Battle of Gaza

[Guest MOBSY]

I am trying to find as much information as I can about my Grandfather Harry John Mobbs. I have listed what I have so far. Up to the point where he was wounded I think is accurate, but after is based on handed down stories. Any comments and information will be very much appreciated.

On the 3rd March, 1913 Harry at the age of 19, enlisted into 'F' company (North Walsham) of the 5th Norfolk Regiment, Territorial Army. At the outbreak of the First World War 'H' company was mobilised on the 6th August, 1914 into the newly re-designated 1/5th Battalion; which along with 1/4th Norfolk Regiment and the 1/8th Hampshire's formed the 163rd. Brigade, which was part of the 54th Division (Territorial). The battalion set sail from Liverpool on the 29th July 1915, on board the SS Aqitania. Their destination was the Dardanelles as reinforcements for the Gallipoli campaign. The Division landed at Sulva Bay on the 10th August, 1915 and were soon in action on the 12th of August, 1915 taking many casualties. The Offensive was ineffective against strong opposition; therefore the division retreated and was evacuated by the end of December of that year. The 1/5th Norfolks were sent to Egypt to guard the Suez Canal against the threat of attack from the Turkish forces in Palestine, they were there until the end of 1916. The Regiment was in action again in Gaza, on the 19th April, 1917. When the regiment advanced in the second battle of Gaza, Harry was hit by a shell blast, and this inflicted serious shrapnel wounds in his leg. Harry was taken prisoner by the Turks and taken back to Turkey were he remained until the end of the war. Harry was discharged on 12th August, 1918.

[michaeldr]

Welcome to the Great War Forum

The 1/5th Battalion The Norfolk Regiment served in the 163rd Infantry Brigade of the 54th (East Anglian) Division

The map below will give you some idea of the area in which the 163rd Brigade was fighting on 19th April 1917 when you grandfather was wounded and captured. The solid red line gives their position at 10.30 am and the broken red line shows to where they were pushed back by 6.00pm. The dotted red line behind that, is the final 'position subsequently consolidated' that day

Good luck with your research

Michael

[stevenbecker]

Mate,

This is part of some thing I wrote on the Camel Corps at 2nd Gaza and their attack on the Tank redoubt in which the 1/5 Norforks took part. I hope it gives you what you are after;

"The ground over which the 1st Battalion had to attack sloped down from point 404 on Sheikh Abbas ridge then gradually up to the enemies redoubt on the 400 metre plateau a distance of just over 2000 yards, the terrain was completely exposed with little cover but for a number of small wadis which had cut the bare ground like a knife wound from the infrequent rains. The redoubt was on a flat rise which gave excellent observation over the surrounding area, it had been turned into a fortress with an outer and inner defence lines surrounded by barb wire and to its rear ran the Gaza-Beersheba road. It was strongly garrisoned by a Battalion plus a section of the Machine Gun Company of the 165th Turkish Infantry Regiment with about 400 men in the Redoubt and around 200 men in the surrounding area for counterattack, while two 4 gun batteries of 14th Turkish Artillery Regiment directly supported them.

The 1st Anzac Camel Battalion’s attack

The main attack by the Camel Brigade would be made by the 1st Battalion under Lieutenant Colonel George Langley who deployed the 2nd Company under Captain Archie Campbell on the left with the 4th Company under Captain Herbert Denson on the right, the 3rd Company under Captain Fred Naylor was in support while Captain Walter Cashman’s 1st Company (less two sections guarding the field ambulance and Hong Kong and Singapore Battery) were held in reserve, in all the Battalion numbered not more then 360 men in the firing line.

The battle plan called for the 1st Battalion to “Move on to the ridge on the right of the 163rd Brigade, the left battalion in the Camel Brigade will advance and conform to the movement of that Brigade.” which meant the 1st battalion would advance with the 163rd Brigade which had placed its jump off tapes about 200 yards in front of the 2nd Company, their right flank Battalion was the 1/5th Norfolk which would act as the guide for our advance as Divisional orders called for the Camel companies to bypass the main redoubt as it would be secured by the British infantry, as our companies would push on to secure the defences to the rear of the redoubt.

