Diary of Trooper Ion Llewellyn Idriess-1915-1916-Part 8

by arabs, who would 

certainly slip away and 

report to the nearest Turkish 

patrol, who of course would 

track us up on fast camels. 

It would then mean us getting

surrounded, a sharp rush in

the night and then - finish.

Also, the aeroplanes have

reported exactly where the

enemy are, and it is very

unlikely that a large number 

of the enemy could be hidden

in the dongas or oasis. (Thus

the reconnaissance in force

yesterday proved the report

on El Abid to be correct.)

The Colonel mentioned a 

party of twelve Turks in an

oasis forty miles away. I
picked on to inspect us,
So that a lot of tired
men had to put on their

rig out, ride over to the 

Canal and wait a long

weary wait for the Prince to

canter along the line.

No doubt if the Prince

could only hear what

those men said, w he

would come out and

inspect the camp when

we were at our daily

work. If he were really 

interested, he would then

get a dim idea of what a

soldiers life really is. 21^st

On Anzac Guard to

day. This evening we

turn Beginning of Book

immediately pressed him
to let us four go after them
on the chance that we might
be able to bring back a
prisoner or two.  The colonel
smiled and shook his head

and said he would think
about it, it is a very
dangerous enterprise.  All
the same I reckon the
Gun Section could dish
up those twelve Turks
If a column of mounted 
troops are marching in

sections, they will pass a 

given point at a walk at

the rate of 120 men per minute

Infantry 200

5 guns         5  a minute 

5 p.m.   Hoo -Blooming -Hurrah.

An issue of bread and 

jam has arrived. Why 

the hell can't they keep us

supplied regularly? Why

the blazes don't they bog 

in and finish the war?

Why can't a man have 

three wives? 10th The

flies have got simply

unbearable. A man

handles his food with

one hand, and brushes

the swarm of ravening

flies frantically away

with the other, There

is still a taint of 

dead men in the air.

There are plenty of dead

                  +

 

camels [[?]] There is a peculiar

sickness going among us. It

starts with vomiting, then a rash

breaks out which spreads out

over the whole body in half

an hours time. It is fearfully

itchy. The doctor has some

stuff that eases the itch, otherwise

a man would go mad.

12th. Th Aeroplane brought in

word that Turkish patrol was 

on hill 462, about twelve

miles out, and that a small

party of Turks were burying

something away behind the hill.

At eight o'clock the night

before last A squadron started

Pepper

noses troubled, and

would for the time

being be helpless

out, with B squadron following

four hours behind as supports,

to attack and see what the

Turks were up to. We had to

go a very long way around,

out of the way of their outpost,

and attack them in the rear.

It was moonlight, and until

12 p.m a splendid ride.

The squadron had a screen

of men thrown out around

it within close distance, the

main body under Captain

Bolingbroke riding in the 

and attached to destroyers,

then submarine hunting

would become very

amusing, and submarine

warfare would be practically

hors-de-combat

centre. We passed to the south of

Hill 383, in very heavy sand,

hich continued for the whole

of the trip. There was no smoking

of course, and very little whispered

talking. What worried us was

the whinnying of the horses. A horse

in the screen would whinny,

and his mate in the main body

would answer, then other mates

would eagerly whinny and

all along the column would come

the whinnying of horses in the

cool night air. And the sound

carried a long way through the

still desert air. The neddies

was have a great sense

of comradeship. Take a horse

away out on the screen, where

he will be on his own, and 

he will either tug and stamp

to get back among his mates,

or else throw up the sponge,

and hang down his neck, and

let the heavy sand get the

better of him. But if he be in

the supports or main body,

where the horses are close together,

he will plug along side by

side with the other horses, and

tire himself to death rather

than fall behind. Just before

After leaving 383 we were in a

sort of valley, with very steep

sand hills right up to our right,

and low sand hills away on

our left. Aft Towards nine

o'clock the hills began to

close in, until at ten oclock

we were in a valley, only

three hundred yards wide, the

sandhills on either side

being rising upright to a

height of at least three

hundred feet. Morry and I

were thinking what an

awful deathtrap it would

be if the Turks lined both

tops of the sand hills. There

would be no escape whatever.

Then just after ten O'clock

we came to a oasis, with

two wells, where we gave

the horses water and feed

and two hours rest. And

then on again out of the

valley, into more open,

though very hilly country.

After a couple of hours

we got very sleepy, most

of us had been in the

O on night duty the night

before. Some men would

nod in their saddles, only

to wake with a start as

the horse went down a

steep incline. And there

were frequent stops while

the heads pored over map

and compass, and the air

began to get chilly, and

then fog began to creep

up. The screen and advance

guard drew closer around

the main-body as men

and horses began to

fade and melt in the

mist. Suddenly we would

the screen would jumble

up and halt, right on

top of a ridge that fell

straight  under our horses nose at our feet for a

distance of two hundred feet,

then would come a run

around in the fog, a path

would be found, and men

and tumble down a hill

of sand that floundered the

horses up to the saddle

girths. Then on again cautiously

as the fog thickened, ever

drawing closer together, but

never the sound of a Turkish

shot nor the challenge of

their outpost. At last the 

fog got dense and we

had to halt, the compass

could not be used. By

this time I think the heads

had but a vague idea

of where we were. This

was four a.m. and we 

stopped in the chilly cold

until 7. a.m when the fog

gradually lifted, the sun

triumphed, and showed us

a country of big sand hills,

with 426 standing up

three quarters of a mile

ahead of us. So on again, 

the horses gamely standing

to it for hours, but never

a sign of the outpost, nor

the place where the Turks

were burying provisions.

There were tracks in places.

At last, at 11am we stopped

at an oasis, watered and 

fed the horses, had breakfast

ourselves, met C squadron,

and come home on the

long, dreary, hot, dead, tiring
sand.

Then to Book 3