Month: May 2016

Up at four this morning and Badcock and I with twenty men built a temporary ramp of sleepers and rails at the siding for entraining the guns. Elliott and Kenning marched to Railhead with the horses leaving at 5:30 this morning. It took them about six hours.

We were to follow with the men, guns, and baggage, leaving Kantara about 3 pm. But just before the train was due to go, we had orders from the B.G.R.A. cancelling the move, so everything has to be unpacked. I went up to Railhead with Elliott and Kenning, and my own kits and forage and food for two days, as the horses have got to stay there till further orders.

When I got to Railhead I found that the orders were again cancelled and that the horses were to return to Hill 70 for the night (15 miles back towards Kantara), the railway had got about three miles beyond the old Railhead and of course the horses had gone on there, so I had our truck of forage uncoupled and then went on till I found the horses. I got on my mare who was with them and we rode back to the old Railhead where we halted for a couple of hours, and watered and fed our horses (a thousand gallon tank of water had been sent up by rail and the water was hand pumped out into canvas troughs).

We left Railhead about 6:30 pm and got to Hill 70 at 10:30 pm., having had two short halts on the way. It was a nice cool night and a bright moon. At Hill 70 we watered and fed and had come down near the railway line to bivouac for the night. The horses have done over fifty miles today through deep sand all the time and mostly under a hot sun, and two of them look rather bad.

I shall soon be rolled in my waterproof sheet and fast asleep. The men are pretty tired and small wonder.

I took the early exercise this morning. I saw Edwards of the Somerset Horse Battery who came out on the same boat as us from England. They have just come up from Ishmailia and at present are camped on the west bank on the same place as we were. They expect to be pushed up to Romani in a few days, attached to the 3rd Anzac Mounted Division.

Bathed at midday. A lecture this afternoon by a medical officer on ‘Flies’. We came away feeling quite sick – his descriptions of the way they carried disease and how they put it in your food were too revolting for anything.

We are moving off tomorrow, so have been busy packing up this evening. Some of the West Ridings came in to have a cheery evening tonight with the result that we didn’t get to bed till after one. I hadn’t been in bed long before there was a very loud report, just like a bomb dropping close outside my tent, followed by an agonising yell. I looked out and saw Franklyn’s tent had collapsed and he really thought for a moment that the old Turk had dropped a bomb on him. As it was, it was only his tent pole that had snapped, without any apparent reason. Enemy aeroplanes dropped seventeen bombs on Port Said yesterday, so it is quite on the cards we shall get another visit.

The Intelligence Dept. sent us round a report saying that at one place in Sinai the Turks under Sirri Bay have got a force consisting of 800 mixed Germans and Austrians, 3000 Turks, 700 Syrians, and 1000 Arab camelmen, also guns and aeroplanes, and they have got other smaller forces dotted about so it looks as thought we may be busy.

Orderly dog today but Kenning took the early exercise for me and I hogged it in bed till 6:30, as we’d had a longish day yesterday. Bathed soon after stables, but as we’ve been the battery standing by all day we would only go down two at a time.

Experiments have been made during the day as to the best way of getting the guns over the heavy sand. We tried a team of twelve horses first, two abreast, then two lines of six abreast, and lastly three lines of four abreast, and I think we shall probably use the last method. So far the order stands good that our battery is to go out first, probably by sections, one on Thursday night and the other on Friday night.

The divisional band played tonight. We see in the Morning Post that came out last mail a Turkish report claiming that on Easter Eve one of their aeroplanes did a record journey and dropped bombs on the British Camp at Kantara. I suppose someone has got an iron cross for that lie.

I got up at three o’clock this morning and we got aboard a truck on the 4:30 “works” train for Railhead. It was pretty cold too until the sun got up – the sunrise over the sand hills was a gorgeous sight. There were horses to meet us at Railhead and also the Colonel of the infantry brigade who are going to hold Mahamdiya with us, and several engineer officers. We left Railhead about seven with a troop of Anzacs as escort; they were chiefly for flank guards to prevent us being fired on unexpectedly by Turks or Bedouins, as there are several parties of them about in that district.