On Thursday the 19th April the cold morning air was broken by the sound of heavy guns with Zero hour at 5.30 am this preparation bombardment was to last for two hours as they pounded the redoubts along the main Turkish line assisted by the navy and concentrating there fire on Gaza and the strong defences of Ali Muntar. At 7.20 am the Divisional 18 pdr Batteries took over laying down fire on the main points to be attacked, the display was quite impressive but was later found that most of the shells had missed there intendant targets.

At Zero hour plus two (7.30 am) the word was given to advance and the tank allocated to the attack moved from behind Dumbell Hill into a position in between the 1/5th Norfolk’s and the 1st Battalion. This tank was a MK1 female called HMLS Nutty under command of 2/Lieutenant Frank Carr and his crew of seven men, it moved off to the rear of and between the 1st Battalion and 1/5th Norfolk’s but due to a small wadi it was forced to the right, crossing behind the 1st Battalion in front of Sheikh Abbas ridge as it then moved towards the objective to the north-west back across the front of the 1st Battalion as it advanced to catch up with the 1/5th Norfolk’s.

The 2nd Company had moved off promptly at 7.30 to cover the 2000 yards they would need to traverse before reaching the enemy trenches but first they had to align themselves with the 1/5th Norfolk only carrying the weight of 300 rounds of ammunition (Camel brigade SOP) and stores of a pick and shovel per three men and over the soft sand quickly exhausted the men (this was exceeding the load authorized in Divisional orders by General Hare of 150 rounds per man or the 250 rounds in the Imperial Mounted Division orders). The infantry with a shorter distance to travel kept up a strong pace forcing the cameleers to continue moving and not to advance by section rushes. The leading companies were deployed on a section front with three extended lines in each section, Lewis guns were placed to the right of the second line as the companies moved from artillery formation into extended order after moving a few hundred yards.

The enemy had quickly spotted the advance of our troops and the Tank and laid a sporadic fire along the line of advancing men, a number were hit still the men pushed on under the steady fire of shell and machine gun. About 8 am the 1st Battalion was rejoined by HMLS Nutty which had moved across their front from the right and soon attracted the attention of a number of enemy Batteries which began to pound the area around the tank and the companies of the 1st Battalion and 5th Norfolk’s, this fire was both heavy and extremely accurate and it appeared to the men to be singling out individuals, the enemy had plenty of time to range the ground and its shooting showed its expertise and it was said by the soldiers of the Camel Brigade “to be the finest bit of shooting they had ever seen” with the enemy never wasting a shell moreover it was under this now continuous fire that the 2nd company were forced to shift to their left as they followed in the wake of the tank. The men had closed in behind the tank for protection from the fusillade but it only served as a focal point to the enemy gunners, as they struggled under the weight of there loads and the enemies salvos, the infantry was still in front of the cameleers and fell in behind the tank as it passed them while the 2nd company had to kept on the move till a small sand ridge was gained about 8.15 am.

This small ridge was between 350 to 500 yards from the enemy redoubt and there the shattered and exhausted remnants of the two Battalions took shelter as the tank was hit and lost direction in a small wadi between the ridge and the redoubt. Meanwhile Captain Campbell sent orders back to the 3rd Company to conform to him as the 4th company had disappeared to his right in the smoke and dust and his own company was severely hit. Meanwhile Captain Birbeck OC A Company 5th Norfolk’s gathered his survivers around him as the remainder of his battalion took cover.

The 163rd Brigade at this time committed the two companies (A and of the 1/8th Hants Battalion which had been in support to assist with the 5th Norfolk’s while the other two companies (C and D) were supporting the 4th Norfolk’s, only A and B companies were decimated in moving forward trying to reach the 5th Norfolk’s and barely a few gallant men of the right flanking companies struggled through the fire to reinforce the beleaguer force, these joined the remainder of the Norfolk’s and Camel companies around 08.30 am.

