CROSS, E

Ernest William Cross, Corporal No:12/2032

Auckland Mounted Rifles, 6th Reinforcements

Ernest William Cross was born on 17 November 1886 in Auckland the second son of Edward James Cross and Ellen according to his birth certificate. His mother was named as Eleanor on his brother Albert John Cross' certificate in 1890. A sister, Eleanor was born in 1893 and brother Harold in 1888. Edward James Junior as born in 1885 and his mother named as Nellie.

He attended Dairy Flat School and attained the Fourth Standard before leaving and working as a farmer

in Dairy Flat. He worked on the family farm and nearby Bawden's farm along with Albert Cross and Alexander Duncan Gordon and they were good mates, teaming up again in Egypt, no doubt sharing leave together in Cairo at the clubs and bars and having a photograph taken together to send home.

As can be seen from their Regimental numbers, Albert and Ernest enlisted at the same time one after another.

At 28 years old when he enlisted on 17 April 1915, he stood 5 feet six and a half inches tall, weighed 10stone 4pounds with a tattoo on his right arm, Ernest's complexion was fair, his hair brown and his eyes were blue.

Both men trained at Trentham where Ernest got measles in June. They embarked for Suez on 14 August 1915 on HMNZT 28 "Tofua". A large part of their days would have involved caring for their horses on board ship to keep them in good condition until they reached Egypt.

The conditions aboard ship as they sailed through the tropics and into the Red Sea were extremely hot and unpleasant for the men who often slept out on deck to try and keep cool. Games and inter Squadron competitions were organised by Major Studholme, Officer in Charge of "A" Squadron, such as Semiphore signalling, which was won in both rounds by "E" Squadron. Both Cross men were in "A" Squadron and they came 2nd at signalling. Potato races, wheelbarrow, boots and bucket, boom and bolster and cock fighting were some of the distractions engaged in along with man over board drills.

The Sixth Reinforcements magazine "The Surcingle" also kept then occupied writing poems and articles, mostly satirical or comedic, singling out the odd Officer for gentle and not so gentle ribbing.

Church services on Sundays were well attended and I quote here from a letter to the Editor of the Surcingle by Chaplain Captain Herbert W. Burridge in which he stated that he .....

"..appreciated the cheerfulness and comradeship of the Sixth"...and exhorted them .." to maintain the deservedly high reputation of the 6th". On British soldiers he remarked that they.."set a high standard of behaviour with respect for women and the religious customs of people "

He referred to the 6th as "Tall men,sun crowned, who live above the fog in public and in private thinking. May God bless you all and help you to play the game as true Britishers, to do your duty to your King and Country. May he support you in danger and if it be His will bring you back again after peace with honour to our fair New Zealand"

Once in Egypt Ernest was in for some hard training in the desert around the NZ Base at Zeitoun with men getting used to the various landscapes they would have to endure, from stony rocky ridges to the deep sand, relieved occasionally by wadis or river beds and oases which had waterholes. Marching distances were reliant on water for the horses, with men often watering their horses first and having less or none themselves so their horse could drink and get them safely home.

Mudros and Lemnos were staging points for troops on their way to Gallipoli and Ernest passed through both coming and going from Gallipoli as new troops reinforced the units of their regiments which by the end of 1915 had been decimated. In October and November the weather was very cold and wet with snow as well. The final withdrawal in December was achieved with no casualties and was a text book perfect operation but that was no comfort to the soldiers who did not want to leave without finishing the task they had been set, or their mates they left behind in the gullies and hills of the Peninsula.

The Suez Canal was the first priority during the Dardanelles campaign as attempts were made to mine it on a number of occasions. This continued when the NZ troops returned to Egypt after Gallipoli and they patrolled as part of the larger force. But tactics changed and became a more offensive defence with troops going out into the desert to meet the Turks, setting up camps along the old road along the coast where most of the oases were to be found.

A desert railway was begun to move supplies to the troops and a pipe containing Nile waters snaked across the desert as did telegraph lines installed alongside. The Infantry road was installed which consisted on a strip of wire netting stretched across the sand, which made marching easier for the Infantry. The cavalry used it too. All this needed patrolling to protect it from the Ottoman troops. All but three Mounted Regiments had been sent on to France so the NZ Mounted forces were combined with the Australian Light Horse Brigade and other allied Imperial troops.

