El Mughar 1917

Bivouacked

10 November saw the Mounted Divisions pushing their tired horses slowly after the retreating Turks. By 1600 hrs 6th Mounted Brigade advance guard had made contact with the enemy and an outpost line was taken up. The Brigade bivouacked for the night south of Arak-Jibrin Road, with the Berkshire Yeomanry in reserve. That day had been a considerable march, over very rough ground, and the horses who had had no water since their drink at midday and many were in poor condition.

10 November: Started marching at 5:00 a.m. Water bottles empty. 11:00 found water and again watered horses. Rations not come up. Have just had orders not to eat iron rations until ordered. Now making for a place about 20 miles away to enable the Jaffa railway to be cut. Country still very wild and hilly, the horse sticking well but very much pulled about owing to having no water. Sgt Will Sear

By 11 November the ANZAC Division had only one brigade in a fit state to continue operations. Accordingly the Yeomanry Mounted Division was ordered to return westwards to relieve the ANZAC Mounted Division on the coast. This was another challenging march, first to water and then to Faluja, to where rations had been sent, then off westward arriving at the rear of the ANZAC Mounted Division just before 7 pm. The 6th Brigade had covered at least twenty miles.

In the afternoon we passed through a native village of Faluja, really the first sign of habitation we had seen since leaving Beersheba, and then halted in a field of cut maize on the outskirts. The halt was short, there were a few dumps of corn and horse fodder, and we proceeded to fill our two nosebags. With a rattle like horse artillery going into action, ASC limbers galloped up and supplied us with the days' rations for the for which we were already in arrears. We crammed our bellies with bread, jam and bully, and felt much better. After a good feed the horses picked up visibly. We rode over a plain of red loam where stubble showed the crop had been harvested, and managed to get some sleep as reveille was not until 2.30 am. [Berks Yeo Trooper]

Hotchkiss team from A Sqn

Lt CH Perkins (Bucks) was sent forward to the Wadi Shellal to see if and how it could be crossed. He carried out an extensive reconnaissance under very dangerous circumstances, as he became the focus of every description of fire from the Mughar ridge. This had the advantage however of causing the Turks to disclose their positions. He cantered up and down under a hail of machine gun fire which, in the words of one eye witness, “followed him as the spotlight follows a dancer on the stage seeming to bear a charmed life”. Perkins had ascertained the wadi could be crossed by horses, although the banks were very steep. Later Perkins was to be awarded the MC for his actions that day.

It was decided to bring the Dorset Yeomanry at once into to the Wadi Jamus and they trickled in by squadrons and came under shell fire entering the wadi. The wadi was a narrow ravine affording excellent cover but difficult either to enter or emerge from, and broad enough to take but a single rank of horses and men.

Punctually at 1500 hrs on that hot bright afternoon, the mounted attack began. Scrambling up the steep eastern bank of the Wadi Jamus, the Bucks and Dorsets had some 4000 yards of shot-swept ground to cover and began their advance at the trot, at once drawing Turkish artillery fire and prompting the British guns to open up. After trotting something over a mile, at the end of which they came under heavy machine gun fire, the pace was increased to a gallop and the two regiments swept up the hill. As the charge reached the summit the Turks.

On seeing the weakness in number of the Yeomanry, for the two regiments had lost very heavily especially in horses on the top of the ridge, a number of Turks took up positions on the flanks and opened fire.

The Berkshire Yeomanry had moved into Wadi Jamus as the other two regiments moved out. They were not brought up earlier for the simple reason that the bed of the wadi was not large enough. As soon as the Dorsets and Bucks had begun their advance on Mughar Ridge the Berkshire Yeomanry moved out and advanced rapidly towards El Mughar village where they came under intense machine gun fire from the village itself and from the cactus hedges around it.

It became necessary therefore to clear the village: A Sqn Berkshire Yeomanry skirted the hills to outflank the enemy whilst B and D Sqns were sent up at a gallop and successfully fought their way into the village on foot. This was a very unpleasant task amongst the cactus hedges and the mud houses where the enemy were hiding. Fighting carried on in the village until 1700 hrs. By 1800 hrs all enemy resistance had been crushed and some 400 prisoners taken.