Meanwhile the advance by the 4th company and Battalion Headquarters had been drawn to the east to adhere to orders to bypass the redoubt and conform with the 11th company only the heavy cross fire had forced them to seek cover in a small wadi which ran to west off of the main Wadi Sihan just as the 2nd company had been drawn west towards the 163rd Brigade, a gap was now created between his forward companies and Lieutenant Colonel Langley was forced to committed his small reserve of two sections of the 1st Company under Captain Cashman to fill this gap. In the meanwhile the 3rd company had struggled forward to support Captain Campbell and under heavy shell fire had followed the line of bodies belonging to the 2nd company. They reached the small sand ridge shortly after 8.30 am which was occupied by the sheltering 2nd Company and the remains of the 5th Norfolk’s and 8th Hants and soon became embroiled in the fight with the Turkish defences in which both companies were heavily hit by the enemies fire and suffered many casualties with Captain Naylor wounded yet continued to lead.

Around 8.40 am the tank HMLS Nutty appeared again under a cloud of dust and exploding shells driving straight for the redoubt, seeing this Captain Campbell decided that he could no longer follow his orders and bypass the redoubt however now must make a dash and secure the fortification.

He lined a number of Lewis gunners along the top of the small ridge and using there fire ordered the men to advance, both the 2nd and 3rd companies fixed bayonets and rose to the attack. These companies had started the day with a little over one hundred men in both, now barely half that number had survived and as the Turkish fire hit these heroes that number was again sadly reduced still they surged on and made the Turkish line under a volley of rifle fire and with the help of soldiers from the 5th Norfolk and 8th Hants set about clearing the trenches “with the bayonet”. The wounded Captain Naylor had insisted in leading his men forward only to be shot in the head on reaching the enemies trenches in a life or death struggle to capture it, the death of Captain Naylor, who had never been well esteemed by his men after an incident at Sollum in 1916, but after this day that view changed.

The Turks which occupied this part of the redoubt put up a stout defence only the shock of the tank and the aggressive attitude of our troops proved to much for them as they broke and ran back to their rear defences, some throwing away their weapons still between 20 and 50 Turks were captured, 20 prisoners by Sergeant Joseph Pearson B Company 8th Hants, these prisoners were promptly gathered and sent to the rear under guard of several wounded men from the British and Camel companies but few survived the bullet swept ground of no man’s land.

Meanwhile the redoubt at this time was a scene of chaos as the tank was under close fire by two four gun batteries, this intensity continued as the tank belching fire and smoke had entered the redoubt dealing with enemy machine guns except bellied in the first trench were it was then seen to be hit by three HE shells which broke its track and bust into flames forcing its abandonment by the brave crew and so it was left as a target for the enemy gunners, however thanks to the tank the damage had been done and our small forces had secured a vital tenure in the redoubt by 9 am.

Captain Campbell now took control of the survivors and with only about thirty men remaining of the two Camel companies he placed the remnants of the 2nd company in the centre and the stronger 3rd company on the right flank, still most of the men were mixed together and fought with who ever took command. On one flank Sergeant Charlie Greenway who had taken command of his section after the officer was wounded continued to fire on the panicked Turks as they raced to the rear.

Meanwhile on the left flank the remainder of the British Battalions in all about twenty or more men under Captain Blyth B Company 5th Norfolk’s occupied and extended their hold in the trench and formed a defence following the death of Lieutenant Colonel Bernard Grissell DSO. These measures were necessary as there were not enough men to control the whole redoubt so it had to be held by a number of strong points. In the centre Campbell placed six Lewis guns along the exposed top of the trench to keep any Turkish counterattack to the flanks. The enemy had now retired to their secondary defences which were still on a higher elevation to our men and there poured a strong fire into our positions.

During the morning the endurance of Captain Campbell and his men was tested under the increasing pressure of the enemy, six runners were dispatched back to Lieutenant Colonel Langley all requesting reinforcement and ammunition still none arrived in time all disappeared in the exposed ground between the redoubt and our lines. One man Private Edward Richardson carried a message out and after going 50 yards was shot three times and despite these serious wounds crawled back with his message arriving to late and Corporal Bill Hope the Battalion Signal Corporal was killed carrying such a massage. While Private Bert Galli had tried to get through with three camels loaded with small arms ammunition but the animals were killed by heavy fire, Galli tried again during the day but was forced to stop but never the less did succeed in bringing some much needed ammunition to the 4th Company.

