Desert Campaigns
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THE DESERT CAMPAIGNS BY W. T. MASSEY OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENT OF LONDON NEWSPAPERS WITH THE EGYPTIAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE WITH ILLUSTRATIONS FROM DRAWINGS BY JAMES McBEY OFFICIAL ARTIST WITH THE EGYPTIAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE This is the story of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, an army whose work has been thrilling, exacting, and of the utmost importance. Walter Clinton Jackson Library The University of North Carolina at Greensboro Special Collections & Rare Books World War I Pamphlet Collection Gift of Greensboro Public Library Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from Lyrasis IVIembers and Sloan Foundation http://www.archive.org/details/desertcampaignsbOOmass Compliments of professor flDacnelle Wxxon ! \ The Sergeant. For him the desert holds no secrets—even that which is beyond Bedouins is not hid from him, Jim Liddy, silver miner from Broken Hill, New South Wales. [Frontispiece. The Desert Campaigns By W. T, Massey Official Correspondent of London Newspapers with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force With Illustrations from Drawings by James McBey Official Artist with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force ^ G. P. Putnam's Sons New York and London Xlbc iRnicfterbocfter press 1918 I •rA 3 COPYRIGHT, I918 BY G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS Ube mnfcfterbocftct press, Hew Borft MY MANY STERLING FRIENDS IN THE EGYPTIAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE " FOREWORD I WAS prompted to write this book by a sentence in a letter received from a colleague on the Western Front, a thinking man, who some months ago expressed the hope that the war in Egypt would soon be over, for then "the good boys out your way will be able to come to France to see what war is. That betrayed a lack of knowledge of the Army's work in Egypt, and from what I have heard from many sources, not the least important being letters received by soldiers from friends at home and on the Western Front, I am afraid it echoes the opin- ion generally held in Britain. All the great Lon- don newspapers, who did me the honour of selecting me to act as their correspondent with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, have been generous in the amount of space allotted to the labours of this Force, but a good deal the newspapers have re- corded has been forgotten in the ever-changing picture of all the battle fronts. The epic fights for German strongholds on the Western Front, the struggles for dominating posi- tions, the tense expectation of strategic victory and not merely tactical gains, have made the public look with only half-closed eyes to the lesser field in vi Foreword Egypt, and to concentrate their intelligence upon the ebb and flow of fighting in the wider area where the ultimate decision is to be reached. It would be surprising if the people at home did not focus their attention upon the Western lines, for there their hopes are highest and the prospects most justify the belief that triumph will be ours. Yet they should be brought to realise the deep importance of the campaigns in Egypt and the far-reaching effect of what has been accomplished there, where battles won and the preparations made for further enemy defeats have prevented possible defections of peoples and tribes, and have held in check some dangerous elements in the East. Perhaps this little hurried effort of mine will do something to give our people a better understand- ing of the really great effort the Army in Egypt has made to serve Imperial interests by keeping open the Gateway between East and West. With this object I shall carry the story down to the battle of Rafa, which ejected the Turk from the Sinai Pen- insula and gave back to Egypt every foot of its territory. In Palestine, September, 1917. NOTE ON JAMES McBEY Mr. James McBey was born in 1883, at New- burgh, Aberdeenshire. While employed in a bank at Aberdeen, he was already acquiring the skill in etching which ensured his rapid success when he decided in 1 910 to aban- don a commercial career for that of an artist. He profited bj^- his new-found liberty to travel in Holland, Spain, and Morocco. His etchings are much prized by collectors, and he has added to his reputation by successful exhibitions of water- colour drawings. He was on active service in France prior to April, 1917, when he became one of the official artists appointed to make war drawings of contemporary and historical interest. He started for Palestine in May, and is attached to the Egyptian Expedi- tionary Force. The illustrations in this book appear by per- mission of H. M. Government. — CONTENTS THE CANAL CAMPAIGN lAPTER PAGE L-—The Defence of Egypt I II.