“I will conclude this short account of an incident which deserves a prominent place in the annals of the Regiment, by giving a list of the ‘immediate rewards’ which were bestowed by the Commander-in-Chief on individuals for various acts of gallantry performed on the afternoon of the 5th November. These were:—

List of Casualties for the Period under Review.

Killed.

Died of Wounds.

Extract from letter from Lieut.-Colonel J. J. Richardson to General Symons, C.M.G., dated 7th Cavalry Brigade, M.E.F., November 9, 1917.

“Dear Symons,—Altho’ this letter may seem to you to be rather belated you must make allowances, for we have been on trek ‘on operation scale’ continually since the 17th of last month.... By great good fortune we bivouacked at Baghdad on Balaclava Day, and I was able to get (from the E.F. canteen) a bottle of beer a man and ½ a bottle of ‘pop’ per officer.

“We have just completed, and are returning to our base from, the operations against Tekrit, where the Rgt. again distinguished itself in a mounted charge against the Turks entrenched, and enabled the complete capture of the strong position to be consummated before nightfall. Our losses, altho’ they include the loss of Bob Robinson (killed), were extraordinarily—and to me unaccountably—light, being 1 officer and 5 O.R. killed, 1 officer and 2 O.R. missing, and 16 O.R. wounded. The missing include Williams-Taylor and S.S.M. Tegg, but I have very great hopes that the former and possibly the latter will prove to be prisoners of war. Two days later I was able to collect and bury together and hold a service over the corpses of Robinson, Sgts. Gray and Newman, and Pte. Francomb. We claim to have accounted for at least 100 Turks, and Sgt. Gray’s sword was thick with blood up to the hilt.

“Please let General B.P. and as many present and past 13ths know this, and that I feel confident they will hear nothing but good of the Rgt. The men were simply splendid, and ipso facto the officers also.—Yours sincerely,

(Signed)J. J. Richardson.”

From Colonel Richardson to Sir Frederick Williams-Taylor.

“7th Cavalry Brigade, M.E.F.,
12th November 1917.

“Dear Sir Frederick,—Many thanks for your kind letter of August 27th, which has been forwarded to me from home, and reached me last night; many thanks also for your kind offer to help financially in the publication of the record of the Regiment in this War; I have noted this, although I do not—at present—anticipate that any appeal with this object will be made.

“We arrived back from the operations which resulted in the capture of Tekrit yesterday, and I was on the point of writing you an account of our share in them and of the charge in which your son Travers was wounded. The Army Commander has interested himself personally in the case of your son, and will, I have no doubt, have cabled you fully and given you the reasons why we think we are justified in thinking his fate to be no worse than that of a prisoner of war.

“Well, about 4.45 P.M. on the 5th November, the Regiment was being held in reserve, so that should an opportunity arise to assist the Infantry who had been assaulting the Turkish trenches all day, we might be put in without delay, and our Brigadier evidently thought the moment had arrived, so he ordered me to send out a squadron to find the first line of trenches and to sweep up it towards the Imam, which was the most conspicuous mark; ‘B’ Squadron was the first for duty, so I gave Captain Robinson his orders, and the squadron went out. No sooner were they started than I received orders to send a second squadron, and ‘C’ Squadron, under Lieutenant Norton, was sent out. I at once received orders to take out the remaining two squadrons in support; this I did, but the first two squadrons had got such a good start of me that what followed I had to learn from the survivors of the charge. It seems that on approaching that point of the first-line trench which had been given him as an objective, Robinson realised that it had been evacuated by the enemy, who had retired in a N.W. direction, and that the left flank of our Infantry were also approaching that point; he therefore halted his squadron, and when ‘C’ Squadron had overtaken him, he explained to Norton the situation, and his decision—which incidentally was the true soldier’s instinct, and from a military point of view quite correct—to attack the mass of the enemy, a few hundred in number, who could be seen retiring in the open about 1200 yards to his left flank. Accordingly the two squadrons wheeled to the left, and almost in line, galloped along, one on either side of a long trench, which had several strong points, at one of which Robinson was killed, shot through the back of the head; and your son was last seen pinned to the ground by his horse, which had been shot, and trying to load his automatic pistol, and surrounded by a number of Turks. The man who saw this said he also thought that Travers was wounded, but there is only his evidence on this point. When the squadrons had got back to the neighbourhood of our Infantry line they were dismounted and advanced about 200 yards, with a view to covering the escape of any of our men who had been unhorsed or slightly wounded; but it was now almost quite dark, and after allowing a reasonable time for any stragglers to rejoin, I ordered a retirement on the Brigade.

“The Turks retired during the night, and our Infantry next morning went over the ground, and buried six bodies, including Robinson’s; they were unable to identify these as the Turks had stripped them of everything, including identity discs; I however sent a party that day, Tuesday, to ascertain what was possible about our missing, and they identified the bodies of Captain Robinson, Sergts. Newman and Gray, and Pte. Francomb. Two bodies, buried by our Infantry, they were unable to find, and so remained unidentified; but I think we are more than justified in presuming, under the circumstances, that Travers was made prisoner of war by the Turks, wounded perhaps but not necessarily so, and personally I have every hope of hearing in course of time through our Red Cross and the Red Crescent Associations that he is safe and well in the hands of the Turks.

“I will say no more at present beyond expressing our universal regret at losing so popular and so capable an officer, and our great sympathy with you in the painful suspense which the uncertainty of Travers’ fate must impose upon you.—Believe me, yours sincerely,

J. J. Richardson.”

Extracts from letter from Lieutenant Guy Pedder to his Sister, 15th November 1917.

“At last we are back at rest, so I will try and give you a sort of account of our doings of late. We have been on the go now for just on 8 weeks, so you can imagine how topping it is to get back into a decent camp with a tent to yourself, &c. This morning I had a cup of tea and a biscuit when I was called, followed by a boiling-hot bath and a change of clothes—what luxury!... The mail goes out to-night....

“Our Brigade left Childari about Sept. 25th, a week after the other Brigade had gone out on the Ramadie stunt, which was a great success, the Fourteenth doing very well, but losing their C.O., and Medd Bridges is now commanding them.

“After four long marches during very hot weather (Robinson went down with heat-stroke, but rejoined a fortnight later), we took Mandali, some 100 miles N.E. of Childari up on the Persian boundary, after very little opposition and no casualties.