The breach of this redoubt caused considerable concern in the enemies’ camp and the Divisional reserves of the Battalions of the 161st Regiment were rushed to this threatened sector, meanwhile the reserve company of the 165th Regiment was committed to the Tank redoubt from the area of Khirbet Sihan and began to infiltrate towards our troops in the redoubt.

Around 10 am groups of the enemy were observed gathering to the flanks and they began to move slowly forward in one case they appeared being driven by a German officer who recklessly exposed himself to our fire yet bore a charmed life without being hit. These new troops now found the redoubt was not held in any strength and small parties of the enemy soon established pockets amongst our posts which soon became untenable with the strong cross fire and with the shortage of ammunition we were forced to retire further along the trench onto the rear posts thus our men retired fighting step by step to the rearmost trenches where they had broken in hours before. Among the heroes of this contest was Sergeant Wally Finley of the 2nd company who was killed resisting the enemy allowing our men to escape and form a new bomb block and Sergeant Albert Cook, Privates Soles Nassau and Richard Biggs of the 3rd company who fought until overrun and were never seen again?

The Cameleers were now using a lot of Turkish ammunition and bombs as our own ammunition was exhausted never the less with this increasing pressure they could not hold out for much longer.

Shortly after 11 pm as Captain Campbell sorted out the last of the Camel company survivors in the remaining section of trench, the Lewis gunners were still in action and broke up a number of enemy concentrations as the Turks prepared to drive the last of our men out of the redoubt, Lieutenant Bill Ellis was sent to the left as some soldiers were seen retiring only he was wounded and as the ammunition now gave out and with no hope of reinforcements or ammunition to continue the battle Captain Campbell had no option but to order the survivors to withdraw, the word was quickly passed to Captain Blyth who at first wanted to fight it out to the finish but faced with the inedible they agreed to retire. Before he left Captain Campbell went to check on his Lewis gun teams, to ask for volunteers to cover the withdrawal only to find one wounded survivor Private William Barry who was ordered to retire and despite a broken arm carried his Lewis gun out.

There was much confusion in the trenches at this time as not all the men received the word to go while others found themselves cut off by the Turks who appeared all over, while others seeing the retreat ordered the men to stay and fight and cover the retirement. A similar scene occurred with the British as those who couldn’t make the trip back were left to be captured.

Captain Campbell had set off with Lieutenant Ernest Aylwin and CQMS Harry Malcolm (who should have remained in the rear but had joined the attack for the fun of it) they became separated in the smoke and rifle fire and only Campbell made it back without a scratch the sole officer of nine from the two Australian Camel companies who took part in the assault to do so. The survivors had retreated out of the redoubt to the right rear in the direction of the 4th company as the ground to the rear was strongly covered by the enemy’s fire. Meanwhile the 1st company had moved into a conspicuous position between the redoubt and the 4th company to provide the link but they were soon forced to cover the retirement of the 2nd and 3rd companies from the protection of a small wadi but with only two small sections Captain Cashman was limited in what he could do and he held his ground as a counterattack was expected from the enemy, while in this position the company lost Private John Mitchell killed and two officers (Bill Ellis and Les Stock), and a number of men wounded. He did establish contact after 1 pm with the remainder of the British Battalion’s who had dug in around the small sand ridge.

During the long afternoon the wounded lay exposed to the sun lying in agony waiting for someone to get them but with nearly all of their mates now dead or wounded most waited in vain. Despite this a large number of our wounded were brought in by men such as Sergeant Bob Love of the 4th company who went out into no man’s land to help recover the many victims, yet they where to numerous for all to be recovered and some had to be left to the clemency of the enemy. Lieutenant Colonel Langley had set up a casualty dressing station to the rear of his HQ in a small wadi and all the wounded who could be reached were brought there for dressing before moving them to the rear. One of those brought in wounded was Lance Sergeant James Anderson an original from the 8th Battalion AIF who was suffering from a gun shot wound to the buttocks while others were not so lucky Private Sid Cherry a Canadian who had enlisted in the 3rd Battalion AIF in 1915 before transferring to the Camel Corps and Private Wilhelm Konsten one of a number of Finnish born seaman were both killed.

