No. 10 Camels Photo

[Matthew King]

Hi Everyone

My friend brought an old photo of a soldier and a group of camels from a flea market in Brighton and was wondering if I could find out anymore information about it. A better version can be found here on his flicker account

On the reverse of the photo it says

"no. 10 camels carrying to Jamboal....."

I was wondering if this was the 10th Imperial Camel Corp, where might Jamboal..... be and from this could an estamate of when the photo was take be made?

Thanks for any help

Matt

[centurion]

Possibly a phonetic spelling of Yambo al Bahr? Just up the road from Rabigh where the British forces supporting the Arab revolt were based. Next stop Jordan.

[centurion]

10 Company ICC were operating out of the Yanbo al Bahr area into Jordan in early 1918

[domsim]

10 company ICC never made it as far south as Yanbo on the Red Sea. The furthest south they got was attacking the Hejaz railway station at Mudawarra in August 1918 from Aqaba. This after they had crossed Sinai from Egypt.

They did operate further north, in the Jordan valley in early 1918.

All the best

Dominic

[michaeldr]

Any comments on the chap's helmet? Was this style in service in 14-18?

[Waggoner]

Any chance that it might be a company of the Camel Transport Corps?

All the best,

Gary

[centurion]

10 company ICC never made it as far south as Yanbo on the Red Sea. The furthest south they got was attacking the Hejaz railway station at Mudawarra in August 1918 from Aqaba. This after they had crossed Sinai from Egypt.

They did operate further north, in the Jordan valley in early 1918.

All the best

Dominic

As I understand it prior to the Amman raid they were seconded to Lawrences force (based on Rabigh) and as part of their retraining undertook long desert marches including around the Yanbu al Bahr area

[domsim]

Lawrence's force wasn't based in Rabigh after the end of July 1917, as they captured Aqaba then and the Arab Northern Army moved its base of operations there at that time. The only time any ICC troops were seconded to the Arab Army was in August 1918 for the attack on Mudawarra and the railway viaduct further north at Kissela. Prior to the Amman raid they were in winter quarters at Rafa and prior to that involved in operations around Gaza and Jeruslaem at the end of 1917.

The Arab Southern Army remained in the south to blockade Medina and harass troops on the railway in the Hejaz, but they were very wary of having large numbers of westerners in the area around the Holy sites.

all the best

Dominic

[centurion]

The only time any ICC troops were seconded to the Arab Army was in August 1918

From the obituary of Henry Robert Maynard who was with 10 company ICC

"Henry was one of those forty and he became a member of No. 10 Company, Imperial Camel Corps."

"For the early part of 1918, the Imperial Camel Corps was loaned by Allenby to Lawrence"

"Henry died whilst on the Amman raid,at the end of March 1918, led by Lawrence. In that raid, the Imperial Camel Corps lost 8 officers and other ranks"

(Lincolnshire village memorials)

[domsim]

The Amman 'raid' was carried out across the river Jordan by elements of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) from the west bank, of which the ICC was part. The plan was to attack the Hejaz railway in order to force Turkish troops north along the railway to reinforce the area. This, was hoped, would mean the Arab regular troops could capture Ma'an in the south of Jordan. Lawrence had promised a coordinated attack by local Beni Sakhr bedouin who lived east of the Jordan (not elements of the rgular Arab Northern Army). In the event the Bani Sakhr took no part waiting to see who would win and then make thier move and even fired on allied troops. Lawrence himself took no part in this operation and neither did the Arab Northern Army, both of which were at the Arab base at Aqaba or sat near Ma'an trying to capture it.

The ICC were NOT seconded to Lawrence at this time and were part of the regular allied troops sent east across the Jordan. The obituary is wrong I'm afraid. Probably another example of the 'Lawrence myth'.

Thanks

Dominic

[centurion]

The Arab Southern Army remained in the south to blockade Medina and harass troops on the railway in the Hejaz, but they were very wary of having large numbers of westerners in the area around the Holy sites.

The road up from Rabigh and through Yanbo al Bahr and on into Jordan is not around a holy site. Medina is the closest but this was occupied by Turkish forces so Infidel British troops were unlikely to wander close to that city and is (and was) served by a different road. The Saudis have been concerned about foreigners on this Yanbo road in much more recent times but this was because they were running military supplies (landed on the coast between Jeddah and Rabigh where there was a secret(ish) naval base) up through Jordan and on to Iraq during the Iran/Iraq war. They used worries about controlling access as a cover for a high security presence on that road (which was a dead giveaway as they only bothered to check our documents when another convoy was due. In normal circumstances this road was treated as a 'Christian bypass' (like the one that avoids Mecca). I believe that has long been the case.

[domsim]

Matt

Any chance of a scan of the writing on the other side?

Thanks

Dominic

[centurion]

The Amman 'raid' was carried out across the river Jordan by elements of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) from the west bank, of which the ICC was part. The plan was to attack the Hejaz railway in order to force Turkish troops north along the railway to reinforce the area. This, was hoped, would mean the Arab regular troops could capture Ma'an in the south of Jordan. Lawrence had promised a coordinated attack by local Beni Sakhr bedouin who lived east of the Jordan (not elements of the rgular Arab Northern Army). In the event the Bani Sakhr took no part waiting to see who would win and then make thier move and even fired on allied troops. Lawrence himself took no part in this operation and neither did the Arab Northern Army, both of which were at the Arab base at Aqaba or sat near Ma'an trying to capture it.

The ICC were NOT seconded to Lawrence at this time and were part of the regular allied troops sent east across the Jordan. The obituary is wrong I'm afraid. Probably another example of the 'Lawrence myth'.

Thanks

Dominic

There were two Amman raids (also known as the trans Jordan raids) to which one are you referring?

[domsim]

This was the 1st raid (or just the ‘Amman Raid’ see below) at the end of March 1918. In April the company then took part in operations at Musellabeh on the west bank and stayed there for the rest of April.

The second raid (generally known as the ‘es-Salt raid’ because Amman wasn’t the objective this time and es-Salt was) at the end of April/beginning of May saw the company trying to knock out a bridge across the Jordan from the west bank to prevent Turkish reinforcements crossing the Jordan to attack the allied flank on the east bank.

