Produced by Irma Spehar and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) WITH OUR ARMY IN PALESTINE BY ANTONY BLUETT LATE OF "A" BATTERY, H.A.C., AND EGYPTIAN CAMEL TRANSPORT CORPS LONDON: ANDREW MELROSE LTD. 3 YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C. 1919 TO MY WIFE FOREWORD Little has been said, and less written, of the campaigns in Egypt and Palestine. This book is an attempt to give those interested some idea of the work and play and, occasionally, the sufferings of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, from the time of its inception to the Armistice. Severely technical details have been reduced to a minimum, the story being rather of men than matters; but such necessary figures and other data of which I had not personal knowledge, have been taken from the official dispatches and from the notes of eye-witnesses. Here I should like most cordially to thank the following old comrades for their generous help: Capt. B. T. Hinchley, R.A.S.C., late of the Egyptian Camel Transport Corps, and L. Allard Stonard, Esq., late of "A" Battery, the Honourable Artillery Company, for permission to print their excellent photographs, which will, I am sure, add materially to the interest of the book; and R. Arrowsmith, Esq., late of "A" Battery, the Honourable Artillery Company, whose admirable notes have been of the greatest assistance to me in compiling some of the later chapters. ANTONY BLUETT. HIGHGATE, _July 1919_. CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I. MERSA MATRUH AND THE SENUSSI 1 II. "SOMEWHERE EAST OF SUEZ..." 19 III. ON 'UNTIN'--AND SOME OTHER MATTERS 38 IV. KANTARA AND THE RAILWAY 46 V. THE WIRE ROAD 63 VI. "THE LONG, LONG TRAIL" 75 VII. ON THE FRINGE OF THE HOLY LAND 88 VIII. THE FIRST BATTLE OF GAZA 98 IX. THE RETREAT 113 X. THE SECOND ATTEMPT 127 XI. TEL EL JEMMI AND THE CAMELS 144 XII. CAVE DWELLERS AND SCORPIONS 157 XIII. IN THE WADI 170 XIV. THE ATTACK ON BEERSHEBA 184 XV. GAZA AT LAST 196 XVI. THE ROAD TO JERUSALEM 211 XVII. OU L'ON S'AMUSE 223 XVIII. IN THE JORDAN VALLEY 235 XIX. THE VALLEY OF CHAOS 247 XX. IN FULL CRY 260 XXI. OVER THE LADDER OF TYRE 270 XXII. DESERTED VILLAGES IN LEBANON 281 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FACING PAGE NATIVE MARKET AT MERSA MATRUH 16 SUNDAY MORNING IN THE GULF OF SUEZ 32 FELUCCAS BRINGING SUPPLIES TO KANTARA (see p. 54) 64