Camps were set up where there were enough supplies of water for the horses and wells were dug but the quality of the water was not always good. Trenches were a bit difficult as the dry sand needed support and when the desert winds blew they could become blocked and had to be redug. The men who had returned from Gallipoli led the way in how to wash in a couple of spoonfuls of water per day and the heat was also becoming unbearable. On one day in May the temperature reached 120 degrees in the shade and 40 cases of sunstroke were recorded by the Canterbury Mounted Regiment who had been out on patrol.

Bir El Abd, 25 miles beyond Romani was the first real desert battle for the AMR. The NZ Brigade marched for two days to reach Bir El Abd. On May 30 1916 Ernest's squadron was sent south of Bir El Abd to get behind the post in case the Turks retreated when the advance was made. They cut telegraph wires and waited for the Turks. The advance was late and the Turks got away.

They then all marched to Salmana using the same plan but attacking at dawn with great success, the astonished Turks hardy firing a shot as the regiment galloped towards them, dismounted, and fixing bayonets, rushed up the hill. The Turks retreated followed by the 3 squadrons, who only retired when an aeroplane which had been dropping messages about the Turks movements, let them know Turkish reinforcements were close by. Continued action could not be sustained so far into enemy territory.

An aeroplane from the enemy side forced a change in the men's routines after a bomb was dropped on the Australian camp nearby at 6am the next morning. Within seconds of the sound awakening the men, they rushed to their horses, riding them barebacked and scattered into the desert, thus depriving the plane of a large target. He opened fire on the NZ machine gunners but without success as they quickly replied with fire. The Australian camp was large and a good target and unfortunately a number of their men and horses were killed. Reveille now went at 3:45am daily and the horses had to be saddled up ready for a quick getaway in case of further air attacks. They remained at Bir Etmaler as the railway was getting close to Romani by this time bringing water with it by pipe.

Large forces of Turkish troops had been moving into the high ground and fortifying the height with artillery with Allied Patrols being fired on regularly. On 30th August the Turks advanced and by 4th August were near the high ground west of Bir Etmaler and had taken Mt Royston, a high sand dune three miles north of Romani with a troop strength of 20,000 men. This hill now became the key to the whole action . The 3rd Squadron of the AMR were in the centre of the attack with CMR on the left and the Yeomanry on the right. The enemy advance was driven back with help from the machine gun section and atillery guns which had been brought up by twelve horse teams. The men managed to find cover in slight depressions in the sand and few casualties were taken. The final advance late in the afternoon was met with white flags and 250 prisoners were taken by the AMR with over 1000 taken in all, as well as a battery of mountain guns,

The fighting continued around the area of Romani for the next few days so there was no rest for Ernest and his mates. There was a cavalry charge by the brigades at Katia followed by heavy gun fire from entrenched Turk positions on the ridges and the battle moved on to Oghratina which the Turks had left, where signs of cholera were found and men were warned not to drink the well water.

Another significant battle at Bir El Abd, which was attacked by the Turks on the morning of 8th August 1916, was made harder by the Australian 3rd Light Horse Brigade not turning up on the right flank of the AMR in the centre and the CMR on the left of the attack. The machine gun section managed to clear the left ridge of Turkish fire and support from the Somerset Battery helped but the right had to be fortified by moving some troops already engaged making it harder on them.

By afternoon another 3 divisions of Turkish reinforcements had arrived. However the allies held the line and made progress but by 4:15pm a retirement was ordered. As the German made machine guns were being brought into the counter attack by theTurks, and it was known they had a limited range of fire, the plan was to bring the horses up closer with the men then riding off at a wide angle off the flanks. This worked and then the middle troops mounted their horses and rode straight down the middle while the guns were trying to cover the flank. Brilliant. The Turks left the area leaving behind 4000 men captured and 7000 wounded. So over half of the enemy force that came across the desert was accounted for.

The men enjoyed a well deserved rest at Amara Camp until September 11 and the went back to Bir Etmaler with many given leave at Sidi Bishr on the coast at Alexandria.

On October 22 1916 the NZ Mounted Brigade was sent up to Bir El Abd and until December 1916 moved alongside the area of the railway development and spent time gathering intelligence of the countryside in preparation for the coming battles.

