Devils on Horses In the words of the Anzacs in the Middle East 1916-19

by Kinloch, Terry; Pugsley, Christopher

• ISBN13: 9780908988945
• ISBN10: 090898894X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2015-08-15
• Publisher: Exisle Publishing

Summary

Reunited with their horses in Egypt after the shattering experience of Gallipoli (a story recounted in Terry Kinloch's earlier book, Echoes of Gallipoli), the Anzac mounted riflemen and light horsemen were initially charged with the defence of the Suez Canal, then with the clearance of the Sinai peninsula, and finally with the destruction of the Turkish armies in Palestine and Syria. At last they could pursue the style of warfare for which they had been trained: on horseback. The First World War battlefields in the Middle East have long been overshadowed by those of Gallipoli and the Western Front. Yet the story of the mounted riflemen in Sinai and Palestine is a truly fascinating one. Using the soldiers' original letters and diaries wherever possible, Kinloch vividly describes every battle and skirmish in the long campaign against the Turks: the crucial Battle of Romani, the defeats at Bir el Abd, Gaza and Amman, and the successes at Beersheba, Ayun Kara and elsewhere. He explains the reality of tactical operations in the harsh desert environment, the ever-present necessity of securing water for the precious horses and the remorseless tenacity of the enemy. The horses play a major part in the story, but of the thousands of faithful animals involved, only one would ever return home after the war. Devils on Horses is a gripping read that offers new information about a theatre of war that has been overlooked for decades. Based on original research, it is sure to be the standard reference work on New Zealand's Middle East campaign for years to come.

Author Biography

Terry Kinloch was a regular officer in the New Zealand Army for thirty years. He completed operational tours in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bougainville and Egypt, and non-operational postings in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. He is a graduate of Auckland University, the Royal Military College of Science, the Australian Army Command and Staff College, and the United States Army War College. He became a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2006. Godley (2018) is Terry’s third work of military history. His first two books, entitled Echoes of Gallipoli: In the Words of New Zealand’s Mounted Riflemen and Devils on Horses: In the Words of the Anzacs in the Middle East 1916–19, were published by Exisle in 2005 and 2007 respectively. The latter book was a finalist in the 2008 Montana New Zealand Book Awards. Terry Kinloch lives in Wellington, New Zealand, with his wife Carol.