The 28th: A Record of War Service in the Australian Imperial Force, 1915-19 Part 15

On the 22nd and 30th January, the whole Battalion, under Major Davies, crossed the neighbouring ca.n.a.l and the Wady Tumilat and, in conjunction with the 27th Battalion, engaged in a tactical exercise in which ball ammunition was used. The enemy was represented by tiles suitably arranged in the desert to the south.

Shortly after its arrival at Tel-el-Kebir the Battalion was notified that volunteers were required for a new unit--the Imperial Camel Corps--which was to be formed for operations in the desert. A number of names were given in, and a few days later Lieuts. T. D. Graham, H. R.

Denson, and J. F. Quilty, with a goodly party of men, took train to Abbasia to report to the I.C.C. Depot. Regimental Quartermaster-Sergeant R. G. s.e.xty was promoted to fill the vacancy caused by Lieut. Graham's transfer.

Inquiries in regard to reinforcements revealed that several hundred men, intended for the 28th, were in Zeitun Camp, where they were being trained on a system intended to fit them to take their place in the ranks of the parent unit. Sir Archibald Murray had promised that these should be sent to join the Battalion. On the 19th January 281 men arrived. This number included 53 sick and wounded returned to duty.

The 27th January brought the news that Colonel Paton, for his services during the Evacuation, had been rewarded with the rank of Brigadier-General. This promotion, apart from being popular, brought additional prestige to the 7th Brigade.

Notwithstanding the improved conditions of climate and surroundings, the 28th still suffered a few casualties from sickness. During the first month of the year three officers and 56 other ranks were sent to hospital. Shower baths were badly needed, and although the waters of the adjacent ca.n.a.l looked attractive they were reported to be infested with the bilharzia worm and bathing was forbidden.

The last day of January was spent in brigade work in close formation.

This was not quite a success and, beyond traversing a considerable area of ground and raising a great deal of dust and sweat, secured little result. On the following day an exercise in the brigade in defence, and the occupation of a position by night, were more practical and interesting.

About this time it was decided, owing to the increasing number of Turks in the Sinai Peninsula, to strengthen the defences of the Suez Ca.n.a.l.

The orders which followed directed that the 1st and 2nd Divisions should cross the waterway and establish a new line of defence in the desert on the east side. The 8th Brigade was to be relieved.

On the evening of the 3rd February, the Battalion, now 17 officers and 891 other ranks strong, climbed into a rake of trucks and was hauled down to Ismailia--a journey of some 30 odd miles. Detraining at Moascar, on the west side of the town, a march of some four miles, along a first-cla.s.s road, brought the 28th to the bank of the Suez Ca.n.a.l. A crossing was effected by means of a pontoon bridge constructed by the Engineers. As the east bank was reached, Signaller Yeldon was heard to exclaim in tones of great satisfaction, "Well, this is another bally country I can say I've been in." The march continued for another mile to a camp (Staging Camp) in which the remainder of the Brigade was already a.s.sembled.

For the comparative ease and order with which this move was carried out, the Battalion was specially mentioned by the Divisional Commander. Some two months later, on the return march, General Legge held up the discipline of the 28th Battalion to the rest of the units in the Division as an example for them to follow. This is not to imply that the marches were enjoyed by anybody. No march with full equipment up ever is, and when dust and heat are added to weight and distance, there is little reason to rejoice.

The 7th Brigade was now a reserve for the 5th and 6th Brigades. A reconnaissance of the route to the front line was therefore made. A military road under construction had already run some miles out into the desert. On this were working numerous gangs of Egyptian labourers and many strings of camels. These animals in this part of the country seemed to be as numerous as cattle in Australia.[Q] Quarries had been opened at the few places near by. A pipe to carry water to the advanced positions was also being laid alongside the road at the rate of over a mile a day.

The desert is almost pure sand, and very trying for man and beast.

Numerous hills, some of which are over 300 feet high, make the going difficult. The summits of these hills present a razor-like edge, and the wind keeps the sand continuously in motion in the form of a miniature cascade stretching along the whole of the crest.

The line occupied by the troops was some 12,000 yards out from the Ca.n.a.l. Trenches, heavily revetted with sandbags and protected by barbed wire, had been dug and were thinly manned, the main portions of the garrisons being sheltered in tents pitched in convenient hollows. Here the Australians led a dolorous existence, without even the distraction of sh.e.l.l fire or an adjacent enemy. Away out in front detachments mounted on camels, and an occasional aeroplane, looked for signs of a Turkish approach.

The 28th did not remain long at Staging Camp. On the 6th February it moved back to the Ca.n.a.l bank near the crossing point--Ferry Post--and took over from the 30th Battalion the duties connected with the inner defences at this part.