Again local Arab support (the Beni Sakhr again) on the east bank was promised-this time by Prince Faisal and again none materialised. Again Lawrence took no part in this operation, he was shuttling between Cairo,southern Jordan and Jerusalem and neither were any Arab regular forces inolved.

Thanks

Dominic

[stevenbecker]

Mate,

I am with Dom here, I enclose an articale I wrote on the first so called Amman raid, the second raid or the Nattle at Es Salt the ICC remained on the west side of the Jordan and were only lightly invovled.

Its possible the photo shows the supply camels attacked to the 10th Company during the time it was sent to help Lawence's in late 1918.

This is a articale;

"BATTLE OF AMMAN

By Steve Becker

.

With the fall of Jericho on the 12 March 1918 the Jordan Valley was now firmly under British control and this victory along with the success of the Arab Army under the Emir Feisal with the capture of Aqaba had enabled General Allenby to make plans to draw the Turkish Army away from his exposed northern flank by a raid on the Turkish supply and communications base at Amman.

This raid would have many benefits to the Allied cause, first it would unite both British and Arab forces which up too now had been fighting a separate war, secondly it would help Feisal by drawing the present Turkish forces engaged in fighting the Arab Army back to Amman leaving Feisal free to capture Maan and to advance on Amman, thirdly draw Turkish forces away from any planned offensives and lastly it could destroy enough of the Hejaz Railway to put this vital line of transportation out of the war for some time.

General Allenby entrusted this important operation to General J.S. Shea (commander of the 60th Division) which was christened Sheas Force. It consisted of the Australian and New Zealand (Anzac) Mounted Division under General Chaytor, the 60th Infantry Division, with the Camel Brigade and the IX Mountain Artillery Brigade. General Shea was instructed by General Allenby to first secure the passage of the Jordan River by the 19th March then to bridge the river and advance on and capture Es Salt with his infantry then push his cavalry onto Amman to destroy the railway with particular attention of the Viaduct bridge and tunnel with other bridges both north and south were also to be destroyed, some 20,000 men were promised by the Beni Sakhr Arabs to assist the operation nevertheless at no time did any arrive.

The Camel Brigade since the disastrous months of November and December had under gone an urgent period of rest and recovery. The men in preparation for the coming operations had been sent on long route marches into the desert in order to build up their endurance, while the Brigade formed a number of demolition teams under Royal Engineer (RE) officers for the coming offensive. The Brigade also underwent a period of reorganization as a number of companies were reduced from the untenable strength of six officers and 179 men to five officers and 129 men by reducing the number of soldiers within the sections, the Battalion Headquarters still retained a strength of five officers and 22 men while demolition teams were formed from the surplus of one officer and 24 men.

The Brigade at this time consisted of the following troops;

Camel Bde HQ BrigGen Smith

1st Anzac Battalion LtCol Langley Maj Nobbs (2ic)

1st Co Lt Nicholson

2nd Co Capt Mills

3rd Co Capt Hogue

4th Co Capt Denson

2nd British Battalion LtCol Buxton Maj Day (2ic)

7th Co Capt Deas

8th Co Capt Tredinnick

9th Co Capt Newsom

10th Co Lt Lyall

4th Anzac Battalion LtCol Mills Maj Hemphill (2ic)

13th Co Capt Howard

16th NZ Co Capt Yerex

17th Co Capt Hampton

18th Co Maj Kessels

HKSB Maj Moore

26 MG Sqn Maj Millar

Camel FA LtCol McLaren

On the 10 March the Camel Brigades advance party left Sheial and moved up to Bethlehem with the balance of the Brigade following over the next few days, theyre concentrating on the 18th March, this short stay enabled the men to visit the many Christian sites in the area.

The Turkish Armies since November had been steadily rebuilding their forces along a wide front from Jaffa to Amman, however General Liman Von Sanders had little to stop any British advance directed on Amman whose garrison called the East Jordan Group or to the Turks, the Seria Group of the 48th Division HQ under Lieutenant Colonel Asim Bey consisted only a few companies of the 3rd Battalion 150th Regiment (48th Division) which also manned a number of guard posts along the Hejaz Railway. These forces were divided into two areas, the Northern group under Lieutenant Colonel Omer Lutfu Bey commanding officer of the 126th Infantry Regiment (11th Division) covering Es Salt and Ghoraniye

with only the second battalions from the 150th (48th Division) and 159th Regiments (24th Division) with a battery of guns and the southern Group under Captain Ahmet Bey covering south of Ghoraniye with some irregular Circassian Cavalry with the 48th Divisional Cavalry Squadron and a Camel Company covered the area from Amman to the Jordan River.

The largest Turkish Forces in the area were in the south fighting the Arabs, known as the Tafila Force this was a formidable unit strong in machine guns and contained the German 703rd Battalion of the German Asia Corps which unknown to British was returning to Amman on the 21 March, the Turkish forces arrayed to stop Allenby numbered not more then two thousand fighting men and 10 guns however with the railway working reinforcements could be quickly rushed to any threatened point once its direction was known.

As the time of the raid approached the weather began to turn difficult with heavy falls of rain over the area of operations flooding the Jordan River, this caused delays as the pontoon bridge could not be started by the Engineers and the Light Horse Field Troop Bridging Train till the waters had slowed down enough to lay the pontoons, this transpired late on the 20 March and all was ready on the night of the 21 March.

On that date General Shea concentrate his forces and during the next few days while the 60th Division battled for a crossing over the Jordan River while the Anzac Mounted Division rested at Talat ed Damm in reserve.

The Camel Brigade had begun moving from Bethlehem on the 21 March arriving at Talat ed Dumm on the 23 March, where the Brigade rested and prepared of its turn to cross the Jordan River, it had twelve companies all of which were up to strength from the reorganization and reinforcements, most men were in good sprits having visited the birth place of Jesus. The troops were under strict orders to be careful of the Arab tribes, many of who were being won over to the Sheriff of Mecca, this was hard on some of the cameleers as they had been robbed and seen their mates killed and stripped by these jackals of the desert. At 7.30 pm the Brigade started to move towards the Jordan River, passing Jericho till they reached the assembly area in the early morning.

