Diary of Trooper Ion Llewellyn Idriess-Aug 1916-Part 6

Just beginning to get a

bit light, and we were

wondering where the

regiment was, when Jack

Meiklejohns horse xxxxx

knocked up. We halted

and immediately heard

the hum of many voices,

to our right, on the

other side of the steep

razorback. We immediately

climbed the razor

back, met a New

Zealand outpost, and

very soon after, the

regiment, just moving

out. We found out

later in the day, that the

artillery road, which 

we had been following,

led directly to

for the big oasis while

the Turkish machine guns

were firing more and

more furiously.  So our

men were wounded we

were taking them back, and

I saw some brave men that

day.  The wounded had all

to be taken over the bare

patches of sand, under

fire, and the men who

were carrying them could

not run. But twice I saw

two little lots of men

carry a wounded mate

over a big bare patch of

sand, and the Turks did

not fire, but immediately

after two of our fellows

ran across, and the hail

of machine gun fire around

them simply whipped the

the Turkish camps of Bir-el-Ab,

only three miles

away, ... Hod Amara 19^th

To our great delight there

was bread in camp, some

jam, plenty of bully beef

and water.  We made a

hurried breakfast, caught

our troop up, and learnt

that we were to attack

the Turks in their camp of

Bir el Ab. A Brigade

was to be on our left,

the 2nd Brigade to push

in the centre, (to which we

were attached, and

the third Brigade on

our right, to push in

the Turkish left flank

Day had broken, and

very soon, as we came 

among the small hills 

sand into dust. The big

oasis was very near now,

into the heart of which the

Turks had retired, but

it was the hub of a continuous

stream of scores of thousands

of bullets. It was now

getting late, and I saw

Mr Bolingbroke going

back for orders. In one

clear patch a machine

gun spat bullets round

him. He flung himself

full on his face, shortly

to rise again, only to be

flat once again with

bullets everywhere around

him.  He covered the last

few yards like that, it

must have seemed like

an eternity of time. But 

he got through.  One poor

surrounding the Turkish camp,

we heard the crackle of

rifles, that spread, and

spread, and spread, until

the clearxx morning air was

ringing.  Presently came the

old familiar zip, zip, zip,

and overhead the zzzzzzz,zip

zip zip, zzzzzz song of a

long range machine gun.

The regiment waited under

cover for a while, until

it became necessary to go

over the sky line and under

cover nearer the Turks. We

mounted, entended into line,

dashed off, over the skyline

and down the hill, and the

air became a hum. But the

Turk had got the range too

late, and we were a 

quarter mile nearer him

and under cover without 

chap was shot dead beside

me, he slipped over without

the slightest sound.  Some of

the fellows scratched a

hole in the sand, and

covered him over.  It was

pitiful. To be like that

for ever in the desolate

sands of Egypt.  We pushed 
the Turks right fair

into the last oasis, and

every moment expected the

order for a bayonet charge.

It would have been hell.

But it did not come.

Instead came the order to

retire.  B The sun was

going down, and we had 

a long way to go back.

Then was the time. I do not

think the Turks realised we

were retiring for a while

him doing much damage.

Then came another long

wait just below the sky

line of another hill, while

the staff officers who

seemed to be directing the

battle, were busy on the

skyline, the telephone line

layers rushing about, keeping

the thin copper wire

which was of such great

importance, in constant

repair, it being broken all

times under our horses

feet. The telephone men

had a very busy day that 

day. Then our little battery,

which had kept with

us, opened fire, the quick,

loud Bang Bang Bang Bang

of her four guns, the

scream of her travelling

but when they did, they

closed up behind in swarms.

