Through Palestine with the Twentieth Machine Gun SquadronUnknown
History
Through Palestine with the Twentieth Machine Gun Squadron
Unknown
Great Britain. Army. Machine Gun Squadron, 20th -- History; World War, 1914-1918 -- Regimental histories -- Great Britain
There is, a little over a mile east of the Jordan, a series of low isolated
hills; upon these was situated our line of defence. Each hill, fortified
with barbed-wire and trenches, constituted a "post". This line was held by
Indian Infantry, the regiments of the cavalry brigade providing the patrols
in "no man's land," which, _several miles wide_, was intersected by
thousands of wadis (providing excellent cover for a stealthy enemy), also a
certain amount of tall grass.
The enemy's position was on the mountains at the eastern side of the Jordan
Valley, completely overlooking ours. Earlier in the year they had crossed
the intervening ground, under cover of darkness, and attempted to send us
to "Jericho". They had found the posts too strong for them, however, and
had retired to the positions now mentioned.
"C" Sub-section was on the left, on the banks of the Wadi Nimrin[19]--a
broad wadi with a small stream running along its centre. This wadi ran
right from the Turkish positions to the Jordan near the Squadron camp. "A"
Sub-section was about half a mile away to the right in the centre of a
cluster of small hills. "A's" horses were between the two Sub-sections, and
"C's" were a few hundred yards behind its position under a cliff beside the
Nimrin. If anything, it was probably more pleasant to be with the sections
in the line than in the Squadron Camp.
Nothing of importance happened during our first week. Shells came over
every day at unexpected moments in odd places, and Boche planes paid
regular visits, dropping bombs, always, however, receiving a bombardment
from our "Archies". But on the morning of July 14th, after a night of more
than the usual amount of artillery fire, shells began to fall all around,
not to mention the shrapnel exploding overhead; this state of affairs
continued throughout the whole morning. "No. 2" Section in camp was well
protected by a high cliff, but "No. 3" was not so fortunate and had to be
moved. All the horses had been taken to another spot, and Sergt. Lewis with
some men were seeing that everything required had been removed, when a
shell pitched right in the centre of the "lines" and wounded him and Ptes.
H. Reed and L. Peach. All the day the shelling continued; the immediate
neighbourhood of the bridges over the Jordan being the "warmest" spot. A
field ambulance, close to the Squadron, behind the right reserve gun
position, suffered badly. In the evening all shelling stopped--more
suddenly even than it had started!
FOOTNOTES:
[18] _The River Jordan is rich in historical associations, right from
its source on Mt. Hermon to the Dead Sea, into which it flows. The
Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground (Josh. iii, 14); our Lord
was baptized there (St. John i, 28 and St. Matt. iii, 13). See also II
Kings ii, 8, x, 14; Matt. iii, 5; St. John x, 40._
[19] _See Isa. xv, 6._
A THWARTED TURKISH ATTACK.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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