# Desert Column

The Desert Column was a First World War British Empire army corps which operated in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign from 22 December 1916. 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.
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. These divisions had been involved in the Battle of Romani in August 1916 and had advanced across the Sinai Peninsula. Chetwode arrived at El Arish to take up his appointment on 22 December 1916. 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.
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.

## 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
    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

## 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 (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

## 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.