The Seventh Manchesters, S. J. Wilson [most important books to read TXT] 📗

in mind as to what we

should do for water, we were greatly relieved when we were ordered back

to the ridge to fill our bottles. There the welcome sight of camels

loaded with water fantassies met our eyes and the men eagerly assisted

in the work of distribution. Three-quarters of a bottle and a “buckshee”

drink was the ration, and this obtained, men felt more fit for their

labours. Food, however, there was none, and we had to be content with

what remained of yesterday’s rations. But it was felt that food was not

so important if only the water would not fail.

 

By seven o’clock the whole Brigade were on the move, and in tropical

countries in the hot season, the sun’s heat is considerable at this

time. After we had travelled some distance the hardship of desert

marching under these conditions began to really hit us, and undoubtedly

the exertions of the previous day were having their effect. Every moment

the heat increased, the sand seemed to become softer and softer, and the

whole ground sloped gradually upwards. Men dropped and officers had to

use all the powers they possessed to get them on, but many had to be

left behind to struggle along afterwards in their own time. Meanwhile

another long column of prisoners could be seen streaming away towards

Romani, which we were now leaving well to our left rear. The battalion

proceeded over the desert in this manner in artillery formation with

platoons as units, and halting as frequently as possible. After a great

physical effort we reached the base of a hill with a steep soft slope,

and a sort of knife-edge ridge at the top, where an Australian outpost

had been surrounded a few days before. Australian and Turkish dead still

lay as evidence of the fight, and the stench from their bodies produced

by the sweltering heat did not diminish the grimness of the scene.

 

This ridge was the battalion’s position for the day, so after a short

rest we scrambled to the top and surveyed the desert on the other side,

lying thoroughly exhausted under the almost vertical rays of the sun,

for it was now mid-day. The other side of the hill was exceptionally

steep and dropped into a large hod (plantation of date palms), the first

we had met on our desert travels. In this there appeared to be a well,

and the temptation to go down for water was great, but how could one

struggle up again? An occasional trooper visited this place but none

could persuade their horses to drink, which seemed to indicate that the

water was not good. Out over the desert the cavalry could still be seen

pursuing the enemy, and our guns were occasionally flinging shrapnel

amongst them.

 

Strange sights were seen. A captured convoy of Turkish camel transport

was captured, and they presented a very motley appearance. They were

evidently collected from the desert lands of the Turkish Empire. They

had come to the war dressed as for their more peaceful habits, so that

no two men were alike. Several wore brilliantly coloured garments and

head gear. Occasionally a German officer would be seen amongst the batch

of weary prisoners. The navy’s assistance in this fighting was marked by

a monitor, miles away, standing as close to the shore as possible,

although to us she appeared like a tiny toy ship. Suddenly a big flash

belched forth, followed a long time afterwards by a roar, which in turn

was followed by a terrific explosion over the desert to the right where

the shell had arrived in the wake of the retreating Turks. One of these

shots at least had been an O.K. as we afterwards discovered, for it had

destroyed a large part of a Turkish camel convoy. At four in the

afternoon the battalion received orders to move on and occupy another

ridge about one and a half miles in front, and “A” Company immediately

set out, moving round the shoulder of our present hill. “C” Company

dropped down the steep slope and waited in the hod for further

instructions. They found there a batch of wounded Turks waiting to be

carried off by the ambulance. It was with some astonishment that they

heard Major Allan shouting to them from above to get back to their

former position, so they struggled up the hill again with a very ill

grace. However, plans had been changed and it transpired that the

Lancashire Fusiliers had arrived and they were to take over our position

while we went back a few yards to bivouac for the night.

 

It was now much cooler and men felt disposed to eat their very scanty

meal. Those who had water were fortunate. Just as we were settling down

for the night word came through that Katia was to be taken next day, and

that we should move out at four in the morning. The enemy were believed

to be holding the oasis basin fairly strongly. In our extraordinarily

tired condition, brought about by strenuous exertions and lack of

nourishment, we did not view the prospect with too much confidence, but

hoping that a few hours’ sleep might refresh us we rolled into the

shallow scoops we had made in the sand, and lay down to a rather chilly

night, our only extra cover being the khaki drill tunic whose weight we

had roundly cursed during the day.

