page_title: 2nd Welsh Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
section_title: Palestine
hierarchical_section_title: 2nd Welsh Brigade, Royal Field Artillery / World War I / 1/II Welsh Brigade, RFA / Palestine
caption_attribution_description: Romani, Sinai. 1916. British artillerymen loading an 18 pounder gun.
context_page_description: The 2nd Welsh Brigade was a Royal Field Artillery unit of Britain's Territorial Force formed in 1908 that served in Palestine during World War I. Between the wars it converted to the anti-aircraft role and was captured in Java during World War II. Its successor unit continues in Britain's Army Reserve today.
context_section_description: Early in 1917 the Egyptian Expeditionary Force launched the Sinai and Palestine Campaign by crossing the Sinai desert and advancing against Turkish forces at Gaza City, but CCLXVII Bde remained in the Suez Canal defences and missed the First Battle of Gaza. The brigade rejoined the division on 19 April while the Second Battle of Gaza was in progress, but although it crossed Wadi Ghuzzeh and took up position, it did not fire a shot in the action. Infantry casualties had been high and gains minimal, and the EEF dug in for a summer of trench warfare. Although the War Office was unable to provide more divisions for the EEF, it could send guns: 53rd (W) Division's batteries were temporarily brought up to a strength of eight rather than six guns, until further troops arrived.
  The reorganised EEF renewed its offensive (the Third Battle of Gaza) on 27 October. XX Corps, including 53rd (W) Divisional artillery, moved into position during the night of 30/31 October to capture Beersheba, and the bombardment began at 05.55. After a pause at 07.00 to let the dust settle and determine the effect, the guns reopened. Infantry parties advanced to within 30 yards (27 m) of the barrage to finish cutting the barbed wire. They then rushed Point 1069 and the 18-pounder batteries began to move up to more advanced positions. Beersheba had fallen to the Desert Mounted Corps and XX Corps could bivouack on the objective. On 3 November 53rd (W) Division was ordered to advance to the Tel es Sheria road. The right column consisted of 160th (South Wales) Brigade but only one battery of CCLXVII Bde because of the shortage of water for the horses. It was a difficult march over broken country in hot weather and the gunners had to haul their guns up to the head of the valley to get in range of the Khuweilfe heights. 160th Brigade met determined opposition and could not clear the wells at Khuweilfe before nightfall. The attack was renewed at 05.00 next morning, but the artillery support ceased when the ammunition wagons could not get up to the guns, and the infantry only got as far as Hill 1706. However, on 6 November the division assaulted the Khuweilfe position supported by an intense bombardment by all its own guns and a heavy battery. After confused fighting the position was held, with the support of the divisional artillery breaking up Turkish counter-attacks.
  After breaking through the Gaza positions, the EEF pressed on to Jerusalem in appalling weather. XX Corps sent forward a flying column known as  'Mott's Detachment' that included 53rd (W) Division. Jerusalem fell on 8 December, but there was still heavy fighting to the end of the year as the Turks threw in counter-attacks.
  XX Corps renewed its advance in March 1918, 53rd(W) Division pushing forward a little on 2 March, then again on 6 March against only slight opposition, before the whole Corps advanced on 8 March. 53rd (W) Division's main objective was the hill of Tell 'Asur, and it was supported by plentiful artillery as well as its own field brigades. The peak was taken, lost, and retaken, followed by four more unsuccessful Turkish counter-attacks. That night the division also took Chipp Hill, which had defied the neighbouring division during daylight, but on 10 March found the wadi in front too steep to climb, only passing over it during darkness on 12 March. The new line was held through the summer months.
  In April a large number of formations and units were stripped from the EEF to reinforce the BEF on the Western Front following the German Spring Offensive. 53rd (W) Division took over a section of the line from 74th (Yeomanry) Division on 9 April, with 160th Infantry Bde and CCLXVII Bde taking over the right sector.
  Unlike most RFA brigades, which had gained a howitzer battery in the 1916 reorganisation, CCXLVII had remained without one. On 8 April 1918 it was joined by 439 (Howitzer) Bty, equipped with four 4.5-inch howitzers passed over by CXVII (H) Brigade in 74th (Y) Division. The new battery had been specially formed with personnel drawn from 53rd (W) and 60th (2/2nd London) Division
caption: 18-pounder gun in Sinai.
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