By the 24 March all was ready and the Anzac Mounted Division crossed the Jordan River with the Camel Brigade crossing before midday. Once over the river Sheas Force split into three groups in which to carry out their tasks. The Camel Brigade was concentrated by 5.30 pm at Tel el Muslim and moved off with the Anzac Mounted Division HQ and 2nd Light Horse Brigade and the New Zealand Mounted Brigade towards Amman on the Naur and Ain es Sir track while the 1st Light Horse Brigade and 179th Brigade of the 60th Division took up a blocking position in the Jordan Valley while the 180th and 181st Brigades of the 60th Division along with the 10th, 12th and 16th Mountain Batteries of the IX Mountain Artillery Brigade Royal Garrison Artillery moved north to Es Salt.

As the lead units pushed on at 6.15 pm, the track to Naur soon disappeared under the hoofs of the Light Horse and Mounted Brigades till it resembled only a goat path, an unfortunate delay occurred. It had been reported that the Naur track was fit for wheeled vehicles, however it was soon apparent that the many stores, ammunition limbers and guns could not travel on the track and had to be sent back to the river to be loaded on animals of the Camel Transport Corps of which the Anzac Mounted Division had been supplied with three Companies each of 550 camels. Meanwhile the Mounted troops pushed on to Ain el Hekr south west of Naur, while the Camel Brigade waited until eight pm for the stores to be packed before starting up the trail, the rear of the column leaving after 10 pm The rain began to fall as the brigade moved slowly along the narrow path while the Light Horse moved briskly ahead arriving in Ain el Hekr at 4.30 am on the 25 March.

The terrain between Amman and the Jordan Valley was known as the Moab it was made up of a number of deep Valleys cut by centuries of rain with steep hills rising to 4000 feet, a number of small villages dotted the area the largest of which was Es Salt with a pre-war population of around 10,000. This rugged terrain was in March dry however the late rains had filled the waddies and turned the tracks to mud which quickly dissolved with the movement of large numbers of troops and animals.

As the Light Horse and Mounted Brigades arrived in Naur the Camel Brigade was still struggling up those terrible mountains with the wind, rain and sleet blowing into their faces which dropped the temperature and made the going difficult for the men and animals. Through this mud and slippery rocks on which the camels had trouble maintaining their footing and where the camels often fell splitting themselves in two and forcing a large number to be put down while others collapsed and fell over the cliffs falling to their death. All this presented the most distressing sight as the Camels could barely move and had to be pushed along by the men who now walked by the side of their tormented mounts in mud up to their knees as they slipped, staggered and floundered up and down the mountains. One Veterinary Sergeant was in tears in seeing the suffering and having to dispatch a crippled camel with a knife as no shooting was allowed. Onwards they went through the night in single file leading and dragging the animals and at 7.30 am the leading companies staggered into Naur in an exhausted and dirty state. It had taken more than twenty-four hours to cover the 16 miles from the Jordan River when the head of the column reached the plateau around two am the rear did not catch up till 7.30 pm

At Naur the 5th Light Horse Regiment had arrived short of forage and food, the men having consumed there available rations over the last few days and with their supplies now held up on the track the Camel Brigade kindly gave two days supply of its doura to feed their hungry animals and rations for the men from the limited supplies carried on their camels. The men said this food distribution was levied on them however all were glad to give to their brothers in the Light Horse, this levy would continued through out the campaign leaving the Camel Brigade without rations by the end of the battle and then all went without.

Warrant Officer class 2 George Hughes the Temporary/Regimental Quarter Master Sergeant of 4th Anzac Battalion and now temporary Quarter Master was over the next few days kept busy trying to move supplies up to the troops and to make sure the men under his charge had enough food, ammunition and stores to continue the fight. This Herculean task by the supply units broke down later in the week with the sad result of leaving few units with food or ammunition.

During the night of the 25 March the forces pushed on to the Ain es Sir cross roads with long columns of cameleers travelling in single file trying not to lose the rider in front while others succumbed to their exhaustion and were asleep, yet the animals continued to saunter onwards taking care not to wake their riders. Arriving by the morning of the 26 March with a heavy rain still falling and the Camel Brigade again drenched and worn out, where an exhausted cameleer said that 1000 acres of this country wasnt worth a hot glass of Cairo beer while another mentioned that he was surprised the Jews wanted it back another said it was the most trying time he had ever known such was the morale of these fine troops that even in this fatigued state they could find time for a joke.

This last movement to Ain es Sir had been made along the high plateau know as the Gilead where the ground had now levelled out and notwithstanding this General Chaytor GOC of the Anzac Mounted Division decided it was impossible to push on to Amman that day as both men and animals were exhausted after three consecutive night marches. The troops, saturated through were allowed to rest on the sodden ground, no fires were allowed and while these men rested the remainder of the Camel Brigade slowly struggled in. One officer from the 2nd Battalion told how after 72 hours on the move he was one of the lucky few who managed to sleep for 17 hours that day while others were fortunate to get four hours.

On the morning of the 27 March the sun came out as the force set off at 8.30 am. The Camel Brigade had detached the 4th Anzac Battalion (less the 18th company) to follow in the path of New Zealand Mounted Brigade along with their demolition party for a strike on Quseir Station which lay three and a half miles south of Amman, while the main body of the Brigade moved past Ain Amman with the 2nd Battalion arriving outside Amman at 10 am.

The approach march to Amman was made along the old Roman road known as the Ain es Sir - Amman track which follows the Wadi Amman to the Citadel, an old Roman Fort in the middle of the City of Amman, on the right of the advance was Hill 3039, this large feature dominated the area south of Amman and it was separated from the road by the Wadi Amman which continued up to Ain Amman, Hill 3039 was made up of the high point and a number of smaller hills the largest of which was Kh Aishe. While on the left of the road was a long plateau which rose to the height of 2828 feet along which ran the Es Salt - Suweile track to the north, another wadi separated the road from the plateau in which were cut a number of natural caves.

Lieutenant Colonel Robin Buxton dismounted and deployed the 2nd Battalion up on the level plain near Kusr which was around 2000 yards from Amman, while the 1st Battalion under the acting command of Captain Herbert Denson OC 4th Company deployed to its rear with the attached 18th company in support. Two companies of the 1st Battalion were still on the track, the 1st company had been detached as escort for the supply column and as flank guard while the 3rd company was retained back on the Jordan to protect the column from attack in the direction of Madaba and guard the vehicle park which was unable to climb the hills, while half of the 2nd company was at Ain Amman with the Camel Field Ambulance and Brigade HQ acting as escort and guard, only the 4th company and two sections of the 2nd company were available to support the 2nd Battalion in its attack.

