Topic: AIF - 3B - 9 LHR
Battle of Romani
Sinai, August 4 to 5, 1916
9th LHR, AIF, War Diary Account
War Diary account of the 9th LHR, AIF.
The transcription:
Thursday, August 3, 1916 –
Bally Bunnion
Routine work.
Friday, August 4, 1916 –
Bally Bunnion
0800 Received orders from Brigade that the Brigade would move out at 0830. Everyone to travel as light as possible. The Regiment marched out with 21 Officers, 415 Other Ranks and 459 horses leaving Lieutenant Nelson in charge of camp with 115 Other Ranks and 87 horses. The Regiment left Bally Bunnion and marched to Hill 70 where a halt was made until 1700 at which time the Brigade moved to Dueidar arriving at 2200
Saturday, August 5, 1916 –
Dueidar
0400 Left Dueidar as advance guard to Brigade and proceeded to Bir el Nuss. The Regiment was to have moved out of Bir el Nuss and attacked Bir el Enna but news was received that the Turks had evacuated Bir el Enna.
0900 Marched onto Nagid where the advanced patrols captured two prisoners.
1205 Left Nagid and marched towards Hamisan. The screen of the advance guard, A Squadron, got in touch with enemy's rearguard about two miles north east of Nagid. The Regiment at once deployed for action. A Squadron in centre, two troops of B Squadron to the left and two troops to the right, and at 1250 C Squadron made a wide detour to the right to endeavour to threaten the enemy's left flank. A message was sent to Brigade Headquarters to ask for one Squadron to support as the whole of the Regiment was engaged.
1330 A Squadron of the 10th Light Horse Regiment under major Holden arrived. By this time the enemy could be seen to be falling back as fast as possible, the main resistance being put up by the enemy's machine guns manned by German NCOs. Up to this about 308 prisoners had been taken by the Regiment including several Turkish Officers and German NCOs and these were sent back under Lieutenant Luxmoore.
1430 The balance of the 10th Light Horse Regiment came up and worked around on the right flank and in conjunction with Captain Hearn and the Brigade Scouts and some of the 9th Light Horse Regiment captured more prisoners and seven machine guns. Our left flank was now being heavily shelled and as we were apparently in front of the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade who were advancing on our left.
At 1830 the Regiment withdrew to Nagid. Lieutenant Palmer AD and two machine guns were working with the Regiment and did excellent work. Lieutenant Palmer was severely wounded and died the following morning. Our casualties for the engagement were Lieutenant Palmer, mortally wounded, three Other Ranks killed and eleven Other Ranks wounded. After dark the Brigade left Nagid and camped for the night about two miles north west of Nagid, the Regiment doing outpost duty.
Sunday, August 6, 1916 –
Hod Nagid
0400 Regiment left for Bir el Enna but being unable to find the hod, returned to Hod Nagid where it rested.
1500 Regiment moved off as rearguard to the Brigade and proceeded to Hod Abu Darem where the Brigade camped for the night. The enemy had fallen back after the encounter at Hamisan and no contact was gained during the day.
Monday, August 7, 1916 –
Hod Nagid
0900 The Regiment moved out to support the 8th Light Horse Regiment who had just gained touch with the enemy soon after daylight - about three miles east of Hod es Sagia. They were forced to fall back and had taken up a position about one mile east of the Hod.
We took over their line at 1400 holding it until after dark when the Regiment fell back on a line of outpost around Abu Darem. During the afternoon the fighting mostly took the form of sniping and we suffered no casualties. The Inverness Battery did good firing on the ridge occupied by the Turks apparently getting home on their salvos.
Roll of Honour
Lest We Forget
See: Australian Light Horse Studies Centre, AIF War Diaries of the Great War, Site Transcription Policy
Further Reading:
Battle of Romani, Sinai, August 4 to 5, 1916
Bir el Abd, Sinai, 9 August 1916
Battles where Australians fought, 1899-1920
Citation: Battle of Romani, Sinai, August 4 to 5, 1916, 9th LHR, AIF, War Diary Account
Posted by Project Leader
at 12:01 AM EADT
Updated: Friday, 6 August 2010 5:12 PM EADT
