On that morning of the 11th September a party of fifty men of the Australian Naval Reserve, under the command of Commander J. A. H. Beresford, and accompanied by Lieutenant-Commander Elwell and Lieutenant Bowen, landed at Herbertshohe. There was a small group of Germans gathered on the wharf, and these, being hailed, replied that no opposition would be offered. As soon as the landing party had fallen in on the beach they set out to march through the forest to the wireless station, which was about six miles inland, and luckily, in spite of the Germans' assurance that they would meet with no resistance, Commander Beresford was on the alert against treachery, had thrown out scouts, and was prepared for any surprise attack that might be attempted. There was no sign or sound of an enemy for a while, but when they had gone some two miles into the forest the invaders suddenly realised that they had walked into a trap. A volley fired from the bush and dense tropical undergrowth which shut the road in on either side took them unawares. A German force had entrenched themselves close ahead athwart the road, and a number of blacks, hidden among the trees on both sides, started and kept up a harassing enfilade. But the Australians took the half-expected surprise with the most perfect sangfroid. They energetically returned the enemy's fire with a raking volley or two, then hurled themselves on the trenches, and, after a furious hand-to-hand struggle, carried them at the point of the bayonet. They captured several prisoners, and leaving these in a hut under a small guard the rest of the party pushed on resolutely, taking what cover was possible by the way and maintaining a continuous fight with snipers who kept pace with them, lurking in the depths of the forest. The advance was necessarily slow, for, in addition to the death that momentarily threatened them from among the trees, the road was mined in many places, and nothing but the utmost caution and coolness saved the indomitable little army from annihilation. As it was, they suffered heavy losses.
A SMALL PORTION OF THE ARMY IN EGYPT.
A part of the camp at Menai.
THE AUSTRALIAN TROOPS IN EGYPT.
FROM DIFFERENT POINTS OF THE COMPASS.
A meeting of sons of the Empire. This picture was taken about a mile
from the Pyramids in Egypt. It illustrates how Britannia's sons from
various parts of the Empire have rallied to the Flag. These four men are
in the same Australian regiment, but (left to right) they were born in
Canada, Australia, Scotland, and England respectively.
Within 500 yards of the wireless station they found themselves faced with more entrenchments and came to a halt. A careful reconnaissance was made, and the position discovered to be so powerfully fortified that a dispatch-runner was sent back to ask for reinforcements from the fleet, and as it was by now almost dark Commander Beresford decided to encamp for the night. All night scouts were out keeping a close watch, and the men slept beside their rifles, but nothing happened. Even the snipers remained silent; many had been shot down, and the rest had either used up their ammunition or withdrawn disheartened; and the entrenched Germans lay low, apparently contented to wait till they were attacked.
Before dawn a great cheer rang from the awakening camp as the expected reinforcements, a detachment of Australian sailors, were seen approaching along the forest road. They brought several quickfirers and some 12-pounders with them, but no sooner were the guns in position and a storming party in readiness to advance than the enemy blew up the station and fled. Shots were sent after them, but they escaped into the bush, and the pursuit was not continued, since the object of the Australian expedition had been to destroy the wireless equipment there, and this had been accomplished.
Later in the day, however, the enemy reappeared behind the town and indulged in some casual sniping, but a few well-placed shells from one of the warships in the harbour discouraged them and drove them back into the interior.