THE BATTLE WITH THE KURDISH BANDITS

The 12th January 1919 was our last scrap. We claimed that we fired the last shot in connection with the Great War. This is how it happened. The Town of Ain Tab where we were stationed was an inland town in the mountains. Although well inside the Turkish line at the signing of the Armistice, the town now had both British and Turkish Commandant residing there. Any person who had a grievance or a complaint to make went to both and if he was up to the usual standard of eastern artfulness he would try and work one against the other. Well to get on with the story, a party of Armenians looking very sorrowful and woebegone on the day in question, arrived at the house of the Turkish Commandant and explained to him with tears in their eyes that they had been waylaid and stripped of their clothes and robbed of all their possessions by brigands on the main road between Killis and Ain Tab. The Turkish official said that he was very sorry to hear the sad news, but explained that the matter had nothing to do with him and they had better run across and tell the British Commandant. Perhaps he might be able to get their clothes and possessions back again for them.

They took his advice and went across to Major Mills, the British official, who questioned them and managed to get the story out of them and the position of their caravan when robbed. He then sent across for the Officer in Charge of the Light Car Patrol who immediately got a couple of his cars ready with instructions to chase the brigands. We were told these gentlemen were about four miles down the main road so we took one of the Armenians who could speak some English, as a guide to the position and although expecting the usual wild goose chase, we set off at full speed in the direction of the trouble, everyone being very sarcastic on the subject of bandits in general, but sure enough, when we had gone about four miles down the road we saw a long camel caravan halted in the middle of the road and a squad of armed horsemen holding them up with rifles in the true highway fashion. Joy beat in the hearts of the motor patrol. At last, they were going to get even with somebody for all the miserable expeditions at midnight in the cold and wet that they had endured for the last few weeks.

No questions were asked by either side. The bandits knew they had been caught red-handed and could expect no quarter. They all started firing wildly with their rifles and revolvers from horseback as they galloped down the road, which had stonewalls along each side at this particular spot. The horses apparently were not much in the steeple chasing line so their riders rode straight on hoping to get gaps in the walls. The two cars tore on (on either side of the caravan) holding their fire until up to the horses then they let go at the riders who fired from the hips as they ran along side by side. However, owing to the speed and the bumping of the cars and the elusiveness of the target the shooting on both sides was very bad. The writer, who at one time rather fancied himself as a bit if a revolver shot, still remembers his disgust at emptying every shot in his Webley at point blank range at a Kurdish horseman without the slightest effect. We then concentrated on the horses which were much more difficult to miss with the result that the animals were soon all on the ground except one which galloped away without the rider who was wounded. The rider however, jumped over the wall and began shooting from behind cover at us so we divided, (each car’s crew going to opposite ends of the wall) and we opened up on them from both flanks with rifles and Lewis guns. This soon fetched them up and they tried to bolt away through some ploughed ground. However, our shooting was better now and we picked them off as they ran up the hill. We accounted for the whole band who were all either killed or wounded. We found that some of them had three or four bullets through before they dropped. While this little running fight was taking place, the men on the caravan who had been held up were yelling with glee and excitement and when they saw their late aggressors lying on the ground they rushed up to our chaps and began patting them on the back while the Armenian who came with us was apparently a hero for all time among his compatriots. By the time the shooting was over and we had collected the spoils to return to the people who had lost it, and had picked up one of the brigands who was only half dead to take back to town, it was getting dark. So we thought it was time to get back to make our report. We turned for home again and the caravan followed along after us.

Before we reached Ain Tab however, we were met by a large crowd of the townspeople coming down the road to meet us. They had heard all the shooting down the road and this noise had been increased by the echoes in the mountains as each shot was repeated backwards and forwards from hill to hill until it must have sounded like a general engagement to the people in the town. We felt quite elated on reaching the town to be told that the tribe we had exterminated had been preying on travellers for years and they had been a thorn in the side of the Turks right through the war even interfering with their army transport.

Hitherto, all attempts to trace or run them down had been ineffective with the result that they had got bold enough to attack quite large convoys. We handed over the wounded man to the Turkish Authorities and we heard afterwards that they had their own methods of dealing with him. They put their ‘third degree’ across him and got information as to the village he came from and where they kept their loot etc. Anyhow, we believe the man died a day or so afterwards.

After this little episode the Australians were looked upon as quite a lot of little tin gods by the Turks and local inhabitants. The Turkish Commandant wished to have the members of the Patrol decorated with a Turkish medal of some description, but of course it was not allowed for British to accept decorations from an enemy country. However, he insisted on the writer accepting as a souvenir a decoration of his own, which he had received from his own Government.

