Wednesday 28th
November 1917
More news has
reached us today from the 1st/5th Battalion in Palestine. Yesterday morning,
about 2.30 a.m. an Arab gave himself up to C Company. He had useful news as to
the disposition of the Turks.
An exciting
day then developed as the Turks chose to attack the 54th Division of which the
Bedfords form a part. About 8.15 around 150 Turks were seen by the Bedfords on
Zeify Hill near Beit Nabala to advance down a wadi between that hill and a
village called Deir Tuweif(1), held by 10th Battalion, London Regiment. The
Bedfords duly opened fire at just under a mile range and scattered them with
some loss. The Turks then went to ground and, as the adjutant described it, a
sniping contest then took place.
At 10.30 the
Bedfords pushed a strong patrol forward to a water cistern on a hill where an
advanced post was established consisting to two Lewis guns and a section(2) of
riflemen. At 3 o’clock last afternoon the Turks were once more on the move -
estimated as about a battalion in strength, with transport. They moved east and
about fifteen minutes later encountered the Bedfords’ advanced post at what
they called Cistern Hill. Again fire was opened at just under a mile range by
the section of men and two parties of Lewis gunners at the post. A good number
of casualties were inflicted, especially on the transport and clearly the enemy
had no idea that our men were there. The odds were about forty to one in the
Turks’ favour, however, and once they recovered their composure they advanced
in open order on the advanced post, which was evacuated when the Turks were
about three hundred yards away. The Turks duly occupied the post and the hill,
but the day has seen many casualties inflicted on them for the loss of two of
the Bedfords’ officers, Captain Franklin MC and Lieutenant Pinchin, who have
died of wounds. Attacks on the rest of the division have also been repulsed.
Here at
Cambrai the offensive has ended after nine days. The units involved in the
frustrating fight for Bourlon Wood have been ordered to dig in and prepare for
any German counter-attack.
Source: X550/6/8
(1) These two
villages were destroyed in the fighting between Arabs and Israelis in 1948.
Beit Nabala is now occupied by the Israeli village of Beit Nehemia near Tel
Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport.
(2) A section
would have consisted of about 8 to 10 men
