In early February 1916 Lt Athol G Adams was transferred to the Imperial Camel Corps. This would have been quite a dramatic change for him as he had been with the men of the 5th Battalion since enlisting in Melbourne in August 1914. The 5th would leave for France on 25 March. He was never to see them again.
In the text below I outline a little about his new unit, the Imperial Camel Corps, and give some background to the mainly British units with which they fought (Western Desert Force). Their foe was no longer the Turks but various Arab groups so I give a brief overview of them and a little about the camels which were such an important part of the campaign.
The Imperial Camel Corps
The Imperial Camel Corps was a new military unit established on 30 January 1916. Therefore, this blog-post marks 100 years since the ICC was established. The ICC was to join the other military units in countering the hostile Arab tribes in the Egyptian desert. The Corps, of brigade strength, was known as the ICC and led by the Englishman, Brigadier General Clement Leslie Smith VC, MC.
The ICC was comprised of:
- 1st (Australian) Battalion
- 2nd (British) Battalion
- 3rd (Australian) Battalion
- 4th (ANZAC) Battalion
Each battalion was made up of four companies. The 2nd Camel Company (2nd CC), within the 1st (Australian) Battalion, was led by Lt Athol G Adams. In those early stages the 2nd CC men were selected from the 1st and 2nd Infantry Brigades (Victorian units returned from Gallipoli). The unit was active in Egypt and Palestine until July 1918.
This image shows a pair of (unused) shoulder patches that the men wore on their uniforms to signify their membership of the Imperial Camel Corps - 1st Camel Battalion. Athol would have worn something very similar to these after removing the rectangular 5th Battalion insignia.
Australian War Memorial Image ref: H15031
The AWM caption reads
"No 2 Company of the Australian Imperial Camel Corps, AIF, on march in Western Egypt.
The Officer Commanding, Lieutenant Athol Gladwyn (?) Adams, is leading;
in the second row are Lt T W Morgan and Lt T Henley and an orderly."
The ICC in early 1916 were deployed to the Western Desert where the hostile Arab tribes were advancing along the North West coast of Egypt and holding British prisoners.
The Senussi
The main Arab tribe in the Egyptian Western Desert was the Senussi. They were a Sufi Muslim political-religious tribe-sect which in 1916-17 occupied territory across the Sudan from Nigeria to Darfur. They were active in parts of Libya and in late 1915 they had moved east across the border into the coastal areas of north west Egypt. Here the Senussi were joined by various groups of Egyptian Bedouin.
The Senussi were estimated to have around 20,000 men in arms and boasted a large supply of Italian rifles, ammunition, several artillery pieces, mounted fighters on camel and horse as well as camel transports. They were the most powerful tribal group in North East Africa. The Senussi were courted by the German and Turkish powers and supplied with arms and money to fight a guerilla war against the Italians in Libya and the British in Egypt. The Senussi in Egypt were led by a Turkish commander.
For the British stationed along the Nile and Suez Canal the Senussi in the west, the other hostile tribes in the desert, together with the Turks in the east combined to pose a considerable threat. A co-ordinated and sustained effort was required to keep the capital, Cairo, the key port of Alexandria and shipping lanes in the Suez canal out of harms way. This was no easy task given the conditions and the fact that the bulk of Allied troops were needed in France. The British commanders in Cairo put together various units with what was virtually the left overs after the key fighting units were selected for the European theatre.
British Forces in Egypt
The Egyptian Expeditionary Force commanders put together a variety of military formations. The main unit was the Western Frontier Force comprised of a composite Mounted Brigade including a regiment of Australian Light Horse, an ammunition column, assorted auxiliary services, a composite Infantry Brigade (including Scots and Sikhs), a detachment of Egyptian Army military works as there were no Royal Engineeers available, an Australian divisional train, a section of Royal Horse Artillery, seven cars of the Royal Navy Armoured Car Division and a section of Field Ambulance. Another British force deployed to the Western Desert included a New Zealand Rifle Brigade, a company of Sikhs, a camel corps, an Egyptian Army Machine Gun Section and an armoured train garrisoned by the 1/10th Ghurka Rifles. A South African unit was also added to the force. The Royal Flying Corps was deployed in the area and flew reconnaissance missions to support the ground troops.
To this collection was added the ICC. Athol's company of ICC would serve in the Western Desert with the Western Frontier Force (WFF) and were in action before the end of March 1916.
Why ride a camel?
The Australian War Memorial notes that the camels were ideal for long patrols and skirmishes which was expected to be the pattern when in action against the Senussi. Towards the end of 1916 the ICC transferred from the Western Desert to the Sinai to take part in actions against the Turkish army. In the Sinai the ICC operated alongside the Australian Light Horse at Romani, Magdhaba and Rafa.