On December 20th 1916 a night march across more than 20 miles of desert was made by the ANZAC Division, using compass readings from stars, was made successfully thanks to the skill of Captain Finlayson. El Arish was occupied by dawn the next day. The next job was to take the 2000 man garrison at Magdhaba, 24 miles up the Wadi El Arish ( the Biblical River of Egypt). Magdhaba fell at dawn to a bayonet attack with 1200 prisoners taken and all guns and materials at the post captured.

The Brigade spent a miserable few days as the weather was cold and wet and they got lost on the way back to Masmi having to spend the night in the desert so their Christmas morning was memorable for all the wrong reasons. After having all their clothing deloused they were moved down nearer to the beach but with heavy weather and a mist out at sea and lighters being blown onto the shore by the wind they were not happy campers.

January 7th 1917 the ANZAC Division assembled at Sheikh Zowaiid, 16 miles from Rafah to prepare for an attack on the Ottoman Garrison at Rafah. It straddled the Sinai -Palestine border and was connected by road to Gaza where the main Ottoman 4th Army was gathering so it was risky.

The force of 2000 plus men were supported by 4 mountain artillery guns, machine gun nests and a series of 3 trenches on a semicircular ridge known as the Reduit. The plan was to encircle the fort and as usual the NZer's were given the most daring part of the plan. They had to sweep around behind Rafah to cut off the road to Khan Yunis and Gaza and attack the rear.

Just before dawn the NZer's were the first to cross the frontier into Ottoman Palestine. A fierce day of fighting ensued and by mid afternoon the Commander, General Philip Chetwode got intelligence the reinforcements were on their way to bolster the Turkish efforts and around 4pm orders a retreat However the NZ division who had swept through Rafah village in the morning, and made good progress, at that moment finally broke through the Ottoman defences and with two bayonet charges they crossed the last of the open ground and captured both Ottoman positions after a brief session go hand to hand fighting. The other brigades were thus able to join in and take the surrounding trenches. General Chetwode quickly cancelled his retreat order and the day was won.

On 9th January 1917 Ernest's brother Albert John Cross was killed in the battle of Rafah and buried nearby before being moved to Kantara Cemetery later.

This would have had a huge impact on Ernest as the brothers had worked together on the family farm and gone through training and all the war experiences together. To lose his younger brother must have been devastating for him.

The rigours of the desert were to have an effect on many of the men, Ernest included, and in June 1917 he was admitted to Hospital in Heliopolis with "debility" (pyrexia of unknown origin= high temperature and activation of immune system) and put into the Aotea Convalescent Home were he was recorded making satisfactory progress. He rejoined his unit in the last week of June.

The time patrolling while they waited for the railway to move forward gave them the opportunity to scout the area ahead quite widely and added valuable intelligence for later use.

Patrolling to areas where the railway was being pushed forward towards Gaza kept the AMR busy during the early months of 1917 and skirmishes with the enemy were regular but rarely deadly however sometimes men were wounded.

An attack on the heavily defended town of Gaza on March 26th saw the AMR once again sent to the rear of the town for their part in the attack and they had entered the outskirts of the town when the attack was called off, which they questioned but were forced to follow.

They were not best pleased, especially when in mid April another attack on Gaza failed because the town had significantly boosted its defences by then.

For the month of August the Brigade who were much fatigued after constant work in the desert, were given a rest period on the coast at Goz Abu Um El Dakeir near Khan Yunus. The chance to swim in the warm sea, decent food, particularly fruit and just time to recuperate was greatly enjoyed. Of course bouts of athleticism broke out and boxing bouts became a safe way for the men to spend some of their newly enjoyed energy.

In November 1917 the AMR had to trek for 3 days across 60 miles of desert to join up with the rest of the Brigade with very brief rest periods to feed and water their horses. They made brief bivouacs in the early hours of the morning before getting going again at dawn.

When they joined the Brigade 2 miles north of Kh Sukereir they were issued with rations for 2 days and set off to fight the Battle of Ayun Kara. During the fierce fight that followed Ernest received gunshot wounds to his shoulder and back. He was one of 74 wounded, 15 killed when once again they were under heavy fire from artillery and machine gun fire fighting up hill. At one point late in the day a machine gun sergeant reported his gun had run out of bullets. But right at that moment the Turkish gun fell silent as the enemy abandoned them.

