Berkshire and The War: the "Reading Standard" pictorial record. Volume 4. p 958

Berks Royal Horse Artillery - €”continued.

... date fixed for the assault, and during the two previous days the Battery, with its divisions, were engaged in manoeuvring their way to the starting point at Tel-e l-Jhemme, a useful observation hill from which the strength of the enemy's strongholds could be fairly well estimated. During the night of the 18th - 19th the Battery crept in to a carefully-concealed position in the famous Wadi-Ghuzzeh, a wadi being a dry river bed. With the first flush of the dawn the whole British artillery woke to life with one mighty crash, and the Yeomanry and Australians, in dismounted order, advanced to their formidable task. Aided by the volcanic fire of the guns they swept over Queen's Ridge, their first objective, and forced back the enemy to their second line of defence. Umbrella Hill, another important strategic point, was stormed, lost, retaken and lost again. At mid-day no further progress had been made. The Turkish machine guns had taken a big toll and there were 7,000 casualties without much to show in return. The Berks Battery moved to a more favourable position and again took up with the chorus of shell-fire that raged all around. Aided by his aeroplanes, too numerous and fast for the British, by-the-way, the enemy brought a heavy gun into action against the artillery of the Imperial Mounted Division. He did not succeed in finding the Berks Battery, but "€œA" Battery R.A.C., which was the next in line, had one gun knocked clean out. When it was finally decided that the assault was hopeless, an attempt was made to bring up the cavalry's horses, but a large proportion of them were knocked out en route, and it was again a case of a general retreat. Much controversy has been aroused over the decision, at such a time, to abandon the action, and it is not proposed here to either support or excuse it. Anyhow, it was yet another surprising rebuff to British arms, following as it did upon the victorious march from Romani upwards. The changes in command which ensued are a sufficient indication of the why and wherefore of the disasters, and with the coming of General Allenby the cavalry looked forward to better times and some work after their own hearts.

The next few months are but a story of alternate periods "in the line"€ on the Wadi Ghuzzeh, and resting back near the sea at Marakeb or Khan Yunis. No words can convey the contrast that these two phases really presented. On the beach you have good sea-bathing, an occasional cool breeze and comparative immunity from dust, while up at Tel-E l-Fara or El Shauth there was only the broiling sun, countless flies and frequent dust storms, with practically no variation from one day to another to while away those months of waiting in which General Allenby prepared his scheme for the undoing of the enemy. It was soon after the second attack on Gaza that the Battery lost three capable and well-liked officers. Major C. G. Mayall, who had commanded the unit since its inauguration in 1908, was promoted and went to command a D.A.C. His brother, Captain George Mayall, went home to England and did not return to the Battery. The third loss was by the death of Lieut. James Hartnoll, who had also been connected with the Battery in pre-war days. He was taken ill before the second assault on Gaza, and died at Kantara of bronchial pneumonia. No pre-war officers now remained in the Battery, and the command was held in turn by several officers, till finally it came into the hands of Major, then Captain, H. V. Landsberg, who retained it until his recent arrival in England for demobilisation. Major Landsberg was an old H.A.C. officer and had had previous association with the Berks R.H.A. at Aden and other places. He proved a worthy successor to Major Mayall, for his zeal for the welfare of his men never waned.

With Allenby to Jerusalem.

There is not much to record about the doings of the Battery between the second failure at Gaza and General Allenby's attack at the end of October, 1917, a period of six months, which was taken up mostly by training and rehearsals of the parts to be taken by the various units when the time came. General Allenby proved himself of the type who look before they leap, and he made great use of this time, primarily in the strengthening of his air forces and heavy artillery. The Turk had had things very much to himself in the air, bu this unwarrantable state of things was soon reversed, and the time came when the odds were against a Taube making a safe return to its own lines after a reconnaisance over our positions.

There were welcome signs that the Battery was to get real "Royal Horse" work instead of the "semi-field artillery" stunts that had been its lot of recent times. A Royal Horse Artilleryman still has his pride of unit, and much prefers to be galloping about in support of cavalry actions than sitting down stolidly thumping away at the rear of an infantry engagement. Moreover, this was ideal country for cavalry and fast light artillery; somewhat akin to South Africa in many respects.

The 20th Brigade R.H.A.

One important change was made in organisation about this time. The Imperial Mounted Division no longer existed, and in its place there was now the Yeomanry Mounted Division, consisting entirely of British Yeomanry regiments and British auxiliary troops. The Berks Bucks and Dorsets remained the "6th" Brigade, While the 8th and 22nd Mounted Brigades were the other two of the division. Instead of being separate units, connected only by a central command, the batteries of the division were now formed into a brigade of their own, styled the 20th Brigade R.H.A. The Berks, Hants and Leicester Batteries formed the composition of this brigade, and were destined to be happily associated with one another during the remainder of their long stay in Palestine.