We first rode due East to Romani, very heavy going through deep sand and under a hot sun. We passed just to the north of Romani. There it is intended to make Railhead, and at the rate they are laying the line at present (half to three quarters of a mile a day) they ought to reach it in a week or so.

From there we rode pretty well due North till we came to Mahamdiya, which is nothing more than a big sand ridge and some old ruins of a roman fort on the coast, but a very good defensive position as it is pretty well a certainty the Turks will attack by the Northern Route because the sand is harder and there is more water. We ought to give them a pleasant surprise. There are some splendid gun positions there and the camp will be on the sea shore behind the ridge. The great trouble is water: there are several oases dotted about, a little clump of date palms among the sand dunes, but the water in most of them is brackish. But there is one oasis three miles south of our position where the R.E. think they might sink a well and find good water, but it is a long way to take the horses.

We spent about an hour at Mahamdiya and then rode back to Railhead. By the time we got there we’d done just over twenty miles. We got a train back from there at four thirty and got back to Kantara soon after six.

Our orders at present are that our battery leaves here Wednesday evening, the guns to go up by train and the horses march. It is about twenty odd miles. We are to spend all Thursday at Railhead, and on Thursday evening are to hook double teams – that is to say twelve horses – into each gun and wagon and make the best of our way to Mahamdiya. It is a good eight miles through very heavy sand, but I expect we shall strike due North till we reach the coast, and then go East following along the coast on the harder sand. They are giving us twenty odd camels to take all our tents and stores. The idea is that the other two batteries of the brigade wait for a week or two till the railway is more advanced and the water supply more certain, and then join us there. But I shouldn’t be surprised if our orders are cancelled and we all have to wait for the railway, as it would be asking for trouble to send only a small force out with us with no chance of getting reinforcements up quickly. The old Turk is no fool and will probably try and mop up every small detached force we send out, and Bir-El-Adb is not very many miles away and we know he’s got a strong force there. But still ours is not to reason why.

I found a mail in when we got back to camp this evening, heard good news from all at home. Someone was sent some of the daily papers of April 25th and there was the account of the Katia and Duedar fight of April 23rd in them. It’s really scandalous they don’t tell people more – our accounts are quite as bad as the German ones.

Elliott caught a bass tonight, quite two pounds. He went out last night again after we’d turned in and got three more small ones with a landing net made of a mosquito net and an electric torch. The fish that come into the shallows seem to get dazed by the light and are fairly easy to catch.

Church parade at 8:30. Bathed after stables, A1. Siesta during the afternoon. I had my hair cut after tea; we’ve got a man in the battery, Taylor, who has become barber to the brigade and does it very well. Bathed soon after six, very nice as long as you were in the water, but the mosquitoes let us know as soon as we got out. Tomorrow the colonel, battery commander, and a subaltern from each battery – I’m the lucky one – have got to leave here at four o’clock in the morning and go to Railhead. There we shall get horses from the Anzacs and then ride eight miles across the desert to a place called Mahamdiya, which is on the coast in line with Romani and Katia, to reconnoitre for a position for the brigade. They don’t know if the place is held by the Turks or not – we shall very probably have some excitement. If the position is alright, the idea is to send a big force of infantry there with our brigade, so we shall be able to get in behind the Turks and cut their lines of communication when they attack down the Northern Route.

Franklyn and Elliott have just come in with four very decent bass, one weighing over four pounds! I will turn in early, it’s been so hot all day, the shade temperature was 98 degrees at midday and a great deal more in the tents.

At nine o’clock this morning there was an alarm, and our battery was turned out, and all ready to move off within ten minutes, which is pretty quick work. The alarm was only a false one for practice and I hope they won’t ‘cry wolf’ too often.