“We stayed there almost three weeks, during which time we had a certain amount of patrol-work, &c., to do. Then, after two long marches N.W., we took part in an affair in the right flank to kick the Turks out of a pass over the Jubal Hamrin—it was quite a relief to get among some hills, and away from miles and miles of flat desert. We had very few casualties, and kicked the Turks out more by surprise and rapidity of movement than by fighting. The last morning the Brigade covered 15 miles in 1¼ hours!!—a pretty hot and uncomfortable pace in full marching order over rough ground. We then denied Qusil Robart to the Turks for three days, and got shelled a bit; however, it was all very chusie until we were suddenly hustled back to the Tigris, viâ Bacuba, to a more central camp, so we don’t know what happened on the right flank since we left.

“We took about five days to get here, and were then told that we should be here for 21 days, the Brigade having covered some 400 miles in under five weeks. Our three weeks’ rest developed into two days, when the Division which had reassembled were hustled up N. on the right bank; we reached Samara after three very cold and unpleasant night marches, and were very weary, so we lay hidden in a nullah all the fourth day without any shade. We moved again at 7 P.M. for our fourth night march, and after covering some 27 miles found ourselves right out on the left flank [of the Infantry], who captured Daur that day, whilst we demonstrated only on the flank and got a bit shelled; however, we underwent a new experience to us, but a very old one to Londoners, as Fritz came over and dropped some bombs—very unpleasant being bombed by an aeroplane; you feel so helpless standing in an open desert holding your horse’s head. We camped just S. of Daur, and next day had to go right out on the Infantry’s left flank whilst they captured Aujah, and there we had to reconnoitre the enemy’s position at Tekrit—a long march there and back; we were shot at a good deal, but were very lucky, and had under a dozen casualties in the Rgt., and only one man actually killed. We got back late that night, and were woken up at 7 A.M. next morning by Fritz dropping bombs on our Div. camp, which he repeated again that evening, when luckily nearly all the horses were down at the river watering. The Rgt. had only three or four casualties from these bombs, but it was a horrid sensation hearing the bomb come tearing through the air, and not knowing where to expect the crash. That night we moved at 10 P.M. (another night march) for the battle of Tekrit.

“We were sent well out on the left flank, where we stayed all the morning, and from where we saw our Infantry take two lines of trenches under cover of a heavy artillery barrage, and also where we were bombed again twice. This time I actually could see the bombs leave the aeroplane, and watch them drop right up to the moment of exploding on striking the ground. About 3 P.M. we were moved right up on the Infantry’s flank, and stayed in some hidden ground. At 4.39 the Infantry attacked, and a ¼ hour later we were galloping through our Infantry, who cheered us like mad, towards the Turks. Robinson’s squadron led, followed by ‘C’; then about 1000 yards behind ‘C’ the Colonel took us—‘D’ followed by ‘A.’ ‘B’ and ‘C’ got right into the Turks and beyond, or as much into them as you can expect, considering the place was full of deep trenches (we who were some way behind ‘B’ and ‘C’ crossed four lines of trenches), and Bob was killed at the farthermost point reached by the charge—instantaneously—shot through the head. We got his body and buried it the next day after the Turks had cleared off. Williams-Taylor, also in ‘B,’ was last seen lying wounded under his dead horse. However, as his body was nowhere to be found next day, we hope, and have reason to, that he is alive and a prisoner. ‘D’ was the third squadron in the charge, and though we crossed four trenches we never actually reached the Turks, whom we saw just in front; and when the Colonel, who was leading us, saw ‘B’ and ‘C’ galloping back, he gave the order to retire and took us some way back where we got into dismounted action. My horse (not Matches, whom I was resting) was badly cut through the stifle, just as we got the order to retire—however, he just managed to get me back and out of it, altho’ he had to jump four trenches; he was a very good young horse, and I was sorry to lose him. The Rgt. was again very fortunate, as the rifle-fire, altho’ of course (why, I don’t know) not at all on the same scale as at Lajj, was quite unpleasant enough. We only had some 28 casualties and 60 horses. Personally, I don’t think the game was worth the candle, especially when you think of Bob, the best fellow in the Rgt.; but other people don’t all seem to agree with me, and the Corps Commander gave the Division great praise for our assistance all that night, and the Rgt. got it doubly from the Brigade Division. The most pleasant part was to hear our Infantry cheering us as we cleared the trenches, and galloped between them and the Turk.

“Now we are back in that central position, for a few weeks’ rest, I hope, I mentioned before on the Tigris.

“We charged at 4.45 P.M. on 5th Nov., exactly three years since I left for the 11th, and didn’t get back into a camp, having collected wounded, &c., until 2 in the morning. We took six days to get back here, and the last night I had a tragedy, as the Arabs came into our camp and stole my saddle-bags, which were full of kit.

“Robinson was far and away the best fellow in the Rgt., and it’s a tremendous blow to me....

“Hind has just joined us—also two new officers with a draft.”

From Colonel Richardson, 7th Brigade,
M.E.F., 13th November 1917.

“I must just write you a short line to let you know how your brother, Captain S. O. Robinson, or Bob as we all loved to call him, died. I shall hope later on to send you a more detailed account of the action, but in the meantime an abbreviated account must suffice.

“On November 5th the Cavalry Division was co-operating with the Infantry in the attack on Tekrit, and at 4.45 or thereabouts in the afternoon, I received orders to send a squadron to charge the Turkish trenches on the left of our Infantry. Bob’s squadron, ‘B,’ was the first for duty, and I sent it, and soon afterwards sent ‘C’ Squadron in support; these two squadrons rode up to the Turkish front-line trench, found it evacuated, found the left flank of our Infantry, with a mass of Turks estimated at 3 or 4 hundred retiring in the open to the N.W. or left front. Bob at once, with the instinct of a true soldier, decided to charge these Turks, and proceeded to do so with the two squadrons.

“When they reached the big mass of Turks, a mêlée naturally occurred. Bob was seen taking on four Turks with his sword, and was shot through the head by one of them; he was killed instantaneously (incidentally his trumpeter, Maguire, from whom we gather this description, claims to have shot this particular Turk with his revolver). The squadron went on a couple of hundred yards or so, then turned, and came through the Turks again, and eventually reached our lines in safety. By this time it was dusk, and after dark the Turks retired; next day our Infantry came up, and found several bodies stripped, even of their identity discs, and buried them lightly in the trenches. We had gone back that night to bivouac some miles, but on Tuesday (6th) I sent a small party to go over the ground to ascertain what they could; this party found and identified Bob’s body and that of three others of our men, and next day, the 7th, I went myself with the C. of E. Padre, Lt. Stirling, and 5 men, collected all the bodies, buried them deep, and the Padre read the burial service over them. We could not mark the spot, but we took records of the exact position where they were buried.

