Diary of Trooper Ion Llewellyn Idriess-1917- Part 3

the commandant and his staff were
clearing out of Gaza, when the some of
the seventh saw them and gave chase. The
Brigadier general of the Gaza garrison was
with them, but he jumped on a fast
horse belonging to one of his bodyguard,
and made good his escape, worse luck.
You can guess we thought mighty little
of these officers who could run away and
leave the common soldiers to stand to their
guns in such a time of danger. By now
was a distant "Boom"! "Boom"! "Boom" coming
from the other side of Gaza, our own
guns, and bursting just over the hills
behind Gaza was the shrapnel clouds, and
on the rugged x hill holding the big redoubt
rose columns of smoke and earth, from our
high explosives shells. At first the firing
was slow, but steadily it grew in volume.
And now came C troops bad luck. We
were ordered to escort the prisoners
back along the way we had come, to
Divisional Hqrs. So away we went, with
the Turkish officers still in their little
carriages. But their ponies were done up,
and on crossing the ploughed fields
frequently stopped. This often necessitated
the Turkish officers getting out and walking
for considerable distances. This evidently

much hurt the boss officers sense of dignity,
for he would stride on behind his carriage
twirling his walking stick, twisting his
moustache furiously, and frowning
very hard. He was very snappy to his
subordinates. Although we had to cross
a large flat in clear view of the
Gaza garrison, they never shelled us, no
doubt their time being furiously fully
taken up by shelling the Tommy infantry,
who were how advancing in long
thin lines towards the redoubts. Stan
and I stopped and had a look at the
opening attack through our glasses. In
front of the Turkish redoubts for some
miles the ground was gently sloping, being
absolutely devoid of cover of any sort.
The poor Tommies were thus in full
view of the Turks, whose shrapnel
was furiously bursting in white puffs
all over the line of advancing men.
High explosives shells were spurting
up volumes of smoke and earth among
the men. As soon as the infantry got
within rifle shot, a line of them would
run forward a short distance, then
lie down flat and fire at the Turkish
redoubts. Then another line of Tommies
would run up and fall down level

with those who had gone ahead, and
also commence firing at the redoubts. Then
the first line would jump up and run
forward again, I each line protecting
the other line with covering fire as they
ran forward. This helped to keep the Turks
heads down a lot. All along the line
a volume of rifle fire now broke
out, thick with the accursed stuttering of
machine guns. We could see that many
of the poor Tommies were now falling
fast. All our sympathy went out to them,
out there in the hot sun, in hellish rifle
fire, without a blade of shelter. We had
been there before, and knew what those
poor chaps were going through. Then we
cantered on and caught up with the
escort and prisoners. As we went on
along behind the hills, there were great
bodies of yeomanry and Australians and
New Zealanders waiting for their turn. It
used to see amuse me very much on
approaching a body of New Zealanders
or Australians, to see the rough, grinning
soldiers running to get in front of the
coaches, and take up a position with a
camera. The nuggetty little camp commandant
would get very angry and twirl his
moustache most wrathfully. At last

we reached our destination, and handed
the damned prisoners over. It was very
late in the day now, and we had a long
way to go back, so we drew near Gaza
again, it we could hear the artillery
fire had grown much heavier. The
big Turkish redoubt was a mass of
smoke and earth from our big shells,
and all over the ridges where the Turkish
trenches were was just a cloud of
shrapnel smoke. The big bodies of
horsemen were draw coming in now
from behind the hills, drawing close
around the town. Clouds of dust made
the whole air thick and heavy, from
the hoofs of galloping bodies of horsemen.
We watched battery after battery of
upon artillery gallop full tilt over
the open level ground, swerve
round on their positions, unhook
the horses, gallop them away, sight
the guns, then the long flash, "Bang"
"Bang" a cloud of shrapnel puff over
the Turkish trenches, then immediately
the range was got, the battery of guns
simultaneously. "Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
four more reports and four more
shrapnel puffs burst simultaneously over the

Turkish redoubts. And so on, battery after
battery. Then on the flat ground, that led
up the gentle slopes of the hills on the top
of which rested the redoubts, galloped a
Brigade of New Zealanders of Light Horse.
I'm not sure which. Up went the dust in
clouds from the galloping squadrons as
they dashed across the flat towards a
hill which would give them cover.
Where were the Turkish guns. They they
were. A flash and and another and
another, for now the afternoon was
closing in, and then the shrapnel bursts
fair above the squadrons. Squadron after
squadron dashed for the hill and
faster and faster above them were the
flashes and the cloud of smoke that grew
from the shrapnel bursts. And now
riderless horses came galloping back
first in ones then in twos and then
worse luck they grew plentiful and
galloped some with the squadrons
others back across the flat, whinnying.
And then came galloping into action
squadrons of yeomanry, and close beside
them batteries of artillery, until the whole
big flat was covered with a great sheet
dust, in which was better heard than seen

