The Seventh Manchesters - S. J. Wilson (leveled readers .TXT) 📗
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dimensions, we loaded up the long suffering, but grousing camels, and
marched forth to the cheery strains of a drum and fife band, kindly
provided by the 10th Middlesex. We plugged steadily on through the soft
sand and finally camped for the night inside the outpost line in front
of Bir el Abd. Next day the march continued and we reached Salmana. We
enjoyed nothing better than this new activity, and possibly the most
delightful part of it was the construction of temporary shelters at the
end of the day’s work. Perhaps the most trying part was the provision of
the usual protection for a column such as we were, that is the advance,
rear, and flank guards, for this often entailed covering a greater
distance and enjoying less frequent halts. The day following provided a
new interest. We proceeded through a region of sabkhets, which are large
flat stretches of hard ground, the remains of dried up lagoons, for by
this time we were marching almost along the coast. These sabkhets were a
very welcome change from the difficult soft desert sand. Tillul was
our destination and we settled down amongst Argyll and Sutherland
Highlanders of the 52nd Division, who had arrived a few days previously.
Next morning they played us out of the camp with their bagpipes and we
had a good stiff march to El Mazar, and there we fell in with elements
of the other two Brigades. After two days’ rest we marched out again and
occupied a position just inside the defensive line, which was then being
held by the 6th and 8th.
[Illustration: THE SINAI DESERT.]
The battalion remained a few days in this district, and when not
actually in the outpost line and digging trenches, we were taken out in
front, a company at a time, to act as a protection to the E.L.C. who
were engaged upon railway construction. Whilst on this work we got our
first glimpse of El Arish, the goal to be gained after this heavy
striving across the desert. The Turks were supposed to be holding a
strong position between ourselves and the town, and the idea seemed to
be to push the railway as far as possible, and then eject the enemy so
that work could proceed. Our men were thoroughly impressed with the
wonderful rapidity with which these “Gyppies” accomplished their task.
They were divided up into gangs, each in charge of another native who
had been raised to the dignity of two stripes and a stick. The stick he
used freely on the men who failed to keep up his standard of work. Using
their curious adze-like shovels they pulled the sand into baskets and
ran away with it to where it was required, and whilst they toiled a
simple but noisy refrain was sung to the leadership of the “Ganger.” The
whole spectacle presented a seething mass of rapidly-moving, blue
smocked, brown figures, busily working on the bright yellow sand. The
result of four hours of this sort of thing would produce about 500 yards
of good level track including shallow cuttings and embankments. Then the
train would arrive with more sleepers and rails and these would be
carefully but quickly laid in position.
Another job we had to do in this neighbourhood was digging wells. When
“C” Company went off for a couple of days to do this they discovered
what a formidable business it was. It was necessary to go down to a
depth of about twenty feet, and as the well was sited in very soft sand
the task can be imagined. A huge hole, about forty feet square had to be
made to allow for the slope of the sand, and the deeper we went, the
higher grew the mountains of sand all round the hole, so that the men
had to be arranged on tiers above one another. In this way a shovel full
of sand from the bottom travelled up through various pairs of hands
before it was finally thrown clear. This tedious business continued
until water was struck, and then a corrugated iron frame was sunk at the
bottom, and the tall sides of the well built upon it. After this all the
sand that had been so laboriously chucked out, was heaved back again. A
pump was fixed by the R.E. and troughs made along side, to be filled as
often as the well could furnish sufficient water (in this case twice a
day) for the use of camels or horses.
At El Maadan an important railhead was being constructed for the storage
of water, which was kept in large and small canvas tanks. We took a
great personal interest in those tanks with our thoughts resting
securely on Katia. Matters were gradually developing towards an
engagement of some magnitude, and it was now known that the general
scheme was for the mounted troops to make a detour in order to turn the
enemy’s left flank, whilst the 42nd and 52nd Divisions would make an
advance parallel to the coast. That is to say in effect the infantry
would deliver a frontal attack upon the Turkish troops covering El
Arish.
It had been further decided that the 127th Brigade together with the 5th
East Lancashires would execute the first shock of the 42nd’s effort, so
we had a feeling that once again the Fleur de Lys would be “in the
limelight.” During the evening of December 29th there was a rapid and
wonderful concentration of troops of all arms in the hollow ground near
the railhead. The two infantry Divisions were there in force, whilst the
Australian L.H., and N.Z.M.R., together with the Yeomanry were simply
waiting for dusk to move off to their appointed stations. Behind all
this preparation there was a curious feeling that there was no enemy to
fight at all, and betting ran high as to whether we should find any
Turks near El Arish or not. It was suspected in high quarters that the
enemy had got quietly away a few hours before. However, we slept
peacefully until 3 a.m. and then Company Commanders were summoned to a
Conference with the C.O. to receive orders to get ready at once to
march—backwards not forwards! The Anzacs carefully reconnoitring in the
night had finally entered El Arish, and saw no one there except the
native villagers. So “the stunt was a wash-out,” the bird had flown.
