[Page 32]
May 2.
Information was received from the Commanding Officer, 10th Light Horse Regt., that the Turks were attacking his line and reinforcements consisting of one sub-section of machine guns and one squadron of the 8th Regt. were sent to assist him, also one troop of the 10th Regt. The C.O. of the 10th Regiment had placed a post of about a troop a mile down from the crest line. The Turks, before dawn, attacked this post and outflanked it on both sides. The O.C. of the post accordingly withdrew to the main position on the crest line.
Later on in the morning of the 2nd May, instructions were received from Division that I was to send a Regiment and 4 machine guns to co-operate with the 2nd Brigade against the expected attack from the direction of Amman. I accordingly despatched Major Shannon, D.S.O., with two squadrons of the 8th Regiment, four machine guns and two guns of Hong Kong and Singapore Battery, and instructed him to collect the squadron of the 10th Regiment, Major Hamlin and his four machine guns on the Amman road on arrival. Major Shannon found that Major Hamlin's squadron and 4 guns, 3rd A.M.Gs. had been in action with the enemy all the morning, holding up the enemy's patrols and advance parties. Major Hamlin's position was in some low foothills, 1,000 yards in front of the main ridge running north and south, half a mile east of the first part of the Amman road which runs north. Major Shannon instructed him to retire to the main position occupied by the 8th Regiment. This he did without any casualties.
During the afternoon of the 2nd May the enemy were seen to be thickening up their part of their line in front of the 10th Regiment's position across the Jisr Ed Damieh track. At 1530 they commenced to shell and kept up a continuous fire while their infantry worked up the hills, by dusk their advanced troops were within 100 yards of our line, and they were still climbing the steep terraced slopes. The 10th Regt. on their part had not been idle, sagars of stone, machine gun and hotchkiss gun positions were constructed, ammunition, bombs and flares brought up. As Light Horse Rgts. only carry a few hand grenades, (Mills), a plentiful supply of German stick bombs captured at Es Salt were brought up on pack horses and all ranks rapidly made acquainted with their use.
At 2000 the enemy launched an attack against the line held by the 10th Regiment across the Jisr Ed Damieh track. The enemy got within 20 yards on the right and about 200 yards on the left centre, when he was driven back by rifle and Hotchkiss fire. At 2030 he attacked again, but was again repulsed. Except for desultory rifle fire all was quiet until 0200, when he launched a most determined attack, getting to within 100 yards on the left and centre, and 15 yards on the right. This attack was stopped by fire, but the enemy held his position under the rocky ledges and terraces with which the country abounds. At 0400 he again attacked. The right flank of the 10th Regiment was reinforced with a troop and the enemy was driven back with great loss. Our men followed him down with bombs and stones.
About 150 dead were counted in front of the position and there were probably a good number further down the hill. A few prisoners were also taken. The enemy retired to a position about 1,000 yards west of our line, where they remained during the 3rd and 4th May. These last named operations and those hereafter mentioned against the 9th Light Horse Regiment at Kefr Huda, to the right, are those, no doubt, referred to by Djemal Pasha in his reports to his Commander-in-Chief where, in para. 3, he states that "the Turkish 66th Infantry Regiment had come to a complete standstill at noon on the 3rd May, and encountered energetic resistance"; also in Von Papen's report, where he says (para. 1), that, "These heights are covered with the dead of the 66th infantry regiment."
That afternoon Division re-allotted the outpost lines, the 2nd Brigade was to take the line from El Awab, north to the Amman road inclusive. The 3rd Brigade from that point through Kefr Huda south-west and southerly to the junction with the first Brigade about H34. The 3rd Brigade was to detach to the second Brigade two squadron and 4 machine guns. Major Hamlin, with his squadron of the 10th Regiment was to return to the Brigade reserve. That evening prisoners were taken in the neighbourhood of the 8th Regiment's left flank, near the Amman road, who stated that the