The Battalion proceeded next morning to Beit Ello by a circuitous route around the many hills in that part of Palestine. A pleasant camping ground was found, and after a night’s rest we proceeded the next morning to Beit Rima, which was near the centre of the British line in Palestine which then extended from Jaffa, on the west, to a point just south of Nablous on the east. Here the proximity of the enemy’s observation posts necessitated us to place our bivouacs under the numerous olive trees on the terraces round the village. For the next week or so the Battalion rested by day and each night large working parties sallied forth north of the village of Beit Rima to dig a system of trenches for the defence of the hill.
Rumours of France commenced to float about, and these rumours soon developed into fact. On the 29th of May, 1918, the Battalion, together with the London Scottish and Queen’s Westminsters of the same Brigade, bade farewell to the 60th Division.
In France, heavy fighting and the stupendous thrust by the Germans in the spring of 1918, necessitated that seasoned troops from the East should proceed to the Western Front. Certain Battalions of the 60th Division were therefore withdrawn from the Palestine Front leaving on an average one white Battalion in each Brigade, and filling up their vacancies with Indian troops.
Leaving Beit Rima the Battalion trekked to the Jaffa area via Ibn Harith, Amwas, near Latrun, to Surafend, near Ludd, which had then become the British railhead for the western flank of the British line in Palestine. The marches were carried out by night as the summer heat became too trying for any movement by day. The nights were warm and glorious, a bright moon shone throughout the march, the roads were in good condition, and every one enjoyed the journey. Only one night was spent at Surafend, and in the afternoon of the 2nd of June the Battalion marched to Ludd Station and travelled throughout the night, reaching Kantara by 5 a.m. on the 3rd. A short march to the rest camp brought the journey to an end, and here we were met by the advance party under Lieutenant Neall, who allotted us to our proper lines in the camp.
At Kantara we were fortunate to be given a part of the Divisional Rest Camp and were not bothered to erect tents as was the lot of other battalions in the Division. The camp kitchens, canteens and mess tents were at our disposal, and this saved a great deal of work and organisation. Immediately on our arrival large parties were granted leave to Cairo and Alexandria, and except for morning parades and ordinary camp duties those who remained took every advantage of the benefits of life in a base camp. The local cinema huts, concert party marquees and canteens were packed each night, and every day bathing parades in the Suez Canal were held. The weather was extremely hot and the bathing parades were a great boon. Preparations were also made for an early departure to France.
On the evening of the 15th of June, 1918, the Battalion paraded and marched to Kantara Station and entrained for Alexandria, which place was reached by 5 a.m. the following morning. The train ran alongside our transport, the Indarra. As soon as the train stopped on the quayside we were busy transferring our stores, and for a couple of hours fatigue parties were constantly up and down the gangways. When this work was completed the Battalion paraded alongside the boat and then marched up the gangway, leaving their pith helmets in heaps on the dock side; it was a pathetic farewell to Egypt, where we had thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
The Indarra remained alongside for the day, but no leave ashore was granted, and the time was spent in allotting boat stations and issuing life-belts. The following morning we moved to the middle of the harbour, and during the day bathing from the side of the boat was permitted, and although a certain amount of flotsam floated around the ship the warm sea water was most delightful. Non-swimmers were advised to put on their life-belts in order to gain confidence in case the journey was ill-fated, and in many cases the men proved to themselves the efficiency of the belts in actual water. Practice alarms for boat stations added to the “pleasure” of the day. About midday the Indarra was joined by four other transports, namely, the Kaiser-i-Hind, Malwa, Caledonia and Canberra. This convoy left the harbour in the evening in single file and was escorted by armed trawlers and some naval vessels; to one of which was attached a captive balloon for purposes of detecting submarines which frequented the area around the entrance to Alexandria Harbour. Several aeroplanes also flew over the convoy, and not until we were some 50 miles out to sea did our aerial escort leave us, when we were handed over to the care of ten Japanese destroyers and then the trawlers from Alexandria returned.
By the time the Alexandrian escort had left us the transports had lined up abreast of each other with a distance of roughly 500 yards between each boat, and this formation was retained throughout the voyage, the ten Japanese destroyers forming advanced, rear, and flank guards.
The journey across the Mediterranean was without incident, and the coast of Italy came into view early on the morning of the 21st of June, and the convoy steamed towards Taranto Harbour. When the boats arrived within the wide bay just outside the entrance to the inner harbour every one was relieved, but excitement was intense when the guns of the escort opened rapid fire on our left. Immediately the Japanese flag was run up the mast of each of the destroyers and frantic signals were sent from the Commander’s boat, which was ahead of the flotilla. Three of the destroyers rushed at full speed to a spot about two miles to the left of the convoy and immediately commenced to drop depth-charges, the explosions of which shook the sides of the Indarra even at that distance. Torpedoes, however, had already been fired by the enemy submarine, which had apparently been lying in wait in the harbour only a couple of miles from an Italian Naval Base. One of these torpedoes came at a terrific speed, leaving a white wake in its trail, and passed in rear of the Malwa on our left, and only missed the bows of our own boat by a few yards. The second torpedo passed about 200 yards ahead of the convoy. The course of the transports was immediately altered and with a zig-zag route the boats hurried to their berths just outside the narrow entrance of the inner harbour; while the Japanese destroyers continued to drop depth-charges around the suspected position of the German submarine. No official result was published, but it was reported in Taranto that the submarine was sunk by the explosion of the depth-charges.
The following day the Indarra moved through the narrow channel into the inner harbour. So narrow is this entrance that the sides of our troopship only missed the high walls on both sides by a matter of five or six yards. In the inner harbour were battleships of all sizes belonging to the Italian Navy, and one marvelled how our allies could allow enemy submarines to lie in wait just outside without any interference, for on our arrival not a sign of an Italian warship was seen in the outer harbour. In the peacefulness of the still waters of the inner harbour, which was several square miles in area, we remained until the early hours of the following morning, and just after dawn the Battalion disembarked by means of lighters which carried us to the temporary pier erected on the shallow beach near the British Base Camp.