Haifa is not the only 1918 battle which is still remembered in India today

Quote:
Monday, September 24, 2007, Chandigarh, India
Jordan Valley Day celebrated
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 23, 2007
The Deccan Horse, one of the oldest cavalry regiment of the Army, celebrated the 89th anniversary of the Jordan Valley Day to commemorate its spectacular victory against Turkish troops in the Middle East, somewhere in the western sector today.
It was on this day during World War-I at Khan-e-Sumeriyah in the Jordan Valley (Palestine) that a troop of Deccan cavaliers led by Risaldar Badlu Singh charged a vastly superior enemy. The Risaldar, though mortally wounded, pressed ahead with the attack and routed the enemy. He was decorated posthumously with the Victoria for his courage in battle.
To mark the occasion, a wreath laying ceremony was held to pay homage to the martyrs, which was followed by a special sainik sammelan. A cultural programme by soldiers and their families and a traditional barakhana were also organised.
The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command, Lt Gen Aditya Singh, who is also the Colonel of the Deccan Horse was present at the event.
The Deccan Horse was raised in 1790 by the Nizam of Hyderabad as an Irregular Cavalry. In its 217 years of existence, the Regiment has won over 300 gallantry awards, of which 34 are post-Independence. It has participated with distinction in the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars.
[See http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070924/cth1.htm]



The Jordan Valley, 23rd September 1918

From General E. H. H. Allenby's Despatch of 31st October 1918;
Item 18: "……….Numerous bodies of Turks surrendered to the 4th Cavalry Division. One column attempted to escape across the Jordan at Makhadet abu Naj, five miles south-east of Beisan, but was intercepted by the 11th Cavalry Brigade. Part of the column had already crossed to the east bank. It was charged by the 36th (Jacob's) Horse, and broken up, few escaping. On the west bank the remainder of the column was charged by the 29th Lancers and Middlesex Yeomanry, who killed many and captured the remainder, together with twenty-five machine guns."



At 0600 hrs the 11th Cavalry Brigade of the 4th Cavalry Division moved south along both banks of the River Jordan to cut off the retreat eastwards of the Turkish VIIth Army. The Turks were attempting to escape across the Jordan at Makhadet Abu Naj, five or six miles south-east of Beisan, and indeed some of this column had already crossed over.

Patrols of the 29th Lancers and the Middlesex Yeomanry were fired upon at 0830 hrs by a Turkish force covering the ford. This force, comprised several machine guns and about 200 infantry, and caused fearful casualties before being overcome. In this action Badlu Singh, Ressaidar, of the 14th (Murray's Jat) Lancers attached 29th Lancers, won the last VC of the Palestine campaign and the last awarded to a member of the Indian Army during World War I.



Ressaidar Badlu Singh was killed whilst winning the VC; he is remembered on the Heliopolis (Port Tewfik) Memorial. Details of his action were given in the Second Supplement to the London Gazette, dated 26th Nov., 1918 and in the Gazette of India No.263, dated 31st January 1919:-
"For the most conspicuous bravery and self-sacrifice on the morning of the 23rd Sept., 1918, when his squadron charged a strong enemy position on the West bank of the Jordan between the river and Khan-es-Sumariveh Village. On nearing the position Ressaidar Badlu Singh realised that the squadron was suffering casualties from a small hill (Khanes Hill) on the left front occupied by machine guns and 200 infantry. Without the slightest hesitation he collected six other ranks and with the greatest dash and utter disregard of danger charged and captured the position, thereby saving very heavy casualties to the squadron. He was mortally wounded on the very top of the hill when capturing one of the machine guns single-handed, but the machine guns and infantry had surrendered before he died. His valour and initiative were of the highest order."

According to the custom of his faith, Badlu Singh was cremated where he fell.

Meanwhile on the east bank of the Jordan, the 36th Jacob's Horse was also making contact with the retreating column of Turks and Germans. Captain Braithwaite, with one saber troop and one Hotchkiss troop, was sent off to get a footing in the hilly ground just half a mile from the river, in order to enfilade the hostile line. They went too far however, and were almost surrounded by Germans. Only four or five of his men made it back to their comrades that afternoon and Maunsell gives their casualties as

Killed
1 British Officer (Braithwaite)
2 Indian Officers (Jemadar Atta Ullah and Jemadar Sultan Ahmed)
6 Indian Other Ranks
Wounded
6 Indian Other Ranks
Missing
15 Indian Other Ranks

Maunsell adds the comment that, at this time, these losses represented two complete troops.

The Hampshire Battery (20th Brigade RHA) was then called up from Beisan and went into action in the open 100 yards south-west of Tell Abu Naj, establishing observation from a hillock which also contained HQ, 29th Lancers. Fire was at once opened on machine-guns concealed in rough ground on the opposite bank, which were holding up the squadrons at the fords. The enemy returned accurate fire on the battery from eight well concealed guns. Shells burst all around and between the guns and in this exchange the Hampshires had every one of their guns hit. A squadron of Middlesex Yeomanry crossed over the Jordan at Makhadet Fatahallah ford, charged the Turkish guns and with this the 36th Jacob's Horse were able to break up the escaping column. About 25 machine guns and over 3,000 prisoners were captured. Large amounts of stores were abandoned by the Turks, who also suffered heavy casualties.

