The Desert Column was a First World War

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

army corps which operated in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign from 22 December 1916.There is no war diary for Desert Column for December. See The Column was commanded by Lieutenant General Philip W. Chetwode and formed part of Eastern Force. When Chetwode took command of Eastern Force after the

Second Battle of Gaza The Second Battle of Gaza was fought on 17-19 April 1917, following the defeat of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) at the First Battle of Gaza in March, during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of the First World War. Gaza was defended by ...

, Harry Chauvel took command and oversaw the expansion of the column to three divisions. Chetwode was appointed on 7 December 1916 to command the Column which was composed of the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division, the

52nd (Lowland) Division The 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was originally formed as the Lowland Division, in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force. It later became the 52nd (Lowland) Division in 1915. The 52nd (Lowl ...

, the Anzac Mounted Division and the Imperial Camel Brigade's eighteen companies, six of which were yeomen. These divisions had been involved in the

Battle of Romani The Battle of Romani was the last ground attack of the Central Powers on the Suez Canal at the beginning of the Sinai and Palestine campaign during the First World War. The battle was fought between 3 and 5 August 1916 near the Egyptian town ...

in August 1916 and had advanced across the

Sinai Peninsula The Sinai Peninsula, or simply Sinai (now usually ) (, , cop, Ⲥⲓⲛⲁ), is a peninsula in Egypt, and the only part of the country located in Asia. It is between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, and is a ...

. Chetwode arrived at

El Arish ʻArish or el-ʻArīsh ( ar, العريش ' , ''Hrinokorura'') is the capital and largest city (with 164,830 inhabitants ) of the North Sinai Governorate of Egypt, as well as the largest city on the entire Sinai Peninsula, lying on the Medit ...

to take up his appointment on 22 December 1916. The

Battle of Magdhaba The Battle of Magdhaba took place on 23 December 1916 during the Defence of Egypt section of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in the First World War.The Battles Nomenclature Committee assigned 'Affair' to those engagements between forces small ...

was won the next day, and on 9 January 1917 the

Battle of Rafa The Battle of Rafa, also known as the Action of Rafah, fought on 9 January 1917, was the third and final battle to complete the recapture of the Sinai Peninsula by British forces during the Sinai and Palestine campaign of the First World War. T ...

was also won by the Desert Column, before two defeats were suffered during the First and Second battles for Gaza in March and April 1917. In mid 1917 when General Edmund Allenby took command of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, Desert Column was renamed to become the

Desert Mounted Corps The Desert Mounted Corps was an army corps of the British Army during the First World War, of three mounted divisions renamed in August 1917 by General Edmund Allenby, from Desert Column. These divisions which served in the Sinai and Pales ...

commanded by Lieutenant General Chauvel.

December 1916

Desert Column Headquarters El Arish (Lieutenant General Sir Philip Chetwode) :42nd (East Lancashire) Division :: 125th (Lancashire Fusiliers) Brigade :: 126th (East Lancashire) Brigade ::

127th (Manchester) Brigade The 127th (Manchester) Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army that saw active service during both the First and Second World Wars. It was assigned to the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division and served in the Middle East and on the We ...

(Major General W.E.B. Smith) :: 155th (South Scottish) Brigade :: 156th (Scottish Rifles) Brigade ::

157th (Highland Light Infantry) Brigade The 157th (Highland Light Infantry) Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army. The brigade fought in both the First and the Second World Wars, assigned to 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division. Origins The Highland Light Infantry Brigade wa ...

:Anzac Mounted Division (Major General Harry Chauvel) :: 1st Light Horse Brigade :: 2nd Light Horse Brigade :: 3rd Light Horse Brigade :: New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade : Imperial Camel Corps Brigade :Royal Flying Corps 5th Wing stationed at Mustabig (Lieutenant Colonel W.G.H Salmond) ::No. 14 (British) Squadron ::(No. 17 Squadron) ::No. 1 Squadron Australian Flying Corps / No. 67 (Australian) Squadron Cutlack 1941, pp. 45–9

Order of Battle 9 January 1917

Desert Column (Lieutenant General Chetwode) :Anzac Mounted Division (Major General Chauvel) ::1st Light Horse Brigade (Brigadier General C. F. Cox) ::3rd Light Horse Brigade (Brigadier General J. R. Royston) ::New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade (Brigadier General E. W. C. Chaytor) ::Inverness, Leicestershire and Somerset Territorial Royal Horse Artillery batteries :Imperial Camel Corps Brigade ::1st (Australian) Battalion ::2nd (British) Battalion ::3rd (Australian) Battalion ::4th (Australian and New Zealand) Battalion ::Hong Kong and Singapore Mountain Battery :5th Mounted Yeomanry Brigade ::Honourable Artillery Company (18–pounder) Battery :No. 7 Light Car Patrol (six Ford cars equipped with machine guns) :No. 1 Squadron Australian Flying Corps :No. 14 Squadron Royal Flying Corps