Beersheba.

There was much talk and speculation about when and where Sir Edmund Allenby would strike. By September everything was in readiness; the infantry had even gone through manoeuvres against miniature models of the enemy's positions. It transpired afterwards, however, that the Commander-in-Chief had been waiting for the rains. The water scarcity was likely to prove an even greater obstacle than anything the Turks could do, but it was prophesied that the coming winter's rains would be the greatest for many years, and these forecasts were fully justified. In the last days of October the cavalry felt their way towards Beersheba, while every night the guns before Gaza bombarded the enemy's positions with ever-increasing intensity. In this way the Turks were deluded into the belief that yet another great attack on Gaza was imminent. After events proved that they had concentrated their main strength at that end of the line, believing that that was where the blow would fall first. During this cautious advance on Beersheba the Berks Battery was temporarily attached to the 303rd Brigade R.F.A., 60th Division, in company with whom they moved into position and laid out their lines ready for the attack. Meanwhile the Australians ha d been sent out on a particularly daring out-flanking scheme. Circling far to the south of Beersheba they crept to the very "back-door" of the place without being detected, and soon after the general engagement had opened carried the place from the rear in one rousing charge. The Australians at that time did not carry swords, and so they inaugurated the "mounted bayonet charge" and swept all before them. Beersheba was ours in less time than it takes to tell, and what few of the garrison that escaped were split into two bodies and fell back fighting sullenly, one towards Hebron and the other towards the stronghold of Tel-el-Sheria. At Sheria there was a very stiff fight. A pumping station, which he w as angry at parting with, was the chief cause of "Johnny's" resistance, and he succeeded in knocking it about badly before he was eventually dislodged. After the fall of Beersheba, however, the Battery had come back to a place called Kahm and afterwards to Shillal, on the Wadi Ghuzzeh. After a night here, and another at Tel-El-Fara, they left guns and wagons, and the teams went up to Beersheba and took over 13 pounders from "A" Battery, H.A.C. A complete change over was carried out by batteries and ammunition columns alike, and the Berks Battery thus had now the real "Horse Artillery"€ guns.

The Water Scarcity.

The water scarcity was at times very acute, and the teams would often have to be taken long distances at night-time in search of a drink, and then go without all through the next day until darkness fell again. The Battery was fighting for four days before the action at Sheria, and on one occasion were shelled very severely, Lieut. Ansbacher and several men receiving slight wounds. After the fall of Gaza, which our troops walked into practically unopposed, the Battery was shifted along with the division towards the left, or sea-coast, flank, and took its place in the great drive northwards that was commencing. It played a considerable part in a fierce engagement at El Muggar, where the Turk attempted something of a stand, but was driven out after several hours of fighting. Then the Jewish village or colony of Akir was reached, and here there was a brief rest. It was at Akir that the men had their first introductions to "œthe wine of Palestine", which, to say the least, has a winning way with it.

The next general engagement was at the Abu Shusheh ridge, which, being the key to Ramleh, was stoutly defended by the Turks. The Berks, Bucks and Dorset Yeomanries, however, who had been given four hours for the task of capturing the ridge, took it in less than an hour with over a thousand prisoners. The Berks Battery supported them ably, but did not go unscathed. A Turkish battery registered a direct hit on one of the Berks guns, and Gnr. D. J. Cox, a great favourite with officers and men alike, was blown
to pieces, while most of the remainder of the gun detachment were wounded. The gun had to be sent into hospital.

The Flood.

Ramleh fell almost immediately after the taking of Abu Shusheh, and the Battery spent two days at this place, before moving up into the hills, near a village called Tahta. It was found impossible to do anything here, however, and they returned to Ramleh. Meanwhile the Ammunition column had been bombed by Turkish aeroplanes, about sixty horses and mules being killed, but all the men luckily escaping. And thereby hangs a tale, which ought not to go untold. Alarmed by the frequent visits of the Taubes, usually occurring during the nights, which were very moonlit, most of the men moved their habitations or bivouacs, to the seclusion of a not far-distant wadi, which offered welcome shelter when the aeroplanes swooped with a "tut-tut-tut" of machine guns. But during the night it rained. The word "rain" does not convey an idea of what really happened. Water swished from the heavens in an unbroken sheet, and within five or ten minutes that wadi was about four feet deep with it. When the cold dawn broke just the peaks of forlorn bivouacs could be seen above the raging flood, while wet and shivering ...