From 2 November 1917, Ernest spent the next few weeks in hospitals at Cairo, Kantara, Abbassia and Heliopolis with gunshot wounds to his left shoulder and back and by December his fractured left scapula bone was improving and was discharged on 11 December 1917 to the Training Units Depot in Moascar.

During February Ernest attended the Gunnery School and in March he was transferred to the NZ Mounted Rifles Brigade.

In Ernest's absence Jaffa was taken and the Auja River crossed which forced the Turks to fight on their southern lines and allowed the Main Allied Army to take Bethlehem. On 11 December General Allenby, Commander-in-Chief walked through the Jaffa Gate to take control of the Holy City and declare it a hallowed site for all three major religions with free access to those sites for the use of worshippers.

In March a raid on Gilead was planned as Turkish supplies passed through the town to their forward units. This meant crossing the Jordan River which was in flood at this time of year so bridges needed to be built.

The ANZAC Mounted Division, London Regiment (60th), Hong Kong Mountain Battery, 10th Heavy Battery R.G.A and the Imperial Camel Corp, two bridging trains and armoured cars were tasked with this.

At midnight on 21 March, at Hajlah, swimmers got across and at dawn a raft ferry began. The Londoners sheltered in the trees and growth bordering the river from enemy machine gun fire. By 8:10am the pontoon bridge was finished thanks to the tremendous efforts of the bridge train machine.

The AMR were sent out to attack the rear of the garrison which was holding up the bridging attempt at Ghoraniyeh which they setout to do at 5am on 23 March. The countryside was flat and once they had passed through the outpost guard of the London infantry they encountered a squadron of 60 Turkish cavalry and armed only with their rifles the 20 men of the 11th squadron AMR galloped straight at them.

The Turks tried to ride the North Aucklanders down but soon broke and fled as they were fired at from the galloping horsemen. 20 Turks were shot and 7 taken prisoner with only one NZ casualty, the Troop leader who was shot dead. By 9am the 3rd and 4th squadrons had charged and captured intact a post with 17 Turks without a single casualty. The same happened with a troop of the 11th and of the 4th both closing down machine gun posts and capturing the lot, guns and all.

After a brief rest at the wadi both troops again rushed high ground to capture two more machine gun posts threatening Ghoraniyeh and proceeded to turn the guns on the fleeing Turks. This quick action allowed the other squadrons to gain commanding positions overlooking Ghoraniyeh and the bridge building began. The days work tally was 50 Turks killed 60 captured and 4 machine guns acquired at the cost of one officer killed and one officer and one trooper wounded.

What began as a raid on a railway demolition party turned into a major battle to try and take Amman, once again a strongly fortified hilltop ridge was attacked silently at 1:45am with bayonets only, with fighting continuing all day and the attackers making shelters from stones as they were shelled from above.

Without the support of any artillery they did remarkably well to take large areas of the hill and hold on for two days, but ultimately they had to retire during the second night. Wounded had to be taken off first down steep slippery slopes and carried 1500 yards to camels and horses, which took a long time was not very comfortable for the wounded men, however the task was completed. The men had little proper food, only hard rations and were quite fatigued by the time they reached their former bivouac site near Ain Es Sir at 4am. The following day they began their return to Jordan. A cold night was spent guarding the rear flanks and at daylight the Circassians opened fire on the WMR from farmhouses, caves and rocks. The WMR returned fire and AMR helped with rear cover until the whole force reached the slopes down to the Jordan Valley.

Ernest's rest period in the Jordan Valley was less then pleasant as the heat was 110 degrees with mosquitoes and flies thick. A float in the Red Sea passed a bit of time and others did a spot of sightseeing. At the end of May they moved up to El Khudr near Bethlehem, 2000 feet up from sea level and things improved.

When they moved back down to Jordan, scorpions and snakes had joined the flies and mosquitoes and malaria was rife amongst the troops, 170 cases in the AMR alone.

Ernest was to be a victim of malaria in October and spent 4 weeks in hospital in Alexandria and spent time at the Aotea Convalescence Home.

In July a move to a spring at Ain Ed Duk brought the luxury of showers and an attack by the Turks and a unit of Germans who also wanted access to the spring water. 400 of the Germans got their wish, only as prisoners after the Australian Light Horse brought them in along with 60 Turks the Wellington Mounted Rifles had captured. On 16th August it was on to Jericho for guard duty and more training.