“Major Twist is writing, and will see to his effects in the Regiment.

“In offering you all my deepest sympathy in your loss, I should like to add that his loss will be most keenly felt in the Regiment, and by many outside of it. If his brother officers loved him for his kindness and simplicity of character, his men adored him for the same qualities and for his justness, and I personally mourn the loss of a true friend; but he died the death of a gallant soldier fighting sword in hand against superior odds, a death that few Cavalry officers can ever hope to meet—to so few is it given,—an end that will live long in the history of the Regiment, if not in the history of the Army. R.I.P.”

From Captain Chrystall, 14th November 1917.

“I herewith send you a short account of the part of the battle of Tekrit, Nov. 5th, 1917, which deals with the Cavalry, and showing how co-operation with the Infantry can be carried out even in a flat country.

“Our troops consisted of—

“The enemy had—

“The Cav. Div. had the task of protecting the W. flank, and early in the morning of the 5th had gained touch with the whole of the enemy’s entrenched flank, a distance of some 6 miles. The Infantry, meanwhile, were marching into position for an assault on the line Z-X. Owing to the heat, and telephone wires being continually cut, this attack had not reached farther than the first line of trenches.

“However, at 4.30 P.M., Nth Div., Nth Bde. leading, attacked, under a heavy barrage by our guns, the trenches Z-X, 2nd and 3rd lines. Immediately, on Infantry’s left, was the Cav. Div.—2 Regiments of Nth Bde. at point B in position of readiness (Point B was a deep water-course, with a bluff on the N. side), and 1 Regt. slightly N.W. on the left, with the Nth Bde. to the N.

“On the right of these two Regiments was a subsection of M.G.’s, ‘R,’ and on the left one section ‘L.’ These M.G.’s were, until the Infantry attack came off, firing on enemy’s trench-line X-Y, and covering the advance of dismounted Cavalry patrols, enabling the latter to approach to within 800 yds.—1000 yds. of enemy’s trench. During the whole day the Turkish gunners were busy ranging on the Cavalry with heavy field-guns, and a number of casualties resulted both in men and horses.

“As the Infantry attacked the ‘R’ section, (sub) ‘R,’ was able to bring heavy fire in enfilade on trench at point Z, and this had the effect of completely protecting the flank of our attacking Infantry, and it was significant that during the whole advance to X-Z, no enemy fire was opened from Z flank. The Infantry remarked that this co-operation undoubtedly saved many casualties. A few moments later the Infantry had carried the 2nd line of trenches, the Hussars and a squadron of Lancers (Ind. Cav.) having been collected at Point B, emerged from cover, and proceeded to push in a mounted attack on the left of our Infantry against the enemy, who appeared to be massing (behind the 3rd and 4th lines) for a counter-attack.

“The right subsection, M.G.’s ‘R,’ was able to cover the advance of the Cavalry, until it crossed the trench-line, and a little beyond it. The two left subsections covered the left flank. Ranges from 1000 to 2000 yards.

“Another subsection, ‘T,’ followed the Hussars, mounted and wheeling to the left, came into action under very hot fire about 1500 yards from enemy’s line, and pushed forward, its guns dismounted, the horses being sent right back. This subsection was able to bring covering fire to bear on the flanks of the advancing Hussars.

“During the mêlée no fire action was feasible, owing to the large amount of dust and general compression which was inevitable.

“The whole of this action was carried out on more or less open ground, and under continuous gun and rifle fire from enemy’s rear positions. The enemy machine-gun fire was fairly heavy, and fired at extreme range, as the angle of descent testified, causing casualties behind fairly good cover to our M.G. subsections.

“No. of rounds fired, 10,500.

“Men and horses were all day without water, and did not obtain same until midnight, at which time the Infantry had taken over from the Cavalry. Please find attached sketch of position.”

Extract from letter written by Private Hugh H. Mortimer, M.M., relating to the charge at Tekrit, 5th November 1917, for which he received the M.M.

“I must have the luck of the devil, as my horse got a flesh-wound—bullet—in the leg, but is practically all right again now.

“We’ve got six honours in the Regt., my squadron leader and a Lt. in B—M.C.’s, a sergt. in my troop D.C.M., 2 M.M.’s in other sqdns., and—hold your breath—they’ve given me one—Military Medal. So I suppose you’ll have to put that in ‘The Times’ now—eh! what! It seemed to be nothing to me when I was in it. We charged about 300 Infantry on the road and in the trenches, with machine-guns and artillery behind ’em. We caught ’em weak—just about 100 of us—2 weak sqdns.—in the mist of dusk—and, my God! it seemed as if we were riding into Hades. Funny thing tho’, I didn’t have wind up then, was feeling rather elated cos we’d waited, and moved about, practically all day, for a real rut at them, and been bombed from aeroplanes, shelled and sniped, till we were just itching to get at ’em. Well, they got pukka wind up when we got in amongst ’em, and started firing wildly, some trying to use bayonets, others holding up their mitts and shouting ‘Kamerad.’ Then we got order to rally as we weren’t strong enough for pursuit. Starting to come back, I spotted a youngster badly wounded in the foot and horse shot, so I dismounted and put him up on my steed, which was too bobbery to carry the two of us. He got back O.K. Then my fun started. I had my revolver and about 14 rounds and began to think about getting back somehow myself, when I spotted a chum of mine lying about 60 yards from the trenches. Well, two of us tried to get him out of it, but he would not have it—thigh shattered, blood in spurts, mad with pain. J. Turk, seeing us retiring, heartened up again and potted at us like blazes, shrapnel, machine-guns, and every bally thing. At the finish I had to leave him, to my sorrow, altho’ we got him away afterwards. Still he suffered a hell of a lot from exposure, as the devils came out and stripped him—he’d be unconscious by then—in the dark. I hear that he’s very bad in hospital, but likely to recover.

“I haven’t got the gong yet, owing, I suppose, to Gen. Maude’s death, but they’ve made as much fuss over it as if we were—millions of V.C.’s. I’ve shaken hands with two Generals, and been in about half a dozen parades till I’m fairly fed up, and nearly said, ‘Keep the old gong and let’s have a bit of peace.’

“Well, I’ll think about drying up now. Am in the pink and quite fit; hope you are all the same, and that you, dear mother, are carrying on.”

Extract of letter from Colonel Richardson, dated 7th Cavalry Brigade, M.E.F., 15th November 1917.