Meanwhile A Sqn pursued the enemy into the plain beyond the village. Dotted over this plain were many dead Turks who had fallen under the fire of the Machine Gun Squadron. 2nd Lieut WVR Sutton went out with a party to round up prisoners and bring them in. Having captured as many stragglers as he thought he could handle, he was returning and was shot in the back by a Turk who had not been captured. His Troop Sergeant, Jim Napper, then took command and for his actions was awarded the DCM.

Lieut. Sutton killed. We captured three guns and machine guns. Enemy said it was a most brave advance. My water bottle saved me from wound in the side. My troop got through without a scratch. Sgt Will Sear

The Berkshire Yeomanry War Diary states that the Regiment, after clearing the village sent in over 900 prisoners, 2 Krupp 1913 pattern field guns and about a dozen machine guns. Undoubtedly a larger number of prisoners could have been taken had not the finishing gallop up the hill completely exhausted the horses of the two attacking regiments, added to which the steep descent on the eastern side of the ridge was most difficult. The Brigade consolidated its position and bivouaced for the night on a position north of Mughar.

On hearing of this most successful attack General Sir Edmund Allenby telegraphed to the Corps Commander: "I congratulate you upon the exploits of your Corps. Please convey my special thanks to the 6th Mounted Brigade for their gallant charge."

By the 14 November the rapidity with which the Mughar-Katra line had been captured the previous day had broken the Turkish army into two separate parts. The Yeomanry Division moving in advance of the 52 Div, pushed through Akir to Naane, and drove a wedge between these two parts. The two mounted brigades which occupied Naane were heavily shelled by the enemy from Abu Shusheh, three miles farther east, but no other opposition was encountered.

The smaller portion of the enemy retired northwards over the plain, harried by the ANZAC Mounted Division. The larger portion of the enemy force was forced eastwards into the Judean Hills and commenced to retire along the main road to Jerusalem, chased by the Yeomanry and Australian Mounted Divisions.

The Regimental War Diary for 14 November notes that the Regiment moved off as advance guard to Brigade towards Abu Shusheh but after crossing railway was unable to advance further owing to heavy machine gun fire. Watered horses at Akir during the night. A very wearing and telling day.

14th November: Came in touch with enemy about a mile from the last position. Sergt P Bishop was killed and Sergt L Barratt wounded just in front of me. Sgt Will Sear

The village of Abu Shusheh sat atop a prominent hill and ridge line and it was clear that the Turks had again established themselves in a formidable position on this ridge. Of necessity this strong position had to be taken and early on 15 November the attack was launched by 22nd Mounted Bde advancing dismounted on left with the 6th Mounted Bde on the right.

17 Machine Gun Sqn Dismounting

At 0700hrs B Sqn Berkshire Yeomanry were sent with six of the Brigade machine guns to push forward dismounted, taking advantage of what cover the ground afforded, to a point west of Abu Shusheh and as close in as possible from which to engage the enemy machine guns on the ridge.

As soon as B Sqn and the guns were in place the Bucks Yeomanry advanced at a gallop and took up a position on the right of the machine guns in dead ground. Seeing that the enemy was strong in machine guns on his right flank, the Bucks signalled for support, whereupon the Dorset Yeomanry was sent forward to advance on the right of the Bucks.

The leading squadron of the Dorsets charged straight through the village of Sidun and on toward the higher ground beyond it. The Bucks Yeomanry then charged the enemy from the southwest whilst A and D Squadrons of the Berkshire Yeomanry charged on the left, against a spur running out to the west of the ridge, just north of the village. Scrambling through the rocks, the horses, though slipping often, yet for the most part kept their feet. The Berks Yeomanry, after the enemy on its front had fallen back, followed the Dorsets on to the ridge. The final attack on the crest had to be made dismounted, but the Turks were now thoroughly shaken and made no great resistance. Three hundred and fifty were captured, and at least as many killed. By 0900 hrs the whole position was in British hands.

19th November: Moved from Ramleh towards Jerusalem. The country very rough, all hills and bad going for the horses. Arrived at a village about 4:00 p.m. and stayed the night. It was an awful night. Rained very hard and no shelter. Got wet through and very cold. My horse dead lame. Sgt Will Sear

At 0430 hrs the Dorsets led the advance followed by the Berks, then Bucks. advancing from Tahta to Foka down into the valley and then upward towards Beitunye. The night’s rain had made movement very difficult. Every yard of ground not covered by stones was turned into black viscous mud into which men and horses slipped at every step. The supply line, at the best of times precarious, became almost inoperative; animals and men could not be properly fed and the troops were still in their summer clothing.

