annoying the next morning, two men being killed and four wounded in
their shelters during stand-to. At dawn officers were sent out to locate
the 7th and Argylls. The latter were found among the wadis of Blazed
Hill--but the former, after a gallant attempt to rush Outpost Hill, had
dug themselves in less than 200 yards from the Turks with a burnt-out
tank on their left and were completely cut off by five hundred yards of
open country which no one could cross owing to the Turkish fire. On the
right the 156th Brigade, whose advance was dependent on the success of
the Outpost Hill attack, had lain out all day under shell-fire unable to
move, and, though lighter than those of the 155th, their casualties were
also heavy. The 54th Division on the right again, and the 53rd among the
sand dunes, had for the most part had their attacks shattered by
machine-gun fire, though the 53rd were in possession of Samson's Ridge,
while the Imperial Mounted Division and the Desert Column, fighting in a
line half-way to Beersheba, had failed to produce anything like a break
through. The Turk forewarned and but little troubled by our artillery
fire, which was on quite a different scale to what we gave him the
following November, held his positions with the tenacity which had long
ago made his reputation as a defensive soldier.

Meanwhile at G.H.Q. the momentous decision was being taken, on the
recommendation of General Dobell and the Divisional commanders, not to
attack again on the 20th, but to consolidate the ground won, and to
start trench warfare. Had the decision been different few indeed of us
would have seen the evening--but as it was the Battalion got out of the
second battle very lightly, our total casualties on April 17th being
eight other ranks killed and one officer and thirty-two other ranks
wounded, while at the end of the month they had only increased to ten
killed and three officers and fifty-nine other ranks wounded. We were
thus very much more fortunate than the 7th, but the cases were to be
reversed in our next engagement. The force had suffered about 7000
casualties by the 20th and three tanks were knocked out and derelict,
while the effects of our gas-shell were certainly not very apparent. We
had, in fact, underrated the Turkish resistance, a mistake not uncommon
during the war, and had to resign ourselves to a summer of trench
warfare with the best grace we could muster.

CHAPTER XI

GAZA. 1ST MAY TO 7TH NOVEMBE