As the action continued in the redoubt the 4th company had become pinned down behind a small sand ridge about 400 yards to the east of the redoubt and Captain Denson was ordered to dig in by Lieutenant Colonel Langley and await developments and to minimize casualties. This had happened because true to their orders the company had continued to advance for the rear defences of the enemy redoubt and despite the Turkish fire they soon found that the company was isolated in between the tank redoubt and the Wadi Sihan with no support available other then the 11th company on its right flank. The men were forced to hide behind a small Wadi and engage the enemy, also to cover the withdrawal of the 2nd and 3rd companies only the enemy had them in a deadly cross fire from the redoubt and the Wadi Sihan and sustained many casualties in this exposed position, these included Sergeant Herbert Perkins, Privates Arthur Emery, Neil Munro, John White and Richard Winslett were killed and three officers and 27 men wounded.

When Captain Campbell and his men had retired from the tank redoubt there still remained a small garrison who were left to fight it out alone only with little ammunition remaining it was only a matter of time before they were overrun. This isolated party numbering over thirty men of all nationalities, continued to challenge the enemy till around 2 pm when the Turks broke into the last section of trench. There the wounded Lieutenant Bill Fender of the 2nd company found himself in a trench with a number of men and after being hit in the neck was abandoned as dead and captured along with a collection of men most of whom were wounded, about 11 Australians and eight British soldiers were captured when Lieutenant W. Strachan-Roberts of the 8th Hants tried to fight it out in the last trench but were compelled to surrender. Two men Privates Roy Kelly and Bert Story from the 3rd company escaped the Turks during capture and set off with bullets chasing them as they ran back to our lines Kelly was wounded and Story had five bullets through his hat, still both survived to tell the tail.

During this time Major John Marsh OC 8th Hants gathered approximately one hundred and forty survivors around him to form a line in the sand outside the redoubt. Among this group was Lieutenant Wharton 1/4th Norfolk’s along with Lieutenant Buxton from the 163rd Bde HQ. They remained in this exposed position bringing in the many wounded including Corporal Burtenshaw and Private Toogood, and waited for any expected Turkish counterattack until the 5th Suffolk’s arrived.

At 1 pm General Hare had ordered the 161st Brigade forward to reinforce the line held by the 163rd Brigade which had suffered over 1500 casualties including two Battalion and twelve Company commanders, when they arrived the 1/5th Suffolk (163rd Bde) and the 1/6th Essex Battalions (161st Bde) were ordered to make a fresh attack on the redoubt. At 2.20 pm the Battalions commenced their advance but had not gone far when the attack was stopped by General Hare, this was due to the withdrawal from the redoubt by the last of our forces and declining situation on his right flank with the retirement of the 4th Light Horse Brigade and the problems with the Imperial Mounted Division.

At 5.55 pm orders were received that “the battalion was to withdraw back to the ridge” and Lieutenant Colonel Langley arranged for the clearing station to be removed before moving the 1st and 4th companies. At 7.45 after having gathering all the wounded that could be recovered the remnants of the battalion quietly moved back to Sheikh Abbas ridge in the safety of darkness undisturbed by the enemy and found the 7th Essex Battalion in position to cover their retirement, the 1st Battalion then moved to the rear of the ridge to take up a reserve position.