The defences consisted of a bridgehead system, the earthworks of which had been constructed in the spoil taken out during the excavation and dredging of the Ca.n.a.l. The southern flank rested on the sh.o.r.e of Lake Timsah, whilst the northern flank terminated on the Ca.n.a.l bank some two miles above Ferry Post. At this extremity of the line "A" Company was located and had, with the support of the Machine Gun Section, to garrison two posts named Bench Mark and Ridge Post. Here they led a life of comparative ease. At night time the trenches were thinly manned, and at all times a guard was maintained on a neighbouring dredge. But for the rest, bathing and fis.h.i.+ng were the main diversions of Captain Macrae's men. A small pontoon, left by the Turks twelve months earlier, was on charge to the post. There was also considerable interest evinced in the pa.s.sing vessels--feluccas and barges carrying stone and stores to Ferry Post, transports, and steamers bound for or returning from Australia. With these last news was exchanged _viva voce_, and pa.s.sengers sometimes threw ash.o.r.e tins of cigarettes, tobacco, and chocolates.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE AUSTRALIAN POSITION IN DEFENCE OF THE SUEZ Ca.n.a.l, 1916.

_Map by Australian War Museum._]

Attached to the 28th was a section of the Hongkong-Singapore Royal Garrison Artillery, manned by Sikhs, and a detachment of the Bikanir Camel Corps--a force composed of the subjects of India, which had been raised and was maintained in the field by the Maharajah of that State.

An additional force was the Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train, under Captain Bracegirdle, which had been present at Suvla Bay and marched into Ferry Post a few days after the 2nd Division arrived in the vicinity. This unit was to a.s.sist in the management of the bridge and ferry traffic.

The Battalion was accommodated partly in tents and partly in wooden rush-roofed huts. Its duties were many. Training was almost impossible.

A guard had to be furnished for a large Ordnance Depot located on the west bank. Men had to be found to work the ferry on which, when the pontoon bridge was drawn back, troops and horses were hauled across the Ca.n.a.l. Police to regulate the traffic over the bridge and maintain a check on the pa.s.ses, without which no person was allowed to cross the waterway. Then again, the natives who fished the lake were not allowed to ply their trade except with a written permit and the presence in the boat of a soldier. This escort duty was not unpopular, for the reason that nearly every man who performed it returned to camp with several pounds' weight of excellent fish.

But the foregoing were the light duties. Others, more arduous, were attached to the handling of the hundreds of tons of supplies which were daily dumped on the wharf at Ferry Post and taken away to the forward area by horse wagons. On Gallipoli the soldier became also a navvy. At Ferry Post he was changed into a wharf labourer. Few who were there will forget the task of handling the iron water mains which had to be cleared from the barges, without the aid of cranes, and which ruined the clothing by contact with the tar with which they were covered. Then again, the adjacent dump absorbed many men, and what clothing the pipes had failed to destroy was dealt with in moving coils of barbed wire and other material equally destructive. A light railway had been commenced for the purpose of supplying the front line with its needs. Here once more the Western Australian found his services in demand and he went along to do work which the native labourers could not be trusted with.

Through it all he "groused," but he applied himself earnestly to the task in hand and seriously complained only about his spoiled clothes.

One Engineer officer said he had never had men who had worked so hard and effectively.

At the Headquarters of the Battalion was established an Examining Post.

Through this pa.s.sed numerous secret service agents employed by Army Headquarters for the purpose of gaining information within the enemy lines. Fierce-looking ruffians some of them were, and they responded none too willingly to the few questions put to them through the Syrian interpreter--a graduate of an American college at Beyrout--attached to the Post.

Traffic through the Ca.n.a.l was dependent to some extent also upon Battalion Headquarters. As has already been mentioned in an earlier chapter, one s.h.i.+p had been mined. Other mines had been located, and proof existed that enemy agents, under cover of darkness, were endeavouring to block the waterway. One method utilised to counter these measures was to sweep a track along the sand of the eastern bank. By means of a horse harnessed to logs and other material this was done daily before nightfall. At dawn patrols would examine the swept area, and if tracks of man or beast crossed it at any point these would be closely followed until their origin and purport had been explained.

Reports were then sent to the Adjutant, and by 8 a.m. an "all clear"

message went forward to Army Headquarters, which, in turn, informed the Ca.n.a.l officials that traffic could proceed without risk. Should, by any chance, this report be delayed the effect at Army Headquarters was remarkable, and the life of the responsible people at Ferry Post very unenviable for the next few hours.

The Ca.n.a.l at Ferry Post was some 70 yards wide, and the depth believed to be something over 30 feet. Just below the ferry the water ran into Lake Timsah, which was irregular in form and measured about three miles from side to side. In this lake a few vessels were anch.o.r.ed, some of them being men-of-war--French and British--as auxiliary to the defence.

On the bank opposite Ferry Post is a rocky plateau, upon which was a convent, or monastery, and some buildings used by the management of the Ca.n.a.l. Here, during February, Sir Archibald Murray established his headquarters.

The town of Ismailia is situated near the north-western edge of the lake, and in 1916 contained about 12,000 inhabitants, one-fourth of which were foreigners, mostly French and Italians. The Australians found the place quite attractive, taking especial delight in the gardens, some of which contained the familiar bougainvillaea in full bloom, and in the shade afforded by the fine avenues of lebboks and magnolias. The native bazaar attracted those who had money to spend on local manufactures; whilst a very fine clubhouse afforded means for rest and refreshment to those officers whom leave or duty brought across the Ca.n.a.l.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FERRY POST.

