Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/39/1 - February 1916 - Part 4

43

M. Matruh

14       44 

All stns on rly were fortified.

Natives were cleared out 

of Daba town. Refugee

Arabs came in.
Composite Regt of Engl Yeomanry
& A.L.H., Detachment of

armoured cars. Patrolled

road. All troops exc. No 1

Coy Aust Div Train went 

thro. (Other 3 - transport 

personel only - went thro).

No 1 Coy were warned that 

at Bergush tt 500 

Senuissi were waiting for

them in cliffs & caves beyond

Bergush - This ws abt Dec

15 - Coy turned back & 

covered 57½ miles to get

45

M. Matruh

15     46

there & back 26½ hrs going.

Horses were 8 without

water exc. ^from 8 gallon tanks.

From then rd ws closed

for long time.

Matruh ws mostly 

Gk & Arab - 1500 or 1600

inhabts w natural 

rock-locked harbour

2 or 3 rds lead from interior

to it.

Xmas day there was one 

big fight abt 21 miles out.

Aeroplane reconnaissances

were made from Matruh

& as soon as they

47

Diagram -  see original

15     48

saw a concentration

a punitive expedn

wd be sent away to them.

About 5 fights.

2 specially built

minelayers Magnolia

& Clematis - minelayers

w 6in guns, looked big

Dread warships - very 

shallow draught. They 

were operating as warships.

They were also patrolling

for submarines.

Senussi had proper 

m.gs & field pieces & some 

German & Turk officers & 

their equipment must have

bn carried in to port

49

M. Matruh

15      50

of Sollum (near Tripoli

border) - This at present 

really belongs to Senussi.

Atmosphere is very clear. 

During Bir Saka march for

example an aeroplane ws

overhead guiding us all /

time. Earl of Lucan ws

in command w 1 Regt

of Sikhs, 2 Engl. Infantry,

comp. Light Horse Yeomanry Regt. & N.Z.

Infantry (Engl. regts were

by this time on L of C.)

Tents, fodder, 90 camels 

were taken.

It ws rainy season 

& once camp at Matruh

51

M. Matruh

Diagram- see original

Matruh

Snipers used 

to come up

every night.

15      52

ws flooded for 7 days.

Guns. We had H.A.C. and Notts arty.

and fort had new 4.2in

guns. Divl Train had to do

very hard work. for abt

mile below ships in port &

camp.

In Desert the train never

had less than 4 horse teams

& at a push outspanned

& doubled teams.

We had Abt 5000 troops. (had a civilian canteen)

At Birani Enemy had abt 8000

        

On Jan 22 troops moved out

(covering lot went out night 

before). Last moved out 

2pm Jan 22. That night

53

M. Matruh

15      54

they moved out 18 miles

WSW of Matruh on

Khedivial Road. It rained 

in torrents.

On 23, word came back

tt ^our casualties were abt 200

(abt 40 killed). The Divl Train

sent out escort (on heavy 

horses) to its own convoy,

& sent out motor waggons 

for wounded.

We picked up one dead

Turkish officer & two dead

Germans (civilians). Senussi

carried away their own 

dead. Expedn came back 

on 25^th. Sikhs suffered

heavily - we lost 300 k & w.

South Africans had just 

55

M. Matruh

15    56

arrived (unmounted) ^day before

- mostly had bn in S.W African 

campaign.

Camel transpt ws

at this time being formed

wh replaced Aust. Divl Train

wh ws brought back on

Jan 30^th. [[?Soveert]] given to

them / night before - 

Mail caught them up from 

Matruh in 2 motor cars.

All captured camels were 

used in desert betw Bergush

and Jerawala and were so 

slow tt all were "lost" in / night.

3rd stage Bergush to El Fuka

where infantry pro were guarding,

next stop Bir Shika. Wed 2nd. 

57

M. Matruh

15      58

On beach on this last 

stop some men, hearing there

were evidences of wrecks

of Persia and Middleton on 

beach, got leave to go down

there and found body of one 

of Persia's stewards with

cabin chits in his pockets,

woman's body ws also

lying there. Also life buoy

w name Middleton. 

Thurs 3 Feb - reached El

Daba, & then a Alex -

Zeitoun.

Supply portion section of

each Coy ws at Gallipoli

-- Transpt Sectn at Mersa,

59

M. Matruh

15     60

15

The Aust. L. Horse at M. Matruh

ws under Capt Hudson (or at least 

he wd be / best source

for details of fighting).

(?3 LH Bde)

____________________________________

Austin re Hore

Selby.

Glasgow re Maxwells

Griffiths 
Lt Donelly will be 

down to Ismailia

on Sat evg. 

Geoff & Bristowe

61

March 1 - 9

this week has been spent 

by C.O.s ^in running abt looking 

for officers for their new command.

Glasgow in Birdwds H.Q.

Glastfurd there too.

White up to Cairo.

(abt officers in convalescent

homes)

Stuart in train looking

for old 5th - only 110

left - 50 in old Battn, 60 in

new Bn 

Told me tt night: "12 - not bad."

Johnson hurrying round

Sergt Major saw me

abt Sydes. (59^th)

Two Maxwells seized on.

15     62

Lorenzo, in train told me he 

was getting them from Light Horse

Birdwoods system of

cutting bns in half &

letting new C.O.

choose wh half he 

will have.

1 & 2 Dvns to move at once.

I cant write my 
diary bec my 

eyes went back on

me after riding back

agst a ^half sandstorm

in / desert. First the right

eye went - then left.