During the night the number of Australian prisoners would increased as the enemy cleared the ground between the lines and in all twenty two Australian cameleers from the 2nd and 3rd companies were captured by the Turks and an unknown number of British soldiers which included the crew of the intrepid tank HMLS Nutty, 2/Lieutenant Frank Carr age 35 from Birmingham UK the daring tank commander had been badly burned during his escape from the blazing tank and died from his wounds in a Turkish hospital, Lieutenant Bill Fender the only Australian Camel Corps officer to be captured during the war, had transferred to the Cameleers from the 6th Light Horse Regiment in 1916 and was 29 years old from Ashfield in Sydney NSW only he died of wounds in the hands of the enemy that night before medical help could reach him, this unfortunate fact was not know by the family until two years later when the prisoners were released as he had been reported as a prisoner after the battle by the Turks and the family endeavoured to discover his whereabouts only they heard no word of him until 1919.

Among the many Australian prisoners were Private Harold Vidler one of the last Lewis gunners who with Private Phil Fletcher had fought to the last round when the order to retire was given they had set off after Captain Campbell but after going a few yards Vidler was shot threw the knee and Fletcher disappeared in the smoke also wounded, Vidler lay wounded in front of the redoubt till morning when a number of Turkish looters discovered him, they killed another man near him with a bayonet but spared him and was found later by a enemy patrol. Private Charles Flatt was wounded outside the redoubt in the charge he had been shot in three places in the leg and thigh and was found by a Turkish patrol during the night. Private Walter Humphris had also been seriously wounded in the charge and was later recovered that night by the Turks he lasted a few days before dying from his wounds in a Turkish hospital. Among the 11 Cameleers captured with Lieutenant Roberts of the Hampshire Regiment were Private Reuben Blechynden (wounded), Corporal Alex Currie, Privates Joe Dodd, Phil Fooks, Tom Halliday, Daniel Jones (wounded), Ernest Ingram (wounded), Phil O’Hare, Charles Otway (wounded), Lance Corporal Arthur Tierney and Private John Angus. Other wounded taken prisoner included Sergeant George Paltridge, Privates Fred Jeffrey, William Simmons and Noel Sherrie, while others were trapped in the redoubt and surrendered for lack of ammunition Privates Pat Duffy, Albert Kimber and Sergeant Fred Saville."

"Thus ended this tragic battle which had cost the Camel Brigade the greatest number of casualties suffered by Australian Mounted troops during the whole of the Palestine campaign and was only surpassed during the war with those suffered by the 3rd Light Horse Brigade at the Nek on Gallipoli were they lost 372 men out of 600 engaged. The Camel Brigade also lost the largest number of prisoners captured in battle during the campaign as well as the only Australian Mounted officer to be captured.

The total casualties for the Camel Brigade very from sources and range from 370 killed and wounded from Captain J.R Hall on Brigade staff to “Gulletts” Official history of 345, the British Official History lists all mounted troops together under the Imperial Mounted Division and give a total of 547, most of whom were from the Camel Brigade.

The Camel Brigade War Diary Annex for the Battle list the casualties for the period from the 19th to the 22nd April as three officers and 41 men killed, 19 officers and 271 men wounded with one officer and 39 men missing total 374. In the War Diaries, the 1st Battalion reported the loss two officers and 30 men killed and 10 officers and 154 men wounded with one officer and 16 men missing total 213, while the 3rd Battalion does not list their casualties and the AIF Casualty Return for period list over 300 Australian casualties for the Camel Brigade but these include all causes including Prisoners of War.

A search of the records showed that the Australians of the 1st Battalion lost at least 234 casualties with one officer (Captain Naylor) and 36 men were killed, 12 officers and 163 men wounded of which one officer (Lieutenant Hill) and eight men died from wounds. From the 1st Battalion a further one officer and 21 men were taken prisoner of which one officer (Lieutenant Fender) and 13 men were captured while wounded of which one officer and three men died from their wounds and a further three men died in captivity from cruel treatment or neglect.

The worst affected units in the 1st Battalion were the 2nd company which lost 15 men killed and two officers and 73 men wounded of which two men died of wounds and one officer and nine men taken prisoner of which one officer and five men were captured while wounded, of these one officer and one man died of their wounds while in captivity and another one man died from cruel treatment, this totals 100 casualties for the company from about 105 present.

