MARCH TO THE JORDAN VALLEY.
Before proceeding with a description of the Squadron's "trek" to the Jordan
Valley, it might be desirable to enlighten the reader as to the actual
position of affairs at the "front".
[Illustration]
After the capture of Jerusalem on December 9th 1917, the Turk made one
forlorn effort to re-capture it. This attempt met with not the slightest
success, and afterwards (in February 1918), he was driven down into the
Jordan Valley, where he had to yield up the town of Jericho to us. Since
then (in March and April), two raids had been made into Turkish territory
on the eastern side of the Jordan in the hills (in which the Sherwood
Rangers Yeomanry, and Essex Battery R.H.A. participated), and on each
occasion, the towns of Es-Salt and Amman were reached. A large number of
prisoners were taken, together with machine-guns and ammunition, added to
which several bridges were destroyed, and the Hedjaz railway from Damascus
to Mecca cut, thus endangering the Turkish troops, which were operating
against the Arab Sherifian Army, further south. Elsewhere on the front, the
position of the "line" had not materially changed, and at the time of the
"20TH MACHINE-GUN SQUADRON'S" tour of duty in the Jordan Valley, it
extended from the coast north of Jaffa south-eastwards across country
(through a point 18 miles north of Jerusalem), to the Jordan Valley,
thence, due south along the eastern bank of the river to the Dead Sea.
Now, it will be readily imagined that when a unit has remained for any
length of time in one place it has automatically collected large quantities
of stores, equipment, etc., which naturally cannot be carried, when on the
march. On this occasion the principal difficulty lay in the stock of
"canteen goods" that we had accumulated. Fortunately the "R.A.F." came to
the rescue and bought the whole lot, "lock, stock and barrel".
As has been stated, there was much sickness in the Squadron at this time,
but many men were able to keep themselves out of hospital because of the
fact that the Squadron was "at rest," besides, they preferred to rough it,
rather than leave their duties. A "sick-parade" was now hurriedly called in
order to dispose of those who could not be expected to take part in the
next "trek". This parade, however, was _vetoed_ from the start, and was, in
fact, unpopular. Only two men turned up! These, with the two officers
previously mentioned (all of whom ought to have "gone down the line"
several days before), were accordingly sent to hospital. Many men were
suffering from septic sores on their legs and feet; permission was asked
(and granted), for these cases, to wear "slacks" or shoes, as might be
necessary. Strange as it might seem, these men preferred to suffer and
remain with the Squadron, when there seemed a chance that they might be
able to come to grips with the enemy and do something really useful.
In these circumstances, it was not a _very_ smart Squadron that paraded
that night, but its spirit would require a lot of beating! The _route_ lay
past Yazur, on the Jaffa road, to Ramleh, which town they were approaching
as day broke, and Ludd[14] could also be seen. The latter town will be
remembered by all who had occasion to go to Egypt for leave or to take a
course of instruction, also by reinforcements who joined the Squadron about
this time, as it was the British railhead; the journey from here to Kantara
on the Suez Canal being accomplished overnight. From Ludd, also, there is a
branch line to Jerusalem, and a narrow gauge railway to Sarona. At Ramleh,
turning off the road to the right, and passing Lieut. Price's grave, we
halted, off-saddled, watered and fed. At 14.00 a further march, arriving at
the water troughs east of Latron at 17.00, camping for the night further up
the road. Fairly on the way to the famous Jordan Valley, ill-accounts of
which they had often heard, we were soon to find that these reports had not
been at all exaggerated!
The next morning (June 30th), the road in front being very steep, rising
continually, with often a drop of several hundred feet on either side,
units started at half-hour intervals.
FOOTNOTES:
[14] _Ludd was the birthplace of St. George, the Patron Saint of
England. A church built here, after his martyrdom, was destroyed on the
approach of the First Crusaders. It was re-built, however, but was
destroyed again by order of Saladin in A.D. 1191. Of this church, two
apses, two bays and the crypt still remain, and to-day the eastern end
has been restored by the Greeks, while the western end is used as a
mosque! In the crypt (belonging to the Greeks) is shown the Tomb of St.
George.
Ludd = Lod of the Scriptures, a city of Benjamin, see I Chron. viii,
12; Neh. xi, 35; Ezra ii, 33; Acts ix, 32._
AN EXCITING MARCH ALONG THE EDGE OF PRECIPICES.