Order of Battle March 1917

:Desert Column (Lieutenant General P. Chetwode) :53rd (Welsh) Division (Major General A.G. Dallas) ::158th (North Wales) Brigade (Brigadier General H. A. Vernon) ::: 1/5th (Flintshire) Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers ::: 1/6th (Carnarvonshire & Anglesey) Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers :::1/7th (Montgomery) Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers :::1/1st Battalion, Herefordshire Regiment :::158th Brigade Machine Gun Company ::159th (Cheshire) Brigade (Brigadier General N. Money) :::1/4th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment :::1/7th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment :::1/4th Battalion, Welch Regiment :::1/5th Battalion Welch Regiment :::159th Brigade Machine Gun Company ::160th (Welsh Border) Brigade (Brigadier General V. L. N. Pearson) ::: 2/4th Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) :::1/4th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment :::2/4th Battalion, Royal West Kent Regiment ::: 2/10th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment :::160th Brigade Machine Gun Company ::Anzac Mounted Division (Major General H. G. Chauvel) :::2nd Australian Light Horse Brigade (Brigadier General G. de L. Ryrie) ::::5th, 6th, 7th Australian Light Horse Regiments :::New Zealand Mounted Rifle Brigade (Brigadier General E. W. C. Chaytor) ::::Auckland, Canterbury and Wellington Mounted Rifle Regiments :::

22nd Mounted Brigade The North Midland Mounted Brigade (later numbered as the 22nd Mounted Brigade) was a yeomanry brigade of the British Army, formed as part of the Territorial Force in 1908. It served in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in the First World War. ...

(Brigadier General F. A. B. Fryer) ::::Stafford, 1/1st

Lincolnshire Yeomanry The Lincolnshire Yeomanry was a volunteer cavalry unit of the British Army formed in 1794. It saw action in the Second Boer War and the First World War before being disbanded in 1920. History Formation and early history In 1793, the prime ministe ...

, Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry/East Riding Yeomanry ::

Imperial Mounted Division The Australian Mounted Division originally formed as the Imperial Mounted Division in January 1917, was a mounted infantry, light horse and yeomanry division. The division was formed in Egypt, and along with the Anzac Mounted Division formed pa ...

(Major General H.W. Hodgson) :::3rd Australian Light Horse Brigade (Brigadier General L. C. Wilson) ::::8th, 9th, 10th Australian Light Horse Regiments :::

5th Mounted Brigade The 1st South Midland Mounted Brigade (later numbered as the 5th Mounted Brigade) was a yeomanry brigade of the British Army, formed as part of the Territorial Force in 1908. It served dismounted in the Gallipoli Campaign before being remo ...

(Brigadier General Percy Desmond FitzGerald) :::

6th Mounted Brigade The 2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade (later numbered as the 6th Mounted Brigade) was a yeomanry brigade of the British Army, formed as part of the Territorial Force in 1908. It served dismounted in the Gallipoli Campaign before being remount ...

(Brigadier General C A C. Godwin) ::::

Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry The Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army founded in 1794 as the Dorsetshire Regiment of Volunteer Yeomanry Cavalry in response to the growing threat of invasion during the Napoleonic wars. It gained its first ro ...

, Buckinghamshire Yeomanry and Berkshire Yeomanry Artillery :Anzac Mounted Division 4 Batteries RHA of 4 18–pdrs = 16 guns :Imperial Mounted Division 4 Batteries RHA of 4 18–pdrs = 16 guns :Imperial Camel Brigade 1 Camel Pack Battery of 6 2.75-inch = 6 guns :53rd (Welsh) Division (3 Brigades RFA 12 18–pdrs=24 guns) 4 of each battery only = 16 guns; 4 4.5-inch howitzers = 8 howitzer :54th (East Anglian) Division (3 Brigades RFA 12 18–pdrs=24 guns) 4 of each battery only = 16 guns; 4 4.5-inch howitzers = 8 howitzer :Army Troops (3 Batteries of 4 60–pdrs=12 guns) one section only = 6 guns The third brigades of 53rd and 54th Divisions were in the Suez Canal Defences with 1st Light Horse Brigade about Bir el Abd, Mazar and Bardawil patrolling the pipeline until moving to El Arish on 20 March. And only four guns of each 18–pounder battery of the 53rd and 54th Divisions, and one section of each heavy battery were brought across the Sinai Peninsula. The guns left behind formed part of the Suez Canal Defences. avell 1968, p. 94, 1st Light Horse Brigade War Diary March 1917 AWM4-10-1-32/ref>

