Imperial Camel Corps
Imperial Camel Corps Brigade | |
---|---|
Active | January 1916 – May 1919 |
Country | British Empire |
Branch | Army |
Type | Brigade |
Role | Camel-mounted Infantry |
Size | 4,150 men and 4,800 camels |
Part of | Egyptian Expeditionary Force |
Equipment | camel |
Engagements | First World War |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Clement Leslie Smith VC |
Insignia | |
Battalion Insignia |
The Imperial Camel Corps Brigade (ICCB) was a
From a small beginning the unit eventually grew to a brigade of four
The ICC became part of the
Formation
Background
The advantages of camels in a desert environment are well known, and the
The camel companies consisted of a small headquarters and four
In March 1916 six new companies were raised from British yeomanry regiments. Then in June another four Australian companies were raised from reinforcements intended for the Australian Light Horse regiments. Reinforcements from New Zealand intended for the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade formed two companies, one created in August and the second in November.[3]
Brigade
The Imperial Camel Brigade was formed on 19 December 1916,
To complete the brigade structure and supply added firepower, the brigade received some other units: the 265th (Camel) Machine Gun Squadron, with eight
Operational history
1916
Battalions
In March 1916, after two months of training, the first camel patrols left their depot at
Around the same time long-range patrols, each of about thirty men, went into the south and south-east of the Sinai desert to detect any Ottoman incursion into the area. When the patrols discovered Ottoman outposts, the brigade organized a company-strength raid against the outposts. The ICC undertook similar patrols in the north to protect the rail and water lines, which were vital for any British attack.[10]
Brigade
The
1917
On 9 January 1917 the ICC was involved in another victory during the Battle of Rafa, which forced the Ottomans to withdraw the Sinai outposts towards Gaza. This also reduced the need for independent camel patrols across the Sinai; in May the EEF consolidated the now-surplus companies into a new unit, the 4th (ANZAC) Battalion.[10]
The intensity of operations grew and the ICC were next involved in the capture of the Turkish force at Bir el Hassana,[nb 3] the defeats during the First Battle of Gaza in March, and the Second Battle of Gaza in April and a raid on the Sana redoubt in August. They then had a break to refit. Subsequently, they participated in the victories in the Battle of Beersheba, the Third Battle of Gaza, and at the Battle of Mughar Ridge during October and November. By the end of the year the advance had crossed the Sinai and entered Palestine.[10]
1918
Early in 1918, the ICC moved to the area of the
During the
When the EEF advanced out of the Sinai and into Palestine, the change in terrain led to the disbandment of the ICC. In June 1918, the Australian troops were used to form the
Aftermath
Over two years of service cost the ICC 240 deaths: 106 British, 84 Australians, 41 New Zealanders, and nine men from India.[12][14] A memorial to the Imperial Camel Corps was unveiled on the 22 July 1921, on the Thames Embankment in London. On one side it is inscribed with the names of all the members of the corps who died during the war, while on the front is the sentiment;
To the Glorious and Immortal Memory of the Officers, N.C.O.s and Men of the Imperial Camel Corps – British, Australian, New Zealand, Indian – who fell in action or died of wounds and disease in Egypt, Sinai, and Palestine, 1916, 1917, 1918.[12]
The monument also lists all the battles and engagements fought by the corps;
- 1916:
- 1917: Rafa, Hassana, Gaza 1, Gaza 2, Sana Redoubt, Beersheba, Bir Khu Weilfe, Hill 265
- 1918: Jordan Valley, Mudawar (Hedjaz)[14]
Order of battle
The strength of the brigade/corps in the field was around 3,380 men and 3,880 camels, with one battalion resting.
- Brigade Headquarters (40 men)
- 1st (Australian) Battalion (770 men)
- 2nd (British) Camel Battalion (770 men)
- 3rd (Australian) Camel Battalion (770 men)
- 4th (ANZAC) Camel Battalion (770 men)
- Hong Kong and Singapore (Mountain) Battery (255 men)
- 265th (Camel) Machine Gun Squadron (115 men)
- 10th (Camel) Field Troop, Royal Engineers (71 men)
- Signal Section, ICC Brigade (30 men)
- Australian (Camel) Field Ambulance (185 men)
- 97th Australian Dental Unit (4 men)
- ICC Mobile Veterinary Section (42 men)
- ICC Brigade Ammunition Column (75 men)
- ICC Brigade Train (245 men)[5][7]
Notes
References
- ^ Clayton, p.205
- ^ a b c "Cameliers and camels at war". New Zealand History online. History Group of the New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 30 August 2009. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
- ^ a b "Formation and expansion". New Zealand History online. History Group of the New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
- ^ a b Falls 1930 Vol. 1 p. 252.
- ^ a b c d e "Organisation". New Zealand History online. History Group of the New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
- ^ "J06062". Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
- ^ a b "Imperial Camel Corps". First World War, 1914–1918 units. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
- ^ "Camel artillery". New Zealand History online. History Group of the New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
- ^ "Camel artillery ready to fire". New Zealand history. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
- ^ a b c d e "New Zealand companies". New Zealand History online. History Group of the New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
- ^ Falls 1930 Vol. 2 pp. 368, 375
- ^ a b c "End". New Zealand History. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
- ^ "Camel Corps". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 12 July 2006. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
- ^ a b "Statue: Imperial Camel Corps". London Remembers. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
Works cited
- Clayton, Anthony; Killingray, David (1989). Khaki and Blue: Military and Police in British Colonial Africa. Africa series. Vol. Monographs in International Studies, Volume 51. Ohio University Center for International Studies. ISBN 978-0-89680-147-9.
- Falls, Cyril; G. MacMunn (1930). Military Operations Egypt & Palestine from the Outbreak of War with Germany to June 1917. Official History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence. Vol. 1. London: HM Stationery Office. OCLC 610273484.
Further reading
- War diaries
- AWM4/11/1/1: February 1917 unit diary
- AWM4/11/10/1: 1st Company, ICC.
- AWM4/11/11/1: 2nd Company, ICC.
- AWM4/11/2/1-11/2/16: HQ Imperial Camel Brigade.
- AWM4/11/6/1-11/6/4: 1st Battalion, ICC.
- AWM4/11/8/1-11/8/5: 3rd Battalion, ICC.
- AWM4/11/9/1-11/9/5: 4th Battalion, ICC.
- Books
- Langley, G.F. (1976). Sand, Sweat and Camels: The Australian Companies of the Imperial Camel Corps. Lowden Publishing. ISBN 978-0-909706-51-7.
- Inchbald, Geoffrey (1970). Imperial Camel Corps. Johnson. ISBN 0-85307-094-6.
- ISBN 0-14-001696-1.