When Camel Brigade deployed it moved all its animals back into the Wadi Amman for protection as the Turks gave warning with a few rounds of artillery which came as some surprise to the men as they had been briefed that Amman was only lightly occupied by a few Circassian irregulars with no artillery!

The only artillery to arrive to support the Anzac Mounted Divisions attack was six 2.75 inch Mountain guns of the Hong Kong and Singapore Mountain Battery of which four pieces moved into position to cover the attack and to give what little support they could with their light guns and limited ammunition supply while the two remaining guns were in reserve to conserve ammunition and act as Anti Aircraft guns. The 2nd British Battalion formed up on the open ground to assault using the old roman road as a centre line with the 7th company on the left and the 10th company on the right under the direct command of Lieutenant Colonel Buxton, the 8th and 9th company were in support under Captain Arthur Newsam and the 4th company was held as Brigade reserve.

At 3 pm the Cameleers began their attack advancing in artillery formation spread at intervals of three lines over the exposed ground, under the supervision of the 2nd Battalion Intelligence officer Lieutenant Robert Rowan, and led by Captain James Leadbetter of the Brigade Machine gun Squadron who carried out a reconnaissance ahead of the attacking troops and provided fire support with the guns of his Squadron from the flanks during which Private John Pearson was killed.

The companies advanced slowly along the ridge line moving by section rushes as the Turks with held their fire until the last minute when the men had become fully exposed. Drawing near they came under a heavy concentrated enfilade fire from three sides as this bare crest was open to the Turks on Hill 3039 where they had their trenches arrayed in tiers at different heights, from the Amman Citadel in front and from to the caves to the north on the 2828 ridge. The 10th company was the hardest hit and quickly lost the company commander Lieutenant Joseph Lyall along with Lieutenant Alfred Wallbank and the Company Sergeant Major wounded, while Sergeant George Clarke along with a number of men were killed. The Hong Kong and Singapore Mountain Battery also came under fire from a number of Turkish 77mm guns which soon caused much concern as they struggled to maintain the support of the advance by firing at a slow rate.

Meanwhile the attack was progressing in rushes as the assault endeavoured too cross the open plateau cut by bare fields and small stone fences where the men were constantly falling after being hit. As the fierce firestorm increased, the 7th and 10th company were soon shattered as they reached to within 600 yards of the city however the fire was too strong and soon the troops became bogged down and forced to find cover as the men struggled to survive on the exposed slope of the ridge. The attack now died away with Privates Norman Oliver, Arthur Bennett, Philip Evans, Leslie Lyons, Victor Blackwell and Sid Howard among the many fallen.

As the Camel Brigade fought in front of Amman the 2nd Light Horse Brigade had attacked to the north, yet they to found the Turks well entrenched and supported by machine guns and artillery forcing them to break off the attempt with heavy losses.

The Turkish defenders on this front were elements of the 2nd Battalion 126th Turkish Infantry Regiment (11th Division) with its machine gun company. These soldiers had not long arrived from Damascus and along two companies of the German 703rd Battalion had dug in along the approaches to Amman. The 703rd Battalion counted the attacks to the north made by the 2nd Light Horse Brigade, while the balance of the 126th Regiment covered the approaches to Amman and Hill 3039 who along with the soldiers of the Seria Group divided between the northern front under Lieutenant Colonel Omer Lutfu detached from the 126th Regiment and southern defences under Major Sait Bey. Over the last few days the Turks had sent reinforcements to Amman in mixed units these included those mentioned and also included elements of one battalion of the 191st Infantry Regiment 59th Division, a Mule Mounted battalion, the 59th Divisional Cavalry Company and the 46th Divisional Storm Company, as well as the Divisional Engineers and one field Battery and a mountain Battery of the 48th Division,

Late in the afternoon the 18th company was committed under Major Leonard Kessels to assist the advance yet the impetus was not push forward after Kessels was wounded and because of the heavy fire, Lieutenant David Fairweather assumed command and the troops joined the 2nd Battalion in the dirt. There the men waited trying the escape the intense volume of fire directed on them as men hid behind small rocks till the welcome blanket of darkness closed in.

At the end of the day with the Camel Brigades defeat and the failure of the 2nd Light Horse Brigades attack to the north made it all to plain to General Chaytor that Amman was strongly defended and would not fall to any quick attack made with the limited forces available to him and a fixed Battle would now have to be fought to have any chance of capturing this important objective. Chaytor also knew he didnt have the troops or guns for such an attack and sent back to General Shea to send up the required men and guns.

While the 1st and 2nd Battalions struggled in front of Amman the 4th Anzac Battalion with its demolition party had moved down to Quseir around 8 am, the few Turks guarding the Railway ran off on their approach and destroyed between three and five miles of track and succeeded in blowing up a number of culverts without any interference from the Turks. With the objective demolished the 4th Anzac Battalion came under the command of the New Zealand Mounted Brigade and moved at 5.30 pm to the right of the New Zealand Brigades line near Hill 3039 to support them in taking the key to Ammans defences while also watching the destroyed brakes in the Hejaz Railway.

As night fell on the 27th the exhausted companies of the 2nd Battalion began to dig trenches advancing their posts further in the dark to confuse the Turkish gunners. The troops were arranged from left to right with the 9th, 7th, 18th, 10th and 8th companies, the Brigade Machine Gun Squadron and 2nd company were utilized as a reserve line using their Lewis guns while the Brigade Machine Gun Squadron was also used to extend the firing line with their heavy Machine guns. The 7th company was the closest to the foremost Turkish defences on hill 400" in front of Amman and was kept under continued harassment during the night.

Once darkness had fallen, the soldiers of the medical corps came into their own risking their lives rescuing wounded men trapped in no mans land. Corporal Ernest Eatock of the Camel Field Ambulance attached to the 1st Battalion went out with his stretcher bearers recovering wounded almost up to the Turkish trenches and under heavy fire, while Captain Reginald Andrews the 2nd Battalion RMO was wounded during the day from shell fire. The 4th company was also used as stretcher bearers to help recover the wounded during the night and as many as three officers and 70 men from the 2nd Battalion and one officer and 11 men of the 18th company were brought in before morning.