The 42nd marched back on December 21st to El Mazar, and faint rumours
began to drift about that day that we were to leave Egypt. General
Douglas commiserated with us for not having had the pleasure of a good
scrap! “But,” he said, “never mind lads, you will get more than you want
very soon.” Now, what did that mean? Profound speculation as to the
probabilities can easily be imagined. France, Salonica, trouble in
India, Mesopotamia and even an advance into Palestine (scouted as absurd
by most people) were freely discussed. The main consideration just at
present, however, was that the Christmas of 1916 was going to be spent
under much pleasanter conditions than the previous one on Gallipoli, and
concurrent with rumours about fighting there were more substantial
rumours about turkeys, plum puddings and beer. I am glad to say all
three materialised, and these together with Christmas Carols by the
divisional band contrived to produce a Yuletide feeling. In fact
everyone had as good a time as could possibly have been expected in the
desert. Luckily the parcels from home, including comforts from various
institutions, etc., also arrived in time. El Mazar was our abode for
more than three weeks, and we heartily wished a cleaner piece of ground
could have been selected to live upon. In past days the Turk had been
stationed here in force, and he, not being of a sanitary disposition,
had bequeathed to us a store of body lice of new and large dimensions. I
don’t think the fighting strength of the 7th, including all live stock,
had ever been so large in its history. A delousing apparatus made from
an old engine and truck was sent up on the railway to cope with the
problem, and perhaps it had some little effect—in helping the young
ones to grow quicker. Most men were agreed that there was nothing to
equal the double thumb action for certain results. Another scourge here,
probably also due to the filthy sand, was the alarming development of
septic sores. These unpleasant things did not require a wound or scratch
to start them, but they broke out themselves as a small blister on any
part of the body. In the case of a good many men it took the form of
impetigo, an extremely uncomfortable sore rash on the face, and both
officers and men appeared day after day on parade with appallingly
unshaven sore chins, and bandages visible on arms or knees, etc.
During our stay here the news continued to be good. On Christmas Eve the
mounted troops, not satisfied with the Turkish escape from El Arish,
suddenly pounced upon Maghdaba, about twelve miles further south, up the
Wadi, and after a short fierce fight destroyed the garrison, only a few
making their way out of Africa. A more brilliant affair, however, was
the lightning raid upon Rafa, on the border between Sinai and Palestine,
and about thirty miles beyond El Arish, the starting point of the raid.
In a few hours a large mounted column, consisting chiefly of Anzacs had
covered this distance and had taken the Turk completely by surprise. The
enemy put up a stern fight, however, and after his reinforcements had
been destroyed on the road from Gaza he gave in. The prisoners from
these engagements continued to have the desired effect upon the
dissaffected natives in Cairo on their arrival there.
Less was heard about our leaving Egypt after the New Year, and rumours
received a mortal wound when the Division turned its face to the east
once more and marched up, a Brigade at a time, to El Arish. The 7th
accomplished this march in three easy stages, the first day taking us to
Maadan, and the next to Bitia. A few days’ stay here helped us to
appreciate its natural advantages, and as far as the desert went, it
almost had pretensions to beauty. There were glorious palm groves,
bright clean sand to live in, hard flat stretches for football (greatly
appreciated), and a roaring sea close at hand on a wonderful beach for
bathing. If El Arish were in Belgium, Bitia would be “El Arish Bains.”
The return of British power to this corner of the earth was epitomised
one day in the sight of a Bedouin caravan pursuing its peaceful purpose.
The old sheik stalked proudly in front, while his family and goods were
disposed on various camels, and a small flock of pretty black goats
pattered along behind in charge of a sturdy brown lad. Surely they at
least had witnessed the Turkish retirement with satisfaction.
EL ARISH AND AFTER.
On January 22nd, 1917, the 7th Manchesters reached their “farthest east”
in the final stage of the march to El Arish. Most of the day’s labours
had to be accomplished in a blinding sandstorm, which fortunately had
subsided when we arrived at our destination. As we reached El Arish one
had a curious feeling that the canal zone was being left well behind,
and as far as mileage was concerned it certainly was, since the Suez was
one hundred miles away. Nevertheless, up to now one had felt that really
we were on canal defence, and however far we went out there had been
little change in the country so that one hardly seemed to progress. Now,
all that had been left behind, and we were amongst new scenes.
This
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