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Further to Bruce's recent thread with the link to the LoC photographic collection;
If you look at the top four photographs on this page
http://memory.loc.gov/phpdata/pageturner.p...&item=13709
They tell an interesting story – the aftermath of the fighting at Qatia – as they seem to show the entrance of Colonel Coventry and other British PoWs into Jerusalem
I have found these references on the web
If anyone can add anything then please do so
from:
The Despatch of General Sir Archibald Murray, Commander-in-Chief, Egyptian Expeditionary Force. Printed in the Fourth Supplement to the London Gazette of 25 September 1916. This Despatch covers operations on both Egyptian fronts from January to May 1916.
General Headquarters,
Egyptian Expeditionary Force,
1st June, 1916.
On the 22nd April the Royal Flying Corps reported to No. 3 Section that new bodies of enemy troops were at Bir el Bayud, 15 miles E.S.E. of Qatia, and Bir el Mageibra, 10 miles S.E. of Qatia. Upon receipt of this information, General Wiggin obtained leave from General Officer Commanding No. 3 Section, to attack the enemy at Mageibra that night, reporting that he intended to use two squadrons of Warwickshire, and the one remaining squadron of Worcestershire Yeomanry. General Wiggin, with Lieut.-Colonel Coventry, commanding the Worcestershire Yeomanry, accompanied the raid to Mageibra. Finding very few enemy, they destroyed the camp and returned to Hamisah about 9 a.m. on the 23rd with six Turkish prisoners. In the meantime the post at Oghratina was attacked at 5.30a.m. This attack was repulsed. No further information was received from the Officer Commanding at Oghratina until 7 a.m., when he reported that he was again heavily attacked on all sides. This attack carried the post, all the garrison of which were either killed, wounded, or captured. No details of the fighting have, therefore, been obtainable. Qatia itself was attacked about 9.30 a.m. Lieutenant-Colonel Coventry was detached with one squadron of Worcestershire Yeomanry from General Wiggin's Force to operate towards Qatia. Unfortunately, this squadron became involved in the unsuccessful resistance of the Qatia garrison, and, with the exception of some 60 men and one officer who were able to disengage themselves, fell with it into the hands of the enemy. I have therefore been able to gather no detailed information of the actual fighting at Qatia.
from:
Worcestershire Yeomanry Cavalry (1794-1994)
Taken from 'A Brief History of the Queen's Own Worcestershire Hussars' by Derek Woodward
The Regiment, which was based both at Qatia and Oghratine, extreme outposts of the Canal defences, were responsible for patrolling the whole of the Qatia water area. The prospect was one of soft, deep, shifting sands except for the palm tree groves which surrounded the wells. The desert made life difficult for both horses and men and meant that navigation had to be by compass in the featureless, ever-changing landscape.
The small isolated garrison at Oghratine had been ordered to protect a well-digging party of fifty unmounted engineers. At dawn on 23rd April 1916, 3,000 Turks, including a machine gun battery of 12 guns, attacked. The defending troops repulsed the first attack but were gradually forced back by the weight of the onslaught. The defender's machine gun had been put out of action early in the engagement after all the gunners had been killed or wounded. The defenders formed a circle which became ever smaller as losses mounted. When the commanding officer Sir John Jaffey died, the enemy rushed in and the small number of survivors made prisoner.
The victorious Turkish troops then moved on to reinforce the attack taking place simultaneously against the small garrison at Qatia. Despite a gallant defence and attempts at relief by returning squadrons of patrolling Gloucestershires and Warwickshires, who had heard the gunfire, Qatia fell to the Turks with the loss of all of the Yeomanry's officers except Major W.H. Wiggin who was wounded yet managed to withdraw with about half the squadron; the survivors were made prisoners. Anzac troops, who occupied both Qatia and Oghradine four days later, testified to the ferocity of the battle and paid tribute to the valour and tenacity of the defenders. In these actions 9 officers and 102 NCOs and men of the Worcestershire Yeomanry were killed and many other wounded.
Is this the same Coventry? see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Coventry
Regards
Michael
Remembered Today:
