1914
In July 1914, the countries of Europe began to slide towards war. The Ottoman Empire was initially outside the major alliances that bound Europe together, but on 1 August they signed a secret treaty to support Germany. Even so, they prevaricated about actually joining the war. The Ottomans had fought three wars in the last three years (two in the Balkans and one in Libya) and they were still recovering from their losses. Poor internal communications – with very few decent roads and fewer still railway lines – slowed their mobilisation as well. In the end, they did not enter the war until the end of October, when their ships bombarded Russian ports. Russia immediately declared war, followed by Britain and France on 5 November.
Britain had been hesitant to start a war with the Ottomans, although they believed one was coming. Egypt had been effectively ruled by Britain since the 1880s, primarily to ensure control of the Suez Canal, a vital link on Britain’s overseas trade and empire. However, the country remained technically part of the Ottoman Empire – what the British Foreign Office called a ‘semi-independent vassal state’. Egypt was also largely Muslim, while the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire was also the Caliph, or nominal spiritual leader of Islam. Britain was worried (and would be for most of the war) that a war with the Ottomans would cause the millions of Muslims in Egypt, and across the British Empire in Africa and India, to rise up, although this proved an empty fear.
When war broke out, the British abandoned the Sinai Desert as being too big and empty to defend, with outposts being too difficult to supply and support, and too vulnerable to being surrounded and overwhelmed. Instead they withdrew to the Suez Canal, which was about 100 miles long and presented a solid line. Most of the defences were on the western shore, using the Canal itself as a kind of moat to shield the defences that where there to protect the Canal – a novel military theory, but one that worked!
As the British regular army garrison in Egypt was withdrawn and sent to France, the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division of the Territorial Force (TF) was sent out from the UK to take over, and they were soon joined by thousands of new recruits from what would become the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). These British troops were not fully fit for front-line service yet, and the ANZAC troops (or ‘Anzacs’) had almost no training at all. Camps were set up in the Nile Delta to train these troops to be combat ready. Meanwhile, Indian troops were diverted from convoys travelling up the Suez Canal to France to actually garrison to the Canal defences, while specialist units of the Egyptian Army (despite British promises to keep them out of the war) were also deployed.
In November 1914, the ‘Egypt Detachment of the Royal Flying Corps’ arrived and set up at Ismailia with five Maurice Farman biplanes. They made their first flight on 27 November, and soon established landing grounds along the Canal and in the Sinai in order to conduct long-range patrols over the desert. At the end of that month some French seaplanes also arrived at Alexandria, and began operating from British warships to make reconnaissance flights over the coastal regions in the Red Sea and of Egypt, Palestine and Syria.
1/6th Battalion, Manchester Regiment
parading in Alexandria, December 1914 New Zealand troops under training Troopship in the Suez Canal
In July 1914, the countries of Europe began to slide towards war. The Ottoman Empire was initially outside the major alliances that bound Europe together, but on 1 August they signed a secret treaty to support Germany. Even so, they prevaricated about actually joining the war. The Ottomans had fought three wars in the last three years (two in the Balkans and one in Libya) and they were still recovering from their losses. Poor internal communications – with very few decent roads and fewer still railway lines – slowed their mobilisation as well. In the end, they did not enter the war until the end of October, when their ships bombarded Russian ports. Russia immediately declared war, followed by Britain and France on 5 November.
Britain had been hesitant to start a war with the Ottomans, although they believed one was coming. Egypt had been effectively ruled by Britain since the 1880s, primarily to ensure control of the Suez Canal, a vital link on Britain’s overseas trade and empire. However, the country remained technically part of the Ottoman Empire – what the British Foreign Office called a ‘semi-independent vassal state’. Egypt was also largely Muslim, while the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire was also the Caliph, or nominal spiritual leader of Islam. Britain was worried (and would be for most of the war) that a war with the Ottomans would cause the millions of Muslims in Egypt, and across the British Empire in Africa and India, to rise up, although this proved an empty fear.
When war broke out, the British abandoned the Sinai Desert as being too big and empty to defend, with outposts being too difficult to supply and support, and too vulnerable to being surrounded and overwhelmed. Instead they withdrew to the Suez Canal, which was about 100 miles long and presented a solid line. Most of the defences were on the western shore, using the Canal itself as a kind of moat to shield the defences that where there to protect the Canal – a novel military theory, but one that worked!
As the British regular army garrison in Egypt was withdrawn and sent to France, the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division of the Territorial Force (TF) was sent out from the UK to take over, and they were soon joined by thousands of new recruits from what would become the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). These British troops were not fully fit for front-line service yet, and the ANZAC troops (or ‘Anzacs’) had almost no training at all. Camps were set up in the Nile Delta to train these troops to be combat ready. Meanwhile, Indian troops were diverted from convoys travelling up the Suez Canal to France to actually garrison to the Canal defences, while specialist units of the Egyptian Army (despite British promises to keep them out of the war) were also deployed.
In November 1914, the ‘Egypt Detachment of the Royal Flying Corps’ arrived and set up at Ismailia with five Maurice Farman biplanes. They made their first flight on 27 November, and soon established landing grounds along the Canal and in the Sinai in order to conduct long-range patrols over the desert. At the end of that month some French seaplanes also arrived at Alexandria, and began operating from British warships to make reconnaissance flights over the coastal regions in the Red Sea and of Egypt, Palestine and Syria.
1/6th Battalion, Manchester Regiment
parading in Alexandria, December 1914 New Zealand troops under training Troopship in the Suez Canal