THE DESERT MOUNTED CORPS
Lieutenant-General Sir H.G. Chauvel, K.C.B.,K.C.M.G.
Commanding the Desert Mounted Corps.
THE
DESERT MOUNTED CORPS
AN ACCOUNT OF THE CAVALRY OPERATIONS
IN PALESTINE AND SYRIA
1917-1918
BY
LIEUT.-COLONEL
THE HON. R.M.P. PRESTON, D.S.O.
With an Introduction by
LIEUT.-GENERAL
SIR H.G. CHAUVEL, K.C.B., K.C.M.G.
BOSTON AND NEW YORK
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
1921
Printed in Great Britain
TO
B
DEAR LOYAL FRIEND AND PERFECT COMRADE
WITHOUT WHOSE ENCOURAGEMENT AND HELP
THIS BOOK WOULD NEVER HAVE
BEEN WRITTEN
INTRODUCTION
It gives me great pleasure to write a few words of introduction toLieut.-Col. Preston's History of the Desert Mounted Corps, whichI had the honour to command. In writing this History Lieut.-Col.Preston has done a service to his country which I am sure will befully appreciated, particularly, perhaps, by those who served in theCorps, and who feel that the part they played in the Great War is butlittle known to the general public. As a work on Cavalry Tactics, Itrust it will be of some value to the student of Military History,and, if it does nothing else, it must demonstrate to the world thatthe horse-soldier is just as valuable in modern warfare as he ever hasbeen in the past. Indeed, the whole of the operations in Palestineand Syria, under General Allenby, were text-book illustrations of theperfect combination of all arms, both in attack and defence, and thelast operations in this theatre, which led to the total destruction ofthe Turkish Arms and the elimination of Germany's Allies from the War,could not have been undertaken without large masses of Cavalry.
Lieut.-Col. Preston is well qualified to undertake the work. First ofall in command of one of my finest Horse Batteries, and subsequentlyas C.R.A. of the Australian Mounted Division, he was often in touchwith my Staff, being constantly employed on reconnaissance duties, inwhich he was peculiarly[Pg viii] expert. He served throughout the whole of theoperations of which he writes, and had considerable previous experiencein the Sinai Campaign, in which the Horse Artillery of the DesertColumn played so conspicuous a part.
This History commences with the reorganisation of the British Troopsin the Egyptian theatre of the War, on Sir Edmund Allenby takingover command in June 1917. The troops operating East of the SuezCanal had hitherto been known as the 'Eastern Force,' which had beensuccessively commanded by Sir Herbert Lawrence, Sir Charles Dobell andSir Philip Chetwode, who were again directly under the orders of theCommander-in-Chief in Cairo.
The advanced troops of 'Eastern Force,' viz., all the availableCavalry, Horse Artillery and Camel Corps, with from one to twoDivisions of Infantry, had been organised into what was called 'TheDesert Column.' Sir Edmund Allenby decided to take command of thetroops in the Eastern Field himself. The available Infantry was form