The advance from Tahta was not seriously contested until the Dorset Yeomanry descended at 1130 hrs from the hills on which Foqa stood and found the enemy holding the western rim of the Zeitun Ridge above. The Berks Yeomanry moving up on the left, succeeding in working their way onto the edge of the ridge but were held up by about 200 Turks ensconced behind boulders.

Heavy rainfall and cold weather severely tested both men and animals while they made several unsuccessful attempts to force their way up the steep, rocky sides of the ridge. Early in the afternoon more enemy reinforcements arrived and counterattacked strongly, forcing the Yeomanry back into the deep ravine on the west side of the ridge.

Captured Turkish Guns

20 November: I got another horse. We moved on again 6:00 a.m. Still in the hills. Plenty of drinking water in wells on top of the hills. Had to lead our horses, the ground so bad. Transport cannot get along well, as now about 2000 ft. above sea level. D Sqdn sent to help Dorsets on Zeitoun hill strongly held. Rest of the regiment came up and advanced, but could not gain top of hill. Hard fighting. Had to stay all night. Rained all night long - no cover or anything to cover us and very cold. Sgt Will Sear

The Regiment lay out all night "with nothing but our drill tunics on" on the ridge facing the enemy at close quarters in torrents of rain, their horses in the deep valley below. The worst night I have ever known. We lay fighting until we were so cold that it was impossible to fire any longer. So bitter was the cold that fingers became so numb that they wouldn't work. Trooper Hedley Bye

With dawn on 21 November the Berks Yeomanry attempted to move eastwards from the positions which it had held overnight, while the Dorsets attacked Beitunye from the south. The Bucks sought to capture a hillock on the ridge to the right of the Berks. The top was reached but the Turks were found established upon it behind a fortified stone breastwork. The Berks had been unable to make material progress and around midday they came up against a strongly fortified redoubt, which halted any advance and also affected the Bucks on their right. The 8th Mounted Brigade then moved to provide close support for the 6th Mounted Brigade. The horses of two brigades were now massed below the hill and the Turks strove continuously to reach this tempting target, but the sides of the ravine were too steep and deep for their shrapnel to do any harm.

21 November: Restarted the fight at daybreak. We had suffered very bad owing to the cold. There was a lot of wounded included Lew Salter who was hit. Lt Bertie was killed. Capt Thomas hit and also Lt Chapman. We had to eat our iron rations which were brought up to us under fire. At 1:00 p.m. we had to retire. Cpl HT Hart was hit helping the wounded, it being very difficult to get the wounded away. We were very busy as there were so many wounded. Our Colonel was killed and I had to bury him. The boys dug a grave with their bayonets. At evening we retired back to Foka. It was an awful job to get the wounded away. Every man was done up. Sgt WH Sear

The disentanglement during battle and retirement from the front of an ascendant enemy is one of the most difficult operations of war whether the forces involved are large or small. All the more difficult when there is no support from artillery or aircraft. It cannot succeed unless direction from above, training and leadership is good, the men stout hearted and the mutual confidence between all ranks well established. All these essential qualifications were present in the 6th Mounted Brigade Commander and in the Yeomanry Regiments and MG Squadron which constituted his command. Had there been the slightest panic and undue haste or disorder of any kind the enemy would have been encouraged to press forward with greater vehemence than he did, and no one can say what then would have been the issue.

Over the next two days, 22-23 November, there was nothing beyond enemy shelling and patrol encounters. On the 24th demonstrations were made against Beitunia to support the left of the 52 Division's attack on El Jib, but the enemy was too strong to permit the Yeomanry proceeding more than two miles east of Foka. The roadmakers had done an enormous amount of navvy work on the track between Foka and Tahta. They had laboured without cessation, breaking up rock, levering out boulders with crowbars, and doing a sort of rough- and-ready levelling, and by the night of the 24th the track was reported passable for guns.

There was much reorganisation then to be undertaken by the Division in anticipation of further fighting in the hills. All horses and mules except those required for the machine guns were sent back to Ramleh under escort; ambulances were cleared; damaged equipment was restored as far as possible; and arrangements made for the replacement of ammunition. Finally the whole division was organised to fight as a dismounted unit according to the scheme which had been worked out prior to the advance. Each brigade furnished the equivalent of a weak battalion, a regiment provided a company, a squadron a platoon, a troop a section. Thus the division was transformed temporarily in to the equivalent of three battalions, each consisting of three companies of four platoons. The total force, after escorts for the sick, horses and all that was returned to Ramleh, barely reached a strength of 1200 rifles.. The difficulty of supply alone made it essential to dispense with every man and animal who could not actively be employed in the firing line.