Ernest's AMR had a hand in setting up the next stage of the fight as they erected dummy camps and lines of horses in the desert for the benefit of enemy aircraft. By this stage the Royal Air Force had pretty much the run of the skies. Something was obviously up. Active patrolling was stepped up and part of the purpose was to gather intelligence about the enemy strength and positions. "Jericho Jane", the big gun in the hills roared into life when she detected movement and the British gunners delighted in sending it back. Many of the dummy camps were hit, to the delight of the men. Part of the deception was that the Allied troops rode in kicking up clouds of dust, but at night infantry silently moved out and positioned themselves between the hills and the sea and 3 divisions of cavalry were hunkered down in the orange grove behind Jaffa. 301 guns were in place instead of the normal 70.

Elsewhere the Allies swept through Turkish lines at Jordan and thence captured Damascus. On 21 September 1918, the NZ Brigade were tasked with moving up the valley and securing the bridge and crossing at Jisr Ed Damieh and cut the road leading from the bridge to Nablus to prevent a Turkish retreat. This was achieved after some fierce fighting against a crescent shaped artillery defensive position. It concluded with a whole frontal line of bayonet charging NZ and West Indian soldiers and disorder and surrender from the enemy. Those who tried to escape down the hills were rounded up by the CMR on horseback as well as the soldiers on foot. 350 Turks and 7 machine guns were captured in this battle and the bridge and road were held.

In 2 October 1918 the AMR left Amman for the Jordan Valley and on to Jericho. During the march men collapsed with malaria and had to be helped to a shady place to wait for the ambulance to take them to hospital. This meant quite a few extra horses for the remaining Troopers to lead and by the time they got to Jericho there were hardly enough men left to deal with all the riderless horses. By the end of the month only Lt Colonel McCarroll and his Adjutant, Capt. W.W. Averill had escaped the fever. 342 men were hospitalised.

After a few days in Jerusalem they brigade was back at Richon-le-Zion where after the Turkish Armistice was signed on 31 October 1918 the Jewish community put on a celebration for the NZ troops as the British had declared Palestine would be given to the Jewish nation. As the enemy nations surrendered, the celebrations were ecstatic but a more sombre note was struck on 14 November , the anniversary of the Battle of Ayun Kara. On this day the Jews of Richon took over the care of the NZ cemetery and hurriedly buried soldiers nearby were exhumed and all laid to rest in this cemetery with due ceremony.

While awaiting a passage home, lessons were commenced for the men to help them return to civilian life and it was a novel sight to see groups of men sitting in the sand in front of blackboards.

On his way back to NZ in March 1919, on the troopship "Kaikoura" a medical board noted Ernest's disability due to malaria contracted on active service in the Jordan Valley and invalided him out of the army.

On 8th August 1919 the Kaikoura arrived in Auckland to a heroes welcome and returned to families and civilian life.

Ernest was to take up farming at Dairy Flat again and in 1925 married Linda Thorburn and they farmed at Dairy Flat for many years. Linda's mother was Annie Brunton from Waiwera.

In 1934 Ernest's father, Edward James died aged 83 years (Albany Cemetery Records) and 1935/36 Edward James Cross the younger and Ernest William Cross, both farmers of Dairy Flat, held land described as Allotment 201, Parish of Pukeatua according to LINZ National Office in Auckland. They also had Allotment 210 middle and western portions and 203 , western portion of Allotment 211 Parish of Pukeatua.

In 1948 when Ernest was 62 years of age, the farm was sold to his son, William Robert Cross. (High Court Auckland- Department of Justice records)

In May 1971 Albert John Cross applied for the Gallipoli Medal for his father Ernest William and his uncle and namesake, Albert John Cross and they were despatched to him later that year.

Ernest died on 14th October 1964 in Red Beach in 1964 aged 78.

Sources:

Personnel Records. NZ WW1 Archives; www.archway .archives.govt.nz

Historical NZ Electoral Rolls, www.electoral roll.co.nz

Albany Cemetery Records

The Story of Two Campaigns: Official War History of the Auckland Mounted Rifles Regiment, 1914-1919, C.G. Nicol. http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH1-Stor-t1-body-d42.htm#311

NZ Births,Deaths & Marriages, www.bdmonline.dia.govt.nz

Notes from Robyn Ayton who researched Albert John Cross.