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
The next morning, at 05.30, the 14th Brigade took over the outpost-line
from the 15th Brigade. The Deccan Horse and "No. 3" Section held the ground
west of the road. The Poona Horse and "No. 1" Section held the road itself
and east of it. An enemy rearguard patrol was seen retiring, and was
followed up by Sherifian troops, but nothing more was seen of the Turk.
During the morning the 13th Brigade took over the ground to the west of the
road, thus relieving the Deccan Horse and "No. 3" Section. "No. 2" Section
relieved "No. 1" Section.
At night, "No. 1" Section with "S.R.Y." and "No. 3" with Deccan Horse took
over the line. Members of the Squadron who took part in the operations from
Khan Tuman onwards, will remember that "No. 2" and "No. 3" Sections, owing
to shortage of personnel due to sickness (principally malaria or
dysentery), had only been able to man three guns each, instead of their
full complement of four, so that when "No. 2" Section was on duty "No. 3"
Section supplied a detachment to make them complete, "No. 2" doing the same
when "No. 3" was on duty, whilst in order to have all the guns in the
Squadron available in case of emergency, the Squadron headquarter troops
manned the remaining two guns. The next two days (October 28th and 29th)
the outpost-line was still held, and nothing in the way of active
operations occurred; men not on duty were granted passes to visit Aleppo.
ARMISTICE WITH TURKEY.
On the morning of October 30th, our Brigade was relieved by the "13th," and
moved eastwards across the railway, then northward to MUSLIMIE JUNCTION. No
enemy being encountered, an outpost line was established about two miles
north, "No. 1" Section with "S.R.Y." and "No. 2" (with one detachment of
"No. 3") with the Poona Horse. The latter section was entirely alone during
the day, as it was not considered necessary to have so many troops on duty
as at night time, and the Squadron being too far away to allow of the
Section doing the double journey with any degree of comfort, it remained
where it was.
At 12.00 on October 31st _an armistice with Turkey was proclaimed_, the
good news being communicated to the Sections on outpost duty by orderlies
from Headquarters. The Sections, however, had orders to remain at their
posts. November 4th brought the further news of an armistice with Austria,
and early the following day Indian prisoners, released by the Turks, began
to return to us through our outpost line.
It was at this time that Major Davies, our O.C. (who had not been well
since leaving the Jordan Valley, and for some time past had only been able
to keep out of hospital by dint of great strength of mind and powers of
endurance, in spite of the advice of his own, and medical, officers), was
at last sent to the hospital in Aleppo, which had been established by the
14th C.F.A. He had only been there a few days, however, when, to the grief
of all, he passed away in the clutches of that dread disease, malignant
malaria.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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