Two battleships from the French navy, which are allotted to this section of the canal, were doing firing practice this morning. This afternoon the colonel, the battery commanders, and us, and a subaltern from each battery went up to Railhead. The line has got about twenty-five miles out now and is just short of Romani. A funny jolly old train, but she does the work alright. Not a wildly exciting journey as it is desert the whole way, though there is a good deal of scrub in parts. We passed a good many Anzac patrols but I don’t think the Turk would find it very hard to slip between them, because although the country looks flat, it is far from it, and the patrols are a mile apart.

The 156th Infantry Brigade were at Railhead with some sappers, and they said they found it a bit lonely up there and seemed anxious for us to hurry up and come there, but I think our next stopping place is going to be further than that and more to the north. We got back soon after seven and Elliott and I went and had a bathe about eight; the water was very warm and full of phosphorus. Franklyn caught a bass of one and half pounds while we were there.

 

Orderly dog today, the usual routine of duties. I had a heavenly bathe about midday; it’s been exceptionally hot all day.

Jeans rode out today with General Parker and the artillery brigade commanders on a reconnaissance between Hill 70 and Turks Top, and got an idea of the position we shall have to take up when the attack comes. A Turkish German aeroplane flew over our camp at about seven o’clock this morning but didn’t drop any bombs; I expect that to follow later.

Elliott caught two bass tonight, both over 2lbs. Our battery is ‘standing by’ tonight till five thirty tomorrow evening. Each battery in our brigade is taking it in turns now to stand by for 24 hrs.

Our shoot began at seven o’clock this morning. Badcock, Franklyn, and I were the F.O.O.s and we each took on a target and fired the battery from there. The General was very pleased with the shoot, and Col. Robertson congratulated Jeans on the shooting and the steadiness and fine discipline of the men – so we all feel several inches taller. I had a topping bathe at midday. This evening the battery piscatorial society (Elliott and Franklyn) brought in three good bass, the smallest weighing about a pound.

We ‘stood by’ all last night and all today till six o’clock but have not been called out. The West Riding battery have got to ‘stand by’ tonight. We had a swim this morning, but had to go down in twos and cannot be away for long, so it wasn’t as nice as usual. A squadron of the Bikanir camel corps were drilling close to our camp this morning, fine looking men and big strong camels with a double saddle on each. A ‘pow wow’ by General Parker this afternoon. He told me several details about the Katia fight on Easter Sunday – it’s been a bad knock for us. He also read us some news that has been collected by our Intelligence Department, and it looks very much as if the Turks mean a serious attack on us before long.

This evening we took the guns out and got them into a position for a practice shoot tomorrow. It seems rather a waste of ammunition when we shall want all we can get before long in all probability. One of our aeroplanes has been reconnoitring over El Arish today, and it seems that the Turks are making great preparations there. Another of our planes that was reconnoitring today hasn’t come in yet and they are afraid it has been shot down.

From 6:30 till 8 o’clock this morning we were over at the aerodrome practicing cooperation with aircraft. We had the bass for breakfast – top hole! Had our usual swim and diving stunts at midday, and a siesta during the afternoon. Working with the director from 5 to 6 this evening.

We’ve been told tonight to be ready to move out at a minute’s notice. All leave has been stopped throughout the division, and it looks like we are going to have some exciting times in the near future, as there are fifteen thousand Turks and Germans massed mostly at Bir El Abd, which is between Katia and El Arish and on the direct route to us at Kantara, and they’ll probably mass plenty more now they’ve have finished the Kut siege. They have also got three heavy howitzers, 20 centimetre guns at El Hassana, which is further down about opposite Ishmailia.

Elliott and Franklyn went fishing tonight and got five more good bass – cheers for breakfast tomorrow morning.

Just going to bed when orders came in that our battery is to stand by. It seems as if the old Turk means business earlier than we expected. I must go and pack up my saddle bags.