Ninety Sixth Day of the Third Battle of Ypres and the Third Battle of Gaza

Saturday 3rd November 1917

A victory has been won at Gaza. The attack began on the night of 1st and 2nd and has resulted in part of the town falling to our men. We have heard at length from the adjutant of 1st/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, of which more anon.

The overall picture seems to be that XXI Corps made the attack - a formation comprising 52nd (Lowland) Division, 54th (East Anglian) Division and 75th Division, the Imperial Cavalry Service Brigade of Indian lancer regiments, and attached troops. The attack was aimed at three main areas - Umbrella Hill, raided twice by the Bedfords earlier this year, El Arish Redoubt and the coastal defences. It was designed to bottle up the garrison and prevent it interfering with our forces’ advance to the south-east at Beersheba.

The initial attack on Umbrella Hill was made by 52nd Division which succeeded in taking the hill. The division then moved on and attacked El Arish Redoubt, supported by six tanks. The eastern half of the redoubt was taken and then the western half was attacked by 54th Division, supported by four tanks. Both divisions then attacked the south-western portion of Gaza, which they took, along with Rafa Redoubt, assisted by fire from vessels of the Royal Navy.

Thus the attack has achieved its desired outcome and more, with a portion of the town itself falling into our men’s’ hands. The adjutant of the Bedfords has given us a good description of his unit’s endeavours. At 2.10 am they left their bivouac area, passing Sheikh Ajlin at 3.10. By 3.45 they were within 150 yards of Sea Post, right on the shoreline. Between 4.10 and 4.30 they moved forward about three hundred yards. Companies moved off and Battalion Headquarters were established about 150 yards south of Cricket Well, waiting here until Advanced Battalion Headquarters reported that Tomb Spur had been cleared and the Advanced Headquarters established there.

About 5.10 Battalion Headquarters moved to Tomb Spur where they came under heavy machine gun fire from the ridge between Rafa and Belah. Next came an attack on Sheikh Hasan: “carried out absolutely to programme” and by six o’clock yesterday morning Hasan Garden was cleared right through and consolidated. Thirteen Turkish officers and 140 other ranks were taken prisoner and sent back - “a number of Turks were killed, twenty have been counted, there are probably more as the locality is too big to reach properly. Three Machine Guns, fragments of a fourth over 200 rifles many thousand rounds of small arms ammunition, bombs, engineers’ material, quarter master stores, papers and booty is being collected, but owing to consolidation no proper salvage arrangements can be put into operation”.

The adjutant went on: “In the attack one platoon led by Second Lieutenant E A Phillips, Royal Berkshire Regiment, attached this until, with more dash than thought for his orders reached and entered Turtle Hill. The Turks put up the white flag, but a machine-gun in the rear opened on the platoon and nearly all of them were wiped out. Second Lieutenant Phillips was killed”.

“During the advance through the garden our shrapnel barrage is said to have been erratic, or it may have been the keenness of the men, but we suffered most of our casualties there from our own shell fire. The tanks were not on time and only vehicle Number 5 turned up eventually at 6.25, this off-loaded its Royal Engineers’ material and proceeded forward, but soon afterwards it broke down. From about 6.15 to 8.30 the enemy shelled us heavily”. Efforts were made to support the attack by 1st/4th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment on Lion and Tiger Trenches, north-east of Sheikh Hasan, but owing to smoke and mist visibility was bad.

During the morning the Bedfords suffered from enemy machine-gun and rifle fire from Tortoise Hill and Turtle Hill. At 2.30 pm the 1/4th Northamptons attacked Tortoise Hill and Belah unsuccessfully and were driven back. At the same time the whole locality came under very heavy enemy shell fire again and a very strong enemy counter-attack developed between Tortoise Hill and Turtle Hill. The Bedfords reinforced their right, and all communications being cut by shells fired the SOS signal for a barrage which then came down and this together with their own machine-gun fire stopped the enemy.

One disturbing part of the adjutant’s account follows: “At the same time Turks were reported advancing from the direction of Tiger Trench and this was confirmed by the action of the Navy who opened fire on them at once and this stopped the movement. It is said that this party was, in fact, the remains of the Northamptonshires returning to our lines”(1). During last evening the remaining Northamptons and one company of 1st/11th Battalion, London Regiment (Finsbury Rifles) were put under the orders of the 1st/5th Bedfords. Ominously the adjutant ended his message with: “We are under close observation from Turtle Hill and it is beginning to tell”.

Here at Ypres there has been some activity today. Drake Battalion of 63rd (Royal Naval) Division took the front line up to the swampy morass that is the Paddebeek and then captured Sourd Farm. Meanwhile the 3rd Canadian Division took Graf House, but had to abandon it due to enemy machine-gin fire. Similarly they took Vanity and Vine Cottages but had to yield them up again.

Source: X550/6/8

(1) The Northamptonshire Regiment suffered 63 dead on 2nd November compared with 14 for the Bedfords.

The Second Battle of Gaza Ends

Saturday 21st April 1917

We understand that no further attack was made against Gaza yesterday. Indeed, as a result of being weakened by fierce counter-attacks some of the gains of 19th have had to be given up. We understand that the battle has occasioned 6,000 casualties, in other words half a full-strength division. The 53rd Division are presently on Samson Ridge and 52nd Division at the foot of Outpost Hill. Much to their disgust 54th Division, out in the open, on machine-gun-swept sands were ordered to retire back to Sheikh Abbas. For the moment, it seems, attempts to take Gaza have come to an end.

