mel Corps and the
Light Horse made a magnificent attempt to break through between Atawina and
Ali Muntar. This was the hottest period of the day; the Turks turned on
every gun they could bring into action. As all their "heavies" were mounted
on rails they could be swung from one end of the front to the other with
the utmost ease. I cannot speak with knowledge of what happened to the
Camel Corps, but the Light Horse had a terrible time. Both units had been
successful in capturing a line of trenches, which were at once shelled out
of existence by the Turkish fire. The casualties here were very heavy. In
support of our brigade we galloped about a mile over very broken and
dangerous country and eventually came into action astride a road, with a
small crest in front and a larger one in rear of our positions.

Turkish aircraft spotted us at once and dropped smoke-bombs. Again we were
lucky, for the heavy shells which came over a few seconds later burst
behind us on the large hill. Unfortunately another battery coming up to
assist caught most of these shells and had a very bad time. One gun was
dismantled by a direct hit and all its crew wounded, but the remainder
fought their guns with magnificent coolness. Word came that our brigade and
the Camel Corps were being beaten back by the Turks, now advancing steadily
and in great force, and a third battery dashed up on our right to help
repel them. For five hours the three batteries were firing as fast as the
guns could be loaded. The crash of the Turkish shells bursting over our
positions, the roar of the explosions as our guns were fired, and the
rattle of machine-guns on our left combined to make an appalling din.

For a long time the ranges continued to decrease as the Turks pressed
slowly forward, and casualties from the brigade streamed past in increasing
numbers, some on stretchers, some walking, and one carried pick-a-back by a
huge Australian, towards the field-ambulance away to the rear. Three enemy
aeroplanes came over to make things unpleasant, but their aim was bad. One
bomb dropped dangerously near the horses, who were standing the racket
exceedingly well, and that did little damage. These machines did, however,
harass a line of ammunition waggons, which were proceeding to a dump about
a mile away, coming down low and turning on their machine-guns in the hope
of killing the horses. There are few things more unpleasant than being
fired at from an aeroplane: you feel so