Showing the Suez Ca.n.a.l where it enters Lake Timsah.

Ismailia in the distance.

_Photo. lent by Mr. Yeldon._]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FERRY POST.

The landing place on the East bank. General Legge waiting for the High Commissioner.]

At varying times during the 24 hours vessels pa.s.sed north and south along the waterway. Freighters, transports bringing reinforcements from Australia (including the 8th/28th), or troops to augment the army in Mesopotamia, and well known mail steamers such as the "Osterley," all came into view and in a few minutes travelled beyond. Often news was exchanged with those on sh.o.r.e and sometimes occurred the mutual recognition of friends. At night time sleepers, awakened by the flash of a search light in their faces, sat up and observed the approach of the larger craft, with the a.s.sistance of powerful arc lights affixed to their bows, cautiously navigating the channels.

From the foregoing description of the life and environment of those who dwelt at Ferry Post, it may be gathered that, although their daily lot was a hard one, it was sufficiently full of incident to banish monotony.

Without such incident existence would have been intolerable. Nature herself seemed to be almost somnolent in these parts, for, besides a few chameleon-like lizards, a stray jackal or hawk, and a plentiful supply of small black beetles which stood on their heads when interfered with, all other forms of life were absent. Even vegetation was reduced to a few rushes and a very occasional stunted bush.

At Tel-el-Kebir an increase in the popularity of gambling had been noted. Greater leisure and consequent opportunity probably accounted for this. At night time, when training was not in progress, numerous knots of men could be observed between the rear of the camp and the railway line gathered around two or three candles stuck in the ground. There "House" and some of the unlawful games were played with relatively high stakes. The military and regimental police broke up some of these "schools," but this action had, apparently, no deterrent effect. After the move to Ferry Post the craze became even greater. A favourite haunt of the gamblers was on the ramparts of those parts of the defences which were not occupied by posts. There after dark some hundreds of men would a.s.semble--the illuminations spreading for half a mile down towards Lake Timsah. The authorities took action. Raids were made, plants confiscated, and some of the offenders punished. At other times the judiciously circulated rumour of an intended raid also had a desirable effect and the ramparts that night would be deserted. On the whole the spread of the evil was arrested but, as in civil communities, it was never possible to completely eradicate it.

Despite the severer conditions, the health of the Battalion was not materially affected during the month of February. There was a slight increase in the number sent to hospital--the total reading one officer and 73 other ranks. Unfortunately two deaths from disease occurred, and with the loss of Company Sergt.-Major R. Wolstenholm and Private E.

M. Edwards, Australia was deprived of two very promising and popular soldiers. Cerebro-spinal meningitis was reported to have broken out in Australia and, despite the precautions taken, a few cases made their appearance on the Ca.n.a.l. As a preventive against the threatened epidemic, the Regimental Medical Officer caused each company to parade daily and indulge in a little gargling exercise with a mouthful of Condy's fluid.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE CAMP OF THE 28TH AT FERRY POST.

Lake Timsah in the background.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE SUEZ Ca.n.a.l.

A liner in the fairway and feluccas tied up to the banks.]

The proximity of Army Headquarters and Corps Headquarters (at Ismailia) led to fairly frequent visits from Generals Murray, Birdwood, and G.o.dley, and their staffs. Other visitors were Sir Arthur Henry McMahon, the High Commissioner for Egypt, accompanied by Lady McMahon and members of the family. On one occasion the Commander-in-Chief was escorted by a number of frock-coated gentlemen, wearing tarbooshes, who const.i.tuted some of the "notables" of Egypt and had been invited to witness a display by the Air Service of the Army.

FOOTNOTES:

[Q] It was reported that 50,000 camels were requisitioned for the operations in the Sinai Peninsula.

CHAPTER XII.

PREPARING FOR FRANCE.

Early in 1916 the Australian Government decided to raise and maintain three new Divisions of the Australian Imperial Force. One of these--the 3rd--was to be recruited in Australia and the other two--4th and 5th--found from _personnel_ available in Egypt. By this decision Australia was committed to providing, straight off, a new formation of 20,000 men and, in addition, to increasing her monthly flow of reinforcements by 150 per cent., in order to adequately maintain the five divisions in the field.

When the 1st and 2nd Divisions moved down to the east bank of the Suez Ca.n.a.l, the 4th and 8th Brigades were taken back to Tel-el-Kebir camp to form the nuclei of the 4th and 5th Divisions, respectively. As a means of preserving the admirable spirit of the A.I.F., and also to ensure a backing of trained and experienced _personnel_, 50 per cent. of the new infantry brigades, technical and departmental units, was secured by splitting up the four original infantry brigades and their attendant auxiliaries. The balance was furnished from the acc.u.mulating reinforcements at the training camps, near Zeitun. By this means, the two original Western Australian Battalions--11th and 16th--became the parent units of the 51st and 48th Battalions, respectively.