The necessity of this soon became evident. The road was crowded with motors
of all kinds, and it was by no means a joke to ride a restive horse while
leading an obstinate mule, along the brink of a precipice! At 13.00 Enab
was reached, where the Squadron was allotted its ground, rather stony, but
next to the water troughs, which, however, saved a lot of work.
The following afternoon (July 1st), the road being steeper still, the
transport ("A" Echelon), went ahead of the Brigade. The Squadron started at
14.30 (units still moving at half-hour intervals), and proceeded along the
main Jerusalem road through the new town, past the Damascus Gate (at
17.30), to the eastern side of the town, where the transport was passed and
the Brigade concentrated, the highest point having now been reached (2,590
feet above sea level). A halt of two hours was made, and at 20.00 the
descent to the Jordan was commenced. Henceforth it was "down," "down," all
the way, with roads just as precipitous as before, but the mountains being
so high and steep on both sides, not a breath of air reached us. At 02.30
after a tiring march, and after passing the "Inn of the Good Samaritan," we
arrived at the water troughs at Talat-ed-Dumm (1,018 feet above sea level).
After watering, about half an hour later, the Squadron found its camping
ground, a space barely large enough for a section. In this cramped area the
whole of the Squadron was crammed "as tight as sardines in a tin," with,
literally, not an inch to spare!
Early next morning, when the sun began to rise, some idea was gained of
what might be expected in the Jordan Valley. Although Talat-ed-Dumm, as
already stated, is 1,018 feet above the level of the sea, shut in, as it
is, among the mountains away from any breeze, the heat there is almost
unbearable; the rays of the sun seem to take on a hundred times more power
than ever could be believed possible, blazing down from right overhead, and
leaving no shade, thus turning the place into a veritable furnace.
The Brigade did not continue the march again until 19.00, when it moved
along the old Roman road. Still "down," "down," round sharp bends, and
still along the edges of precipices hundreds of feet deep! At length a
final, particularly steep slope, brought us to Jericho,[15] on the plain
of the Jordan Valley, and _820 feet below the level of the sea_. A halt was
made here for a short time, and then the Brigade marched north-east
(through clouds of dust), to its camping area in the Wadi Nueiame, arriving
at midnight. Here, on dismounting in the dark, _one seemed to be standing
in mud_, but, upon closer examination, this was found to be merely several
inches of fine dust! Sec.-Lieut. Cummer, whose turn it was to be with the
advance party that day, was waiting to show the Squadron its camping
ground, which turned out to be as good as could be expected, and alongside
a stream. A few bell-tents were already standing, which were appreciated.
FOOTNOTES:
[15] _The site of the present Jericho has only been occupied since
mediæval times. The ancient Jericho lay near the spring Ain-es-Sultan
and the City of Roman times was more to the south-west. The Biblical
references to Jericho are as follows: Deut. xxxiv; Josh. vi, 26; I
Kings xvi, 34; II Kings ii, 4, 5, 11. Only a mound exists now, to mark
the position of the ancient city, but excavations here have brought to
light some interesting relics._
THE "BEAUTIFUL" VALLEY OF JORDAN.
The following are a few extracts from the notes of a member of the
Squadron, which gives a vivid description of his experiences on the road to
the Jordan. He says:--
"The sun was just setting as we approached Jerusalem, and the
ancient walls of the Holy City were bathed in orange light against
an opalescent sky. The long dusty column of the Brigade toiled its
way up the steep hill into the city, and passing close by the Jaffa
Gate 'turned left' and followed the main thoroughfare towards the
Damascus Gate. Outside of Fast's Hotel (a former German concern,
but now famous throughout the E.E.F.) stands a group of officers
and soldiers, watching our brigade pass, and cheering us on as we
move into the dusk.
"Over the Mount of Olives, past the Garden of Gethsemane (the black
points of its many cypress trees now silhouetted against the sky),
what thoughts are ours as we cross this hallowed ground amid
surroundings so deeply associated with our religion! Some of us may
never return, but yet we shall have followed to our fate along a
path that still holds memories of that greatest sacrifice the world
has ever known!
"Dark has fallen, and the stars shine bright in a velvet sky. At
length we approach the little Village of Bethany,[16] 'the town of
Mary and Martha'; near which we dismount and breathe our horses for
a space; finding a little shop close at hand, we buy some fruit and
'take a pull' at the water-bottle.
"Leaving our last link with civilization we begin our long weary
descent to the Jordan Valley. Before we have covered a mile, it is
obvious that the road is falling steeply. 'Take a good breath now
of the fresh air,' say those who have already experienced the
Jordan Valley, 'for it's the last you'll get for many a day!'
