Home of the Infantry Regiments of Berkshire and Wiltshire
War Diary
Detail
1918-05-07
| Regiment | 1/4th Wiltshire |
|---|---|
| Location | Palestine, Rafat |
| Entry | 2240. Relieved 58th Rifles at RAFAT. Lt Col A Armstrong returned from leave and assumed command of the Regiment. During the next four nights the defences were consolidated with the help of 2/3rd Gurkha Rifles and 10th Coy, 2 VO Sappers and Miners. Appendix 1. Sketch and Disposition of Troops at Rafat [Sketch in original diary]. Night. No 1 Post 2 Platoons of No 1 Coy watching ARARA SPUR and WADI LEHHAM. No 2 Post No 2 Coy with 2 Platoons on the wire, 2 Platoons in support behind a stone walll and 1 MG. No 3 Post No 3 Coy plus 2 Platoons of No 4 Coy in support. NO 4 Post No 1 Coy less 2 platoons. Reserve No 4 Coy less 2 Platoons Trench Mortars 2 in Rafat. 2 in HILL 12200 Day. 3 OP with LG's in Rafat. 1 OP with MG in No 2 Post position. 1 OP DEIR SIMAN. Remainder withdrawn as seen in sketch. Trench Mortars 2 in Rafat. Appendix 2. Scheme of Defence - Rafat. Communications. By telephone to exchange behind HILL 1191, through that office to Brigade Headquarters, Batteries, etc. By runner to exchange and thence to all concerned. By night, a stage of runners is established. The SOS signal if sent up from position by night is repeated over the phone by the Battalion on the right to Brigade Headquarters direct. The exchange station on 1192, where second in command remains, would be informed by runner as a matter of course if the telephone communication had broken down. Routes. As shown in sketch and clearly marked so that they can be soon by day or night. Defences. Positions occupied are strengthened by sangers, lined with sandbags. French wire runs right position vide map. In the village, an all round perimeter is being made and certain houses prepared for defence. These houses are occupied by day, the intention being, by means of Lewis gun fire to keep the enemy outside the village, while the remainder of the force counter attacks the enemy. By night the force sets purely on the defensive from positions prepared outside the village. There are also two Trench Mortars in RAFAT. The idea by night is to keep the enemy off by fire of rifles, MG's, Artillery, etc. Covering for troops resting is obtained from the natural cover, supplemented by sandbag traverses and dug-outs erected with frames and protected with sand-bags. It is not possible to dig down anywhere to a depth of more than a foot or so. Protection for troops at rest is required from artillery fire from the North, ZAWIEH direction from the East. SERTA direction, and further East than that. This was proved by a bombardment made by the enemy on the 10th May. There is one communication trench allowing men to pass unseen into the village from their day position. Rations. Camels can be taken up to the day positions and within 100 yards of RAFAT village by night. Water. There is one good cistern just outside RAFAT on the West, which can be drawn upon at night, water otherwise is brought up in Fantasees by night. Garrison. If the number of men falls below 100 per Company, not counting signallers, cooks, stretcher bearers, sanitary men, the strain is very heavy on the men. Barrages. Machine gun and Artillery Barrages as shewn on the sketch. The most important barrage is the left Artillery barrage, as it shells dead ground, if there is any likelihood of the enemy making an attack it is advisable to call for this barrage; by day an attack from any other direction is in full view. By night also the dead ground to the North of RAFAT is the most dangerous point. Appendix 33 Defence of Rafat. A. Rafat Village Barbed wire entanglement (two lines of French wire 5 yards apart) 100 to 150 yards in front of the village. Posts at inervals along the wire by night and about 40 yards from it. Garrison - Strength one Company, plus one platoon by night. Barbed wire entanglement immediately in front of the village and about 40 yards from the outer perimeter. Perimeter along the N side of the village divided into 4 bays or posts, each with a platoon to defend it by day. Beside each bay, strong houses to shelter troops. Through communications immediately in rear of the perimeter. Two light Trench mortars in village. By night the centre of this perimeter would be held by one platoon as a support to the 4 platoons out in front of the village. By day one Company moves up to the village from its bivouac area to support the one Company (the permanent garrison). NB. The whole position is held so long as RAFAT village is held. The enemy must on no account be allowed to get into RAFAT village. B. Positions outside RAFAT - By Day. One Company moves from its day bivouac to the wall facing ARARA. This wall is traversed to protect it from shell fire from the North, and a parades built behind it. From it the ground is overlooked between RAFAT and ARARA. There is also a machine gun in the right centre of this position, which can sweep the ground between RAFAT and ARARA. One Company remains in reserve in its day bivouac area - about V4 c05. C. To sum up defence by day:_ One Company manning RAFAT defences (plus 2 L Trench Mortars). One Company immediately in rear of RAFAT in support of Company manning defences. One Company at wall facing ARARA (and one machine gun). One Company in reserve with Headquarters at V4 c05. Communication trench to enable Companies to move:- (1) From bivouac area to position immediately in rear of RAFAT. (2) From position in rear of RAFAT to RAFAT. (3) From bivouacc area to wall facing ARARA. D. Defence of position - By night. Barbed wire entanglement all round the position from the Wadi Lehham on the right to the Wadi Lehham on the left. Behind this wire from right to left - One machine gun sweeping the Wadi in the direction of PIMPLE HILL; No 1 Post - Two platoons from the Wadi Lehham to the top of the RAFAT plateau; No 2 Post - One machine gun and one Company from the edge of the RAFAT plateau to near RAFAT village; No 3 Post - RAFAT as explained at A; No. 4 Post - Two platoons from the West of RAFAT to the WADI LEHHAM, Reserve - Three platoons behind wall South of RAFAT village; Battalion Headquarters at V4 c05. E. Artillery Support. Right barrage between ARARA and RAFAT sweeps RAFAT ridge and enfilades enemy advancing from ARARA. Left barrage sweeps WADI DIRMEH in front of RAFAT village, and ground between WADI DIRMEH and RAFAT. F. MG Barrage. From hill 120 - SPUR barrage sweeps ground between ARARA and RAFAT village and plateau. STEP barrage sweeps WADI DIRMEH in front of RAFAT village. BOOT barrage sweeps ground in fron of RAFAT village between WADI DIRMEH and RAFAT. STEP and BOOT barrages from direction of DEIR BULLUT. G. LTM Barrage. Trench mortar barrage from 1220 into WADI LEHHAM. H. Communications. With Brigade by (a) wireless (b) telephone direct (c) Stage runners to 1191 and thence to Brigade by Telephone (d) by visual to BALLUT position and thence by telephone. With Division by pigeon direct (by day only) otherwise through Brigade. With Batteries by (a) wireless through Brigade (b) telephone direct (c) by stage runners to 1191 and thence by telephone (d) by pigeons (by day) to Division and thence by telephone (e) By visual to BALLUT position and thence by telephone (f) Very Lights. With Machine Guns by :- (a) telephone direct (b) stage runners to 1191 and thence by telephone (c) by visual to BALLUT position and thence by telephone ((d) Very Lights. With Trench Mortars on hill 1220 (a) By telephone to 1191 and thence by runner (b) by stage runners to 1191 and on by runner, With Companies and Headquarters by telephone and runner. Between Companies by telephone and runner. |
