July 1916 archives

Gen. Murray G.O.C. in C. Egyptian Expeditionary Force came up here today for a day or two and went round the defences this evening. We hear they are going to send up a howitzer battery and two more batteries to Romani shortly.

Pease of the Essex Battery came up here from Kantara this evening to see our position. Mail in the evening. Up in the O.Pip tonight.

Very clear morning, dismissed at four thirty.

A Boche plane came over during breakfast this morning, flying at about 5000 ft. He played about over us for about half an hour despite a very heavy fire from all the machine guns round about, but didn't drop any bombs. The mountain battery fired one gun at him but the shell burst about a thousand feet below him. Two of our own machines arrived from Kantara about half an hour too late.

Bathed this morning. Small mail in this evening; heard from the Jacker. Pease left this evening. Good news in the official telegram from Flanders tonight, also from the Russian front.

Nothing much doing today. We hear from Kantara today that the Essex Battery have got over fifty men in hospital. There are rumours of leprosy, but we've not heard what it is yet. The rest of the Battery have been put in quarantine.

An agent who has just returned from the Turkish lines reports that he visited Shellal, Bir Saba, and Hassana; that the Turks are about twenty thousand strong, inclusive of Germans, Austrians, Afghans, Syrians, and Arab horsemen, and intend attacking down the Northern Route in the late summer.

Stood by at 3 am, dismissed at four thirty when everything was reported all clear, and came down to camp and finished my snooze.

Church parade in our mess tent this morning. I had to read the lesson as the padre had forgotten his glasses.

The major got back from Kantara this evening, and had heard good news from the Flanders and Russian fronts.

Mail in tonight, a lot of news from home. Jo and his squadron have gone to France with the 60th Division. Heard from Ben Stephens; he's been invalided home after five months on Mudros and the Peninsular and three months here.

Very full intelligence report in tonight, the Turks are reported to have thirty thousand troops now.

A very heavy dew early this morning. Stood by at 3 am and dismissed at 5.

Busy helping Brigade Headquarters who arrived this morning. Bathed later. The Col., Kirk, and the padre messed with us today. A Bosch plane came over here yesterday while I was at Kantara. The mountain battery had four shots at it, but she was well out of reach.

The West Riding Battery arrived at Romani today and are going to dig themselves into a position there.

Stood by and dismissed as usual. I went down to Romani this morning, and rode out on a reconnaissance this afternoon with the Colonel to Bir El Rabah. Apparently they are going to send a strong infantry brigade out there and our battery is going with them to protect the railway till it gets to Katia, and then I suppose we shall shove on again. Kitty went very well this afternoon.

We came back here this evening.

One of the men killed a snake this morning, 5 ft 1", rather the colour and markings of an adder, a most poisonous looking brute. A Boche plane came over during breakfast, the mountain battery loosed off at him, but he was flying at a great height and they couldn't touch him.

Bathed this morning. Good news from the French front in the official telegram this evening. Up in the O.Pip tonight.

Busy filling up wagons and limbers with ammunition before breakfast. Bathed later this morning. The Ayrshire Battery arrived tonight and took over our emplacements.

One of our aeroplanes came back from a reconnaissance this evening, and we've just had her report in. 3500 Turks and Germans, with seven thousand trotting camels are at Bir el Abd, which has for the last month or so been clear of the enemy. Five thousand more Turks are in an oasis a mile or so behind it, about twenty two miles from us. An attack is expected tonight, and the Ayrshire Battery are in our emplacements. We've got to get ready to move out on mobile column at a minute's notice. It looks as if our long wishes for a chance is now an absolute certainty.

If we are not attacked tonight we are going down to Romani at six o'clock tomorrow morning and shall advance from there when things begin to move.

I went up to the O.Pip at two thirty this morning to give the Ayrshire observing officer any help he could have wanted with regard to the zone. I was up there till five but there was no attack. At six o'clock we had 35 camels, struck our camp, and sent it onto Romani and followed on with the guns; we've come into action in the open here, behind the first line redoubts. They sent up three more battalions from the 42nd Division tonight.

From our reconnaissance today the old Turk at last means serious business. One of the Anzac patrols went out to Ogratina this morning but found it held by an advance guard of two hundred Turks who drove them back, though luckily with only a few casualties. This afternoon an Anzac patrol to Katia captured a patrol of these Turks.

Our last aeroplane to reconnoitre tonight has come in with the news that the Turks have now got eight thousand men and six guns at Ogratina (12 miles away) and are digging themselves in there. Their main body is at Bin el Abd.

Divisional headquarters have warned us that the attack is very imminent, and will in all possibility be tonight. If the chance offers, we are to go out on mobile column, but otherwise shall fire from our positions here.

We've got about ten thousand men in all here, including the Anzacs and the 157th Brigade at Mahamdiya so ought to be able to hold them; but the worst of it is they attack at night always and not by day.