"The road now enters a valley, or more rightly passes between two
lines of rocky hills, and for a time, as it is pitch dark, we
stumble along to keep our places in the column. But soon, the
eastern crest is silhouetted by the rising moon, and as the silver
light pours down the slope we see the road before us, zig-zagging
its way 'into the depths,' and there, a mile in front, the head of
the Brigade worming its way, like a great black snake.
"So steep is it now, and so sharp the 'hairpin' turns, that
although one hears the voices and sees the heads of troops on the
winding road forty yards below, yet these are possibly half a mile
ahead in the column! 'Down' and 'down' we go, _hotter and hotter it
grows_, dustier and dustier the atmosphere!
"Great difficulty is now experienced in keeping touch with the
regiment in front, for in such cases it is always the Machine-Gun
Squadron that is in rear of the column and 'enjoys' the dust. In
action or danger--quite another thing; up, then, just behind the
leading regiment....
"Arrived at Talat-ed-Dumm, too tired now to eat or drink (having
fed our animals) we lie, or rather, fall down on a blanket. In two
minutes we are dreaming that we are back in the 'old country,'
sitting in that cool breeze under the great sycamore tree; drinking
that fine old 'home-brewed,' and talking to the sweetest of all
women. Far away in the distance is the rumbling of a coach; round
the corner it comes into sight, the horses' hoofs thudding on the
hard old Roman road! The guard raises his long coaching horn to his
lips and blows a stirring call. Someone shakes us from behind! Lo!
we open our eyes and--gone is the lovely green country, the shady
trees and the coach! 'Get up! Reveille has gone'.
"All day we rest here, and shall move on the latter part of our
25-mile journey as soon as dark has fallen. Horses to water--but
luckily not far to go, and though two men have fainted with the
heat already, the majority are still 'merry and bright'.
"About 11 o'clock Talat-ed-Dumm becomes literally an oven; no
trees, no water, nothing but rock and dust--dust six inches deep;
the only protection, a single piece of canvas between one and the
pitiless sun! Gasping for breath, one reaches for the water-bottle,
but it is quite warm. Still, a warm drink brings perspiration, and
_that_ is cooling to a certain extent--in its after-effects!
"Night falls, welcomely, and saddled up the Squadron waits for the
advance to begin and to drop into its place in the line of march as
the Brigade moves past. Voices in the darkness, then shadowy forms,
and, their horses' hoofs muffled by the dust, Brigade Headquarters
passes by. Then the three regiments, one British and two Indian,
each of the latter followed by crowds of donkeys looking ghostly
white in the gloom. At length it is _our_ turn, and behind the last
regiment we 'walk march' and once more get the clouds of dust for
our portion. Now, along the level for a time--and then down again,
down towards the valley, to many a valley of death!
"The impression we get, on leaving Talat-ed-Dumm, is rather
different from that ascribed to tourists in the guide book to
Palestine. '_It is with regret_,' it says, '_that we drag ourselves
away from a spot of such historic interest, where so many of the
patriarchs have rested_'. God help 'em! _we_ never wish to see it
again. No wonder to us, now, that Naaman the Syrian objected to go
down to the Jordan and wash seven times in it![17]
"The horses slip and slide as they pick their way down the old
Turkish road, and once more the moon looks over the hills and
floods her silvery radiance over all--the same moon that in two
hours will rise upon the old homestead in Blighty. But here are we,
among great mountains, rugged and cleft, fantastic shapes in high
relief, in the moonlight. We might be in the moon itself! Not a
sign of life, not a bird nor an animal!
"By mid-night we have dropped 1,100 feet, and gradually the ground
grows less rocky, the hills on the right swing away, and on the
left, just ahead, is the square-topped El-Kuruntal, the so-called
'Mountain of Temptation,' and the gateway of the Jordan Valley.
Reaching the plain the pace grows faster, and clouds of dust arise
worse than ever. Our connecting files find great difficulty in
keeping in touch, so that every now and then those in rear must
gallop to keep up. A small wadi to be crossed makes the pace still
more uneven. We cross the Wadi Nueiame and reach our camping
ground. Again the putting down of lines; again supperless and tired
out to lie down on a blanket in the dust, in that unnatural hollow
1,250 feet below the SEA-LEVEL, THE PLACE OF SWELTERING SUN,
SAND-SPOUTS, SCORPIONS, SNAKES, SPIDERS AND SEPTIC SORES; OF
SCORCHING WIND AND SHADOWLESS WASTE; THAT HELLISH PLACE--THE JORDAN
VALLEY!"
