The Fifth Battalion Highland Light Infantry in the War 1914-1918

The Fifth Battalion Highland Light Infantry?by F.L. Morrison

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Title: The Fifth Battalion Highland Light Infantry in the War 1914-1918
Author: F.L. Morrison
Release Date: January 2, 2007 [EBook #20250]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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THE FIFTH BATTALION
HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY
IN THE WAR
1914-1918
[Illustration: COLONEL F.L. MORRISON, C.B., D.S.O., V.D.]
The Fifth Battalion
Highland Light Infantry in the War 1914-1918
[Illustration]
Glasgow
Printed for Private Circulation by MacLehose, Jackson and Co.
Publishers to the University
1921
TO THE MEMORY OF THE OFFICERS, WARRANT OFFICERS, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE FIFTH BATTALION HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY WHO FELL IN THE WAR 1914-1918

PREFACE
The 5th Highland Light Infantry was originally known as the 19th Lanark Rifle Volunteers, one of the Volunteer units raised in 1859. In 1880, it became the 5th Lanark Volunteers. The connection with the Highland Light Infantry began in 1887, when it was named the 1st Volunteer Battalion Highland Light Infantry, a detachment of which served in the South African War. On the formation of the Territorial Force in 1909, the present name was adopted. The old history of the unit is contained in the Records of the Scottish Volunteer Force 1859-1908, by the late Lieut.-General J.M. Grierson, C.V.O., C.B., C.M.G.
This book deals with our record of service in the war 1914-1918, and we feel we need only say three things in the Preface:
1. The book is published privately for those who served with us and others interested.
2. It has been written by officers of the Battalion who were with us during the period of which they write.
3. It is written to the memory of our gallant comrades who fell and who themselves did so much to make this History.

CONTENTS
CHAP. PAGE
I. FROM MOBILISATION TO THE EAST 1
II. GALLIPOLI--TO 11TH JULY, 1915 7
III. GALLIPOLI (contd.)--OPERATIONS 12TH-18TH JULY, 1915 19
IV. GALLIPOLI (contd.) 33
V. GALLIPOLI (concluded) 60
VI. MUDROS, CAIRO, SUEZ CANAL AND HILL 70 LINE 73
VII. THE SINAI DESERT, MAHAMDIYA, ROMANI, KATIA 92
VIII. ACROSS THE SINAI DESERT TO EL ARISH 112
IX. EL ARISH AND FIRST BATTLE OF GAZA 130
X. SECOND BATTLE OF GAZA 143
XI. GAZA, 1ST MAY TO 7TH NOVEMBER, 1917 157
XII. ADVANCE BEYOND GAZA. WADI HESI, SAUSAGE RIDGE, ESDUD, KUBEIBEH, NEBI SAMWIL, TAHTA 169
XIII. FROM TAHTA TO THE AUJA 185
XIV. LAST DAYS IN PALESTINE. NORTH OF JAFFA 194
XV. FRANCE 201
APPENDICES
I. LIST OF OFFICERS, SENIOR N.C.O.'S, ETC., WHO EMBARKED IN MAY, 1915 237
II. ROLL OF OFFICERS, WARRANT OFFICERS, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND MEN WHO DIED ON SERVICE 239
III. HONOURS AND AWARDS 243
IV. TURKISH ORDERS FOR ADVANCE ON ROMANI 246
ILLUSTRATIONS
COLONEL F.L. MORRISON, C.B., D.S.O., V.D. Frontispiece.
OFFICERS OF THE BATTALION, JULY 1914 To face p. 4
CAPE HELLES, GALLIPOLI " 8
GULLY RAVINE, CAPE HELLES " 16
SUEZ CANAL AT BALLAH " 80
IN A REDOUBT, MAHAMDIYA " 96
WATER CAMELS, MAHAMDIYA " 104
SHEIKH'S TOMB, KATIA " 108
BIVOUACS, EL RABAH " 112
CAMEL LINES, EL ARISH " 120
BAGGAGE CAMELS ON SHORE NEAR EL ARISH " 128
MOUTH OF WADI EL ARISH " 132
BEDOUIN SHEIKHS, BELAH " 136
BEDOUINS, KHAN YUNIS " 140
TYPICAL SMALL NULLAH NEAR WADI GHUZZEE " 144
NATIVE GIRLS, BELAH " 148
INSIDE YAPTON POST " 160
SHEIKH ABBAS " 164
OBSERVATION POST IN FRONT OF YAPTON POST " 168
SAUSAGE RIDGE, DEIR SINEID " 172
ORANGE SELLERS, MEJDEL " 176
BERFYLIA " 180
JAFFA FROM THE SHORE " 192
IN SARONA " 200
MAPS
GALLIPOLI--BATTLE OF 12TH JULY, 1915 To face p. 54
SKETCH TO ILLUSTRATE POSITION ON NIGHT OF 19-20TH DECEMBER, 1915 " 64
AREA OF OPERATIONS 7-8TH NOVEMBER, 1917 " 174
SKETCH SHOWING ROUTE TAKEN BY THE BATTALION BETWEEN GAZA AND JAFFA, NOVEMBER-DECEMBER, 1917 " 184
AREA OF OPERATIONS 24-27TH AUGUST, 1918 " 216
MOEUVRES, SEPTEMBER, 1918 " 224
GALLIPOLI AND THE DARDANELLES, BIRD'S-EYE VIEW } } NORTHERN PORTION OF SINAI PENINSULA } In pocket at end } of book. GAZA }
CHAPTER I
FROM MOBILISATION TO THE EAST.
The period from the date of mobilisation to the date on which we began our active service experiences we propose to pass over quickly, as the events which happened then seem now of small interest to those coming later.
With orders prepared carefully in peace time, mobilisation went smoothly. The Normal School, Glasgow, became a barracks and a place for the busy public of the New City Road to gaze at with interest.
Within a week our Brigade found itself at Dunfermline, and a few days later we were at Leven, with two companies on duty at the docks at Methil. The Leven companies did uninterrupted training, the Methil companies uninterrupted