-—The Turks Reach the Canal ID III.-—Ceaseless Vigilance . i6 IV.-—An Offensive Defence 20 V.-—The Desert Railway . 30 VI.-—Nile Water for Troops 35 VII.-—Early Preparations 41 VIIL-—A Desert Battle in August 50 IX.-—"Allah, Finish Australia" . 60 X.--Eyes to the East 79 XI.--The Battle of Maghdaba . 96 XII.--The Rafa Victory 103 XIIL--First View of the Promised Land 116 XIV.--An Army of Sportsmen. 122 IN THE LIBYAN DESERT XV. The Campaign against the Senussi 130 XVI. The March on Sollum 142 XVII. Desert Drives 151 XVIII.—The Dash on Siwa 162 Index 169 — ILLUSTRATIONS The Sergeant . .Frontispiece For him the desert holds no secrets—even that which is beyond Bedouins is not hid from him, Jim Liddy, silver miner from Broken Hill, New South Wales. Lake Timsah In the distance on the extreme right lies Ismailia. Near, where the Canal joins the lake, was formerly an R.E. Park. A Listening Post in the Desert . i8 Tense and immovable, like stones sctilptured in the desert, Indian Lancers—the ears of the Canal Post lie out on the sand all night. While three watch, one sleeps. Unloading Wood 26 At an R.E. Park at a Base, the Egyptian Labour Corps are imloading wood brought from overseas. The Railway 30 A typical stretch of the Desert Railway. The building is used as an office. xii Illustrations FACING PAGE Office of the Inland Water Transport . 32 The fleets of dhows, dahabias, lighters, and tugs carrsdng stores on the Canal and the Delta are under the administration of the Inland Water Transport. On the table is planned the Suez Canal, the exact posi- tion of each boat being indicated by various lead counters. A Pontoon Bridge 34 One of the pontoon bridges across the Suez Canal. The convalescent tractors on the left are in an R.E. Park. Strange vSignals 42 On the palpitating horizon a tiny film, apparently smoke, rises and is gone. Instantly the bush-trained eyes—like birds—wait focussed. But it does not happen again. Bedouins, perhaps. Perhaps only mirage. The Hills of Romani .... 52 From here, near Katia, the Turkish attack was latmched over the dunes on Romani, lying in line with the bush in the foreground. The shallow trenches here shown were dug by the Worcester Yeomanry. Mehamdiya 58 From the Roman ruins : the Hospital on the beach is seen three miles distant. Romani (Katib Gannit) .... 66 The highest of the hills of drift sand facing the Katia Plain. During the battle of Romani it changed its position several feet. It was used as an observa- tion post tintil the Turkish artillery concentrated on it. On the left is WeUington Ridge, captured in the early morning of the 5th August by the Australian Light Horse and the men of the 52d Division. Illustrations xiii DUIEDAR 68 In the foreground is the well called Joseph's Well, on the ancient caravan road between Egypt and Pales- tine. On the 26th April the redoubt was attacked by nine hundred Turks, who were beaten off by the gar- rison of five hundred Royal Scots FusiUers. RoMANi. No. 6 Post ..... 72 Along the front of the Romani sand-hills right to the sea are still what remains of the chain of posts or redoubts which resisted the attack of the Turks in the fierce fighting in August of 19 16, though now they are but tumbled mounds of sand from which protrude sandbags and rivetting wire. A Hospital Ward 76 A dysentery ward of the great General Hospital at Port Said—the adapted new buildings of the Suez Canal Co. Dawn 80 The night has been quiet. By five o'clock the camp is astir, and the blankets and possessions are collected. Katia 82 After their disastrous attack on Romani, the Turks retreated to the Katia Oasis, which they occupied till driven out by mounted troops and Scottish Terri- torials pursuing them after the battle. Noon 96 For midday a halt is called, when the camels are unsaddled, and "Biwys" quickly improvised. xiv Illustrations FACING PAGE A Long Patrol in the Desert of Sinai . 102 Before daylight the camels are saddled, loaded with rations for the camels and rations and water for the men, and the start is made as the East begins to lighten. As the men ride out towards the dawn, two of them —the guides—draw ahead. The Wadi 112 For hour after hour have been visible two trees, towards which the Patrol has been making so as to reach them by sunset, for beside them lies the wadi, the camping-ground for the night. The camels are tired, because since dawn they have covered twenty-nine miles of heavy sand, all ascent. A Morning Mist 116 Sometimes of a morning a dense mist sweeps slowly along, through which at intervals the stm appears like a silver disc on a sheet of lead. Nightfall 120 The last night in the desert.