The Desert Column was a First World War British Empire 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, Harry Chauvel took command and oversaw the expansion of the column to three divisions.Falls 1930 Vol. 1 p. 351
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 Anzac Mounted Division and the Imperial Camel Brigade's eighteen companies, six of which were yeomen.Woodward 2006 p. 53 These divisions had been involved in the Battle of Romani in August 1916 and had advanced across the Sinai Peninsula.Falls 1930 Vol. 1 pp. 175–204, 242–251 Chetwode arrived at El Arish to take up his appointment on 22 December 1916.Bruce 2002, p. 82Powles 1922, p. 50 The Battle of Magdhaba was won the next day, and on 9 January 1917 the Battle of Rafa 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.Falls 1930 Vol. 1 pp. 251–372
In mid 1917 when General Edmund Allenby took command of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, Desert Column was renamed to become the Desert Mounted Corps commanded by Lieutenant General Chauvel.Falls 1930 Vol. 2 p. 16
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 52nd (Lowland) Division (Major General W.E.B. Smith) 155th (South Scottish) Brigade 156th (Scottish Rifles) Brigade 157th (Highland Light Infantry) Brigade 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 Woodward 2003, p. 53 Bou 2009, pp. 150–2Hill 1978, p. 67Kinloch 2007, pp. 57–8Powles 1922, p. 12
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 Bruce 2002 p. 85Cutlack 1941, pp. 45–9, 51Gullett 1941, pp. 230–1Keogh 1955, p. 77Powles 1922, p. 65Coulthard-Clark 1998, p. 123
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 CompanyFalls 1930 Vol. 2 pp. 390, 398
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 (Brigadier General F. A. B. Fryer) Stafford, 1/1st Lincolnshire Yeomanry, Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry/East Riding Yeomanry
Imperial Mounted Division (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 (Brigadier General Percy Desmond FitzGerald) 6th Mounted Brigade (Brigadier General C A C. Godwin) Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry, 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 Wavell 1968, pp. 92–4Powles 1922, pp. 278–9Preston 1921, p. 331-3The 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. [Wavell 1968, p. 94, 1st Light Horse Brigade War Diary March 1917 AWM4-10-1-32]
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 [Anzac Mounted Division] GOC 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
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