”... We have just got back into camp for a short rest to re-equip, reclothe, and rehorse after two months of continuous trekking—we estimate that we have covered at least 500 miles since September 22nd—which culminated in a big battle on the 5th of this month, in which the Regiment again charged Turkish trenches, and two of the squadrons did very brilliant work.

“I have to report with great regret the death yesterday in Baghdad from cholera of Captain Payne, who last winter, you may remember, was in Billy’s squadron, and whose letters to his wife were of great interest.”

CHAPTER XIX.
WINTER OF 1917-18.

After the lamented death of General Maude the command of the British army in Mesopotamia devolved upon Lieut.-General Sir W. R. Marshall, K.C.B., K.C.S.I., who had been one of the two corps commanders during the advance on Baghdad.

In a despatch giving an account of the operations of the force during the winter which followed General Maude’s death, General Marshall explains in a few words the situation with which he had to deal when he took over charge. After paying a warm tribute to the work and character of his dead Chief, he writes: “When, therefore, I had the honour of being appointed as his successor, the moral of the army was magnificent, while organisation and training had reached a high level of efficiency. The Turkish army, on the contrary, was low in moral, and desertions from it were numerous and frequent; on the Tigris and Euphrates they had retreated out of rapid striking distance, and only on our right flank was there a good opportunity of hitting them.”

General Marshall does not take up at this point the consideration of any general questions outside the immediate purview of the Mesopotamian force, but it may be observed here that the state of affairs in the various theatres of war had of late greatly altered. The collapse of Russia had made an immense difference in Europe, and also in Asia, where Great Britain was now left practically alone in face of the Turkish military power; and on the left of the great Turkish battle-line the enemy had made a notable advance, threatening the Caucasus and Northern Persia. On the other hand, it had now become fairly clear that the long strain of the war was telling on the Turks, who, it must be remembered, had entered into it when still shaken by their recent defeat at the hands of Bulgaria. The defence of the Dardanelles, too, though successful, had tried them more than the world suspected, and they had not shown themselves capable of throwing forward from their base in Asia Minor, either against General Allenby in Palestine on their right, or against General Maude on their centre, such masses of troops as some had expected. Indeed, on both these fronts, the British now seemed to be numerically superior. But to revert to the operations on the latter front.

In the circumstances presented to General Marshall he decided to attack at once, while the weather was favourable, the Turkish 13th Corps, in the country north-east of Baghdad, which had been so roughly handled earlier in the year. The attack was successful; the Turks in this part of the country were driven northwards with loss through Kara Tepe and Kifri, and the British hold on the great main road into Persia was securely established, whilst further progress was made in the Jebel Hamrin range. The Turks gave considerable trouble by flooding some tracts of land, and they, of course, resisted the British columns; but the fighting was not very severe, and it was soon over. On the 8th of December the bulk of the troops on this side were withdrawn into winter camps. It will be understood that they had now reached high rough country, where winter campaigning was not easy, and the enemy in this quarter also had got out of reach.

The winter months were spent by General Marshall in developing supply districts, in thoroughly opening up and establishing military control over the Lower Euphrates, from the neighbourhood of Baghdad to the sea, in relieving the state of famine to which the Turks had reduced some of the western provinces of Persia, and in numerous minor operations at various points of his widely extended charge. These, he writes, consisted generally of reconnaissances by Cavalry and light-armoured motor-cars, and of bombing raids by the Flying Corps. It was a winter of consistent rain in the lowlands, with snow on the higher ground, which made military movements difficult and threw a heavy strain on the lines of communication.

On the other hand, as General Marshall reports, “by the middle of December 1917 ... the military position had completely changed owing to the magnificent successes gained by General Allenby in Palestine,” and this greatly strengthened his hands. Much, therefore, was accomplished.

Finally, when the weather began to improve with the early spring, it was decided that another blow must be struck at the Turks on the left—that is, on the Upper Euphrates. In this quarter they had been reinforced, and during the months of December and January they began pushing their patrols down stream from Hit, where the bulk of their troops were concentrated. General Marshall gave orders that a column should march on Hit and drive away the Turks, and that it should be aided in doing so by a Brigade of Cavalry. Hit was occupied on the 9th of March, and the Turks fell back to a stronger position some miles up the river. Here again they were attacked, and this time with great effect. As at Ramadie, in September, the Cavalry succeeded in getting right round into the Turkish rear and cutting off their retreat. By the 30th of March the Turkish force had been completely beaten, and the remains of it had fled to a great distance, leaving over five thousand prisoners in British hands.

The Thirteenth Hussars had no share in what General Marshall calls “the magnificent work done by the Cavalry Brigade” on this occasion. After their exertions in the autumn and early winter they were given a rest, and remained from the middle of December 1917 until April of the following year at a winter camp on the Tigris forty miles above Baghdad. There they found plenty to do in training drafts and remounts and other work of the kind, for the Regiment had suffered considerable loss in men and horses and equipment; but for about four months they saw no more fighting or marching, and were able to enjoy a comparatively quiet time with some sport and amusement.

A few extracts relating to this period are given below.

Extract from letter from Lieutenant G. R. Pedder, dated 4th December 1917.

“We are very messed about again—right on the right flank, and are at [? Chai Khanna]. I am very fit. It’s pretty cold at night now on these stunts, and I shan’t be sorry when we get back to our permanent camp.

“There are lots of geese, duck, and grouse up here; but you get no time to go out shooting, but get shot at yourself most of the time.

“I expect Jeffrey is well on the way back by now. The daytime is perfect now, and it is scarcely necessary to wear a topee.”

From Captain Chrystall.

“5th December 1917.

“We have been out on operations nearly a week, after a few days’ rest in camp. As I write this we are on outpost against the Turks in the hills, and our R.H.A. is shelling their positions, and we are getting a few in R.S.V.P.! I am feeling very fit now in spite of the cold, which has been very severe the last two or three nights. We are being relieved some time this afternoon by another Brigade, and shall be back into camp and have a little more comfort. Whilst out here, miles away from Baghdad, a wireless message came for me, making an appointment at the dentist!—in Baghdad to-day, a thing I had asked for about a week ago. A great thing war is now; fancy receiving this about 120 miles out in the blue and whilst in action.”

“29th December 1917.

“I spent a very happy Xmas, and was able to arrange quite a decent dinner for the men. We are now in winter quarters, refitting and training again: it is so nice to have a comfortable tent to sleep in and on a bed. The weather has been very cold, 12 degrees of frost on 2 days last week, and snow down to the bottom of the foot-hills. The army is very well done out here now. We had frozen beef and plum-pudding and even potatoes in rations for Xmas day. We ourselves managed to secure a real live turkey from a neighbouring village. All you people at home must be far worse off for food than we are, and your experiences of air-raids cannot be any too pleasant.