The daybreak of the 28th dawned with the knowledge that Amman would not fall till there was more artillery and troops, General Shea had sent reinforcements of two Battalions of the 181st Infantry Brigade and elements of the IX Mountain Artillery Brigade during the night which arrived around 10.30 am, all had little ammunition or rest during the night and against the advice from their leaders to attack at dusk and allow these new troops to recuperate instead General Chaytor ordered a General attack at 1 pm by all units.

The Camel Brigade planned to advance with the 7th company under Captain Edwin Deas which was closest to the Turks supported by the 9th company, they would be helped on the left by the 181st Infantry Brigade and a squadron from the 5th Light Horse Regiment who would attack along the 2828 ridge while the New Zealand Brigade was to attack Hill 3039 these attacks would it was hoped secure the Camel Brigades flanks from enfilade fire which had so devastated the 2nd Battalion on the 27th.

At the appointed time the Cameleers advanced however instead of the expected support on their flanks little could be seen, yet despite this the men pushed on to within 250 yards of the Turkish line on the hill 400" yet could advance no further against heavy machine gun fire and shell salvos, three times Captain Deas lead his men forward only to see them cut down by a heavy barrage directed onto them from three sides and again the rank and file were forced to find what little cover was around and go to ground. The 9th company bore the bunt of the enemies fire and Lieutenant Sydney Gowlett was wounded with Lance Corporal William Temple and Private John Proctor among the dead. At 4 pm Captain Denson led the 4th company forward to strengthen the right flank of the 7th company and to draw the Turkish fire. The 4th company advanced quickly across the open ground and soon a heavy cross fire was directed onto them where they promptly lost a number of casualties in a few seconds, one man Private Harry Trevaskis had two bullets in the stomach. Captain Deas seeing the trouble in moving this company forward ordered them to stop and remain in position as the Turks fire was too strong. Company Sergeant Major Arthur Hermon from the 8th Company on several occasions under heavy fire greatly assisted in rallying his company and kept it together. Once darkness arrived, the advanced line of the 7th company was withdrawn with the 4th and 9th companies back to the previous positions as its present location was found to be so exposed, the woeful result of the days efforts was the further loss of two officers and 30 men killed or wounded within the British companies and with only a few men lost in the 4th company.

During the day the Hong Kong and Singapore Mountain Battery again supported the attack and suffered for its bravery as two of the Turkish batteries took them under a sustained bombardment. At this time the battery was still using only four guns because of ammunition shortages and these guns were observed to knock out two of the Turkish guns while receiving a large number of shells for the effort which wounded one officer and three men and damaging the gun shields with shell splinters. During the day the New Zealand Brigade requested assistance and the two reserve guns were moved to support them.

A conference of leaders was held at dusk by Captain Deas and Captain Denson who knew a frontal assault on the Turkish defences in broad daylight was sheer murder instead they proposed to try a bombing raid on the Turkish line that night. This plan was sent to General Smith who approved only he recommended the attack would best be attempted on the following night giving the men time to rest and reorganize. The 2nd Battalion now held a frontage of more than 1000 yards with only 210 men remaining in the four British companies while only 90 Australians remained of the 18th and 78 men from the 4th company, the Turks still held a strong position with enfilade fire from three directions which controlled all the approaches and the garrison was believed to be considerable with many machine guns and a large number of German soldiers.

The reason for the lack of support on the Camel Brigades flanks during the day became clear once it was dark, as strong Turkish counterattacks on both the New Zealand Mounted and the 2nd Light Horse Brigades had occurred during the day. The 4th Anzac Battalion had continued with the demolition of the railway when at 11 am the 13th company under Captain Howard was attacked by a strong force of Turks who reached to within bombing distance of the lines yet were driven off with loss by Corporal William Black and Private Albert Footner, then a counterattack under Lieutenant Robert Tree, Corporal Tom Bantoft was found shot in the head after the Turks were gone. Then in the afternoon the company took part in the counterattack with the New Zealand Mounted holding the exposed right flank of the assault. The 13th company lost during the day five killed and 21 wounded, among those killed were Lance Corporals Fred Ellis, John Dunn, Privates Eric Jarrett and Dave Muir.

At 1.30 pm the New Zealand Brigade had attacked Pt 3039, advancing by rushes to within 800 yards of the Turkish line and suffered heavy casualties from the Turkish defences, not to be deterred the intrepid kiwis quickly reorganized and tried again at 4 pm this attack with some difficulty reached no further than 500 yards from the Turkish line were they could advance no further, yet this excellent position allowed a line to be formed on some low ridges at the foot of Pt 3039 which could be exploited on the morrow.

On the morning of the 29 March it was still raining and General Chaytor decided not to attack till more troops could be made available, he proposed and issued orders for the attack to be resumed at 2 am on the 30 March preferring a night attack to the folly of another daylight assault. The Camel Brigade spent a quiet morning as the Turks had withheld its fire thus allowing General Smith to visit with all officers to discuss the attack that night, he placed Lieutenant Fred Matthews in command of the 4th company allowing Captain Denson to command the 1st Battalion as Lieutenant Colonel Langley had been wounded in the face by shell fire.

In the afternoon two companies of the 2/18th (London Irish Rifles) Battalion of the 181st Brigade under Captain Crossby arrived to reinforce the Brigade for the night foray.

Because of the shortage of ammunition in the Hong Kong and Singapore Mountain Battery, Major Moore was forced to send back to Es Salt for some of the reserve ammunition in addition as the Turks continued to shell the battery positions with one man killed and two wounded yet thanks to the British we did secured a little from the two newly arrived batteries of the IXth Mountain Artillery Brigade to continue the battle till more should arrive.

During the night the 179th Infantry Brigade and the remainder of the IX Mountain Artillery Brigade had been ordered by General Shea to Amman and were due from Es Salt during the day and while these new troops rested Turkish reinforcements were seen arriving by train from the north.

These fresh Turkish troops included two battalions of the 23rd Turkish Infantry Regiment 8th Division, those units were all weak in strength, about 300 plus men, these quickly replaced the casualties and extended the defences to the north and south. The British reinforcements which had arrived (it was hoped) offset any Turkish build up, this and the intercepted wireless messages which said that the Turks would evacuate the city (although it proved to be false), had convinced General Chaytor to continue the contest.

