
The mention of these birds will remind many officers and men that the
42nd Division made very useful contributions both to the knowledge of
the fauna of the Sinai Peninsula and to the supply of animals to the
Cairo Zoo. Many desert mice and rats, lizards and tortoises reached the
Zoo alive, and one rat was so exalted by the prospect of introduction
to Cairo society that it gave birth to a healthy litter while in the
parcel post. Insects of great interest and rarity, and of peculiarly
local distribution, were sent to the Ministry of Agriculture at Cairo
twice a week for six months; and species entirely new to science were
discovered. A battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers, from the R.S.M. and
the Cook-Sergeant down to the sanitary men, took to collecting and nature
study with great ardour and much success.
[Sidenote: _From East to West_]
Divisional Headquarters and the Signal Company arrived at Moascar on
February 4. On the 6th, 7th, and 8th the various units (less the 2nd
Field Company, R.E., which proceeded direct by rail to Alexandria) set
out from Kantara on the two-days’ march to Moascar along the new road
by the side of the Canal. The change from the soft sand of the desert
to the hard road was a sore trial to the feet, and a big proportion of
the men limped rather than marched into Moascar. All ranks now knew what
most had suspected for some time, that the Division was bound for France,
and there was general enthusiasm. The prospect of a change from the
sand, the glaring sun, the discomfort of intense heat, the monotony and
isolation of the desert, was hailed with joy by the majority. A number of
officers and men had not been home since September 1914, and knew that
there was little chance of home-leave while the Division remained with
the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. Yet there were some among those who had
been out longest upon whom the spell of the East had fallen, and who were
disappointed that, having accomplished so much of the preparatory work,
they, like Moses, could only see the Promised Land from afar, and were
not allowed to go forward into Palestine.
While at Moascar the Division was inspected by Lieut.-General Sir Charles
Dobell, commanding the Eastern Force, and it also marched past General
Sir Archibald Murray, Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Expeditionary
Force. An event of even greater moment for men who had been nearly twelve
months in the desert was a week’s visit from Miss Lena Ashwell’s Concert
Party. The troops were grateful and appreciative, and they showed it
unmistakably.
[Illustration: FLASHES OF UNITS IN THE 42ND DIVISION.]
[Illustration]
In view of the impending change every man now required serge clothing,
winter underclothing and service cap. The field-gun batteries were
established on a six-gun basis, and two artillery brigades, the 210th
and 211th, were formed out of the three existing brigades of four-gun
batteries. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Field Companies, R.E., were re-numbered
as the 427th, 428th, and 429th Field Companies respectively. Many details
left behind during the advance across the desert rejoined the Division,
as did also the R.A. Base at Ballah, and the instructors and staff of the
Divisional School at Suez. This school had done most useful work, a large
number of officers and other ranks having been put through a series of
short courses, and much progress had been made in bombing and in the use
of the Light Trench Mortar, or Stokes Gun.
To the great disappointment of all ranks it was decided that the A.S.C.
should remain in the East, as a new 42nd Divisional Train had been
formed in England to join the Division on its arrival in France. There
was sincere regret on both sides at the severing of comradeship. The
Divisional Train left Kantara early in March to join the 53rd Division,
to which it was attached during the operations against Gaza. On the
formation of the 74th (Yeomanry) Division it became the 74th Divisional
Train, took part in all operations with that Division in Palestine, went
with it to France, and remained with it until disembodied. The Divisional
Squadron, now with the 53rd Division, was engaged in the first and second
battles of Gaza. Later, it was attached in turn to the 60th and 52nd
Divisions in Palestine and Syria; it took part in the third Battle of
Gaza, in numerous skirmishes, outpost affrays, and pursuits, and shared
in the honour of the great campaign that brought Turkey to her knees.
Before the end of February all preparations had been completed, and units
had entrained for Alexandria. On March 2, 1917, the last transport left
the harbour, and, after two and a half years of service in the Near East,
the 42nd Division was at last on its way to the Western Front.