“I have been playing football this afternoon for the Indian ranks of the squadron, and got a severe kick on the ankle for my pains; it will lay me up for a day or two.”

Extract from letter from Lieutenant G. R. Pedder, dated 18th December 1917.

“We have been back here about a fortnight now, and I don’t think we shall move again till after Xmas, at least I hope so, as it is frightfully cold at night now, much colder than this time last year; also, I am riding in the Baghdad Plate on the 27th and the Grand Handicap, also 7 furlongs, on the 29th, and I am showing ‘Matches’ in the Horse Show on the 30th. There’s absolutely no news whatever. Moreover, we haven’t got an English mail for over a month now. It must have been sunk.

‘A’ and ‘D’ have amalgamated messes, and it is much pleasanter than having a squadron mess.

“Fitzgibbon and Le Patourel have gone into Baghdad for a week, as only eight officers are allowed to go there for Xmas, and those eight are all competitors—Hartigan, Keswick, Self, Welstead, Stirling, Ormrod, Norton, Twist.

“I am riding ‘The Witch’ in two races, the horse my servant rode and won on during the first meeting. Box (Lieutenant Jeffrey) hasn’t got back yet.”

Extract from letter from Lieutenant G. R. Pedder, dated 19th December 1917.

“Here we are back again after what ended up in quite a mild show, although at first we all thought it was going to be a very murky business.

“It has turned frightfully cold. This morning I woke up to find a thick layer of ice on the water in my water-bucket inside the tent. Thank goodness we are back here in our standing camp, with tents galore and plenty of clothes and food to help keep out the cold. Personally I like it, although you have got to wear a thick greatcoat all day.

“The Colonel is down river, sick with an ulcer or something, so Twist is commanding.

“There is a tremendous show on in Baghdad for Xmas this year. Two days’ racing, 26th and 27th—I am entering two horses for three races,—a duck shoot, which I shall also attend, or hope to, golf tournament, cricket, footer, hockey, &c., &c. Of course, if the rain comes it will all probably be off.”

Extract from Lance-Corporal Bowie’s Diary.

“Some 12 days later, on the 30th instant, we received sudden orders to intercept a force of the enemy who were advancing through the Sakaltutan Pass. After having covered some 60 miles in that direction we came into contact with the 13th Turkish Army Corps again at about 6 P.M. on the evening of the 2nd December. We immediately deployed and attacked them, and, after having driven in their outposts, we succeeded in advancing close up to the mouth of the Pass, where the Brigade held them until about 12 noon the following day, when we were relieved by the 6th Cavalry Brigade who had been resting in bivouac some 10 miles back. Simultaneously with this action our Infantry, under Lieut.-General Egerton, had advanced up the right bank of the Diala river and had cleared the whole area south of Qarah Tappah, and were advancing to attack the Turks at the other end of the Pass. The following morning we crossed the Shatt-el-Adhaim river and advanced up the right bank as far as Abu-Ghuraib, where we threatened the Turkish right flank, after which we returned in the afternoon and relieved the 6th Cavalry Brigade, who were still holding the Pass. This Brigade were bombed in their bivouac early the next morning by two enemy airmen; this prevented them from relieving us for some hours. Meanwhile, General Egerton’s force, co-operating with us, had attacked the enemy in the rear, inflicting heavy casualties among them. The enemy thus being attacked at both ends, he succeeded in escaping over the hills (no small feat in itself), under cover of the night. The Russian force of Cossacks under Lieut.-Colonel Bicharakoff co-operated with us on the right flank throughout these operations. The total British captures were 6 Turkish officers, including a Brigadier Commander, 121 other ranks, and 2 guns.

“On the morning of the 6th we commenced our march back to Sadiyah, going into bivouac for the night after doing some 12 miles. The following morning we sent out patrols to attack and disperse some small enemy detachments who were reported to be in the vicinity by our airmen. An exceptionally bad sand-storm raged the whole of this day, during which we remained in bivouac. On our patrols returning and reporting all clear, we continued our march for some 25 miles, bivouacking for the night at Sinajah. Crossing the Tigris early the following morning, we arrived at our former camp at about 2 P.M. on the 9th instant.

“A few days later we were issued with our winter clothing, and about this time, too, the enemy airmen became very active, and bombed in turn Sammara, Akab, Baghdad, and many of our camps in between these places. They inflicted so many casualties among our troops that elaborate precautions were taken against surprise attacks. A system of trenches was connected all round the Cavalry horse lines, which enabled us in the event of attack to untie our horses from the lines, turn them about, and take cover ourselves in the trenches whilst holding them. These precautions undoubtedly saved us from a stampede when the enemy airmen paid us New Year Day’s visit and bombed us incessantly until their supplies became exhausted. They then flew merrily away in spite of all our batteries’ efforts and the 2 Archies, which were dug in down by the river bank to protect us from these raids.

“Just previous to this raid, towards the end of December, we received the good news that our Infantry had occupied Khaniquin without opposition on the 7th December, and also that our troops in Palestine, under General Allenby, had captured Jerusalem on the same date. Whilst on January 2nd we received word that our troops had occupied Qasr-i-Shirin without opposition.

“On January 15th the Fourteenth Hussars left the 6th Cavalry Brigade which was with us at the time, under the command of General Dunsterville, to operate in the neighbourhood of Baku, which is situated on the borders of the Black Sea.

“On the 19th instant the Regiment held some sports, which were the commencement of a series of sports and games, organised to help break the monotony of camp life in this country, which so depresses one’s spirit, especially at this time of the year. On this day some excellent sports were witnessed, everybody doing their utmost to be left in for the finals, which were to be held on the 27th instant, whilst in the evening our Concert Party gave a show which proved a great success. The following day our football team played the team of the monitor Mantis, which was anchored close to our camp at the time, the result of the match being 1 goal to nil in our favour. We invited the whole of the crew to dinner at our camp in the evening, every one spending a jolly time in consequence.

“The following day we were again visited by enemy airmen, but our batteries and Hotchkiss guns opened such a rapid and effective fire that after vainly trying to bomb us for some time they finally flew off in disgust, amidst the frantic cheers of the boys who were interested spectators.

