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[Page 78]
During the night the tents were struck in order to send them back in the lorries of the Squadron, which were expected to arrive shortly. Machine guns were mounted on the Aerodrome, and during the night manned by Officers and men. The lorries did not arrive; they had, unfortunately, as was heard later, been stopped and sent to TINE, as it was thought ARAK EL MANCHIJE had been occupied by the enemy.
At 0600 came the report that the Commander of the 26th Corps, a Turkish Lieut. Colonel, had halted in the Station of ARAK EL MACHEIJE, and was directing the retreat from there. The Squadron Commander learned from him that the Station was ready to be blown up and a speedy retreat must be reckoned with; the hills of ARAK EL MACHIJE were occupied by 2 companies; Hostile Cavalry was reported 3-4 Km. S.W of the place. To the question 'how much time the Squadron had to move in' the reply was 'the enemy is expected in at least an hour.' The Squadron Commander had everything left set on fire at 0700 (which could not be taken away in the expected lorries.) At 0800, the Station was blown up and the line wrecked; the Turkish Commander informed us it was now time to retreat, and as there was no sign of this expected transport all material still on the Aerodrome was set fire to. The men had collected several horses and bullock carts, on which the most necessary kit was put and marched to EL TINE on foot under Lieut. BERTHOLD and 2/lt SARADETH. The serviceable machines, 5C and 1D, were flown back to EL TINE between 0500 and 0700.
An Air Mechanic got into a machine, without orders, started and made a good landing at RAMLEH, He had never been a Military Airman, but years ago, had been trained as an Airman in France.
The Squadron Commander left last at 0900, and landed at EL TINE, stopped the transport column of the Squadron, and drove with 3 wagons to SOMEIL to pick up the Officers and men on the march and drive back to the Assembly place WADI SARAR.
Near SOMEIL they were picked up and the journey to WADI SARAR was continued.
About 1630, as the men had had nothing to drink all day, a halt was made near a watering place, S. of EL TINE, near where, on a hill, the 8th Army H.Q. was situated.
During the halt, suddenly, there ensued a flight, all the Turkish men in the direction of EL TINE, for which hardly any reason could be seen; to the question of the Squadron Commander to Turkish Officers galloping past, most no reply was given; only one Officer shouted 'nous ne sarons pas'. On receiving this enlightening answer on the situation, the Squadron continued getting water, until suddenly some shells, coming from the direction of EL TINE, whistled close over the wagons and burst 100 metres behind; the men were sent under cover, and the Officers ran on to the hill on which the 8th Army H.Q. was stopping.
On the Squadron Commander reporting the arrival of the Squadron from ARAK EL MANCHIJE, the further journey was forbidden, as it was feared that the dust clouds of the driving lorries would increase the panic, and in consequence lorries would probably come under fire again. Only towards 1730 did things quieten down a bit; the lorries drove on towards TINE: on the way these overturned lorries, lost things bore witness of the panic that ensued.
The Squadron Commander enquired in TINE from the Officers of the Squadron, whether all machines, as ordered, had been flown over to the new Aerodrome at WILHELMA, and whether the machines of the Squadron still there had been damaged by the bombing in the afternoon. These Gentlemen explained that the one-seaters were undamaged, but that on the other hand C. machines had been damaged; if the machines were not taken away as soon as possible, they would have to be burnt. The Squadron Commander sought not to do this, because they would be taken away the next morning.
Between 2000 and 2100, the column of 4 lorries and 1 car drove to WADI SARAR. At a Railway Crossing just N.E. of TINE, a halt had