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The Wellington Regiment (NZEF) 1914 - 1919

Chapter IV. — The Defence of the Suez Canal

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Chapter IV.
The Defence of the Suez Canal

The Regiment's Baptism of Fire.

On the afternoon of the 24th January, 1915, orders were received that the New Zealand Infantry Brigade was to proceed to the Suez Canal, to assist the garrison of Indian troops in resisting a threatened attack on the Canal by the Turkish Column, reported by the Flying Corps to be advancing across the desert from the East. Excitement in the camp ran high, and far into the night all ranks were busy sorting out their fighting kit for the move. The Company Sergeant Major of one company, a veteran of move than one campaign, was so overcome by excitement, and his many vigils to the canteen, that when the "fall in" sounded in the early morning, he was the only man in the unit who could not move, and he had to be left behind. With great difficulty he managed to rejoin the company several days afterwards.

The battalion moved on the 25th January in two detachments by separate trains, leaving Palais de Koubbah station at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. respectively. The right half battalion, West Coast and Hawkes Bay Companies, under the second in command, Major H. E. Hart, entrained on the first train, arriving at Khubri Siding, a short distance from Suez, and about 11/2 miles from the Canal bank, about 5 p.m. The second half of the battalion, Taranaki and Ruahine Companies, arrived by the second train at 7 p.m. The battalion bivouaced for the night in the vicinity of the railway siding. About 2 a.m., a few shots were exchanged by the outposts in the vicinity of the Canal at Khubri Ferry, the bullets whistling over the bivouac. This was the first occasion the battalion page 19was under fire. The battalion immediately stood to arms; but the excitement soon subsided.

After breakfast next morning, we moved out to the Canal, relieving a battalion of Indian troops on approximately a front of four miles. The Otago Battalion arrived shortly after the Wellington Battalion, and Lieut.-Col. W. G. Malone as Senior C.O. assumed command of the detachment consisting of the Otago and Wellington Battalions, and Major H. E. Hart took command of the battalion. Upon taking over the Canal bank, the work of improving the trenches and other defences was put in hand, and the troops received their training in real outpost work in war. On the right flank the battalion was in touch with the 2/7th Ghurkas, and many valuable lessons were learnt from those wonderful little soldiers.

Life on the Canal was very interesting. During the day, numerous liners passed, and many were the parcels and packages thrown to the troops. Swimming was freely indulged in, and, despite the heat and the small-winged insect pests, life was pleasant. A good many were detailed for outpost duty in the trenches by night, and sentries were extremely eager to detect movement that would give them some legitimate excuse to fire their rifles. One night at Khubri post, on the eastern bank of the Canal, a few shots were fired by the Turks, the bullets passing over the battalion front. No one was hit, and no return shots were fired by the battalion; but the trenches were manned to full strength in a moment, and the next week's letters home to New Zealand provided some extremely interesting reading.

The battalion remained in the trenches on the western bank of the Canal until the 2nd February, when certain changes were made. West Coast Company proceeded to Port Tewfik, near Suez, to relieve the company of the Ceylon Tea Planters who returned to Khubri. Taranaki Company, under Major J. W. Brunt, proceeded to the eastern bank of the Canal to garrison No. 3. post. Ruahine Company went, a half company to No. 4 post, and a half company to No. 5 post. The remainder of the battalion returned to Campimento, page 20near the railway line into reserve. The work of the West Coast Company at Port Tewfik consisted entirely of supplying guards for various posts, such as cable stations and Government offices in and about Port Tewfik and the town of Suez. The company was quartered in the quarantine station near one of the docks. The only event to relieve the monotony of guard duty was the arrival of 100 Arab prisoners taken by our friends the 2/7 Ghurkas at a very successful minor operation near Tor, on the Red Sea. The prisoners were landed from H.M.S. "Minerva" on 13th February, and were taken in charge by the garrison. A more heterogeneous collection of men and weapons it would be hard to imagine. The prisoners were of all ages, from boys of 14 to old men of 60. Their weapons were equally as varied and ineffective as themselves, old swords, fezails and obsolete single loading rifles. Many had neither arms nor equipment. Landing at midnight from the warships, the Ghurkas had marched ten miles, surrounded the enemy during the night and attacked at daybreak. After a short engagement, they had captured the whole of the enemy, killing 60, mostly Turks. The Ghurkas losses were one killed and one wounded. The only prisoner of any note was a Turkish officer of the rank of Bimbashi.

With the companies on the Canal, very little had happened to disturb the ordinary routine. On the night of the 23rd February, heavy firing was heard in the direction of Khubri post. It proved later to have been a half-hearted attack by a small body of Turks, coinciding with the main attack on the Canal, which had taken place in the neighbourhood of Tussoum. The Turks had been heavily repulsed and had retired back into the desert, leaving many dead and wounded behind. Their attack was made in good strength, and they carried several flat-bottomed pontoons for the purpose of crossing the Canal, three of which were captured. These they had carried across the desert in sections and put together prior to the final attack. The repulse of the Turks relieved the menace on the Canal, though vigilance remained unrelaxed for a considerable time.

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Early in February, Taranaki Company furnished the detachment of infantry which with the Indian Cavalry conducted a reconnaissance in force, for the purpose of ousting a small party of the enemy which had been hovering for some days in front of Khubri post. Patrols from this enemy party were frequently a source of annoyance to the garrison at night. The company carried out its duties successfully, and the enemy was seen to beat a retreat on the approach of our troops, doubtless recognising the formidable calibre of the infantry supporting the mounted troops. On 17th February, West Coast Company returned from garrison duty at Tewfik, and the Ceylon Tea Planters took its place. The whole battalion again took up quarters in the trenches along the Canal on either side of Khubri Ferry.

On 26th February, the battalion left its trenches on the Canal, entrained at Khubri Siding, and arrived back in its old camp at Zeitoun at 5.30 p.m. Though it had not really come into close contact with the Turks in the month spent on the Canal, the battalion returned from its period in the trenches there with the feeling that the spell of dull training was now entirely broken. There was greater eagerness than ever on the part of all ranks to test their fighting qualities.

During the absence of the battalion at Suez, the 2nd Reinforcements had arrived from New Zealand. The weekend was spent in festivity in Cairo and, after four weeks of hard living and hard work on the Canal, full justice was done to the many attractions and distractions of Cairo.