“Soon after this we commenced our sports, in which every event was most keenly contested, and at the conclusion of the two days the results were as follows: Individual Tent-Pegging was won by our R.S.M., Mr Seekins; Skill at Arms by S.Q.M.S. Higgs; the best troop-horse was C98, ridden by Pte. Shaw; Officers Jumping went to Mr Macdonald; the Section Tent-Pegging to ‘B’ Squadron. In the dismounted events, the 100 yards was won by L.-Cpl. Carter in very good time, while the 1½ mile relay race was won rather easily by the team of ‘C’ Squadron, which included Sgt. Burgess, Sgt. Moss, L.-Cpl. Carter, L.-Cpl. Smithers, L.-Cpl. Bush, and Pte. Bowie. The tug-of-war was won by the ‘D’ Squadron team after an exceptionally fine pull, which concluded the programme. At about 8 P.M. the same evening our party gave another concert, this time to the whole Division, being assisted in their efforts by some of the crew of the monitor. This show proved a great success, every one thoroughly enjoying a good evening’s entertainment. On January 26th some Divisional races were held on a course we had made some 2 miles west of our camp, the ground here being splendidly suited for our purpose, being as flat as a billiard-table for many miles.

“On January 27th General Dunsterville’s force left Baghdad, the following officers and N.C.O.’s from our Regiment accompanying the force: Captain Annett, Lt. Cochrane, Sgt. Vernon, Sgt. Taylor, and Sgt. Saunders.

“Commencing on February 22nd, a 3-days’ race meeting was held at Akab by the 17th Infantry Division. The Regiment entered several horses, only one of which was successful—namely, Captain Blythe’s Army Pattern; while our Concert Party gave a show there on the nights of the 22nd and 23rd, which were greatly admired by all who witnessed them, the G.O.C. of that Division sending a letter of congratulation to our Colonel in having such a talented party. Shortly after this, on the 28th inst., the Cavalry Division held some athletic sports, in which several of the events were open to all comers. In this the Regiment secured several prizes—namely, 1st in the 100 yards for officers, Mr Osmond; the team of ‘C’ Squadron, L.-Cpl. Carter, L.-Cpl. Bush, Pte. Jones, and Pte. Bowie gaining 2nd prize in the Relay Race. L.-Cpl. Bush also 2nd in the Obstacle Race, while another 2nd prize was won by Pte. Bowie in the Open Mile, our tug-of-war team of ‘C’ Squadron being knocked out in the semi-final after a very game struggle. On March 4th we turned out a Rugby 15 to play the Australian Wireless Section’s 15, who had played so far an unbeaten record, and after a most exciting game the match ending in a draw, neither side being able to score.

“The following day being the anniversary of our charge at Lajj, the Regiment held a singing competition in the evening. This proved to be highly amusing, judging by the vociferous cheering which greeted the competitors’ efforts, the first prize for sentimental songs being won by Sgt. Burgess, and the first for comic by Pte. Bowie. At the conclusion of this, our Colonel made a speech in honour of our comrades who fell in the ‘Charge.’ On reading the names out the Colonel was almost overcome with emotion, and it was only with difficulty that he was able to complete.

“About this time we received the news that our forces operating on the Euphrates river had captured Hit on the 7th inst., and on the night of the 9th the enemy had evacuated Sahilijah, abandoning 2 mountain guns and much ammunition.

“On the 14th the 2nd Baghdad Race Meeting was held, also the semi-finals and finals of football, hockey, polo, golf, and boxing tournaments were contested during the week. Our football team was knocked out in the third round by the 25th Machine-gun Squadron, by one goal to nil, after a hard-fought game. The outstanding feature of this tournament was the match between the Worcesters and the Buffs, the first game they played being of 60 minutes’ duration; but as neither side was able to score extra time was allowed, and they played on for three periods of 20 minutes each, and again neither side was able to gain the advantage. The match was then postponed until the following day. On the replay, which lasted with extra time, some 2 hours and 40 minutes with still no score being registered, both teams withdrew from the tournament. The Regiment ran several horses in the racing, Lt. Ormrod’s ‘Venus’ again winning the Baghdad Cup. This time she was ridden by Frank Wootten, the famous jockey, who happened to be in Baghdad at the time.

“Some little time after this we received the news that our Column, commanded by Major-General Brooking, operating on the Euphrates river, had, on the 26th inst., attacked the 50th Turkish Division at Khan Baghdadi. The Cavalry cutting off the enemy’s retreat along the Aleppo Road, they surrendered with their Commander, the total captures being 18 Germans, including 2 officers, 212 Turkish officers, and 5236 Turkish other ranks, 12 guns, 57 machine-guns, 2 German wireless stations. During the six days’ fighting they pursued the fugitives of this force to a point some 73 miles north of Awah, destroying in this village some 300,000 rounds of gun ammunition and some 3¼ million rounds of rifle ammunition.

“On April 9th some Divisional Races were held on the racecourse near our camp, and in these several of our horses proved successful, Lt. Ormrod’s ‘Venus’ winning the ½-mile steeple-chase, and ‘Whiskers’ by the same owner was first past the post in the 6 furlongs, but on an objection being raised was disqualified later. Mr Welstead’s ‘Nightshade’ with its owner up won the sixth race, while Mr Jones’ ‘B3,’ ridden by Sgt. Holloway, won the Novices’ Flat Race.

“On the following day we received the welcome news that leave to India was granted, and a party consisting of 2 officers and 12 men left the same day en route for India to enjoy a well-earned 28 days’ furlough.

“A few days later, on April 14th, we commenced an Inter-Football Tournament. The first game was between ‘B’ and ‘D’ Squadrons; this resulted in a win for ‘B’ by 2 goals to nil. The next match was between ‘A’ and ‘C’ Squadrons, and this was a win for ‘A’ by 2 goals to 1, while the following day ‘B’ played ‘A.’ This match was very keenly contested and aroused great excitement, the result, after extra time had been allowed, being a draw of 1 goal each. Replaying again the following day, the result this time was a draw of 2 goals, and this also after extra time.”

CHAPTER XX.
THE SUMMER OF 1918—KULAWAND AND TUZ KERMATLI.

The season of military operations in the country to the north-east of Baghdad, where the British and Turks now faced each other, may be said to begin with the month of April, and in that month General Marshall’s troops were ready to move again.

Before any movements on a large scale began, however, General Marshall had to deal with two troublesome complications, one on his left and one on his right.

