Diary of Trooper Ion Llewellyn Idriess-1915-1916-Part 4

British redoubt are

the yellow uniforms

of dead Turks and

dotted in the sand

are many dead Arabs.

Then we spread out

over miles of dead

yellow sand and

big sand hills and

galloped hard but

it was no good, the

enemy have got

clean away. We

have just, got back

to the Oasis camp 8 p.m.

and are deadly tired

and disgusted. We

The first news we 

got into when we

entered camp was

from a British yeoman,

who told us dolefully

that 4000 Turks have

cut up his brigade at

Cattria (Qualia), and they had to

surrender Cattria is

only 17 miles from here

so we may be attacked

at any minute. Good

night. 24th April 7 a.m.

Some of the Tommies are

trying to identify their

mates. There are nineteen

of them lying under the

palms, mostly all shot

through the head. It is 

pitiful. 8.30 p.m. Eight

of our aeroplanes have

gone overhead. One came

back flying at a terrific

rate dropped a message,

and then flew towards

Kantara . . . . In the distance

we can hear the sound

of guns . . . . .These British

tommies, the Royal Scotch

Fusiliers, put up a

splendid fight for five

hours yesterday, in

their little sand redoubt.

The redoubt is ^partly surrounded

by a very thin line

of barb wire. The Turks

attacked in a heavy

mist, and got right up

to the redoubt. A little

terrier ran out and

barked, and the Turks

shot him. They then

rushed the camel camp,

and bayoneted the

friend camel drivers.

The fight began in

earnest then, the Bedouins

showing very bravely,

evidently far braver

than the Turks for the

Bedouins are lying

this morning right

up against the thin

barb wire. There were

96 Tommies. Their

casualties are 21 killed. There

were five hundred

Turks and Arabs.

Their casualties are 60

killed, 17 prisoners, and

26 known wounded,

.... A troop of us went

out on patrol this morning

Five aeroplanes all

together passed f over

us flying low. Two of

us were on the extreme

right, and we kept our

eyes skinned well. To

be shot from a bush

by a dirty arab would

be a miserable death.

w ... There are many

oasis in this desert, groups

of palm trees in the

midst of hills of pure

yellow sand. Anywhere

in the middle of these

oasis if a well is sunk

there is always good

water. Our little well

has two hand pumps on

it and supplies all our

horses with water. It is

very tedious work, but

the water is our salvation.

25th April. Was on outpost

duty last night, and it was

cold. While it was still

dark this morning an

aeroplane flew over the

Post travelling East. It

must have been very cold

up there. It was a bit

funny last night. There

were a dozen Bedouin

women and children

camped near the our camp,

and two of our men

were ordered to take them

into the camp, so that

they could not give the

position of our outpost

away to their men folk.

But the women would

not go in, and at last

one of our fellows picked

up a child and walked

towards the camp. The

mother immediately began

crying, and ran after.

The other soldier then

stood in her path with

levelled bayonet, but

she stood with her

breast against the bayonet

and tried to kiss his hands.

The job was too difficult

for our fellows. They

cursed the women and

let them go. No doubt

the English are fools.

Some of the Arabs who

were shot in the attack

here were mixing

among the camel drivers

the day before, and

getting food from the

Tommies. The prisoners

who were taken say

that some of the Arabs

were living in the

camp here days before

the attack. ...

One of our patrols

got a wounded Turkish

officer miles out in the

desert yesterday. He says

that the force which

attacked this post consisted

of 750 men. The

resistance the Tommies

put up was desperate,

A few hours after the

fight took place, an

aeroplane flew very

low over the redoubt, 

shouting out "Hold On,

the supports are coming'

and then blazing into

the Turks with her

machine gun. The

Bedouins jumped up

from their shelter

and scattered in all

directions, thus enabling

the Tommies in the redoubt

to pick them up. When

the Turks saw the

company of Tommies

advancing from hill

70, with the Light

Horse coming up on

their left and right,

the Turks fled leaving

a few snipers to

keep the men in

the redoubt busy.

