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5 Bits and Pieces (From 'Brazier and Sandford') by Alan Tucker Three Zeppelin raids were made on Birmingham. In the first year of the war 1200 enemy aliens were registered in Birmingham. At Christmas 1917, 294,000 family ration cards were issued. In four separate weeks Birmingham people invested 26 million pounds in Government securities. OTHER CAMPAIGNS 6 Egypt and Palestine by Bob Butcher On the outbreak of war the regular garrison in Egypt of four infantry battalions, a cavalry regiment and artillery, engineer and administrative troops were brought home to help form a new regular division. They were replaced by Indian troops and by Territorials who would complete their training there. The strength of the British troops in Egypt was subsequently greatly increased by, among others, the Anzacs and Yeomanry. At the beginning of 1915 three weak Turkish divisions from Syria somehow managed tocross the harsh and waterless desert in order to attack the Suez Canal. It was a considerable feat but the attack was easily beaten off partly with the help of the guns of British and French warships moored on the lakes and in the Canal. The Turks soon had to retreat but the British could not pursue them for lack of desert transport. During the rest of the year the main trouble came from the Senussi tribe but this was dealt with in several battles culminating in a splendid charge by the Yeomanry. For the most of 1915 and early 1916, efforts were concentrated on building the Suez defences. It is a peculiarity that the troops were entrenched behind the canal so that it was in fact defending them instead of vice versa. By February 1916 there were no fewer than fourteen divisions in Egypt but before July ten had gone to other theatres leaving only four Territorial divisions, together with the high quality Australian and New Zealand Mounted Division and a number of fine British Yeomanry brigades and regiments. It was decided that the most economical way of defending the Canal was to establish a line 100 miles forward, near thePalestine border in fact. Although the British did suffer one temporary setback, the pace of the advance to that line was governed by logistical problems rather than by enemy action. However, a strong Turkish attack against Romani was soundly defeated although the chance to destroy the enemy force was unfortunately missed. About this time the Arab revolt against the Turks in the Hejaz began with British support. By the end of 1916 the Anzac Mounted Division and a newly-formed camel brigade captured a strong Turkish outpost near El Arish after a hard fight. It was in the centre of the new defence line. Suez was now beyond any danger but the prospect of further success in Southern Palestine, especially the morale and propaganda advantages of capturing Jerusalem, started to beckon the politicians. By 9 January 1917 the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) had captured Rafa in Palestine. The EEF now had one of its four infantry divisions withdrawn but retained two cavalry or mounted divisions made up of Australian, New Zealand and British Yeomanry brigades: an arm that came into its own in this theatre. The First Battle of Gaza was fought in March but due to various reasons, including the vigorous leadership of the German commander of the Turks, narrowly failed and the British finished up in their original position. The C in C, however, sent the CIGS a report that led him to understand that the battle had been a complete success. A second attempt made the following month was bloodily repulsed. A change of When General Allenby replaced the C in C he was reinforced by two divisions from Salonika and two which had been formed in theatre from British and Indian battalions and from Yeomanry who had remained dismounted since taking part in the Gallipoli campaign. Two corps were formed together with a cavalry corps of three divisions. The total ORBAT of the EEF therefore now consisted of seven infantry and three mounted divisions. The railway and pipe line built up to the Palestine border by his predecessor were extended for logistics were the key to success. Beersheba was captured by a brilliant operation at the end of October and after hard fighting Jerusalem fell to the British on 9 December. A Turkish attempt to recapture it was decisively defeated and the politicians at last had an undoubted victory to brighten up an otherwise sombre year. Allenby entered the city on the 11th onfoot and with little ceremony. Owing to floods and other factors, the first months of 1918 had to be devoted to sorting out communications but two unsuccessful raids into Jordan were made. Then in March, events in France meant that two divisions had to be given up whilst three others were Indianised (ie all British battalions except one in each brigade were sent to France and replaced by Indian troops who were mostly raw and slow in arriving). However, two veteran Indian divisions were received from Mesopotamia and all the Indian cavalry regiments from France which enabled a fourth cavalry division to be formed. At the same time Allenby was able to give some assistance to the Arab revolt in which T.E.Lawrence played a leading role. On 19 September a daring plan to use the infantry to open a gap in the enemy line through which the Mounted Corps would pass led not only to the capture of the whole of Palestine but also Syria. The Turkish army was destroyed in a brilliant campaign in which mounted troops played a notable part but which also involved much hard fighting and marching by the infantry. Some 75,000 enemy prisoners including 3700 Germans and Austrian were taken. British and Dominion battle casualties amounted to 51,451 killed and wounded: non-battle casualties came to 503,337.The number of Indian casualties is not known. Allenby's campaign is usually regarded as brilliant and one wonders what his reputation would have been had he remained on the Western Front. Of course he had very competent subordinates and the quality of most of his troops was high, but he was the presiding genius. As in most overseas theatres, the climate and terrain were important factors, for example the work of mounted units was often limited by the availability of water for the horses although some of distances covered and the periods they went without water are surprising. The following divisions belonged to the EEF at one time or another: Australian and New Zealand Mounted; 42nd (East Lancashire); 54th (East Anglian); 4th Australian; 5th Australian; 11th (Northern); 52nd (Lowland); 53rd (Welsh); Australian Mounted; Yeomanry Mounted; 60th (Loncon); 74th (Yeomanry); 75th; 4th Cavalry;5th Cavalry; 10th Indian; 3rd (Lahore); 7th (Meerut). Certain other divisons spent varying lengths of time in Egypt on their way to or from other theatres, but did not belong to the EEF.
BOOK OF THE MONTH “THE MIDDLE PARTS OF FORTUNE” by Frederic Manning, Branch Library number 163. It is a long time since I read this bok but I recall with affection this classic novel of the war on the Western Front by someone who was there: BOB. |
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The Bulletin of the Birmingham Branch of the WFA Compiled by Bob Butcher |
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June 2007 |