Sources: X550/6/8

The Battle of Gaza Continues

Friday 20th April 1917

Yesterday British and Imperial forces began their attack on Gaza at 5.30 in the morning. They had to overcome around ten miles width of Turkish defences. 52nd (Lowland) and 54th (East Anglian) Divisions were to swing north from the Mansura Ridge to attack Ali Muntar before moving on to Gaza itself. Meanwhile 53rd (Welsh) Division was to overcome the coastal defences on Samson Ridge and Sheikh Ajlin on the seashore.

We understand that the Welsh, still severely depleted from the battle in March, were successful in their attack, but lost another six hundred men and it took until early afternoon to do it. On the right of the Welsh the Lowland Division met heavy opposition in places and was unable to secure all its initial objectives. It was a similar story for the East Anglians, the 10th Battalion, London Regiment and 4th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment both suffered many casualties and the 1st/5th Bedfords, in brigade reserve, threw in D Company to support them. Again, it was early afternoon before much progress was made.

It was around nightfall, 6 o’clock that the attack was called off for the day. We understand that the Bedfords were thrown into the front line to help man it against counter-attacks during the night, the battalion holding around a mile of the front in hastily-dug pits, each holding seven riflemen at intervals of twenty five yards. Lieutenant Wilkin and Second Lieutenant Brereton were both wounded and forty other ranks became casualties(1). It is not known whether the the attack will begin again soon or whether a siege is now prospect.

Last night the 8th Bedfords were relieved from the front line south of Loos and are now at Maroc. During these recent operations the Medical Officer, Captain Black and also Second Lieutenant Taylor and seventeen other ranks were killed, four officers and 91 other ranks have been wounded.

Last night 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment made their way from Couin up to the front near at Arras and are now under the command of VII Corps. They are presently just south-west of the village of Beaurains.

Sources: X550/3/WD; X550/6/8; X550/9/1

(1) Second Lieutenant Leonard Leader Brereton would die of his wounds in Cairo on 29th April.

The Second Battle of Gaza Continues

Friday 20th April 1917

Yesterday British and Imperial forces began their attack on Gaza at 5.30 in the morning. They had to overcome around ten miles width of Turkish defences. 52nd (Lowland) and 54th (East Anglian) Divisions were to swing north from the mansura Ridge to attack Ali Muntar before moving on to Gaza itself. Meanwhile 53rd (Welsh) Division was to overcome the coastal defences on Samson Ridge and Sheikh Ajlin on the seashore.

We understand that the Welsh, still severely depleted from the battle in March, were successful in their attack, but lost another six hundred men but took until early afternoon to do it. On the right of the Welsh the Lowland Division met heavy opposition in places and was unable to secure all its initial objectives. It was a similar story for the East Anglians, the 10th Battalion, London Regiment and 4th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment both suffered many casualties and the 1st/5th Bedfords, in brigade reserve, threw in D Company to support them. Again, it was early afternoon before much progress was made.

1st/5th Bedfords on Mansura Ridge from the history of the battalion by A M Webster

It was around nightfall, 6 o’clock that the attack was called off for the day. We understand that the Bedfords were thrown into the front line to help man it against counter-attacks during the night, the battalion holding around a mile of the front in hastily-dug pits, each holding seven riflemen at intervals of twenty five yards. Lieutenant Wilkin and Second Lieutenant Brereton were both wounded and forty other ranks became casualties(1). It is not known whether the the attack will begin again soon or whether a siege is now prospect.

Last night the 8th Bedfords were relieved from the front line south of Loos and are now at Maroc. During these recent operations the Medical Officer, Captain Black and also Second Lieutenant Taylor and seventeen other rankls were killed, four officers and 91 other ranks have been wounded.

Last night 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment made their way from Couin up to the front near at Arras and are now under the command of VII Corps. They are presently just south-west of the village of Beaurains.

Sources: X550/3/WD; X550/6/8; X550/9/1

(1) Second Lieutenant Leonard Leader Brereton would die of his wounds in Cairo on 29th April.

The Second Battle of Gaza Begins

Lord Ampthill [X550/1/82]

Wednesday 18th April 1917

Speaking with Lord Ampthill this evening he brought me up to date with the position of the 8th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment south of Loos. At five o’clock this morning, as soon as it was light, an attack from three points was made by D Company on the strongpoint which had stopped A Company’s attack yesterday and which threatened the battalion’s right flank. During the night B Company had relieved C Company in the front line and D had relieved A Company. Unfortunately, this attack failed “through the devastating fire poured on to them from concrete emplacements by hostile machine guns”.

B Company bombed down to their right to connect with D Company but as the strongpoint was not taken the two companies could not link up. Hostile artillery fire continued all day and at periods it became intense. At least three more prisoners taken during the day.

Of more import is the news from Palestine where British and Imperial forces have been attacking Gaza once again, after the unsuccessful attempt to take the place on 26th March. Yesterday three divisions – 52nd (Lowland), 53rd (Welsh) and 54th (East Anglian) all made attacks. 54th Division, of course, includes 1st/5th Bedfords, part of 162nd Brigade.

52nd and 54th Divisions were given the task of attacking the area south and south-east of Gaza were to take a line from Sheikh Abbas through Mansura to Kurd Hill. The Welsh attacked south-west of Gaza across the Wadi Ghuzzee towards the Samson Ridge. We understand that all attacks were successful and that preparations are now under way to attack the town of Gaza itself. By wire the adjutant of the 1st/5th Battalion informed me that the Bedfords had been successful in taking their objectives on the Mansura Ridge and were then consolidating. It is frustrating to know that this battle has been going on again today but we will not discover the result until tomorrow!

Sources: X550/6/8; X550/9/1