IMPERIAL CAMEL CORPS.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 November 1918, Page 3

IMPERIAL CAMEL CORPS.

). (The Kia-Ora Coo-ee, Palestine.) h s Camels have always played an important part in the invasions of Egypt and Palestine. In the shadowy past, Shishak advanced into the land with an immense army, which included many swift riding camels. Pharoah Necho, ] King of, Egypt, gave much of the credit for his victory against the Assyrians to his camel-mounted troops. At El Auja, near Beersheba, there are drawings of camels

on the walls .of an old Roman fort ’ ress, so it is quite probable that tin , legions of Alexander used drome . daries for fighting purposes. Dur i ing his campaign in Egypt in 1801 Nanoleon used thousands of camels and* a British Camel corps performed valuable work in the advance towards KJiartoum to relieve General Gordon. - " Towards the end of 1915, a Camel Corps was formed from the first two divisions of Australian Infantry. Major C. L. Smith V.C., M.C. (now Brigadier-General Smith), took command, and- Captain ). Barb'er, 0.N., was appointed Adjutant. Later,'.lmperial and New Zealand troops were added to this unit, and it was renamed the Imperial Camel Corps. The Australian Camel Field Ambulance was formed up in Victoria, A.A.M.C. men from several states being included. It joined the I.C.C. at Sheikh Nuran in 1917, and has been in stunts from Beersheba to the Jordan. Just about the time that the British were clearing the north-western frontier of Egypt of the hordes of Senussi, the Imperial Camel Corps appeared on the scene and took a minor part in the fight at Solium, on March 12th, 1916. After the departure of the South African infantry, the Camel Corps took charge of that vast area of territory, stretching from El Debba to the Tripoli border, and also patrolled the desert wastes between the coast and Siwa. ’ It was mainly owing to their careful 1 patrol work, assisted by the Duke , of Westminster’s armoured cars, j that the 'Senussi were unable to ■ make auother attack upon the northern coast ot Egypt. j The pen cannot describe the 1 hardships endured by Cameliers in , the Libyan Desert. For days to- j gether they rode over that weird waste of sand, often through blind- j ing dust-storms They patrolled j under a scorching sun and often ; suffered the agonies of thirst; but the men took what came along, 1 good or bad, with stoical indiffer- j etice. While a portion of the unit | watched every movement of the j Senussi, another section engaged 1 the Turks near Romani. Prior to this engagement, the Turkish camel ; patrols used to ride close to our . outposts, and, although often pur- ' sued by our horsemen, always man- ; iged to retire to their base, owing , :o the swiftness of their animals. Upon the appearance of the I.C.C. , :hey soon discovered that our camels . covered the ground as speedily as :heir own animals; and when several )f their patrols had been captured, Ley decided that it was a force to oe respected. It was not until preparations were oeing made for the advance on El A.rish that the Camel Corps showed :hat it was going to take a leading pait in the fighting ahead. Day after clay these Cameliers pushed forward over the ancient caravan route leading to Bir-el-Mazar. 1 Arriving at this deserted Turkish base, they rested for a time, and then pushed on again until they lame within a few miles ot the Turkish position. Here they carried out much valuable patrolling work ufltil the main body of troops arrived. j Camel patrol work is often very wearisome as the animals travel very slowly. They keep up their two and three-quarter miles an hour . pace with monotonous regularity. 1 The Camel Corps came “ into its own ” at Maglidaba and Rafa. It will be a long time before eye-wit- . nesses forget that long line of dis- ' mounted Cameliers that charged towards the Turkish trenches at Rafa, laughing, smoking and jesting. It was one of the most picturesque incidents of our Desert campaign. | When the Cameliers came under the fire of the enemy gunners at Rafa, they expected their animals to career wildly over the wheat-sown land, but strange to say, the camels never moved an eyelid although a hail of shrapnel burst over them, i The charge of the Camel Corps at Gaza on April 19th, 1917, against 1 superior numbers, will live in history. During the “ big push ” from Beerslieba the Camel Corps played an important part and upheld the reputation it made in Sinai dajas. The camel is Nature’s gift to Desert folk, and doubtless it will always be used in Desert warfare ; because it cau live without a drink for a longer period than any other animal, and carries a week’s supply of water and food for its rider, as well as its own food. For transport work camels are invaluable ; despite their slender legs they carry great burdens with ease. For a military dromedary, the average load is 350 lbs ; transport camels, of course, carry much greater weights. Natives don’t spare their beasts of burden, and loads ot up to geo lbs are heaped on camels in the cotton plantations of Egypt. . From a near view there is nothing beautiful about them; but few Eastern scenes are more wonderful than a string ifcamels in the Desert, etched dust a.sunset sky.