Remembering The Rifle Brigade

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29994, 1 December 1962, Page 8

Remembering The Rifle Brigade

[Specialli/ written /or "The Press" by

J. K. MOLONEY

TN 1965 it will be 50 years since the first battalions of the New Zealand 1 Rifle Brigade went overseas. At the Dominion reunion of the Brigade to be held in Christchurch next February, delegates will be called upon to decide how this should be celebrated.

After the landing at Anzac in 1915 there was a great rush to the Colours in New Zealand. To use the pool of men available for ,service, the Defence Department could have increased the number of battalions in each regiment, as was done when the Fourth Brigade was created in 1917. Instead it took another course. The then Governor-General, the Earl of Liverpool, had served with the English Rifle Brigade and he prevailed upon Sir James Allen, the Minister of Defence, to create a rifle regiment in New Zealand. It bore the ponderous name of “The Earl of Liverpool’s Own Trentham Regiment,” later known as “Trents” and finally as “Dinks” (from a political slogan of the day “Our’s is a square dinkum policy”).

This action of the Government caused a great uproar among the rank and file of the Expeditionary Force. Why should a differentiation be made?

There’s no doubt the •’Dinks'' looked different. Tney wore black badges, flashes and buttons—no brass whatever. In 1916 we were astonished when the 3rd and 4vh Battalions turned up in Egypt. They had gone the wnole hog and blackened everything—sam brownes. leggings, boo.s, and they looked very like Hitler’s SS. guards. Moveover, their drill was entirely different There were no warning words of command, and rifles were carried at the trail instead of a: the slope.

Quarter Guard There was an anguished moment in Egypt when tne advance party of the "Dinks'’ took a turn at the quarter guard at Mena. By some means the rear rank contrived to get in front, and no orders given could put them back where they belonged. Finally a rifUeman was found in one of the nearby messes and he quickly put things right. A matter for annoyance was that the Rifles marched at a rate of 140 to the minute. We would be hurry ing along behind our band and an infantry battalion would come towards us. They would naturally try to march in step with the band and there would be a convulsive movement right down the ranks. How they cursed us! For my own part, I have always considered those early days in Trentham were among my most miserable experiences of the war. We were packed into large unfinished hutments, minus doors and windows, and the weather was atrocious. Then followed an outbreak of camp fever which carried off more than a score of recruits. It was a joy to be under canvas at Rangiotu. Some Outstanding Officers

Our company, “B”, comprised a number of outstanding officers. The OC was Rawdon Beere, a Wellington solicitor, who is still practising in Wellington. He was a very active man and was one of the prime movers of the first University tourney in 1902. He will lead the parade of the Brigade through Christchurch on February 24

The section which I was in was composed entirely of Canterbury College students, part of Platoon five. There was a young officer in charge of Platoon seven—Harold Barrowclough—and when I saw him for the first time I fancy he had just put up his stars. He had come into Trentham as a private in the 4th Reinforcements. He made history in 1918. when in command of the 4th Rifles They made a frontal attack on the old Vauban fortress of Le Quesnoy which was crowned with success. It was in this operation that Dr. Averill made history byleading the assault party up ladders. "Barrow” as he was known throughout the Brigade is now the Rt Hon. Sir Harold Barrowclough. Chief Justce of New Zealand.

Untried Troops When the first of our battalions reached Egypt in November, 1915. the evacuation of the Gallipoli Peninsula was in progress. After their *r bulattons the feeling of the old hands can be well imagined, to be confronted at Moascar with a spectacular new force of untried troops. The situation was not helped by the Solium affair. Our two ba’talions joined the Western Frontier Force for an expedition into the desert. A prophet had arisen among the war-like Senussi and it was feared • that the security of Egypt might be menaced. They were led by two soldiers whom the Turks had landed by submarine. They were Jaafar Paeha and Nuri Bev

Senussi Numbered 20.000 Men

The Senussi at that time probably numbered 24,000 men. k had a nucleus of Turkish. German and Arab officers The main formation, the Muhafzia, consisted of 20 companies of well disciplined soldiers. They wore a uniform of khaki faced with red or green, and putees: the irregulars. whose numbers varied from time to time, were attired in characteristic native dress. They were known to possess nine machine guns, six field guns and 10 mitrailleuse, all captured from the Italians, and some Turkish Mantelli fortress guns. Our first battalion were at Mersa M.itruh making preparation to celebrate Christmas. when on Christmas Eve at noon the alarm sounded and orders to move on the morrow were received. The available forces were divided into two columns. The left column consisted of three squadrons of Australian Light Horse and three of English Yeomanry who supplied a machine-gun section The ar-

ullery was supplied by the Notts Royal Horse Artillery. The right column, or the main body, had an advance guard from the 15th Sikhs. There could hardly have been a more varied pageant of Empire. The remainder of the main party consisted of a section of the Notts Royal Horse Artillery, the Bucks Hussars, the 2/8 Middlessex • less one company), the 137« h Indian Field Ambulance, an Australian Divisional Train with rations, water and greatcoats

