he bayonet on the flank of the
enemy and roll up his line against our wire. It was an intensely dark
night and the patrol moved out after the two companies were safely
hidden in cover. The first intimation of the Turk was the sight of a
line of sparks from bombs being lit (the Turk then used brassards for
lighting the fuses); then began quite a battle. Rifles and our Lewis
guns opened out rapid fire, ceased fire, and opened again, and then
began to withdraw. It was time, as the Turks were enveloping us. Several
men had been hit and half the butt of the Lewis gun blown off by a bomb.
It was difficult to estimate the number of the enemy, but an officer
found himself in the third extended line of advancing Turks and reckoned
we were up against a big roving patrol which had a good reputation for
this sort of work. This officer, with a balmoral as a head-dress and
armed with a rifle and bayonet, escaped in the dark by his resemblance
to a Turk and by his bayoneting one of the enemy. The patrol
extricated itself with ability, much helped by Corporal M'Lean in charge
of the Lewis gun section, who took the gun after all of his team had
been wounded and kept off the enemy by firing it from his shoulder. For
his coolness and gallantry he received the first Military Medal awarded
to the Battalion in Palestine. The Turks had been drawn on all right,
but what of the charge by the two companies. That unfortunately
miscarried. It came late and the two companies missed the flank of the
enemy's advanced force, getting into the gap behind it and just in front
of the enemy's reserve line which was also advancing. Thus they found
themselves with no one in front of them, but with a bomb and rifle
attack on both flanks. With some difficulty they were withdrawn. Our own
patrol got home safely but Lieut. Milne and Pte. Graham were lost in the
retiral. No one had seen Lieut. Milne fall, but months later we heard
that he had died of wounds in a Turkish hospital. He was a great loss,
as his bright and cheery nature helped all ranks.

[Illustration: SHEIKH ABBAS.]

As the result of this raid could not be said to have cleared the enemy
of the extensive No Man's Land, the raid on Tank Redoubt had to be
cancelled and the raiding party joined the Battalion in the line.

The next fortnight must rank as among the most unpleasant and least
satisfactory periods of the whole campaign. The Turk was extremely
active in No Man's Land, and while our last enc