One of our gravest problems here is the native labour corps. There are about eight thousand of them, and three time during this evening they have tried to break through the front line. They know what's on just as well as we do, and there is no shadow of doubt that half of them are in the pay of the Turks, but the infantry have now rounded them all up and marshalled them back about three miles down the line.

It is very much a case of sleeping with one eye open tonight.

We heard late during the night that the Turkish outposts were in Katia. We stood by at the guns at three, but there was no attack. An aerial reconnaissance out towards Ogratina at dawn this morning reported 12 battalions of Turks with seven mountain guns leaving and marching southwards. It looks as if they mean to try and work round behind us and cut the line between us and Kantara. Three Turks was caught in the Gippy Labour Corps lines last night, and they said that their main force of about thirty thousand was advancing to Ogratina.

Finished getting the camp straight this morning and then altered the position of the guns, so we can shoot South and West as well as East, so can protect our flanks to a certain degree.

Two enemy planes made a reconnaissance over us about five o'clock this evening, our battleplane at once went up after them but they had too much start. The Ross Mountain Battery got some shells bursting pretty close to them.

Troops and stores are still pouring up here. The 156th Bde. which was resting at Sidi Bish Camp in Alexandria, have been recalled and arrived here this evening. They packed off another big train of Labour Corps natives to Kantara this evening, and by the row they were making, they seemed to be glad to be out of it.

I am the F.O.O. tonight, so am just off there. The staff warn us that they expect the attack by the Turkish main body within the next 48 hrs.

Got into communication with the battery once every quarter of an hour during the night. The moon was very late getting up so it was lucky really there was no attack as I couldn't have observed at all, and it would have had to be guesswork.

Two large train loads of natives were sent back to Kantara early this morning and two battalions of infantry from the 53rd Division came up later on the morning. About eight o'clock this morning an enemy plane came over; the mountain battery at once opened fire, but all the shells burst a bit too low.

Our aerial reconnaissance this morning has located the Turkish force which left Ogratina yesterday at Mageibra (supposed to be Joseph's well) which is south of us. They also saw two thousand more Turks dug in at Ogratina, and their main body at and near Bir el Abd and Hod el Bayud.

Two more big troop trains packed with infantry came up from Kantara this evening. Our outposts have had a skirmish with Turkish patrols this evening, as some Anzac wounded have been brought in, also nine Turkish prisoners, including one officer. They don't think it so likely that there will be an attack tonight, as the old Turk evidently doesn't mean to be hurried, and is going to wait until he is quite ready.

I slept at the guns last night. Had great trouble with the Indian camel transport, who tried to bivouac all round the guns. Saw the communications were all right at three o'clock, and took the horses out for exercise at five. Dug another well this morning, about 100 yards from our other one; the water is not nearly so salty and the horses drink it much better.

There is no change in the situation tonight. The Anzac patrols had a few casualties. The Ayrshire Horse Battery who are attached to the Anzac Mounted Division, went out with the 7th Light Horse and shelled the enemy trenches at Ogratina, lucky devils; I hope they send us out on mobile column soon.

Another troop train came up this evening. Up in the F.O.O. tonight.

Kept in communication with the battery during the night. I don't think the Turks will try a frontal attack now, we are getting too strong. Another troop train in this morning early.

About seven thirty an enemy plane came over, followed by a second at about eight o'clock. The mountain battery and several machine guns opened on them but without result. About ten o'clock a third Turkish plane came over, and was greeted with the customary ineffective fusillade. She dropped a message with long red, white and blue streamers attached to it, saying that they found it hard to distinguish our hospital tents and would they be more clearly marked in the future. They evidently mean to have a bombing strafe. The old Turk is quite a gentleman.

Another troop train this evening. We've sent back about twenty of our poorest horses to Kantara and have got mules up from the brigade ammunition column to take their place - great whackers, some of them seventeen hands.

About seven thirty this morning four Boche planes came over and dropped twenty four bombs on us; we spent a most uncomfortable half hour, the worst of it is you can't hit back. They seemed specially to go for the artillery horses and one plane devoted its attention to ours and the Essex, but by a great stroke of luck they didn't get a direct hit. One fell close to the Essex lines and two within a couple of hundred yards of ours. The Leicester RHA lost a few men and horses, also the 157 Brigade Transport and the Royal Welsh Fusiliers caught it a bit. It was our first experience of high explosive, a good deal different to shrapnel. Considering the number of bombs dropped, the damage was slight. They made one particularly good shot in dropping a bomb right in the centre of No. 6 redoubt, but luckily there were no casualties.

The efforts of some of the old camels to raise a gallop were very funny. There was an armoured train on the line today between here and Kantara, two twelve pounders mounted 'fore and 'aft and several machine guns. Another troop train of infantry came in the evening, also a battery of Howitzers (4.5s I think). I am responsible for the communications between here and the F.O.O. tonight.