: The force moved out at I first light. The plan was for I the right column to advance ‘ directly on Jebel Medwa and the left to make a wide detour south around the flank of the enemy to deny his retreat to the west. The enemy was soon discovered occupying in strength an escarpment about a mile south of Jebel Medwa, and the Sikhs were ordered to attack his right flank. They came under heavy rifle and ma-chine-gun fire but pressed on in extended order. Next a section of the Notts Horse Artillery galloped into action and commenced shooting from a point 2000 yards east of Medwa. Slippery Enemy The battle may be said to have been joined but he was a slippery enemy and Jaafar Pasha deployed his troops with considerable dexterity. He proved, to everyone’s surprise. to be a first-class soldier. Some parties of the attacking force got into difficulties when they found elements of the Senussi in some of the nullahs in front of Jebel Medwa. The battle became spread and at one point Pasha's men were getting on top. Colonel Gordon, the officer commanding, sent a message for assistance to the Australians in a supply camp at Am Rakhan. Soon a large party of Aussies came roaring along, clad in breeches and shirts with bandoliers and rifles. They fired standing up in their stirrups as if they were at a kangaroo hunt. It is not known what effect they had on the enemy, but some of our fellows told me that they caused some apprehension among our own side.

Meanwhile, the “Dinks” were moving slowly forward, mopping up as they went. They encountered heavy rifle and machine-gun fire at one point and lost six killed and 14 wounded.

It was an indecisive show, for the Senussi faded into the desert and the British cavalry leader thought it would be hazardous to go on. In the past his intelligence had been supplied by the Duke of Westminister's Armoured Cars who did some of the tasks of the Long Range Desert Group in the Second World War.

Fresh Striking Force

There was comparative quiet on the front for some weeks and on Tuesday, January 21. a fresh striking force moved out and this contained new arrivals in the shape of the South African Infantry Brigade. On January 22. the force, led by the Ist ‘‘Dinks’’ reached Ber Shola, 15 miles out, at 6.30 p.m. The force holed up for the night in square formation. The infantry sat on the four sides with the cavalry, ambulance, artillery and transport within the rectangle. At 6 a_m., the force, after a night of rain, moved out on a compass bearing, in the direction, of the enemy's stronghold. There were the usual two columns—Yeomanry, Sikhs, South Africans and New Zealanders in the

first and Australian Light Horse, Royal Bucks Hussars, Dorset and Herts Yeomanry in the second, with two companies of Royal Scots in reserve. At 9 ajn_, the cavalry reported that the enemy had been sighted two miles ahead. The New Zealanders came under fire two hours later and immediately fanned out into artillery formation. As they moved in with Sikhs and South Africans, many of the Kiwis must have been reminded how often they had done this same movement back at Rangiotu. Now it was slightly different to be moving along in open country and being strafed by an invisible enemy.

The infantry was making headway but the mounteds on the left had run into trouble. Jafaar, moving his regulars with exceptional skill, outmanoeuvred the cavalry and these were driven back a 1000 yards, in rear of the Feild Ambulance. To restore the situation, a force under Major Kay from “A" and "D” companies of the “Dinks,” moved out to the attack and were just in time to block a dangerous encircling movement by the enemy. There was a short sharp fight, and the danger was over. Meanwhile, in the centre, the enemy was slowly but surely being pressed back, though his retirement of over three miles was being conducted with great skill so as to avoid all efforts to come to grips with him. Here again, it was the fine hand of Jafaar Pasha. Enemy Routed At about 3.30 p.m., under heavy pressure from our infantry, the enemy began to fall back from his main positions. Soon, his retirement developed into a complete rout. His irregular troops became very irregular indeed, and quietly folded up their tents and faded into the desert to continue their jackal-like existence.

Jafaar was left high and dry and was captured on foot, by the Dorset Yoemanry. This was practically the end qf the Senussi threat. Jafaar was shortly afterwards imprisoned in the Citadel in Cairo. One night he tore, up a blanket and tried to escape. He fell and sprained an ankle. Then someone told him of the Arab revolt—he was a passionate Arab—and he was allowed to go off .to join Lawrence, Faisal and his Arabs to harass the Turks. He is most prominent in “The Revolt in the Desert.” Later he became Foreign Minister in Faisal’s Iraqi Government and there was a nice touch when, on his visit to England, he was dined by the Dorest Yoemanry in their mess. For our part—“B” Company of the 2nd Battallion—we had a nice job in Lines of Communication at Dabaa. This was the railhead from Alex J In November a ship. the| Tara, was torpedoed and hundreds of cases of eggs—l Egyptian eggs—were cast I upon the water. In our leisure I hours we bathed in the sea and boiled eggs on the) beach. This was one of thei pleasant patches, and I never see a hard-boiled egg without conjuring up the glistening, blue buoyant waters of the Mediterranean; and, talking about waters or water, on Christmas Day we ran out of water and when the train which normally brought our supply steamed in, it carried very little water but scores of cases of beer. We thus learned that in some circumstances there is no substitute for water. I heard afterwards that the chap responsible was an Australian. He thought he was doing us proud. •To be concluded).