Despite being critical to the success of the campaigns in the desert, the ICC had a mixed reputation. After the Gallipoli withdrawal in late 1915, the AIF underwent a significant re-organisation. Men returned to their units after recovering from their wounds or illness sustained during the Dardanelles campaign. In addition, many reinforcements were arriving from Australia. The bulk of the AIF was being prepared for the next sea-voyage to England and fighting in France. The AIF commanders used this reorganisation period as an opportunity to off-load some of those not suited to the rigours of trench warfare in France. Those who stayed behind in Egypt included the trouble-makers, and perhaps those not expected to fully recover from their wounds. At times these ICC units could be troublesome but they gradually formed a reputation for being resourceful and effective.
As Athol had been wounded four times on the Gallipoli peninsular in April and May 1915, perhaps he was thought to be not fit enough for the rigours of sustained trench warfare in France. It think it unlikely that he was a trouble-maker although it appears that there were a small number in his company who proved to be quite problematic.
The camels
Ref: State Library of Queensland
A fully laden camel with Abdul Wade in Australia. Mr Wade, originally from Afghanistan but a long time resident of Australia, was the proprietor of the Bourke Carrying Company and owner of about 600 camels. He offered 500 camels to the Australian Government for use in the Egyptian campaigns. In the end only 5 camels were donated by Mr Wade and these were used by the ICC in Egypt. Mr Wade's son tried to enlist in the AIF but was unsuccessful.
This fine image of Mr Wade's camel does not really do justice to the character of such animals. Contemporary accounts of AIF cameleers note that the animals were very difficult to deal with. They were obstinate and seemed hardly to feel any pain at all so the use of a riding crop was ineffective. As a result it was very difficult to encourage a camel to move or do anything one wanted. The camels had a range of annoying habits such as eating head-ropes and saddle-blankets and other equipment and gear in their range. They were often in a bad mood and smelly which was probably due to the fact that they were prone to a catalogue of contagious diseases such as sarcoptic mange which resulted in hair loss. The camels also suffered from all manner of internal parasites resulting in bouts of diarrhoea and/or constipation. Added to the list of ailments was an often fatal wasting disease, camel pox, rabies and foot-and-mouth disease as well as an unattractive nose condition. When annoyed, the camels could spit at their victims with partially digested food returned to their mouths as cud for re-chewing. To top off the list of less than positive features, the camels were also prone to about three different types of ticks.
On the other side of the ledger the camels needed very little attention in the way of grooming and did not require shoes as they are not hoofed animals. They only required 1 meal a day and water only every 3-4 days. When not in service the camel could be trained to sit down, and after being tied up by its left front leg, could be left for many hours. Camels were also accustomed to carrying large and heavy loads (as does Mr Wade's camel in the image above) - much more than a horse. Each cameleer could count on properly equipping himself for long range desert patrols: a good supply of food, water, extra blankets, arms and supplies could all be carried by the camel. On a night march it was possible to sort-of sleep in the saddle which was much larger than a horse saddle. Camels could be encouraged to put on a turn of speed - although not quite as fast as a horse. A crucial advantage was their ability to cover very long distances without water in dreadful conditions: wind, flying-sand and dust, severe heat and uneven rocky ground could be negotiated by a camel. These ships of the desert were also available for purchase in the required numbers (eventually tens of thousands were put into service for the British forces in Egypt) and a ready labour-force of Arab camel drivers was nearby for a minimal wage.
Camel and cameleer training
The men were trained in camel riding and the required maintenance and animal welfare at the British Army's Camel Corps School at Abbassia near Cairo. Athol was stationed at Abbassia in Februrary 1916 for training in camel riding and care.
This painting by George Lambert (1918) is in the Australian War Memorial collection.
Reference ART 02744. The title is "Camel, Abbassia, full marching order".
The home front
On the home front very little news arrived from the desert campaigns. There were no representatives of the Australian press sent to cover this military history so little news appeared in the newspapers. Those at home had little idea of what was happening in Egypt and the progress of the Imperial Camel Corps. Some back home thought that the Desert forces men were having a pretty cushy time in the warm sunshine with regular trips to the nightlife in Cairo. On the other hand, many relatives at home would have been worried and frustrated at the lack of information.
The desert brought with it many challenges and dangers and probably more scope for individuals to succeed on their merits. The letters sent home to Melbourne by Athol briefly sketch out life in the sands and the unit diaries and service records fill in some of details. Athol also purchased a small camera and some of these images will be scanned and up-loaded over the coming months.