 

At 3 a.m. we prepared to move. In the dim light the eternally-blessed

water camels could be seen wending their way towards our bivouac. As

before there was abundance of volunteers for this vital fatigue, but

most hearts drooped when it was found that the ration worked out to a

pint per man! Officers and N.C.O’s. sadly but vigorously emphasised the

extreme urgency of preserving the water supply. Some resorted to drastic

action and insisted that no man should drink at all without first

obtaining permission of his officer, and on the day’s business I am

inclined to think that these officers obtained the best results. The

Brigadier came to tell us we had done magnificently, but he said we

should have a worse day to-day; water was to be had at Katia—when we

got there. The men were also warned that it would probably be of little

use to drop out, in fact it might be extremely dangerous, for the

chances of being picked up were rather slight.

 

The cheery soul of the British Tommy, however, is proof against all

things, and he started out on this day’s trip in the same spirit with

which he tackled all jobs during the war: “It has to be done, so do your

best and put the best face on it.” The Fleur de Lys led out the Brigade

and trudged steadily through the soft sand in artillery formation. The

6th gradually got up into a position on our right, while the 5th and 8th

followed in support. The march forward proceeded monotonously in the

increasing heat, the men becoming more and more taciturn as the sun’s

power gathered. Allowance of course had to be made for the weariness of

the men and the heavy going. Then a halt was called and we waited for an

hour. It appeared that the L.F’s., who formed the left of the 42nd

Divisional front, had been rather late in starting, and it was necessary

to wait for them. Then the forward movement commenced again, and after

some time another long halt was necessary. Our men were now in a great

hollow in the sand in which there was not a breath of wind, and the sun

now at the height of its fury beat down mercilessly.

 

There is little doubt that this lying unprotected in the heat simply

sapped our energy, and everyone wished that we could have pushed on

ahead. General Douglas came to cheer the men up, and announced that over

3,000 Turkish prisoners and a large quantity of material had been

captured to date. For the moment, however, men had lost their grip of

interest in such matters, and were chiefly concerned with their own

personal affairs. They behaved splendidly and with great physical effort

resisted the need to drink. Officers were grateful to one or two men in

their platoons who proved a moral support to their comrades by keeping a

cheerful countenance, interposing a ribald remark when things looked

black, and explaining to their weakest pals the rigours of the necessity

in a rougher but more intelligible manner than their leaders could have

done. Such men are invaluable and are always to be found on these

occasions.

 

Reconnoitring patrols of Australian Light Horse and Yeomanry passed

through, and from remarks dropped by returning troopers it soon became

apparent that little if any resistance would be met with. A detachment

of Ayrshire and Inverness Horse Artillery were keeping pace with our

column and occasionally they opened fire, obviously upon fleeting

targets of retreating Turks. A thick wood of date palms in the distance

indicated Katia, and all men gazed upon this as the Mecca in which water

was to be found. Some eight hundred yards from this, however, was

another hod which had to be traversed by the 127th Brigade, and as we

were leading, it devolved upon us to make quite sure that it was not

occupied. The 6th and 7th therefore extended and assumed attack

formation to pass through the hod. This was a difficult moment and

tested the fibre of men and the battalion as a whole to the utmost. The

extra physical exertion and the loss of companionship which one gets in

the close formation served almost as a breaking point to endurance.

Perhaps the best summary of the psychology of this period is found in

the words from the diary of one of the officers:—

 

“Then it was that my energy gave out. I moved about along the line

shouting at the men to preserve their dressing and correct

intervals. Much had to be done. We inclined first to the left and

then to the right and it was very trying. Men began to drop and I

could not help them now that I had lost touch with them. Then I

began to lose all interest. I had become purely self-centred—if

the whole platoon had collapsed I am afraid I should not have been

concerned. I had almost got to such a state that if the Turks had

suddenly appeared from the wood I should not have cared what the

consequences were. Yet I was determined not to touch water for I

recognised that that was required for the last extremity. My head

dropped and my knees would not straighten. The load on my shoulders

was ten times its weight. The haversack and tunic on my back seemed

to pull me down, but the greatest weight was an extra haversack

which I had attached to my equipment on the left. It contained all

manner of necessaries and comforts, and ties with home. I was

determined not to part with it, although I confess I was almost

impelled to fling it away. In other words I think I had got to the

limit of my endurance, when a halt was called in the hod. I dropped

under a palm tree with a group of men, slipped off my load, and

then lay quite still for a long time. After a while I had my first

drink of water for that day. We stayed there some time, and one or

two of the men had found a well. But it was brackish and the men

should not have touched it, for it made them worse. Several were

knocked out altogether by it.”

 

Word had come through that Katia was unoccupied by the enemy, and

although it required a tremendous effort the battalion got together and

proceeded to the