Diary of Trooper Ion Llewellyn Idriess-Aug 1916-Part 3

this frightened the horses

a lot. Suddenly I noticed

that, where a few C troop

men were standing, right

ahead, there was a little
spurt of sand, then

another, and another. It
was a sniper. There was

rifle fire in the distance,

but no sound of the snipers

rifle. Our fellows scattered

out a little, but they
could not go far. Then

"Plop" a bullet landed

between the heels of Stans

horses. We pulled the

horses behind a sand
mound quickly. It was

nerve racking, and 

fairly getting on my 

nerves. This kind of 

fighting is far worse
 

kept a very sharp look out.

Next day the section that

went out spied from a 

discreet distance on a spur

of Hill 200, twenty fast

camels and thirty dismounted

men. Then through the day
we chased Turkish patrols

from Hill 386, but next

day they were there in stronger

force. The Turks then 

commenced to advance all

along their line, and hourly

we expected a sudden

attack on our base at

Nagid. Then we found their

patrols going towards Hill

426, with us in their

centre. The afternoon before

we were withdrawn

Mr Stanfields party

captured a Turk near 

than trench fighting. In

a trench men can 

laugh at shrapnel and

bullets, but in this 

fighting he has got to

stand up in the open 

and make a target

for everything that is

coming. In about an

hour we got orders to
line a small ridge

about four hundred

yards to the right. We

were very glad, there 

was a lot more cover

there. We galloped over,

Stan & I getting

befide a conical mound

of sand, lying beside

the horses, watching the

Turkish shells bursting

all around. The shells
 

Wazet, our well. Next

morning, the day on which

a party of New Zealanders

were to relieve us, Mr Broughton

and his four men brought 

in four well armed Turkish

soldiers from the well itself.

The New Zealanders arrived 

soon after, and took over

from us. They told us 

that at Hamiseh, only 

two miles to the north of

us, a Light Horse standing 

patrol had been surprised

and killed through the 

night. So the Turks had
drawn in very, very close

around us. Those New

Zealanders will have to

be very careful. But I

think that our little (Tiny)

had followed us, the

Turks evidently thinking

that there were a lot of

men here. And so us few 

saved the army regiment

a long mornings shelling.

Now forty yards on our 

right was a Turkish

trench, a cunning

Turkish trench. It was

very shallow, running

right around the crest

of a ridge, each mans

possy so cunningly and

naturally hidden with

bushes that it was

impossible to distinguish

the trench until a man

to was right on top of it.

I shivered. A regiment 

of horse would have 

walked right up 
 

patrol did one of the most

daring, cheeky things in history

which if I had read of in

a romance would have

made me smile. To ride 

right into a fiercely armed

Turkish camp, up a big

hill lined with waiting

Turkish soldiers, to kill

one of their men from 

right in among them, and

ride through their storm 

of bullets without a scratch,

is almost unbelievable.

But I lived through it and

know, . . . . . The taubes

bombed Romani this morning,

Some for ¾ of an hour. Some

of the Tommies were knocked
about. 1st August. We
are getting rotten tucker

again. More taube alarms.

that trench, and if it had

been filled with riflemen 

— . I was much afraid

of the sniper crawling up

to that trench, so for

long hours I lay gazing 

at that trench, watching,

waiting for the sneaking

muzzle of a rifle to be

pushed gently through the

bushes. But thank goodness
none came. Stan
lay looking towards

our right, where presently

he pointed out the 

Turkish shrapnel bursting
away to our right

over the third Brigade.

Then through the morning

in the distance we could

see some New Zealand

patrols. All through
 

4^th August. Last night six others

and myself had the rotten luck

to be sent to 383 for night patrol.

Later on in the night we got a

message through the field telephone

that the regiment was moving

out to at twelve O'Clock to

reconnoitre the Turkish 

right flank at Nagid. At

three O'Clock this morning 

machine gun fire broke out

not far in front of us, and

is still going strong. A New 

Zealand regiment took the 

place of the 6^th at Deuidar,

their patrol relieved ours.

We are now in camp, 

listening to the boom of big

guns only a few miles in

front. it is by far the

heaviest firing we have

heard here yet. It is

the morning expecting 

the order to go into 

action, but the order

never came. That damned

sand was scorching hot.

To our great delight, Stan

found a tin of milk in

his haversack. We opened, 

it, mixed it with water,

and had a great feed of

bully beef and biscuits.

The ho Our horses were 

very hungry, and tried to 

eat our biscuits from 

our hands. During the 

afternoon we were relieved,

and went back to the

regiment. Things were

very qui fairly quiet. 

Then, before sundown, the

Turkish guns opened up

again, and stuck hell
 

maddening to think that the 

very night we should be

on duty the regiment should 

move out and get into a

scrap. We are only waiting

for news to come through
that the regiment is engaged,
and we are going to saddle
up and follow them up. .....

News has come through that
there was a bayonet charge

outside Romani last night.