After tea that evening, the sentry in from of No. 1 Light Car Patrol’s quarters was surprised to see a large deputation arrive headed by the interpreter or the ‘Interrupter’ as he was known by the troops. He explained to the sentry that the deputation consisted of the principal Armenians of the town and the head man or patriarch who had come down to express their thanks to the men who has delivered their countrymen from the brigands. He also explained that it was the custom there to express their gratitude by their head man kissing the victim on the forehead. At this there was much amusement among the rest of the troops who were lining up to see what the excitement was all about.

The Commandant was appealed to, but he only grinned and said that the ordeal must be gone through otherwise the town would be offended for evermore. One man suggested that he would go through with it if they sent their daughters up instead, but apparently that was not allowed. Finally the five victims were lined up by their mates, while the patriarch solemnly carried out his duty to the accompaniment of yells of laughter from the onlookers. After it was over it was discovered that one of the men had bribed a substitute to take his place by offering him his week’s issue of rum. The Ain Tab scrap was the last shooting the Patrol did although shortly afterwards a detachment was sent up into the mountains to augment No. 7 Patrol (The Scottie) who were at Marash as it was rumoured that the inhabitants in that district were talking of rising up and driving the small British garrisons back into the sea. However, the threat was never put into execution. About this time also, we sent another detachment across to the Euphrates to join up with a party from Mespot, who had come across from Bagdad thus joining up the British forces in Palestine and Mesopotamia.

On the 1st March we received orders to return to Aleppo and we were relieved by No. 3 Patrol. We did not take long to do the 100 miles back although it had been snowing a couple of days previously. Two days afterwards great was the joy throughout the unit when orders were received to hand in all guns and cars as the unit was to proceed to Egypt ready for return to Australia. We handed in all our war-worn and battered, but still serviceable outfits and received clean receipts. The German car, which we captured at Afule, was handed over to the Commandant at Aleppo. We had managed to keep this car on the road ever since we grabbed it and had done many thousands of miles with it. Although spares were unobtainable, we had always managed to devise substitutes and we had a sneaking idea that we might smuggle the outfit down to Egypt somehow and finally get it to Australia, but it was not to be.

However, there was only one subject in everybody’s mind and that was home. On the evening of the 5th March, we embarked on the train at Aleppo for Damascus where we arrived at 11 p.m. the following night. It was quite interesting viewing the country that we had travelled and fought over previously from the train. We changed trains at Damascus and next morning left by the narrow gauge train for Haifa via Dersa and Semak. We stayed the next night at Haifa and after another day and night in the broad gauge military railway we arrived at the Canal at Kantara. We crossed over the pontoon bridge (this time on foot) and that evening were in Cairo.

Next day the native revolution broke out. All the other Light Car Patrols and Armoured Car Batteries were immediately sent to the various towns where disturbances were taking place to make the niggers learn sense. However, we were useless as we had no guns or cars (our teeth had been drawn) and we were sent to camp at Ismailia to await news for embarkation. On the 16th May we embarked on the Kaiser-i-Hind with the Air Force for Australia and four weeks later we arrived at Melbourne where we had embarked three years previously almost to the day.

It was with mixed feelings that we arrived at our home ports. There was no doubt about everyone being glad to get home to their dear ones again. Nevertheless, there was a distinct air of sadness at each port as old comrades parted. No. 1 Light Car Patrol was certainly an interstate unit, as its personnel consisted of Victorians, New South Welshmen, South Australians, Queenslanders and Westerners.

These men had been comrades in arms on three continents; some of them had been together for four years or more. They had fought together and had shared the good and bad times and had always played the game towards each other. There must have been many occasions with all when the prospects of ever returning home again looked hopeless.

No wonder then, that eyes looked a little dim as each man shook hands all round and wished his mates “Good Luck” before disembarking. Friendships such as these will last through all time.

“OLD SOLDIERS NEVER DIE – THEY SIMPLY FADE AWAY”

58a. Crews standing with their vehicles at Minia Camp in late 1916. The New Hudson Motorcycle with sidecar, Silent Sue the Mercedes armoured car, the Minerva tender and “Gentle Annie” the Daimler armoured car. In the hanger are new Model T Fords that will soon replace the Australian designed and made vehicles. This small group of motor enthusiast were the pioneers of Australian armour, who combined speed, firepower, and manoeuvre into start of a tactical doctrine that continues in the modern world. (Morgan collection ATM.LC.HM.100).