90th Anniversary of Battle of Romani 4 August 1916

[TerryK]

Ninety years ago, at the Egyptian settlement of Romani in the Sinai desert near the Suez Canal, a strong Turkish invasion force attacked a force of British infantry and Australian and New Zealand horsemen. The first massed bayonet attack against a large central sand hill known as Mount Meredith was fought off successfully by Australian light horsemen, but the hill was soon abandoned as it was being outflanked to the west. At 6 a.m. British horse artillery drove Turkish machine gunners from the crest of Mount Meredith, while heavy Turkish guns bombarded the infantry redoubts and the camps along the desert railway. German aircraft bombed whatever they could see, but most of the bombs exploded harmlessly in the soft sand.

Major General ‘Harry’ Chauvel, the commander of the Australian and New Zealand Mounted Division, ordered the 2nd Australian Light Horse Brigade to reinforce the right flank of the 1st brigade’s line along a line of low sand hills called Wellington Ridge. Two light horse regiments went into the line immediately, and the Wellington Mounted Rifles Regiment (attached to the Australian brigade) was held in reserve. The New Zealanders waited with the horses of the two Australian regiments in a depression close behind the ridge. The massed horses offered a splendid target for the marauding enemy aircraft, but they were not attacked.

By 7 a.m. the eastern end of Wellington Ridge was abandoned by the light horsemen under heavy Turkish artillery and machine gun fire. The 2nd ALH Brigade retained its hold on the western end of Wellington Ridge for a little longer, until Turkish pressure forced the forward regiments of that brigade back from the ridge too. The Turks occupied Wellington Ridge and began to fire into the camps along the railway. For a short period, only the Wellington regiment stood between the Turks and the camps. The threat to the camps passed when shrapnel fire from the horse artillery batteries drove the Turks back off the crest of the ridge. They did not reappear until mid-afternoon.

While the Turks paused along Wellington Ridge, other enemy columns were pressing westwards towards Mount Royston, the last significant hill in front of the railway. At 10 a.m. Chauvel asked the commander of the reserve infantry brigade to help him out by taking over part of the defensive line north of Wellington Ridge. The infantryman refused, and the Turks occupied Mount Royston not long after dawn.

However, most of the Turks had already drunk their water, and no more was available in the sand dunes. Without water, under the burning sun, the Turkish infantrymen struggled against the deep yielding sand. All the time, the light horsemen and the Wellington mounted riflemen shot at them and shrapnel thinned their ranks.

British cavalry rode towards the Turks on Mount Royston and attacked them. This slender force, along with a few light horse squadrons from Wellington Ridge, was enough to hold up any further Turkish outflanking movement for two more precious hours.

Meanwhile Brigadier General Chaytor’s New Zealand Mounted Rifles (NZMR) Brigade was ordered forward to attack Mount Royston. At 11.30 a.m. the NZMR Brigade rode into the line between the Australians and the British cavalry south of Canterbury Hill. By noon, two infantry brigades of the 42nd Division were also making their way towards the fighting at Mount Royston. Chaytor sent the Canterbury Mounted Rifles Regiment and two squadrons of the Auckland regiment, supported by the Somerset Battery, into a dismounted attack against an estimated 2,000 Turks on Mount Royston. After quickly driving in the advanced enemy posts, the attack faltered. The sand was very deep and soft, there was no cover, the midday sun was scorching hot, and the fire of the Turkish defenders was heavy and increasingly accurate as the attackers closed in. At 2.30 p.m. Chaytor issued orders for a general assault on Mount Royston, to commence at 4.45 p.m. The attack was successful and 1,200 Turks surrendered; four mountain guns and a machine gun were captured. The leading battalions of the 42nd Division took over the prisoners and marched them towards the railway, followed by the tired horsemen.

Just before dark the Turks made a final attempt to advance from Wellington Ridge, but British artillery fire broke up the attack. A general advance of the four Anzac mounted brigades was ordered at sunset, but it came to nothing. Two Scottish infantry battalions and the 1st and 2nd ALH Brigades attempted to re-take Wellington Ridge, but the Turks showed no inclination to give it up.

Most of the Turks withdrew to Qatiya during the night, but several hundred remained as a rearguard below Wellington Ridge, supported by German machine gun detachments.

The fight for Mount Royston cost the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade four men killed and 35 wounded. The Australian light horse brigades lost far more men that day, with 71 killed, 344 wounded, and 28 missing.

General Sir Archibald Murray’s two infantry divisions and five mounted brigades had suffered few casualties on this day of battle. It looked as if he had a golden opportunity to finish the much weaker Turkish force off completely on 5 August. Murray was about to learn a lesson that many of the Anzacs already knew from Gallipoli: never take Johnny Turk for granted.

[TerryK]

This shows one of the camp sites between the railway and Wellington Ridge. The ridge is seen beyond the hod.

[TerryK]

This is a view of the CWGC War Cemetery at Kantara, where most of the Allied dead from Romani lie. The trees were cut down soon after this image was taken in 2001.

This is a view of Mount Meredith from the direction of Qatiya.

[TerryK]

This is a view from the crest of Mount Meredith looking eastwards towards Qatiya (the dark line of date palms in the distance).

[TerryK]

This shows the hills of Romani as seen from Qatiya. The low hills in the distance form the north-south extension of Wellington Ridge.

And lastly, this is a view from the west of Mount Royston.

[armourersergeant]

Terry,

Thanks for posting this account. Not one I know anything about, so interesting to read and backed up by photos to put it into perspective.

many thanks

Arm

[Ozzie]

Thanks Terry.

I missed your original posting but luckily found it now.

Your photos show the conditions that the men and horses had to contend with.

Ta

Kim

[Chris_Baker]

Fantastic. Thank you.

[Eceabat]

Terry,

have just finished re-reading Gullet's account of the battle, the photos you posted have added much to the exercise.

Cheers

Bill

[John_Hartley]

Is anyone in touch with TerryK, by any chance?

I'd like to contact him about his photos but see he hasnt logged on to the Forum since last September (and he has no emal address on his profile).

John

[stevenbecker]

Mate,

You could try Terry's publisher

Exisle Publishing Ltd

PO box 60-490

Titirangi

Auckland 0642

NZ

S.B

[John_Hartley]

Steve

Thanks for that, mate. I hadnt appreciated who he was.

John

[razu]

Terry,

Thanks,Very heroic fights and interesting page/s of history.

Andrei

[stevenbecker]

Mate,

No worries,

Terry is a serving officer in the NZ Army, and the last time I heard from him he was in Washington DC.

S.B

[John_Hartley]

Now in contect with Terry. Thanks again, Steve.

John