To the left, in the Mahomedan holy cities of Nejef and Kerbela, beyond the Euphrates, the British invasion of Mesopotamia had naturally caused some excitement, and this had been fostered by German intrigues and gold. The holy cities do not belong to the same branch of Islam as the Turks, being “Shia,” not “Sunni,” or, as one might say, Protestant, not Catholic; and having been very carefully treated by the British they had shown a friendly spirit enough. Still they were Mahomedan, and contained some fanatical elements. In the month of January British troops had been attacked near Nejef, and a few weeks later the British political officer was murdered. Some punishment had to be inflicted for these offences, and though General Marshall would not attack the sacred town, it was blockaded and called upon to deliver up the murderers. Happily the well-behaved inhabitants, under the guidance of their religious leaders, decided to accept the British terms, and the whole affair was satisfactorily settled.

At the same time as this trouble arose to the westward, some Persian tribes on the east began to respond to the incitement and gold of German emissaries, and it was found necessary, as General Marshall says, to “give them a lesson.” But this trouble also proved to be short-lived. Friendly tribesmen took action against the malcontents, and with the aid of a small British column completely defeated them. They lost heavily, “and our aeroplanes turned their defeat into a rout.”

In the meantime, while these complications were being put straight, General Marshall had worked out his scheme of action against the Turks, and had decided that they should again be attacked to the north-east of Baghdad, so as to drive them farther away and make the Persian line of communication more secure. His intention was to expel them from the area about Kara Tepe, Kifri, and Tuz Kermatli, which will be found marked on the sketch-map, p. 201, and to occupy those points, thus turning and subjugating the troublesome range of Jebel Hamrin.

It was a difficult operation if the Turks fought well, and General Marshall’s scheme of action was carefully worked out. Several columns were to move from different points, and it is not easy to follow in detail the movements of each. It will suffice to say that during the latter part of April and the earlier part of May 1918, in spite of mountainous ground and torrents of rain, which caused heavy floods in the rivers and washed away temporary bridges—in spite too of some stubborn fighting on the part of the enemy—the whole area was completely cleared and the country was occupied as far north as Kirkuk, one hundred and thirty miles from the railhead and considerably more than that distance from Baghdad. The British losses were very small—only twenty-six killed and two hundred and ten wounded—while the Turks lost heavily, over three thousand in prisoners alone.

General Marshall had good reason to be satisfied with this result. “Owing,” he says, “to the distance covered by these operations, and to the bad weather which prevailed throughout, the work of the troops was very arduous, and I have nothing but admiration for the good work put in by all arms and the excellent co-operation which was maintained between them.” This co-operation included much continuous work done by the Cavalry, and on at least two occasions they had the chance of attacking the enemy as Cavalry, mounted and sword in hand.

On both these occasions the Thirteenth were well to the fore. They were no longer with their own Brigade, but had temporarily taken the place of their old comrades of the Fourteenth Hussars in the 6th Brigade, then commanded by Brigadier-General Holland Pryor. General Marshall describes the first action in the following words: “The 6th Cavalry Brigade ... after an arduous night march overtook the Turks who had ... taken up a defensive position at Kulawand.... Feigning a frontal attack, whilst gradually working round the enemy’s right flank, our Cavalry cut the enemy’s lines of retreat and then charged right through his Infantry, killing some two hundred, including two battalion commanders, and capturing 565 prisoners, a mountain-gun, and considerable booty.” This was a fine performance, and brought the Regiment much credit. It was followed up by some skilful manœuvring which induced the Turks to hold a position at Tuz Kermatli, where a day or two later there was another considerable action. Here again the Cavalry did well, and the Thirteenth got another chance. This time the actual charge was a smaller affair, confined to a couple of troops under Lieutenant Macdonald, but it was spirited and successful, the two troops galloping a nest of machine-guns, and taking a considerable number of prisoners with little loss to themselves.

On the 7th of May Kirkuk was taken, and the short campaign came to an end. “Difficulties of supply,” says General Marshall, “due to distance and state of ground, now made it imperative to stop further pursuit,” and a few days later most of the British troops were withdrawn to their summer camps. The Thirteenth returned to their old camp at Chaldari, near Baghdad, arriving on the 22nd of May, and there they remained throughout the summer months.

It proved to be an important and anxious time for the Commander of the Army, as a force under Major-General Dunsterville was sent into Persia, and eventually crossed the Caspian to Baku, where there was some severe fighting. There was much work to be done also in Mesopotamia itself, and so far as the climate permitted, military training went on steadily, a special feature being the development of schools of instruction. But owing to the extreme heat the summer was for the bulk of the troops a period of inactivity, and it was found possible to send a large number of officers and men on leave to India. They wanted all the rest they could get, for they still had some hard marching and fighting before them, and the Thirteenth, in their pleasant camp at Chaldari, thoroughly enjoyed the respite.

The following extracts refer chiefly to their doings at Kulawand and Tuz.

Extracts from narratives by Captain Gowan, enclosed in a letter from Colonel Richardson, dated 27th July 1918.

“April 26-27, 1918.—The column moved at midnight and marched till 4.45 A.M., arriving at Tel Sharif at that time. The road was difficult to find in many places, and in the numerous nullahs which were crossed the going was deep. When the position had been fixed at dawn, the column moved forward for 2 miles, and then fed at 6 a.m. After ½ an hour halt the Regiment with advance-guard of C. and C. moved to M. 27 Central, and halted till 9 A.M. At that time the Regiment was ordered to move on the Kulawund position, and with L.A.M. cars and Lewis guns and Ford vans turn it from the W. end by enfilade fire. Some difficulty was found in locating the position, and it was not till 11.30 that it was reached and found unoccupied. The L.A.M. cars and Fords had been unable to get forward owing to water-logged country and nullahs. A number of Turks with some tents were seen to be in position on the Tuz-Kifri road, close to the hills, and their numbers were estimated by an aeroplane at 250. By 12 noon the G.O.C. Brigade had moved forward, and arrangements were made for a simultaneous attack by the 3 Regiments. At about 12.20 a move forward was made, the Brigade advancing in line of column of wings, in the order 22nd, 21st, 13th from the right. I understand that both Indian Cavalry Regiments advanced in line whilst we were in column of wings: I am not sure whether the 22nd had all four squadrons or only two. The Regiment had ‘C’ and ‘D’ Squadrons in front line under Captain Godfree, ‘B’ and half ‘A’ in the second, at about 200 yards’ distance, the remaining troop of ‘A’ being left as guard to our left flank, dressing station, &c., and the H.G. guns being sent to the flanks. The leading wing on nearing the road shouldered to the right and were in a position to co-operate with the 21st Cav. when Captain Godfree received orders from the Brigade to take no further part in the attack, but to join the Headquarters near Kulawund village. While he did this the 2nd Wing, leaving a troop of ‘A’ as escort to the Regimental Aid Post, moved to the Kifri-Tuz road and scattered along it to the left or Tuz direction, and succeeded in collecting about 50 prisoners. Two or three machine-guns were in action against us until we were within 300 yards of the road, and were replied to by the H.G. troop of ‘D’ Squadron from our left flank. A number of the enemy succeeded in getting away into the ridge of hills E. of the road where Cavalry could not pursue, and after despatching the prisoners to Brigade H.Q. the wing rallied and moved to a mound at the edge of the Kulawund position. From captured officers’ statements it was clear that this Cavalry attack took the enemy entirely by surprise. The enemy troops engaged consisted of the 5th Regiment, which had received orders on the evening of the 26th to withdraw from Tuz. Expecting only an Infantry attack, on the following morning they evacuated their positions without undue haste, and after halting several hours ... were on their way to Tuz on the 27th, when they were overtaken.

