Landships II

Centurion · Legend

In the Western Desert

Roger Todd · Legend

I've scanned in and attached some photos from David Fletcher's 'War Cars'. Two specifically refer to the Western Desert, another is from Mesopotamia and the last vaguely 'the Middle East'...

Centurion · Legend

Thanks

eugene · Field Marshal

david Fletchers the British tanks 1915-19
has lots on the battle of Gaza and the Mk.I and Mk.IV used in the desert

Centurion · Legend

eugene wrote:

david Fletchers the British tanks 1915-19 has lots on the battle of Gaza and the Mk.I and Mk.IV used in the desert

Thanks but wrong desert, the campaign I'm interested in took place in the vicinity of a little place called El Alamein which achieved some notoriety in a later conflict.

eugene · Field Marshal

oh

against the turks right?

Centurion · Legend

eugene wrote:

oh against the turks right?

Not directly the Senussi (there are various spellings) who were already in revolt against the Italians in Libya were encouraged by Turkish and German agitators to attack Egypt. They siezed a number of oasis in the Western desert as a base for raiding. A force including the Imperial camel Corp and the Duke of Westminsters armoured force (RR armoured cars) had to retake the oasis and push them out. I Have a photo of my Great Uncle Sidney (Imperial Camel Corps) taken in one of the Oasis shortly after it had been retaken - hence a personal interest.

Roger Todd · Legend

Centurion wrote:

...the Senussi (there are various spellings) who were already in revolt against the Italians in Libya

Actually, they were called the Zanussi, and later gave up being bedouins and started manufacturing washing machines with the slogan, 'The appliance of science'...

On a serious note, your Great Uncle Sidney sounds fascinating ('What did you do in the war, daddy?' 'I was with the Imperial Camel Corps, son' - wow! Beats being with the Third Foot & Mouth). Did he emerge from the experience okay?

eugene · Field Marshal

ohh, never knew this! Libiya/egypt, another theatre of wwi! and you say they actually fought at El Alamien too, its interesting that a lot of wwi battles occured were large scale ww2 battles would happen as well

centurian its great that you have a link to wwi,
did he go through the war alright and come back?

my great grand father, was a Lietenant with the russian cavalry, and he fought in the Brusilov offensive, I never met him so I have little details other than stuff thats been passed down!

Centurion · Legend

Roger, Eugene.

Great Uncle Sidney made it through without a scratch, some of his descendants now ranch in Argentinia. Although I never met him my Grandmother spoke of him a lot - he was the youngest of her three brothers. One of his elder brothers was a merchant seaman (following in a family tradition) and was promoted captain during WW1 only to have his ship torpedoed on his first voyage in command, he survived and was appointed to another ship which in turn was torpedoed on its first voyage with him as Captain - he survived in a lifeboat. My Grandmother remarked that he became very anti German at this point (she had a dry humour). He also emigrated to South America between the wars

Eugene - near el Alamein rather than at el Alamein

The wars with the Senussi form an example of of those conflicts that continued on after 1918 - the Italians were still fighting them in Libya into the 1920s and sporadic outbreaks of trouble continued right up into WW2 and even when the British army was operating in that country after the end of WW2 an eye had to be kept open for them