During the night of the 29 March the soldiers continued preparations till 10 pm when the attacking troops worked there way forward from the 7th companies old position keeping low and moving in line, the men managed to crawl to within 50 yards of the Turkish trench without being discovered. At midnight the sky was suddenly lit by flares and a heavy fusillade was sent at the old trenches however keeping low the exposed troops made no reply to this fire and it presently died down without any casualties. It was a cold and dark night as the rain fell and a slight wind was blowing the rain into the faces of the Turks while the men tried to rest soaked through with the Turks only a short distance away and waited apprehensively for the word to go.

During this time the fatigued troops 4th Anzac Battalion, were also moving into positions when a High Explosive shell exploded among the men wounding Lieutenant Leslie Williamson in the wrist and Lieutenant Aubrey Reynolds in the leg and killing Sergeant Harry Robinson.

The morning of the 30 March did not brood well for the Allied cause as rain fell heavily over the battlefield and as preparations continued the Camel brigade had moved into position in the dark. General Smith had ordered the assault to be carried out by a mixed force from the Brigade under command of Major Day, he assembled two sections from each of the 4th, 7th, 9th and 18th companies in the first wave under Captain Newsam while the remainder of the companies under Captain Deas formed the second wave in all about 200 men. The first lines in both waves were Cameleers while the two companies of the 2/18 London Battalion under Captain Crossby formed the second lines in both 1st and 2nd waves they also had about 200 men, the 8th and 10th company under Captain Tredinnick were in support with 120 men and the 2nd company and the Machine Gun Squadron were held in reserve to provide fire support. On the Brigades left flank the 2/18th London Battalion (less the two companies detached to the Camel Brigade) were to attack along the ridge towards Pt 2828 to pin down Turkish fire while the New Zealand Brigade with the 4th Anzac Battalion would attack Hill 3039.

Promptly at 2 am the limited artillery fire fell on Amman and the surrounding area, this time the advance would not start till news came that the attacks on both flanks had been successful and were now clear, as the troops waited in their exposed position the limbs of the men cramped as they waited in the cold till the word came at 3.30 am and the signal was given by Captain Newsam with a blast on his whistle.

The troops rose quickly (shaking out their cramps) into the assault and at once gained the first line of Turkish trenches on hill 400 showering the confused and surprised Turks with bombs, the fighting was short and deadly as the Turks fought hand to hand, some stayed to fight, more raised their hands while others ran taking pot shots as they disappeared into the darkness yet thankfully the fighting lasted only a few minutes before taking between 28 and 60 prisoners including two officers of the 126th Turkish Regiment and killing the remainder. Captain Arthur Newsam was killed shot in the back by a Turkish soldier who it was said had surrendered and a machine gun was captured by a soldier in the 7th company who having lost his rifle was armed only with two tins of bully beef while Private Archie Searle shot down five Turks with five rapid shots.

The men having secured the first trench now pushed on to capture the second line acquiring it as the Turks broke and ran back into the city, Lieutenant Fred Matthews of the 4th company rushed after them with a collection of men and entered the city. There in the dark and rain they hid in the outer buildings however the hail of fire from the Citadel stopped any further advance and Privates Carl Pearce in the 4th and Bill Thornton from the 18th company was killed during the fighting.

On the left flank the attack by the 2/18th London along the 2828 ridge had at first succeeded yet had broken down under heavy fire and the lack of pressure from this battalion allowed a number of Turkish guns to be turned on the exposed Camel Brigade these inflicting many causalities with their enfilade fire which soon forced the abandonment of the city by Lieutenant Matthews whose men could not be reinforced because of this fire, he ordered the men back to the positions won during the night where the remainder of the troops had consolidated in the enemies trenches and waited until the dawn. While taking a message back to HQ Private Gus Jennison was shot in the head and killed

At 2 am the 4th Anzac Battalion was to advance with the New Zealand Brigade to attack Pt 3039 which required them to advance over 1500 yards of exposed ground, along the way the troops had to bypass a strong Turkish position on the route before assaulting the first Turkish trench. The men of the Battalion were all fatigued most not having rested for the last few days yet despite the bitterly cold and wet night all were ready for the attack.

The attacking force deployed along the form up point on the Quseir track with the Auckland Mounted Rifles and 4th Anzac Battalion in the front wave and the Canterbury and Wellington Mounted Rifles in the second wave. The 4th Battalion had the 16th New Zealand Company under Captain George Yerex in front for the attack with the 17th company under Captain John Hampton in support both deployed in two lines while two sections of the 13th company was held in reserve, with the remainder of the company with the demo party watching the breaks in the Hejaz Railway.

The advance went well from the start General Meldrum had planned his attack skilfully and the wind and rain helped by blowing into the faces of the Turks. Two troops of the Auckland Mounted Rifles secured the strong point in front of Pt 3039 allowing the remainder of the force with the 16th company to assault the foremost trenches which were captured at the rush with the bayonet taking the Turks by surprise, the garrison (who stayed) were all killed while the others ran away in the dark and 23 prisoners of the 126th Turkish Regiment and five Machine guns taken. Lieutenant George Sanderson the Battalion Intelligence officer, who had been ill and advised to remain behind, however had insisted on joining in the attack was killed during the assault. Veterinary Sergeant Matthew Kirkpatrick of the 16th company who in the last days had been busy caring for the many injured animals took part in the assault doing excellent work with the bayonet and clearing a section of trench allowing the objective to be gained by 2.40 am. Private Eric Tapfield of the 13th company had the misfortune to be accidentally killed during the advance when he progressed too far in front of the line and was mistakenly shot in the dark; he was found dead when the line reached him.

As the men consolidated the captured position shooting came from the second line of Turkish trenches 300 yards ahead and the second wave of the Canterbury and Wellington Mounted Rifles moved up and captured them with 14 prisoners and a machine gun, more machine guns and prisoners were taken as the New Zealand troops concentrated while others moved around the hill to clear it of all the Turks. The 16th company as per orders was moved up to join the second wave and with troops of the Canterbury Mounted Rifles attacked the third trench, the Turkish fire was heavy yet mostly high and as the troops secured this last trench on top of hill 3039 the Turks fled towards Amman, the casualties thankfully during the assault were light.

The warming rays of dawn showed to General Chaytor that the only success during the night had been limited to Hill 3039, a number of trenches captured by the Camel Corps in front of Amman and 181st Infantry Brigade to the north of the city and all were in danger of destruction as the Turks quickly organized a number of counterattacks against the ground lost during the night, the first of which came in on both sides of Hill 3039.