In the field

23 November: We are still at the village of Foka where we retired to. Our strength has gone down. We can only muster 100 out of the whole regt for the firing line. We want reserves very bad. Sgt WH Sear

24 November: Still in same position at Foka. My troop is now reduced to eighteen. We are standing-to, expecting to go out and support the infantry. All I can muster to go in my troop is four men. I tried making some pudding with bread and currants. The post coming up I received letter, the first since we started on the advance, also a packet of sweets. Sgt Will Sear

By 25 November the reorganisation of the Division had been completed and 6th Mounted Brigade’s strength was 28 officers, 519 ORs, 183 horse, and 22 camels. 22 officers, 303 ORs, and 889 animals had been sent back to Ramleh. Meanwhile the Division was now stretched across a series of outposts on a 10 mile wide front.

26 November found the Berkshire Yeomanry Company of 3 officers and 60 men, led by Captain Headington, in occupation of an outpost on the extreme western spur of the Zeitoun ridge, a climb of some two hours from Foqa. Despite misgivings the Divisional Commander felt the continued occupation of this outpost very necessary; for should the Turks establish artillery on the ridge, and the approach from their side was far less difficult, the position at Foqa and even perhaps Tahta would become untenable.

On the 27 November the enemy made a determined attempt force the Yeomanry from the Zeitun ridge. The Berkshire Yeomanry garrison occupied a stone building on the summit. Against them the enemy put up 600 infantry with machine guns and brought heavy artillery fire to bear on the building from just 4000 yards away. The garrison put up a most gallant defence. They were compelled to leave the building because the enemy practically destroyed it by gunfire and the infantry almost surrounded the hill, but they obtained cover on the boulder-strewn sides of the hill and held their assailants at bay. At dusk, although the garrison was reduced to one officer (Lt Sutton) and 26 men, they refused to give ground. The eight horses that had brought up the machine guns were all dead. They were instructed to hold on as long as possible, and a reinforcement of 50 men, 35 Berks and 15 Bucks, was sent up after dark, all that could be spared, as the Division was holding a series of hills ten miles long and every rifle was in the line.

Trooper K Cartland: Everything went well until the next day; then the Turks brought some artillery up and soon got in line: at the same time their infantry began to advance on us. We were only fifty strong against hundreds; they began getting round us to try and cut off our retreat, so there was nothing for it but to send out a party and drive them back. I think there were about twenty odd of us went out. We managed to hold them for a while, but their numbers were too strong for us; in the end they rushed us, then it was a case of fix bayonets and into it. I saw several of our poor boys go down. Then came the order to retire, but it was almost too late. It was a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire; we got back into the house all right, but it was like walking into Hell. The Turk began to blow the place around our ears with high explosives. We signalled back to HQ that we couldn't hold on much longer, but they said we must....

In Judean Hills

Trooper K Cartland: We stuck it till about twelve noon; by that time the place had become impossible. They had blown in the roof, and battered down the wall in front , leaving us no cover; There was only a few of us left by this time, and the Turks had already made a half circle round us. It was a case of surrender or make a bolt for it, and we preferred the latter, but we found a machine gun waiting on either flank for us, so we had to run the gauntlet. Never have I been in such a hare brained race; how it was I was not hit, or how I missed breaking my neck jumping down over the rocks, God alone knows, but we all got away untouched and brought 3 or 4 of the wounded with us. We arrived back to the rest of the boys more dead than alive, not having had water for 3 days.

At dawn on the 28 November the fresh troops of 7th Mounted Brigade arrived, and had no sooner got into position at Hellabi, half a mile north-west of Tahta, than their left flank was attacked by 1000 Turks with machine guns.

