May 1916 archives

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.

Went out early this morning to watch the 1/3rd brigade having a practice shoot in conjunction with aircraft. When the aeroplane came down the pilot lost control of her as she was running along the ground, with the result that she ran straight into a cookhouse and smacked one wing and the propeller, but neither the pilot nor observer were hurt.

We had our usual morning bathe about midday. There has been as nice cool breeze all day.

This evening a member of the White Cross who has been given permission to come and speak to all the troops in Egypt, spoke to the brigade and I have never heard a better or stronger address.

I woke up with a start about one o'clock with a feeling that the horses were coming along. I got up and funnily enough they were just coming along a few hundred yards away.

I got on "Kitty" who was being led and went with them to Romani to show them the wells. After watering we came back and bivouacked for the night. The forage train came in about four o'clock and we drew rations and forage as soon as it was light. The guns, baggage, and the rest of the men came along by train about eight o'clock and began detraining straight away.

I rode over to the headquarters of the Anzac Mounted Division at Romani and arranged for our horses to water there during the day. They are going to try and sink some wells at Railhead if the water is good enough. About ten o'clock I was sent on to Mahamdiya which is four miles to a flank of Railhead and practically on the shore. The guns are going to be in a position there but the majority of the horses will have to be at Railhead as all the water has to be taken to Mahamdiya on camels. I took twenty camels on, loaded with baggage and tents, and myself and four men rode on five other camels.

We are taking over at Mahamdiya the position that up till now has been led by the Ross Mountain Battery, and they are going to join the Anzac Mounted Division. The Mountain Battery have been awfully kind to me today, had me into their mess, and done all they can to help. I went down to the shore to have a bathe this afternoon and it was a treat after the canal; nice clean water and quite big breakers and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is hard sand and you can walk out for some way without getting out of your depth.

The water is going to be a great difficulty here, they are only going to let us have three quarters of a gallon a day per man, but still with the battery we shan't do so badly. All the water has to be brought up by train from Kantara to Railhead, and then brought by camels from Railhead to here. It is carried in fantasses (zinc cisterns), and each holds 10 gallons and each camel can carry two fantasses. So it will be some business supplying us up here with rations and water, etc., besides supplying the 156th Infantry Brigade who are holding the place too.

I warned the left section to stand by at three thirty, and dismissed them at six as all was clear. From seven till ten we worked hard on the new emplacements and they are beginning to grow. Too hot to go on digging after ten so we went down and had a glorious bathe. A troop of Anzacs came down and swam their horses.

From five o'clock this evening till ten we were hard at work on our new gun positions. A fatigue party of the Scottish Horse came and filled sandbags for us for an hour or so. It will take several days before the emplacements are properly finished and the men's dugouts and ammunition pit dug, but the general said it was most important that the guns should be in them tonight, so we had the teams up, twelve horses to a team, and got them in as soon as it was dark and about a hundred rounds of ammunition to each gun.

The colonel is going to stay on with us tonight and go back to Kantara tomorrow.

I am a bit sleepy tonight as I've hardly had any at all the last three nights.

We had half a dozen camels working most of the morning and moved our camp up closer to the guns. I had a bathe this afternoon, there were some splendid breakers today.

This evening I rode out with the major on a small reconnaissance in front of the barb wire entanglements. We were looking for the best going to take the mobile section out, as one section has got to go out if Railhead is attacked, and get in rear of the Turks.

The Anzac division went out on a big reconnaissance today, they took the mountain battery with them and one subsection of the Ayrshire Horse Battery which is attached to them, also eleven hundred camels with forage and rations. They expect to be out about three days, and hope to get some way beyond Bin El Abd.

Just off to the O.Pip as I am on duty there tonight.