FOOTNOTES:
[16] _See St. John, chap. xi._
[17] _See II Kings v, 10._
INCIDENTS IN THE JORDAN VALLEY CAMPAIGN.
A few days were necessarily spent in the Wadi Nueiame in exercising the
horses and becoming acclimatized to the temperature, which rarely falls
below 100°, even at night, and is usually 120° in the shade (or over)
during the day. On July 7th, "No. 1" Section paraded at 19.00 and proceeded
to the east of the Jordan to relieve a section of the 21st Squadron in the
line. "A" Sub-section took over the emplacements in No. 3 Post, and "C"
Sub-section those in No. 5 Post. The relief was completed by 23.00. The
next evening, the remainder of the Squadron relieved the 21st Squadron
in their camp at the Ghoraniyeh Bridge. One section only going at a time to
avoid attracting attention and being shelled by the Turks, who were posted
in the hills. The new camp was within 100 yards of the Jordan,[18] nearly
surrounded by cliffs, the tops of which were level with the plain above.
The cliffs themselves only being formed by the depression in the plain
before it gives way to the lower ground in the immediate vicinity of the
River Jordan and the east of it. The river at this point is actually 1,250
feet below the level of the sea!
[Illustration: Squadron Camp in the Jordan Valley. "No. 2" Section.]
On arriving in the camp, "No. 2" Section took over the machine-gun
positions for the inner defences of the bridgehead. These had to be manned
at night only, and were on the tops of the cliffs near the camp, commanding
all the crossings of the river. Every evening just before dusk (sometimes
in a severe dust storm), the four guns were taken up on the pack-mules by
the gun-teams and brought back after light the next morning. "No. 3"
Section was in Divisional reserve, and liable to be called on at short
notice to proceed to any part of the line. It provided also all the camp
fatigues.
It was soon found that summer-life in the Jordan Valley was about the limit
of discomfort; only those who have been there at that season can have any
idea of what it is like. If only our turn had been in the winter, when
according to all accounts the weather _is_ bearable! Needless to say that
as much work as possible was done in the early morning and evening, but
even this was extremely trying for all. Fortunately, water was available
from a small stream just outside the camp. Rush-huts and bivouacs provided
the best protection against the sun. Material for these was obtained from
the banks of the Jordan, where, for a few yards on either side, there was
luxurious vegetation--in striking contrast with the rest of the country;
during the day men were allowed to bathe in the river.
All wheels had to be covered over during the day in order to prevent the
wood shrinking; if this had not been done, very little transport could have
been brought out of the valley at the end of the Brigade's tour of duty!
There is, a little over a mile east of the Jordan, a series of low isolated
hills; upon these was situated our line of defence. Each hill, fortified
with barbed-wire and trenches, constituted a "post". This line was held by
Indian Infantry, the regiments of the cavalry brigade providing the patrols
in "no man's land," which, _several miles wide_, was intersected by
thousands of wadis (providing excellent cover for a stealthy enemy), also a
certain amount of tall grass.
The enemy's position was on the mountains at the eastern side of the Jordan
Valley, completely overlooking ours. Earlier in the year they had crossed
the intervening ground, under cover of darkness, and attempted to send us
to "Jericho". They had found the posts too strong for them, however, and
had retired to the positions now mentioned.
"C" Sub-section was on the left, on the banks of the Wadi Nimrin[19]--a
broad wadi with a small stream running along its centre. This wadi ran
right from the Turkish positions to the Jordan near the Squadron camp. "A"
Sub-section was about half a mile away to the right in the centre of a
cluster of small hills. "A's" horses were between the two Sub-sections, and
"C's" were a few hundred yards behind its position under a cliff beside the
Nimrin. If anything, it was probably more pleasant to be with the sections
in the line than in the Squadron Camp.
Nothing of importance happened during our first week. Shells came over
every day at unexpected moments in odd places, and Boche planes paid
regular visits, dropping bombs, always, however, receiving a bombardment
from our "Archies". But on the morning of July 14th, after a night of more
than the usual amount of artillery fire, shells began to fall all around,
not to mention the shrapnel exploding overhead; this state of affairs
continued throughout the whole morning. "No. 2" Section in camp was well
protected by a high cliff, but "No. 3" was not so fortunate and had to be
moved. All the horses had been taken to another spot, and Sergt. Lewis with
some men were seeing that everything required had been removed, when a
shell pitched right in the centre of the "lines" and wounded him and Ptes.
