page_title: Wellington Mounted Rifles Regiment
section_title: Ghoraniyeh
hierarchical_section_title: Wellington Mounted Rifles Regiment / Jordan Valley / Ghoraniyeh
caption_attribution_description: English: New Zealanders crossing the Jordan after the first attack on Amman.
context_page_description: The Wellington 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, 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 Queen Alexandra's 2nd Mounted Rifles, the 6th Mounted Rifles and the 9th 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 The Maxim guns were withdrawn but the regiment's fire-power increased during the war, by the end of which each squadron had four Hotchkiss machine-guns, one per troop.
  As mounted infantry, the regiment rode into battle on their horses, but were expected to dismount for battle, and then fight on foot. The regiment fought predominantly against the forces of the Ottoman Turkish Empire. In the Gallipoli Campaign between May and December 1915, they participated in the largest battle of that theatre at Chunuk Bair, and also in the fighting for Hill 60.
context_section_description: As the ANZAC Mounted Division pulled back to the west bank of the Jordan, the Wellingtons remained behind strengthening the defences at the Ghoraniyeh bridge-head. On 18 April, the regiment, less the 6th Squadron, were part of a brigade force that advanced on the village of Shunet Nimrin. The operation was a deception to convince the Turks that further raids on Amman were imminent. The next day patrols from the regiment located a large Turkish force in the foothills around the village. The brigade positioned as if to attack them, then when they reinforced their position, the brigade withdrew. That night they crossed back over the river and camped outside Jericho. The regiment moved again on 23 April, to camp in the foothills to the south of Jericho.
  On 30 April the second raid across the Jordan began, their objective this time to capture Es Salt. This time a much larger force was involved, under command of the Desert Mounted Corps.
  The Wellingtons and the rest of the New Zealand brigade were part of the force assigned to attack the village of Shunet Nimrin. At 03:30 when the brigade crossed over the Ghoraniyeh pontoon, the regiment came under command of the 180th (2/5th London) Brigade, providing protection for their right flank as they advanced on the village. The difficult terrain and the strength of the Turkish defences hindered progress, and by dusk they were still some distance away from their objective. The next day the advance continued, but in the face of growing Turkish resistance, and with the arrival of Turkish reinforcements, they were in danger of being cut off and surrounded. So on 4 May the whole force withdrew back across the River Jordan, leaving the Wellingtons behind to protect the bridge-head.
  Many men were infected with malaria, and the regiment was periodically rotated away from the valley bottom to the western hills. Their first move back west was on the 16 May, when they moved to the brigade camp site near Talaat Ed Dumm, remaining there for the next thirteen days. On 30 May they moved to Solomon's Pools, to the south of Bethlehem. On 14 June the regiment returned to the front line at Ain Ed Duk, two miles north of Jericho. There they established observation posts to monitor Turkish activity, remaining until they were relieved on 30 June.
caption: New Zealanders crossing the River Jordan
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