The defence of the Hill had placed the 4th Anzac Battalion on the far right or eastern flank of the NZ Mounted Brigade with the Wellington Mounted Rifles on the Battalions left flank. All the Battalion worked on stone sangers during the night, these were built for protection as the rocky ground allowing the shallowest of holes to be dug as the troops had no entrenching tools and once daylight came it was found that the soldiers were too exposed on the top of hill so most were withdrawn to the rear trenches leaving only one section of 10 men and two Lewis guns of the 16th company to hold it.

At 5 am the first attack came in supported by shell fire which smashed the stone Sangers the men had built for protection as shell and rock fragments sprayed the area. The shelling lasted an hour at which point the exposed section of Cameleers were withdrawn. By 9 am 500 Turks were seen massing to the north and at 9.30 they attacked yet despite their bravery the attack was beaten off by New Zealand troops with the help of captured machine guns. The Hong Kong and Singapore Battery had attached a section of guns to support the New Zealand Brigade in its attack however counter battery fire had smashed one of the guns sights and ammunition now ran out and the section was forced to retire to the main position.

Despite this setback the Turks tried again and during this attack someone was heard to order a retirement this allowed the front trenches to be abandoned and the New Zealand trenches were lost as the troops fell back to their second line. This order was reported by the New Zealand Mounted to have come from the Camel Brigade however it was more probity a German or Turkish officer who spoke English which fooled the fatigued troops.

This mix up was soon sorted out by the officers and a counterattack by the New Zealanders drove the Turks out of there ill gotten gains and down the hill at the point of the bayonet and the use of the bomb, the Adjutant Captain Alex Watt and the Regimental Sergeant Major Bob MacLean were wounded in the counterattack and Lieutenants Charles Thorby and Arthur Crawford of the 16th company inspired their men in the charge who with Sergeant Harold Jones as they coolly rallied their men and led them back into the Turkish trenches. Captain Stan Howard advanced with elements of the 13th company as the Turks made a fight of it however the men would not hold back and soon the Turks was driven off and despite the casualties the men stood on top of the hill shooting down at the panicked Turkish survivors as they fled back to Amman, the 16th company lost Sergeant Colin Campbell and Privates Carl Bailey, Roland Wilkie killed during the fighting. In the 17th Company Lance Corporal Stan Campbell was manning a Lewis gun when he was shot down, his brother Norm was the No 2 on the gun and quickly took his place only to be killed soon after, the Campbell brothers had enlisted in the 6th Light Horse Regiment in 1915 from Scone NSW before transferring to the Camel Corps, they died together on the barren heights of hill 3039.

The Turkish troops used in these counter attacks were largely from the 23rd Regiment 8th Division and the 46th Storm Company. Who had not long arrived and took time to sort out where the allied line was and the bravery of these men advancing in the open was acknowledged by the New Zealand troops who fought them. The veteran 23rd Regiment (8th Division) had been fighting in the Caucasus against the Russians for some years only with the revolution had moved down to the Syrian Front, to be detached and sent to Amman the day before.

While the New Zealand Brigade fought gallantly for there hard won gains on Hill 3039 the Camel companies under Major Day in front of Amman were subjected to attacks in force as the Turks was only 200 yards away, Major Julian Day was severely wounded in the arm and shoulder as the men sheltered from enfilade fire from artillery and machine guns under which a force of over 100 Turks attempted to recapture their trenches and reached within 30 yards before our fire cut them down and repulsed the attack with substantial loss, this assault was repeated again during the day as attacks continued without respite, the 10th company lost Sergeant Stuart Craggy (reported MIA) and Lance Corporal Wilfred Lyth killed during this attack.

Meanwhile Lieutenant Leonard Brothers of the 9th company help organize the defence after Captain Newsams death as the Turkish fire increased killing Privates Stan Stanfield and Herb Thoday and under this intense fire Private Bob Robertson carried messages from company HQ to Captain Deas however despite the courage of the men they were ordered to hold the captured trenches as the supporting artillery ran short of shells while some batteries had ran out. The Hong Kong and Singapore battery was now down to only three guns as one had been put out off action with shell splinters and with no ammunition left little could be done to support the men.

At 2 pm General Chaytor had ordered one last attack be made by the Infantry in the north yet it had little hope of success and with its failure the exhausted troops could do no more yet hold on. Lieutenant Herbert Denley was killed and Lieutenant Thomas Smith mortally wounded while attending to the defences, Private Arthur Mills of the 7th company found him self cut off with a number of wounded men as Turkish counterattacks came in, he held the line encouraging the men around him and providing first aid to the wounded. At 4 pm the troops were ordered to retire back to the original positions abandoning the captured works however because of the danger this was not attempted till dusk. Once it became dark the troops departed under Captain Deas direction back to the lines having buried the dead and carrying back the many wounded. This was accomplished without the enemies knowledge even though they were only a few hundred yards away with Lieutenant Matthews commanding the rear guard with the 4th company, as the worn out troops moved back in the darkness all the wounded were recovered however a few may have been left behind as some were reported missing later. The total Cameleers casualties in the attack were four officers and 40 men in the 2nd Battalion killed or wounded with about 20 Australian casualties.

The 2/18th London battalion reported the lost of five men killed and two officers and four men died of wounds with the wounded unknown while supporting the action on the 30 March.

Meanwhile on Hill 3039 the Battle still went on as the enemy kept throwing attack after attack at the New Zealanders. The next came at 4 pm and fell on the Camel Battalion where the Turks of the 46th Storm company out flanked the Cameleers line on the right and managed to gained a lodgement, Lieutenant Charles Thorby a butcher from Dannevirke NZ gathered a few men about him and led a counterattack to drive the Turks out yet was killed in the valiant attempt, while Corporal John McMillan carrying a Lewis gun advanced on the Turks firing his gun from the hip however he was soon killed, then Private Dave McConnell who had joined the attack by garbing a sack full of bombs, threw them with deadly effect until shot down, as Private Len Pask went out rescuing the wounded however thanks to the support of New Zealand reserves which in turn out flanked the Turks the attack was driven off. The casualties continued to mount in the battalion and the 17th company lost Corporal Bert Lincoln (reported MIA), Lance Corporals Bill Brown, Eric Cheney (reported MIA), Privates Cliff Jenkins (reported MIA) and Percy Collins killed, while the 13th company lost Corporal George Haag (reported MIA), Lance Corporal Les Delaney (reported MIA), Privates Bill Temple and Will Trenaman (reported MIA) killed, the 16th company lost Sergeant Charles Lovett, Privates Gilbert Alexander, Tom Bowman, John Craig, Rupert McKenzie, Sid Mills and Doug Walker killed.