“April 29.—We drew back and circled to the W. behind the battery, and were ordered to get touch with the 21st and 22nd Cav. and then attempt to get across the Tuz-Tan road to stop the enemy’s retreat. Moving W., it was found that the 22nd and 21st were held up by a nest of M. guns on a small knoll. At the time of our arrival these were not directed on us, and appeared to have left their position. Two troops of ‘B’ were accordingly pushed forward, and led off so as to leave this knoll on their right. After a short distance they came under M.G. fire, and 2nd Lt. MacDonald wheeled the two troops to the right, thus putting his own troop in front and that of Sgt. Brencher in rear. He galloped the hill and took it—the enemy, except two, escaping being sabred by putting their hands up when the men were on them. This action opened the way across the plain, and the three Regiments, 21st, 13th, 22nd from the right, moved across, meeting small bodies of the enemy, and killing or taking them prisoners.”

Letter from Colonel Richardson to Sir R. S. Baden-Powell.

“7th Cavalry Brigade, M.E.F.,
In the Field, 1st May 1918.

“My dear General,—Your note with enclosures regarding Regimental Monuments and Gravestones reached me only a few days ago, when we were already on the trek of our present stunt....

“I am sorry to say I quite forget the contents of my letter to Symons to which you refer, but I imagine it dealt with our part in the battle of Tekrit; since that time we have been almost continuously in one camp, on the Tigris, about 40 miles above Baghdad, and although for more than four months we did not have a shot fired in anger we were far from idle—i.e., when the wet weather made it possible to be otherwise. Not only were we able to put in a lot of much-needed—on account of the numerous officers and other reinforcements during the past six months—instruction in equitation and elementary and secondary drill and training, but we were able to have games and sports—both mounted and dismounted—for the men, and polo for the officers; we also had the opportunity of getting fitter than at any time since we have been in this country, and I doubt very much whether men or horses have ever been fitter physically than when we started out, ten days ago, for this stunt. Only one Brigade of Cavalry is being utilised, and it is not the one to which we properly belong, but we are taking the place of the 14th, who are scattered about on an independent mission. Our march to the rendezvous was not propitious, as we were dogged by heavy rain and thunder, which made life on operation scale, without tents, a delusion and a snare for four days, but we got through with only one case of pneumonia. Once we got started on this stunt—the object of which has been to clear the whole of our northeasterly front of the enemy—we began to get into a country of magnificent crops and glorious grazing, in which the horses have been revelling, and growing visibly bigger. The operations themselves have partaken more of the nature of South African drives, and Johnny Turk was, I think, caught napping by the largeness of the scale of the operations, and he has been so badly fed lately that he could not travel sufficiently quickly to escape us; however, he put up, as he always does, a jolly good fight when cornered, and as we were unable to close the fourth side to the square—i.e., on the north, where a steep ledge of rock, backed by hilly country, discounted our mobility—a good few got away. However, we have accounted for nearly 2000 prisoners, ten large and very many machine guns, and our casualties have been less than 250 (in the whole force), so I suppose we may reckon the operations as having been fairly successful. Of course, from the nature of things, the principal rôle fell to the Cavalry, and even the Pan-Infantry men were fain to admit that we have done it well. On the first day we came into touch with the enemy—mostly troops retiring from outside positions, from which they had been driven by the Infantry; but, covered by the garrison and guns of the aforesaid rocky ledge, the three Regiments of the Brigade galloped in two lines of wings over about 1½ miles of country towards the ledge, and swung right-handed along the foot of it, the net result being about 600 prisoners and several machine-guns. The next day there was a pause, as the main position, which was pretty well served by big guns, still remained, and we could not hope to take it without the help of the Infantry; but next morning the latter came through our outposts, and we concentrated on the left flank and began the advance, which I may fairly claim the Regiment initiated, which put the finishing touch to the operations. A good few of the enemy no doubt escaped through the hill country, and perhaps he got a gun or two away, but certainly a thousand prisoners and ten guns fell into our hands.

“When I claim that the Regiment initiated the final advance, I must explain the situation in more detail: over night 2 squadrons were on outpost duty on the left bank of the river, and two troops of a third squadron were away with the first batch of 500 prisoners; the balance of the Regiment with which I was, was on the right of the Cavalry Brigade, advancing up the right bank of the river; we were held up at dusk by the enemy in an entrenched position, and remained where we stood all night; soon after daybreak the Infantry took over our line, and the Brigadier sent me off to the left flank to try and get across the path of the retiring enemy. I found that the two Regiments of Indian Cavalry had been trying to advance with the same object for a couple of hours, but were held up by small parties of enemy entrenched on knolls and well supplied with machine-guns. I determined to advance, and put one of my few remaining sabre troops into the scouting line under MacDonald, a lad who only joined us 6 or 8 months ago. When we got about 800 yards from the nearest knoll he met very heavy machine-gun fire, but as it was apparently directed against his left flank, he at once gathered his troops to the right, and following a circular path he galloped the hill, taking the gunners in flank and reverse, and in less than five minutes had the whole party of Turks killed or marching as prisoners to the rear, and 4 machine-guns captured. He had only one man badly wounded. It was, I think, without exception the quickest and prettiest—not to say the most successful—small piece of work it has been my fortune to witness. This little episode put great heart into the Indians, and thereafter it was almost a race for the foot-hills; all opposition went like a house of cards, and it was only a question of mopping up. I, on behalf of the Regiment and MacDonald, have received congratulations on all sides, and the Brigade and Divisional Commanders have promised to support my recommendation for immediate rewards, so I hope MacDonald and his troop may get the honours they have earned so well.