Through Palestine with the 20th Machine Gun Squadron by Unknown
page 70 of 169 (41%)
page 70 of 169 (41%)
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(and granted), for these cases, to wear "slacks" or shoes, as might be
necessary. Strange as it might seem, these men preferred to suffer and remain with the Squadron, when there seemed a chance that they might be able to come to grips with the enemy and do something really useful. In these circumstances, it was not a _very_ smart Squadron that paraded that night, but its spirit would require a lot of beating! The _route_ lay past Yazur, on the Jaffa road, to Ramleh, which town they were approaching as day broke, and Ludd[14] could also be seen. The latter town will be remembered by all who had occasion to go to Egypt for leave or to take a course of instruction, also by reinforcements who joined the Squadron about this time, as it was the British railhead; the journey from here to Kantara on the Suez Canal being accomplished overnight. From Ludd, also, there is a branch line to Jerusalem, and a narrow gauge railway to Sarona. At Ramleh, turning off the road to the right, and passing Lieut. Price's grave, we halted, off-saddled, watered and fed. At 14.00 a further march, arriving at the water troughs east of Latron at 17.00, camping for the night further up the road. Fairly on the way to the famous Jordan Valley, ill-accounts of which they had often heard, we were soon to find that these reports had not been at all exaggerated! The next morning (June 30th), the road in front being very steep, rising continually, with often a drop of several hundred feet on either side, units started at half-hour intervals. FOOTNOTES: [14] _Ludd was the birthplace of St. George, the Patron Saint of England. A church built here, after his martyrdom, was destroyed on the approach of the First Crusaders. It was re-built, however, but was |
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