H. Reed and L. Peach. All the day the shelling continued; the immediate
neighbourhood of the bridges over the Jordan being the "warmest" spot. A
field ambulance, close to the Squadron, behind the right reserve gun
position, suffered badly. In the evening all shelling stopped--more
suddenly even than it had started!
FOOTNOTES:
[18] _The River Jordan is rich in historical associations, right from
its source on Mt. Hermon to the Dead Sea, into which it flows. The
Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground (Josh. iii, 14); our Lord
was baptized there (St. John i, 28 and St. Matt. iii, 13). See also II
Kings ii, 8, x, 14; Matt. iii, 5; St. John x, 40._
[19] _See Isa. xv, 6._
A THWARTED TURKISH ATTACK.
Afterwards was learnt the cause of the excitement. The Turk, it was
ascertained, _had intended an attack all along the line_. At one point,
only, had the movement matured, and this was opposite the Australian
Section, on our left. Here, German troops succeeded in getting right round
some of the posts and endangering our bridgehead defences; they had moved
guns up, which enabled them to reach places previously out of range of
anything but their "heavies". Although surrounded, the posts named still
held out, and the Boches were finally driven back to their starting point,
where, it is said, they were fired on by the Turks!
On July 17th, "No. 2" Section relieved "No. 1" in the line. "No. 3" took
over the inner defences, and "No. 1" became Divisional reserve. Lieut. E.B.
Hibbert (who left in February 1918 for leave and a course in the United
Kingdom) returned on July 25th and took command of "No. 3" Section. On
August 3rd "No. 3" Section relieved "No. 2", the inner defences being taken
over by "No. 1". A few days later "No. 3" Section was withdrawn from the
posts and camped close to Brigade Headquarters to be employed as Mobile
Reserve for the outer defences, but owing to shortage of personnel in the
posts, the guns had to be mounted in their previous positions at night.
THE "VALLEY" A DEATH TRAP.
The "Valley" soon began to affect the health of the Squadron. All kinds of
fever became rampant, particularly malaria. Men would suddenly become sick,
or collapse in a fainting fit, their temperature quickly rising to 104° or
thereabouts! Doctors and medical orderlies were much overworked, and became
almost unable to cope with the "rush"; men had to be undressed and tended
on the spot by their own comrades, who sponged them down in order to reduce
their temperature. The Squadron's thanks are due to Pte. Ineson, who, as
its own medical orderly, was untiring in his attention to the sick.
Undoubtedly, but for his efforts, the list of men admitted to hospital
would have been considerably larger.
During July, the O.C. (Capt. L.F. St. J. Davies, M.C., who soon returned,
however, although not quite recovered), and 38 men, were admitted to
hospital. On August 10th, Lieut. Wilgress and Lieut. Hibbert went to
hospital.
When the Squadron left the Valley on August 15th (being relieved by the
21st Squadron), the total casualties were _three officers and 113 O.R.'s_.
Fortunately, a number of reinforcements had arrived, including many from
Yeomanry regiments recently dismounted. The first halt was Talat-ed-Dumm,
where the 17th Squadron was passed at 02.30 on its way down to the valley.
A better camping site was available than the last time, when we camped
here.
The following evening the march was continued, and Jerusalem was passed
through at midnight. The next morning the Brigade arrived at Enab, having
watered at the troughs at Ain el Foka, on the way.
KHURBET DEIRAN
The same evening the Brigade moved via Latron, Barriyeh and Naane to
Khurbet Deiran arriving at 07.30 the next morning, the rest of the day
being spent in laying out the new camp. That day Lieut. Cazalet returned
from hospital and temporarily took command of "No. 2" Section (while Lieut.
Kindell went on a course at Zeitoun), afterwards taking over his old
section ("No. 1").
No sooner had the Brigade settled down in its new quarters than very
strenuous training was re-commenced--in addition there were inspections
galore--besides tactical schemes, almost every other day. Reinforcements
came up, which included many men new to the Squadron, which was, in
consequence, soon nearly up to strength. Lieut. King returned from
hospital, but still being far from well had, soon afterwards, to go back
there. On September 13th Lieut. Millman returned from hospital and Lieut.
Kindell from his course of instruction. Lieut. Millman resumed command of
his late section ("No. 3"). On September 14th the Squadron turned out in
complete marching order with transport, for a Divisional "scheme," the
Division moving south on a six-mile frontage, sections coming into action
with an imaginary enemy at various points.
[Illustration]