Romford to Beirut via France, Egypt and Jericho. An Outline of the War Record of "B" Battery, 271st Brigade, R.F.A. (1/2nd Essex Battery, R.F.A.) with Many Digressions [1926 British Army]

19–25 September 1918

Battle of Megiddo (1918)

THE OLD ROAD 79

eastwatd as of old. [First the Assyrians, retreating and fighting, attacked and followed by the Egyptians under Psammetichus, governor of Sais, who for his prowess was made King of Egypt. Nineveh fell in 609 3.c. The Assyrian Empire collapsed like a pack of cards a few years after reaching the zenith of its power, and a new empire was set up in Babylon. Next we see another Egyptian king, Necho, bringing up fresh armies and continuing the war against the new Babylonian power. This Pharaoh, Necho, in 608 B.C. wins a great battle at Megiddo, slays Josiah, King of Judah, and we see Jehoahaz, the king’s son, sent to Egypt, a prisoner along the old road, never to return. And in due time back comes Necho himself, now a fugitive from Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who had defeated him on the far Euphrates. Twenty-two years later another Egyptian army crosses into Judza to the assistance of King Zedekiah, who had rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, and again the Egyptians return, a broken army, pursued by the Babylonians. In 586 B.c. Jerusalem is destroyed, and a few years later we see the sorry remnant of Judah flying into Egypt with Jeremiah their prophet. In 581 B.c. Nebuchadnezzar again invades Egypt and brings back the fugitive Jews. The captivity is thus completely accomplished and Judza lies desert for 70 years. The second Babylonian empire did not last long ; Babylon was captured by Cyrus, King of Persia, about 530 B.c., and a new power was in being to harass the Egyptians. Cambyses, the son of Cyrus, was the next King to cross the River of Egypt with an invading army, and Herodotus tells us wonderful stories of how this army was supplied with water in camel skins carried on live camels— there were no copper “ fantasses” in those days. The wonder-loving old historian even describes how arrangements were made to lay pipe 4nes—there is surely nothing new under the sun—from a river in Arabia called the Corys, distant twelve days’ journey, to carry the water into cisterns dug in the desert track to receive it. There were three separate pipes to three separate places, and the pipes were made of

JORDAN VALLEY—CAIRO 153

success of the operations and the destruction or capture of the whole Turkish force east of the Jordan. Pressing on all night in parallel columns, the 4th Cavalry Division on Megiddo (Lejjun) and the sth Cavalry Division on Abu Shusheh (a few miles to the north), the Plain of Esdraeldon was reached before dawn. Here the first opposition was met with; as the advanced guard of the 4th Cavalry Division debouched from the defile at Lejjun a Turkish battalion with several machine guns was deploying in the plain below them. They were charged without hesitation by the leading regiment, the 2nd Lancers, and in a few minutes the division was able to continue the advance ; less prompt action might have caused fatal delay. The 4th Cavalry Division continued its advance through Al Afule to Beisan, which was successfully reached by evening ; the 19th Lancers securing the important bridge over the Jordan at Jisr Mejamie ten miles farther north. As showing the rapidity of our advance and the extent to which it surprised the enemy command, the following incident might be mentioned.