Order of Battle April 1917

General Headquarters Commander in Chief Lieutenant General (temp. General) A. J. Murray Eastern Force GOC Major General (temp. Lieutenant General C. M. Dobell Brigadier General General Staff Brevet Lieutenant Colonel (temp. Brigadier General G. P. Dawnay Desert Column GOC Major General (temp. Lieutenant General P. W. Chetwode :Anzac Mounted Division GOC Colonel (temp. Major General) H. G. Chauvel ::1st Australian Light Horse Brigade nzac Mounted DivisionGOC Lieutenant Colonel C. F. Cox :::1st Light Horse Regiment :::2nd Light Horse Regiment :::3rd Light Horse Regiment :::1st Australian Light Horse Signal Troop :::1st Australian Machine Gun Squadron ::2nd Australian Light Horse Brigade GOC Colonel (temp. Brigadier General G. de L. Ryrie :::5th Light Horse Regiment :::6th Light Horse Regiment :::7th Light Horse Regiment :::2nd Australian Light Horse Signal Troop :::2nd Australian Machine Gun Squadron ::New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade GOC Brigadier General E. W. C. Chaytor) :::Auckland Mounted Rifle Regiment :::Canterbury Mounted Rifle Regiment :::Wellington Mounted Rifle Regiment :::New Zealand Mounted Rifles Signal Troop :::New Zealand Machine Gun Squadron ::22nd Mounted Brigade GOC Colonel (temp. Brigadier General) F. A. B. Fryer :::1/1st Lincolnshire Yeomanry :::1/1st Staffordshire Yeomanry :::1/1st East Riding Yeomanry :::22nd Mounted Brigade Signal Troop :::18th Machine Gun Squadron :Divisional Troops same as April 1916 oob except ::batteries not brigaded ::Mounted Divisional Ammunition Column added ::Nos 26 and 27 Australian Units of Supply substituted for Light Horse Supply Column ::1/1st North Midland Mounted Brigade Field Ambulance substituted for 3rd Light Horse Field Ambulance :Imperial Mounted Division GOC Colonel (temp. Major General) H. W. Hodgson ::3rd Light Horse Brigade GOC Colonel (temp. Brigadier General) J. R. Royston :::8th Light Horse Regiment :::9th Light Horse Regiment :::10th Light Horse Regiment :::3rd Australian Light Horse Signal Troop :::3rd Australian Machine Gun Squadron ::4th Light Horse Brigade GOC Lieutenant Colonel (temp. Brigadier General J. B. Meredith :::4th Light Horse Regiment :::11th Light Horse Regiment :::12th Light Horse Regiment :::4th Australian Light Horse Signal Troop :::4th Australian Machine Gun Squadron ::5th Mounted Brigade GOC Colonel (temp. Brigadier General) E. A. Wiggin :::1/1st Warwick Yeomanry :::1/1st Gloucester Yeomanry :::1/1st Worcester Yeomanry :::5th Mounted Signal Brigade Troop :::16th Machine Gun Squadron ::6th Mounted Brigade GOC Lieutenant Colonel (temp. Brigadier General) T. M. S. Pitt :::1/1st Buckinghamshire Yeomanry :::1/1st Berkshire Yeomanry :::1/1st Dorsetshire Yeomanry :::6th Brigade Signal Troop :::17th Machine Gun Squadron :Divisional Troops ::Artillery :::1/1st Nottinghamshire and 1/1st Berkshire Batteries RHA :::"A" and "B" Batteries, H.A.C. :::Mounted Divisional Ammunition Column ::Engineers :::Imperial Mounted Division Field Squadron ::Signal Service :::Imperial Mounted Division Signal Squadron ::ASC (unidentified) ::Medical Units :::3rd and 4th Light Horse, 1/1st and 1/2nd South Midland Mounted Brigades Field Ambulances.Falls 1930 Vol. 1 pp. 400–2

Notes

; Notes ; Citations

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 World War I orders of battle Expeditionary units and formations Commands of the British Army Military units and formations of the British Army in World War I Egypt in World War I Military units and formations established in 1916 Military units and formations disestablished in 1917