page_title: Canterbury Mounted Rifles Regiment
section_title: Chaytor's Force
hierarchical_section_title: Canterbury Mounted Rifles Regiment / Jordan Valley / Chaytor's Force
caption_attribution_description: English: Soldiers on the Damieh Bridge, over the Jordan, on the main road between Nablus and Es Salt Road. This bridge was used by the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade in their last attack on Es Salt.
context_page_description: The Canterbury Mounted Rifles Regiment was a mounted infantry regiment from New Zealand, raised for service during the First World War. It was assigned to the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade, and formed part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.
  The regiment, with an establishment of twenty-six officers, 523 other ranks and 600 horses, was formed from three squadrons belonging to pre-war Territorial Force regiments: the 1st Mounted Rifles, the 8th Mounted Rifles and the 10th Mounted Rifles. It also included a small headquarters and, until 1916, a Maxim machine-gun section. The Maxim guns were withdrawn but the regiment's fire-power increased during the war, and by the end of the conflict each squadron had four Hotchkiss machine-guns, one per troop.
  Being mounted infantry the regiment rode into battle on their horses, but were expected to dismount and fight on foot. The regiment fought predominantly against the forces of the Ottoman Turkish Empire. Their first involvement came in the Gallipoli Campaign between May and December 1915, during which they participated in the largest battle of that theatre at Chunuk Bair and the fighting for Hill 60.
context_section_description: The next months were spent training and refitting, until August when the brigade formed the divisional reserve located around Jericho. In September they moved forward to form the left (northern) flank of the Jordan Valley defences. At the same time, the regiment took command of the 1st and 2nd Battalions British West Indies Regiment and the 38th and 39th Battalions Royal Fusiliers, which were part of a larger deception force commanded by the divisional commander, Chaytor. They were tasked with convincing the Turks that the next British attack would be from the Jordan Valley, while the forces were actually being realigned to attack in the west. The regiment was heavily involved in the deception, carrying out offensive patrolling, constructing dummy camps, and moving back and forwards behind the lines to give the impression of a much larger force than was actually present.
  The main British attack started in the west on 19 September; the regiment remained in the Jordan Valley keeping patrols close to the Turkish positions to watch for any withdrawal. The first evidence of that was observed the next day, when the Turks retired from their forward positions. The regiment then moved to join the rest of the brigade at Khubret Fusail on the western bank of the Jordan.
  The next day the brigade started towards their first objective, the bridge at Damieh. At 10:30 the Auckland Mounted Rifles, assisted by the 1st Squadron, assaulted and captured the Damieh bridge with a bayonet charge. The 10th Squadron arrived after the bridge was secured, and followed the Aucklanders pursuing the withdrawing Turks into the hills. That night the regiment moved back across the bridge, leaving the 1st Squadron behind to guard it. The next day the brigade was ordered to resume the advance, so with the regiment as the vanguard, overcame the first obstacle, a Turkish machine-gun post. At 15:30 they reached Es Salt, passed through the town to the east, and formed a defensive position in the hills for the night. During the day they had captured 250 men, three artillery pieces and several machine-guns. The next day, 24 September, the regiment continued their advance, heading towards Suweile where they were joined by the 1st and 2nd Light Horse Brigades. The next day about two miles (3.2 km) north-west of Amman they came upon two Turkish redoubts covering the road to the town. While the brigade's other regiments deployed to attack them, the regiment, with a section from the Machine-Gun Squadron, were ordered to manoeuvre around to assault them from the rear. At midday they were confronted by around two hundred Turkish troops defending a ridge line. The regiment, through artillery and machine-gun fire, assaulted and captured the ridge. Not stopping to consolidate the position, they continued forward towards Amman. Once there the 10th Squadron, and part of the 8th Squadron, assaulted the Citadel in a bayonet charge, capturing 119 German prisoners and six machine-guns. The regiment then charged through the town, capturing the railway station at 16:30. All told the regiment took 1,200 prisoners, fourteen machine-guns, and other military stores. Their own casualties were one dead and two wounded. Casualties and illness had reduced the regiment's strength to only 350 men, many of whom were struck down with malaria. The regiment remained in the Amman area until the night of 29/30 September when they moved south to Kastel and secured a large number of prisoners from the Turkish II Corps. On 3 October they were relieved by the 3rd Light Horse Regiment, and started back towards the Jordan Valley. By 9 October they had crossed the valley and had reached Jerusalem; they then went back to Ayun Kara, their part in the war being over.
caption: The Damieh bridge
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