The body of Lieutenant (acting Captain) Philip Pipon Braithwaite, Indian Army Reserve of Officers, attached 36th Jacob's Horse, was brought to Haifa War Cemetery for burial.

from the CWGC
Name: BRAITHWAITE, PHILIP PIPON
Initials: P P
Nationality: Indian
Rank: Captain
Regiment/Service: Indian Army Reserve of Officers
Secondary Regiment: 36th Jacob's Horse
Secondary Unit Text: attd.
Age: 38
Date of Death: 23/09/1918
Awards: Mentioned in Despatches
Additional information: Son of Canon Philip Richard Pipon Braithwaite and his wife Jessie Beatrice Mackenzie Douglas, of The Close, Winchester.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: A. 37.
Cemetery: HAIFA WAR CEMETERY

He was the son of the Rev. Canon Philip Richard Pipon Braithwaite and his late wife Jessie Beatrice Mackenzie Douglas, of 9, The Close, Winchester. As a youngster Philip Braithwaite was educated at Felsted School from May 1893 to July 1899. He excelled at sports, being Captain of Cricket (1896-99) Captain of the football XI (1898) and Captain of Gym, as well enjoying success at boxing. He attended Gaius College, Cambridge from 1899 to 1902, gaining a BA. Before the war he had been employed by the Indian Government Educational Service. He was gazetted a Second Lieutenant, Cavalry Branch, on 11th December 1914. He joined his regiment on the Western Front on 23rd October 1915 and was made a Lieutenant on 13th November 1915. At the end of September 1917 Lt. Braithwaite was wounded while on a patrol action.

Philip was also the nephew of General Sir Walter Pipon Braithwaite, G.C.B., A.D.C., and the cousin of Lieutenant Valentine Ashworth Braithwaite MC who was kia, 1st July 1916. Under the auspices of the Western Front Association, Diana Kirkby and David Fox have published a very interesting paper concerning Val Braithwaite and his father's memorials to him. In that article mention is also made of Canon Braithwaite's memorial to his son Philip, which can be found in Winchester Cathedral.

Like his brother, "Canon Braithwaite knew the pain of losing a son, a particularly precious son after whose birth his beloved wife Jessie had died of puerperal fever …………………………………………….. In the reformation, virtually every statue in the Cathedral was destroyed. Bishop Fox's Chantry Chapel had many niches, each of which were almost certainly filled with small statues. Canon Braithwaite was involved in the plans to fill the empty niches with new statues. The statue of Saint George was donated by Canon Braithwaite, with the head modelled on a portrait of his son. Captain Philip Pipon Braithwaite of the 36th Jacob's Horse, was killed on 23rd September 1918 during the Battle of Palestine" It was particularly appropriate as St. George is the patron saint of cavalry.



This photograph is the copyright of Diana Kirkby and David Fox, whose excellent article should be read in full; please see http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/the...braithwaite.htm

You may also wish to compare the statue with this photograph of
Capt. P. P Braithwaite





details are from
'Prince of Wales's Own, The Scinde Horse' by Colonel E. B. Maunsell
'The Advance of the Egyptian Expeditionery Force – July 1917 to October 1918 – Compiled from Official Sources' Second Edition, HMSO 1919
Plus various forum Pals; my thanks in particular are due to Dick, Dominic, Stephen
and indeed, to everyone else who allowed their brains to be picked on this

About 10 years ago I was in correspondence with the Archivist at Gonville & Caius College on the subject of P P Braithwaite, and she kindly sent me copies of extracts from The Caian, filling in some detail of PPB.

He was an Exhibitioner from Felsted (I think that's a scholarship).

Unusually, he gained his Varsity Blue for Association Football in his first year, and played for each year he was at the University. He was described in The Caian as "Left Half. A most uesful half, very quick on the ball; tackles well but should learn to keep his place". By his last year, he was "Head and shoulders above the rest of the team", and in the 1902-03 year he appeared in an illustration in the Sporting and Dramatic paper. The drawing was entitled "Braithwaite again", and shoed PPB charging through the Oxford defence!

In the 1901-02 season, Caius won the Inter-Collegiate Cup for the first time, mostly due to PPB ... "Any amount of pluck".

He was also a mainstay of the college hockey team, played a bit for the Cricket XI ("A very fair bat. Should learn not to scrape forward on a slow wicket. Fair bowler. Very good field"), but cricket appears to have died off in his later career at the University.

As a Freshman, he sang at a Freshmens' Concert (a piece by Kipling), and he became President of the Musical Society in 1902-03, playing as part of a String Quartet.

Finally, he was also a prominent member of the Debating Society, proposing on 29th October, 1902, that "Novel reading is not injurious at the present day". Despite a spirited speech ("From his copious quotations and references the opener appeared to have read a vast quantity of novels"), the motion was lost by 30 to 20.

And in case we wondered what he was actually there for, he took a BA in the History Tripos in 1902!

Some years ago (well, ten, to be exact) I looked at the War Diary report of his death. Stupidly, I have mislaid the notes, but from memory I think it was felt that he was a little rash in leading the charge he did. I will have to revisit Kew to check, so I'll get back to you on that.

What a man, though. Typical example of that breed of late-Victorian/Edwardian public schoolboys who, whatever we might think of them, put service very much before self.