The 3rd company lost one officer and 14 men killed and four officers and 49 men wounded of which four men died from wounds, there were a further 12 men taken prisoner of which 8 men were captured while wounded of which two men died from wounds and another two men died in captivity from cruel treatment, this totals 80 casualties for the company and 180 casualties from approximately 210 men in the two Camel companies involved directly in the assault on Tank redoubt.

The Australians from the 3rd Anzac Battalion lost at least 88 casualties with six men killed, three officers and 74 men wounded of which five men died from wounds. The 15th NZ Company records show that one officer (Roy Priest) and one man (Ernest Boys) was killed while 21 men were wounded of whom one man (Robert Woods) died from wounds. To this total we must also add the Battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel De Lancey-Forth as wounded he was British.

The greatest loss in this Battalion was the 12th company which lost three men killed and three officers and 35 men wounded of which two men died from wounds, total 41 casualties.

The British 2nd Battalion reported the loss of eight men killed with three officers and 25 men wounded of which one officer (Captain Orchardson) and two men died from wounds. One officer (Captain Collier) was an Australian doctor attached to the Battalion.

The Hong Kong and Singapore Battery casualties were one officer (Lieutenant Chapman) and two men killed and one man died from wounds while other casualties were not reported, the Brigade Machine Gun Squadron did not report any losses.

The Brigade also reported the loss of 176 camels during the Battle.

A comparison between the two British Infantry Battalions involved directly in the assault on Tank Redoubt show they lost the following casualties;

The 1/5th Norfolk’s (TF) Battalion lost seven officers (Lieutenant Colonel Grissell, Captain’s Beck MC, Birbeck, Cubitt, Lieutenant’s Gardiner, Plaistowe and Tebbutt) and 199 men killed in action with one officer (Lieutenant Hervey) and 17 men died from wounds while eight officers and 401 men were wounded and four officers and 229 men were reported as missing possibly all amoung the many dead with few as prisoners.

The 1/8th Hampshire (Princess Beatrice’s) Battalion had a battalion strength of 23 officers and 746 men and lost eight officers (Captain’s Pittis MC, Seely, Lieutenant’s Attfield, Hills, King, Pakeman, Ratsey, and Shelton) and 177 men killed in action with 11 men died from wounds, while 15 officers and 298 men were wounded and four officers (Lt’s Atkin, Cox, Blofeld and Roberts) and 28 men were taken prisoner of which one officer (Lieutenant Blofeld) died from wounds while in captivity.

The 11th Light Horse Regiment reported 11 men killed and six officers and 47 men wounded with 1 man wounded and taken prisoner. These casualties include Major Bailey wounded and although heavy for a Light Horse regiment all of these losses were incurred against the Atawine Redoubt, none being recorded near the Khirbet Sihan.

Where as the Turkish casualties for the whole battle are recorded as 2013 with 402 dead and 1364 wounded and 247 missing, what the casualties were around Khirbet Sihan are unknown but the 53rd Turkish Division after this date had one of its regiments disbanded from the division and by the 3rd battle of Gaza had the 161st, 163rd and 79th Infantry Regiments."

Cheers

S.B

[Guest MOBSY]

Thanks to Michaeldr and Stevebecker for there information.

Does anyone know where I could find a record of allied troops taken prisoner by the Turks after the Battle of Gaza?

Thanks Karky

[Marc Thompson]

Does anyone know where I could find a record of allied troops taken prisoner by the Turks after the Battle of Gaza?

A search of series FO 383 (Foreign Office: Prisoners of War and Aliens Department: General Correspondence from 1906) at The National Archives is worth a try.

[stevenbecker]

Mate,

I tried for some time to find who was taken prisoner at 2nd Gaza but I had no luck from here in Australia.

I takes someone there in the UK to get these records. if you do find out I would be interested to find out who was taken prisoner from the 163rd Bde, and the crew to the tank (HMGC) and Camel Corps.

Australians taken PoW have their Pow reports (written after they returned from prison in Turkey) on record here at the AWM and on the ANA in aussie. The British should have the same reports there in the UK either at the PRO od IWM.

Cheers

S.B