the galloping hoofs of thousands, the rumble
of the whirling guns and the crash of the
bursting shrapnel. It was grand. We stood
and watched. And all the time on the hills
above our shells threw up great clouds
of smoke and earth, the machine guns
and rifles spoke in one continuous reverberating

roar and the air trembled with
the reports of all the batteries of guns. It
was a great attack. We hurried across the
flat, and found that our regiment had
moved up close to the firing line. We
were just in time & to see the regiment
swing out, and with fixed bayonets
glistening, thunder round a hill and
& into a big park of trees that ran
right up into the town. We were just a
few minutes too late to join them, and
though our troop leader tried hard,
we had to wait behind for the time
being. We ran up on a hill, and
found that we completely overlooked
the big park, that ran out int up
into the town. Throug the trees we
could see our men dismount, and
run up towards a thick hedge of
prickly pair, all along of which was
coming puffs of rifle smoke. Some of

our men fell, but they kept
It was alive with Turkish snipers.
some of our men fell, but still they
ran on, and the crackle of their rifle
fire rang through the park. Then they
got a machine gun into action and
sprayed its bullets into the wall of
cactus plants. Then the line charged,
and how we wished to be beside them
as the lowering sun flashed on their
bayonet points, many of the Turks stood
up and came with the bayonet, then it
was man to man, and nearly all those
Turks went down, either bayoneted or
their heads crushed in with the butts of
rifles. Some sixty of the Turks then
surrendered. A few more of our own
men went down. The prisoners were
collected, and away our men went
again, but soon the trees hid them
altogether. Then we could see the smoke
from a big Turkish gun on the hill, up
about the houses. Then we were ordered
down into the park to the led horses
We got into the park, and on the
nice grass, lying very still were a few
of our poor fellows. But there were
plenty of dead Turks about, and wounded

of both sides. There were many led
horses under the trees, and soon the
shrapnel was bursting above them. Here
and there was a dead horse. The New
Zealanders got right into the outskirts of
the town, and captured two mountain
guns. Then the sun went down, and the
dark came, and for some hours we
were left lying there in the dark. And
the jackals came out, and made a horrid
row. Our pity went out to any poor
devil who was wounded and left
lying helpless by himself. Then at last
our chaps came back, and we formed
up under the trees, and rode out. We
were told who was killed and who
wounded and what the bayonet
fighting was like. The Turks outnumbered
our chaps easily by four to one, but
they were driven right back into the
town. It We were told that the
poor Tommy infantry lost very heavily,
and did not succeed in taking the
big redoubt. And even though we
are fighting in the battle, we do
not know all that is going on. Then
we rode through the dreary night
and got back here at camp two

hours after dawn making three nights
without any sleep ,and continuous riding
day and night, only on bully beef and
biscuits. And late this evening we
were brought up here on the hill
with instructions to be ready to move
out into the fight again at a few
minutes notice. The Turks have been
heavily reinforced, and this morning
counter attacked our infantry, and I
believe drove them back a little. All
day the guns have been booming. 28^th
Thank God for the few hours sleep we had
last night. It appears now that when
the Australians and New Zealanders got
into action we were right into the very
vitals of the Turks. The trouble was that
our turn came to attack too late in the
day. The Turks opposed to our men are
now proved to have been six to
one, and they got a most awful
hiding, especially in the bayonet
fighting. They were issued with splendid
equipment, their bayonets being great
broad steel blades, the backs of them
being made of double edged teeth,
like a saw, a frightful weapon.
They were German make. Our poor

beggars of infantry have suffered very
heavily one battalion having eight hundred
casualties. The fighting has been very
severe, yet though we are in it, we do
not even know the extent of the
infantrys progress and reverses. We
are all ready to go out again at a
few minutes notice when called upon.
30^th Strange, although we are in the army
which attacked Gaza, we know nothing for
certain of what is taking place there. Some of
the returned infantry say they have been
driven a long way back. Certainly things have
not gone as they were expected to go, and should
have gone. The fog delayed the attack for
some hours and the delay was fatal,
otherwise the town would have been taken
in the last day. After we were withdrawn
the first night, thousands of reinforcement
Turks came in behind us, o and the third
Brigade and New Zealanders were
fighting them in far through the night,
together with the armored cars. I hear that
we have lost two armored cars. 31^st It is a
beautiful morning. We are camped right by
the sea, the breakers are rolling in, w on
the landward side of us are lovely green
hills, with the big sheet of water and oasis of
Belah close by, and here and there little