During the day communication between Battalion HQ and the forward companies was constantly broken by shell fire which fell regularly over the exposed hill, Sergeant Albert Hooper was kept out continually repairing broken telephone lines at great risk to himself. Communications were accentual to the defence which enabled reinforcements to be switched from one threaten point to the next and under the able command of Lieutenant Reg Jephcott never failed. At 5 p.m. another attack came on with the support of three Turks batteries yet again it was stopped with assistance of the recently arrived Somerset battery using the last of its available ammunition.

As the long day wore on General Shea on hearing of the progress of the Battle asked General Chaytor his chances of success if he could take the city which he replied little to none and only if reinforced with more guns and troops these were now not available to Shea and he knew the battle was lost. The word was sent out at 5.45pm that the contest was over and all troops were ordered to be prepared to retire back across the Jordan.

In the late afternoon a supply column had arrived bring a little food and ammunition and a soldier was dispatched up the hill with a camel carrying a bag of rations and two fantasies of hot tea, he also carried the battalions withdrawal order which was gladly received as well as the tea.

That night the Army began to move back as the New Zealanders and 4th Anzac Battalion received their orders around 6 p.m, they began moving down from Hill 3039 at midnight with the many wounded carried in blankets as the rear guard covered the withdrawal however the Turks did not bother them.

The Camel Brigade began its return movement at 4.30 am Lieutenant Bob Love commanded the rear guard and once the troops began to move he was informed that a man was missing, he retraced his steeps in the dark to search for the missing man who in the meanwhile had returned and found instead a four man post over looked in the darkness.

The Brigade reached Ain es Sir by 7.15 am on the 31 March and although the Turks pressed the rear guard causally, the Camel Brigade was ordered to get clear acting as escort to the supply train and the wounded who were suffering terribly. The column moved slowly as there were not enough cachalots for all the wounded and some had to be strapped to the backs of horses until they could be placed in ambulances. At 10 am the troops continued threw rain and mud some men of the 1st Battalion picked up refugees struggling along the track helping the many women and children, many Armenian Christians fleeing Turkish oppression, while Lieutenant Colonel Mills told how he carried a four years old girl sleeping in his arms. The Brigade finally crossing the Jordan on the 2 April after eleven days from the commencement of the raid, the camels had not had the saddles off their backs for eight of those days and when they did their flesh came away with them.

The Raid on Amman was tactically a defeat in which the main objectives of the raid were not all achieved although it was claimed as a victory by General Allenby. There were many reasons for the failure of the Amman Raid these included the delayed crossing of the Jordan River, the foul weather and the unexpected strong defence of Amman all had contributed to the result, the men as always fought well yet had suffered from the conditions with the march up to Amman and the battle, all the animals and men had suffered much and were worn out by fatigue and heavy losses. One of the success of the raid was that the enemies reserves had been drawn to Amman, enough troops had been moved north from the Tafila Force to help the Emir Feisal in his campaign against the Maan garrison and attention was drawn east away from Allenbys future planned offensive.

However the Turkish resistance at Amman had restored their confidence in its troops which had been low following their defeats in November and December 1917 and allowed the Turks to plan a major offensive aimed at the reorganizing British Army in April.

The Casualties for the Camel Brigade were reported in the War Diary as five officers and 56 men killed and 17 officers and 232 men wounded while 11 men were reported missing total 321.

The casualties by Battalion were the Australians of the 1st Battalion with two other ranks killed and one officer (Lieutenant Colonel Langley) and nine men wounded.

The 2nd (British) Battalion reported losses as three officers (Captain Newsam, Lieutenant s. Denley and Smith) and 24 other ranks killed and seven officers, 112 men wounded of which nine other ranks died from wounds and one man was reported wounded and missing.

The Anzacs of the 4th Battalion had two officers (Lieutenants Thorby (NZ) and Sanderson) and 29 other ranks killed with five officers and 117 other ranks wounded of which one officer (Lieutenant Adolph (NZ) and five other ranks died of wounds while 10 men were reported missing. Of this total the New Zealanders of the 16th company had lost one officer and 12 other ranks killed with one officer, two other ranks died of wounds while the wounded were not recorded whereas the Australians lost one officer and 17 men killed with five officers and 99 men wounded which six men died of wounds.

The Hong Kong and Singapore Battery had one other rank killed and one officer and five men wounded, the Brigade Machine Gun Squadron had one man killed and two wounded.

No soldier in the Camel Brigade was known to be captured during the four day Battle in front of Amman and the missing were all believed to have been killed or wounded and or later accounted for. The large number of missing came from the loss of the grave sites after this battle which had been lost or destroyed by time or human hand when they couldnt be found post war. "

Cheers

S.B

[Matthew King]

Thanks everyone for the impressive replies, I'll forward on the link to this thread to my friend.

Domanic - I'll ask him if he can scan the back as well

SB - THnaks for the article, will read read that tonight when I have some more time.

Matt

[benicek]

Hello. I am the owner of this photo and have finally activated my membership of this forum. Thanks Matt for posting the photo for me. I have scanned the reverse for anybody who wishes to examine the original hand writing:

Ignore the flea market notes above it.

[stevenbecker]

Mate,

What I mean is two Camel Companies plus 2nd Bn HQ was sent to help Lawrence in late 1918. Its more then possible a supply colunm was with the force during the time it was there.

The records don't mention if any of the RASC unit, then attached to the Camel Brigde, went with this force but I wouldn't discount that possiblity.

At the time most of the Camel Bde had been disbanded and returned to units or to other jobs but those that remained still had jobs to do.

Cheers

S.B

[egbert]

Aqaba was mentioned many times in this thread. I would like to share a photo from Aqaba Castle, the famous Aqaba fortress destroyed and conquered by Arab forces under Sharif Hussein Bin Ali of Mekka in 1916. Today the fort has been rebuilt partially. This photo I took last week