The Turks had a fifteen

lb. field gun, but the

man in the aeroplane

has the credit of dropping

and their xxxx that made

a fellow long to pull

the veil asunder to see

if her lips were red

and her snow white

u forehead and those

brilliant almost black eyes,

that looked into a mans

so persistently, and never,

never wavered until

she had got right, right

past. And that little

bundle of enticing

mystery all wrapped

up in a loose, all

encircling black silk

sheet. And Egyptian

women and Arab of

lower class with their

peculiar brass cylinder

across their forehead and

down their nose, and

Greek women, all small

many olive skinned,

many ugly, but some

with dainty figures,

very white skin, and

those enticing dark

eyes. Men and women of all

nations, all religions, all

colors, all sins. The ebony

negress from Sedan, and the

little French woman one

time of gay Paree. But

mostly all dark, or colored

people, dark eyed, with

the shadow of Mahomet

over all. And of course

as begets civilization, the

lust of money.

Oct 19^th. Capt Dwyer says he

can't find the engineer. His

whereabouts are evidently

being kept secret, but

the intelligence officer

will be here to day, and

he will most likely find

out from him. Myself I

think its a dead bird.

Anybody would think

I was trying to ruin the

great British government

instead of showing it

something that will

very possibly help it to

ruin its enemies instead.

Oct 20^th. Capt. Dwyer

says "Nothing, doing today".

Oct 21^st. Still nothing

doing over those ideas

of mine. And nothing

will here either. I suppose,

....... Scarletina has appeared

in the home, and we are

to be quarintined here

for 10 days. Card tournaments

are being got up

by Capt Dwyer. This is 

a ripping convalescent

home, and very

sympathetically run

for the convalescents.

Nov 3rd 1915 Ras-el Jin

I'm dashed if an outbreak of

Scarlatina hasn't gone through

the Convalescent Home. I have

got it slightly. We are all

quarintined for at least

six weeks. We get

splendid food, splendid

nursing attendance (they

are all Australian nurses)

Some of the Australian

State School kiddies

especially of Kirkstall,

sent us little bags full

of soap, tooth powder,

etc... It was very decent

of them. The Australian

Comforts Fund have sent

us easy chairs, tobacco

lollies and pipes, and

also we have a game

of indoor tennis. This

is the first time I have

really seen some value

of the money Australia

has given to her

wounded, and the

presents have made

thangs a lot easier and

nicer for all of us.

Dec. 1^st. Out of quarantine

again.

Dec 4. Medical board

declared me on Class B. Am

put on guard duty here.

Dec 5. Feeling a bit sick

on it. Dec 10^th. Alongside

our entrance gate there is

a big wall, surmounted

by high iron railings.

Inside is a garden, and a

big stone house, with

windows mostly barred

and shuttered. The place

is a harem, so of course

a place of ll considerable

interest to us. This morning

while on guard I noticed

a head of very two black

curly hair looking down

from one of the top windows

of the big house. I rattled

my rifle butt heavily on

the stone flags, and the

turned curly hair turned

into a pretty face with

dark eyes. I smiled as

decently as it is possible

for me to smile, and a

moment later a red

cloaked Egyptian girl

stood beside the dark

haired one. I smiled

broader, they smiled.

I sloped arms smartly,

and gave them a

military salute. They

smiled a lot more, and

xx acknowledged the

salute by the Coptic

sign. I threw them a

kiss. They smiled very

much. I threw them two

kisses. They smiled a

great deal, nodded their

fingers, and made the

Coptic sign. I threw them 

many kisses, and beckoned

them to come down into

the garden and talk to

me through the wall. But

they shook their heads,

smiled, and made the

Coptic smo sign. Suddenly

they drew back, and

the windown shutters were

pulled two. An hour or

so after, one of the top

shutters on another side

of the house was partly

opened, and I could just

see her of the curly hair.

The shutters were partly

opened, and behind the

curly hair was the red

robed Egyptian girl,

and another Egyptian

girl. The third girl

smiled very much, and

waved back to me when

I threw them kisses. But

they all made the sign

across their eyes when I

tried to get them to

come down into the

garden. After a while the

shutters were closed. It

is quite a promising little

romance, and I intend to

see more of it . . . . . . It

is almost certain there

will be big trouble

with the Arab tribes

shortly. Dec 5^th During

then night there were

two little sparks of light

from the dark window

of the big house. I was

standing under a lamp,

and waved my hand.

The cigarettes waved

from the window.

7^th Dec. Very bad news

about the poor old Fifth.

I hear the remnant of

them have been almost

completely wiped out.