8 a.m. Some very heavy guns

are firing now. The New

Zealand regiment is moving

out. We are b going to try and

get ahead of them and rejoin

the regiment. 8.15 a.m The

damned corporal in charge of

our patrol has gone up and

asked permission of the

into our battery, which

answered like the little

spitfire x she is. Now

came high explosives,

the deafening, rending

crash, the humming 

fragments of flying

shell, the great uprising

cloud of thick evil

smelling smoke. Soon

the battery was enveloped

in sand and smoke,

and every man knew not

what moment was to be

his last. On account of

this heavy fire we were

ordered to retire earlier

than the day before. The 

order came, men were in 

their saddles instantly.

It was to retire a

squadron at a time,
 

Scotch colonel in charge of

the camp for permission for

us to rejoin the regiment. And

we have been refused

permission to leave the camp.

There was not the slightest

need to ask permission of

any officer for us to leave 

camp. 8.30 am. A regiment of

English yeomanry have

arrived, and sending their

screen out at the double,

straight away went out. Heavy

guns are booming. At last 

we are to be allowed out, in

this way. The Turks have 

cut our telephone wire, and

our little lot are going out 

to repair the wire. So we

might come in for some

excitement after all. Anything
is preferable to this

five minute intervals

in between. We were the
last squadron to retire.

How fearfully long

those times minutes

seemed. The tu first

squadron extended,

moving out. Over the

first crest at a  trot,

and the Turkish shrapnel

following them. They

got safely away, and

the next squadron

left, riding rapidly

to the right, to the

music of the Turkish 

shrapnel and high

explosive, and the 

roar of our own little

guns. At last our

turn came, and with

intense relief we
 

inaction. 9.15 a.m. Another 

cursed disappointment. We

were just getting into the

saddle, when an order 

came from the C.O. not to

go on the telephone wire, as

the wire is now in enemy

territory? That means the

Turks are making a very

strong push.  9 a.m. Mr Hicks

groom has just come back,

with news that the regiment 

met the enemy in very strong

force, and we are now 

retiring. Mr  Hicks is

wounded. 10.30 am Just

had a bit of a spurt. A taube

circled over the camp, but

the redoubts turned the

machine guns on her and

she flew off. 3 p.m. Some of 

the yeomanry who went out

moved off. A Only to

halt over the first 

rise, waiting, I think

for the Turkish guns

to shift their aim a

little, so that we could

dash with some safety

over the next sky line.

Looking behind, I saw

Major Johnson coolly

riding up behind. A

flash of flame high

above him, "Bang," the

whirring burr of a

heavy fragment of

flying shell, a burst

of dust a yard from

his horses heels and I

found myself laughing

like a lu silly ass at

the old majors half

look around. Then
 

are back again wounded.

Riderless horses are coming

galloping back to camp.

Mounted troops are all along 

the fighting line. At Romani
the fighting has been very

severe. 4 p.m. Two more

cursed taubes had us

rushing over the desert soo

after again. It was

amusing to see the nigger

camel drivers st scattering

for their lives. 5.30 p.m.

The regiment has just 

come back thank goodness.
They had a great 

time, but did not attack 

the enemy. We are under

orders to move out at a

moments notice to night.

13^th, And back in

Deuidar again? Eight

on again, swiftly, the 

Turks firing like blazes

but they had turned their

guns  a little, and their

shells burst either too

far behind, on  or

just a little too far to 

the right. And so we

drew away, and came

back to Q'uatia and

camp again.  . . . . Next

morning we were out

again early, the regiment

in advance. It was our

turn to find the enemy

and attack. We drew 

near the hills of our position
of the night before,

every second expecting

the whine of the first

oncoming shrapnel. We 

passed the hills, as
 

or nine great days to write

up, and a realisation of how

impossible to describe them it

is. . . . . T Before dawn the 

regiment moved out, and

took the Quatia road. Three

miles from camp we were on

top of the 383 ridge, with the

newly risen sun right ahead.

We looked back, and there

a thin brown column, stretching
right back to the redoubts

of Deuidar, was a long

column of Australian and

New Zealand mounted 

troops.  And then on along 

the desert road, slowly, all

impatient, all of us afraid

that the fighting would be

over, and the Turks be away 

before we could come up

to them. We did not know

over the skyline, but

still not a sound, not

a solitary rifle shot. Surely

the Turks were waiting

for us to cross a piece
of marked ground, when 

they would pour hell into

us. But not a shot. We

went another half mile,

and knew the Turks

had retired through the

night. We passed odd

bits of trenches, empty,

except for cartridge

clips and an odd dead 

Turk. We were very

near to Oghratina which

was a strong Turkish

base. We expected a big

fight there. But not a 

solitary shot. Every crest,

every rise ahead, we
 

what was waiting before

us. In the fierce heat of the

day we struck the oasis of

Bir el Nuss, where wells

had been sunk, and where

we watered our horses,

moved on to a sand ridge,

and waited, a long two

hours or more. Here joined

us an English artillery

battery, with many battery

horse, and a lot of

ambulances. And still

came the Australlian

mounted men, and New

Zealanders, a regiment

would water their horses,

move away and dismount

on the desert, another would 

take its place, and another

then another, and still