Saturday, 11 March 2017

At El Arish


Sunday 11th March 1917 from our correspondent in the field

We heard yesterday of the 1st/5th Bedfords at El-Arish on the edge of the Sinai Desert. As the adjutant remarked: East of El-Arish, cultivated lands succeed the desert; along the coast, hard by Rafa, stretches a belt of sand dunes, two or three miles in width. Inland of these dunes there is a belt of light soil for ten or twelve miles carrying barley”.

The men are restless, wanting another crack at “Johnny Turk”, whom they have not seen since 1915 in Gallipoli. Rumour has it that there will be an advance on the town of Gaza in Palestine in the next week or two(1).

Source: X550/6/8

(1) First battle of Gaza will take place on 26th March.

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