The bushes were whipped

with bullets, the clear

patches of sand were

churned with machine

gun fire. Little groups

of us would run back,

fall behind cover, and,

dead beat, wearily

raise ourselves to fire

at the many Turks while

other little groups of

our mates staggered past

us and fell into cover

behind. The sun was

setting behind us, making

x us a splendid target

for the Turks. The last rise

was a big sand rise, behind

which there was plenty of

cover, and in which

shells right against up,

kicking up the devils own

row. Then came the reply,

a distant boom, the x

rapidly nearing, hissing

scream, then "Bang" a

cloud of smoke, rain of

hissing pellets, and the

first Turkish shell had

replied.  They poured it

into us then, shrapnel

everywhere, and our

own battery firing faster

and faster. It was

marvellous how our own

horses stood the infernal

din, xxx not a whimper,

even though now some

of them were being hit.

Then some cursed snipers

sneaked round and got at

us. We'd hear a heavy "smack". 

through the gathering

dark we could see the

streams  xxxxxxxxx

xxxx of fire from our

∧own machine guns firing

into the Turks. That last

rise was awful. It was

a long distance, Stan

and I gathered our breath

for the last rush, looked

at one another, In front 

of us spirts of dust, sand

x around us, behind us,

the xx air alive zip zip

zip zip. sh ssh ssh ssh,

awful. We seemed to

be running at a frightful

rate, and not

covering a yard of ground

The top of the rise seemed

further and further

away, we could hardly

and know a horse had been

hit.  The poor brutes were

mostly hit through the

stomach. Some of them did

not even move, other shook

themselves a little.  The owner

of a horse shot through the

stomach would take the

saddle off immediately, for

it was always a case.  The

horse would nose around

a little among the other

horses, shake himself, and

five minutes later roll on

the sand. It was the 

beginning of the end.  At

last we got the order for

another move.  The battle

was well started now.

We had a good gallop

now, starting off right

under the muzzles of our 

breathe, our legs were

lead. "One little way more."

I tried to gasp, and kept

going. We reached the

top at the rise, and flung

ourselves over the other

side, quite helpless. It

was somewhere here that

Mr Bolingbroke was hit.

Some of the wounded

were behind the rise, our

good old doctor and the

old padre, and a group of

men were collecting. We

learned that our horses

were coming up to us.

The group of men got

thicker, we were all

collecting. Some of us

got hit standing there,

even behind the big

own roaring guns. The

horses got excited, we

got excited. We were in

sight of the Turks, and they

were not slow in letting

us know it.  Their shrapnel

and bullets came faster,

our own guns roared

faster, our horses galloped

faster. And in front of

the regiment his tail

out stretched, head erect

was galloping a long

bony horse madly excited,

who had been hit hard

and should have been

dead an hour ago. And

so into cover once more

the wounded horse racing

up on to the skyline. The

telephone line rushed up

again, the staff officers 

sand rise. Then our

horses appeared coming

rapidly towards us, and

halted some few

hundreds yards away.

We all made towards

them as best we could,

and what a mix up it

was. Men shouting for their

horses, for their mates, the

very devil of a row. We

found our horses and

Morry at last, and what

a relief it was to mount

the old horses again. Lieutenant

Patrick took charge of

the squadron then, and

he turned out real well

in all the subsequent fighting

We found that a lot of

our officers had been hit,

mostly through exposing

busy, we dismounted

again and the weary

"whizz" of bullets, the crash

of shrapnel, the awful

temporary inaction all

over again.  Hearing a quick

succession of very sharp "Crash

Crash Crash Crash Crash Crash,

above our heads, we looked

up, and there sailing very 

low over the Turkish lines

was one of our own indomitable

aeroplanes.  She circled

round and came back

again Crash Crash Crash

Crash Crash Crash, all

around her the drifting

clouds of shrapnel smoke

Crash Crash Crash Crash Crash

Crash, again and again.

She circled and flew

1 DRL 373 4/8 

higher this time, but Crash

Crash Crash Crash Crash

Crash, the splendid Turkish

anti aircraft  guns threw

their shells all around

her. She circled away,

and away, and came 

back very low, straight

towards us. Very low

she came, until we could

see the eyes of the two

aviators. Then appeared

a hand, a long ribbon

came falling from the

plane, and a message

dropped in the middle

of the regiment. We

cheered the two flying

men as they rapidly

flew higher and higher.