At midday 155 Inf Brigade attacked Suffa and although they could not take it the action prevented the Turks breaking round the left flank of the Yeomanry. The garrsion which had held Zeitun so bravely was brought into Foka adding to the remnants of the Berks and Bucks there now numbering some 120 rifles. Very heavy fighting continued all day long on the Foka-Tahta-Suffa line, but though the enemy employed 3000 infantry in his attack and had four batteries of guns, he was unsuccessful. At dusk the attack on Tahta, which had been under shell- fire all day, was beaten off and the enemy was compelled to withdraw one mile. To the south-east the Turks were doing their utmost to capture Foka. They came again and again, and their attacks were always met and broken with the bayonet by Yeomanry who were becoming fatigued by continuous fighting, and advancing and retiring in this terrible country. They could have held the place that night, but there was no possibility of sending them reinforcements, and as the enemy had been seen working round to the south of the village with machine guns it might have become impossible to get them out the following morning. Accordingly the troops withdrew from Foka to a new position on a wooded ridge half-way back to Tahta, and the enemy made no attempt to get beyond Foka.

During the evening the Yeomanry Mounted Division received welcome reinforcements with the arrival of the 4th Australian Light Horse Brigade and elements of 156 Infantry Brigade.

The 6th Mounted Brigade Journal “the Chlorine” commented as follows: “So what recollections of the Judean hills do we carry away? Hills and ravines; dirty villages; filthy degenerate villagers; olives and dried figs; wild jonquils, cyclamens, daisies and crocus, all blooming together; shrubs that always pricked when you sat on the ground; cold nights and icy rain; lovely days, enormous appetites, and not much too much on which to satisfy them, though our rations never failed us; worn out boots and blistered feet; scarcity of sleep; fleas; and on the whole a great cheerfulness.”

By the morning of 1 December the whole division was assembled in the neighbourhood of Akir. It was a ragged crowd, lean, unshaven and unwashed, with clothes torn and stained and boots cut to pieces. There was little left to mark it as a military formation, except the disciplined and soldierly bearing of the men who composed it. It was a tired and hungry crowd, yet filled with the best of all good things - the satisfaction of knowing that it had done its best.

During the afternoon the Commander-in-Chief arrived at Akir in his car in order to thank the Division for its work during the past fortnight. His words, coming from one who only gives praise where praise is due, were tremendously appreciated by all ranks. He said that if we had not held the field during these critical days in the hills the whole army would have been compelled to give up the hold it had secured on the mountain passes, and that if this had occurred it would have taken three months hard fighting and thousands of casualties before we should have been able to capture Jerusalem.

Some idea of the toll extracted from the Judean operation on the Berkshire Yeomanry can be gained by noting the strength of the Regiment at Akir: 8 officers and 256 men. The previous month’s figure had been 25 officers and 441 men.

The Commander-in-Chief had desired me to convey to all ranks his high appreciation of the work performed by the Yeomanry Mounted Division during recent operations. The task of the Division was to seize and hold the mountainous country towards Jerusalem - Nablus road until the Infantry should have time to come up. The mission was successfully accomplished, in spite of great physical obstacles and serious opposition from the enemy. I wish to take this opportunity to express my thanks to all officers and men for the high spirit they have shown in face of the enemy, and their cheerful endurance under very trying conditions.

Saddle insecption at Deir el Balah

The Regiment rested at Katara for a fortnight and during this time was re united with their horses. On 11 December they marched back to Mejdal on the coast about 15 miles north of Gaza, where they remained over Christmas. Christmas Day itself saw a tremendous storm with very heavy rain, the wettest day of the month. I think we had the worst Christmas since the war started. It was no different than any ordinary day. Sgt Bill Bowyer

On 31 December, as this eventful year came to a close, the Regiment received a warning order to move back to Deir el Belah, on the coast south of Gaza.

2/1st Berkshire Yeomanry continued with its home defence duties in East Anglia. Based at Kings Lynn at the start of the year they were briefly moved to Kent for a few weeks and then back to Ipswich.

Their dual role (i) as a bicyclist battalion and part of the East Coast Defence forces and (ii) as an infantry training regiment ensured they were fully occupied. In the latter role they provided a considerable number of drafts (usually between 30 and 40 men in each draft) as reinforcements for infantry regiments in France and Flanders.

Soldiers from 2/1st Regiment on exercise at Wivenhoe Park, Essex, on 27 May 1917

3/1st Berkshire Yeomanry had been subsumed into 6th Reserve Cavalry Regiment at Tidworth in 1916. However they maintained their separate identity as much as possible, including wearing Berkshire Yeomanry uniform, and continued to provide reinforcements to yeomanry regiments in the Middle East including 1/1st Berkshire Yeomanry.