File 756/1917 Pt 2-3 ‘ARAB BULLETIN Nos 66-114’ [‎190r] (388/834)

a
of
— 205 —
^ “On May 26 Major Maynard, escorted by two armoured
ears, proceeded south of Maan and carried out the following-
demohtion^ at Kd.dSO, Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. abu Halufa, a 9-arched brid^
twelve feet high, total span thirty-eight yards; at Kil. 482 ^a
6-aiched bridge, total span twenty-six yards ; at Kil. 495’
KiTtxn tr i irtj hl 8’ , b s pan fifty yards. North ’
iiib 480, there are four bridges partially destroyed.”
o onel Joyce then turns to the operations carried
bedouin irregular forces. After
necessitated by our evacuation
indisposition of tribes within
co-operation, he continues that it
to cut the line north of Maan
marched north from F
Beni Sakhr
out ny
recording the change of plans
of Salt and the subsequent
reach of the Turks towards
iemained absolutely necessary
Accordingly u Sherif Nasir
about May 18 with the Howeilat,
t) . . a lew of the Rowalla and two companies of Ao’evl'
Rassun Bey, with a detacliment of about 150 regular troopsMd
AT m - OUatai 1 n ^ uns , and £our machine guns, proceeded with
S her if Nasir, and Captain Peake and Captain Hornby, with a
demolition party o£ Egyptian Camel Corps and a large quantitv
of explosives, also accompanied this force.
On May 2o, the line having been cut the previous nioht
north and south of the station, the Arabs, supported by the
artillery, charged in on el-Hasa and captured it. Sixty-five
prisoners were taken and two machine guns ; the Arabs lost seven
wounded. I he following demolitions were then carried out :
three buildings ; one water tower and two tanks capable of
holding 100,000 gallons each ; one steam pump and engine ; one
windmill pump ; two engine-filling stand-pipes; one open truck;
four sets of points ; one well blown up and filled in with rubble
from the water tower ; three large bridges ; 1,200 rails cut and
two more large bridges destroyed between Hasa and Fareifra ;
one cutting blown in.
“ On May 24 Fareifra station was captured; sixty prisoners
and one machine gun were taken. The following demolitions were
carried out: station buildings destroyed ; three trucks ; two sets
of points ; one trolley ; one water-storage tank.
“ On May 26 a train proceeding north from Jurf ed-Derwish
was attacked and forced to return having detached a water truck
which was destroyed, and further demolitions were carried out on
the line between Jurf and el-Hasa, including one bridge. Arab
troops were much harassed by enemy aeroplane action from
Amman. One officer was killed ; ten men were wounded and a
number of animals were also killed.
“ Operations are still continuing but great difficulties are
being experienced to keep up supplies of rations and explosives.”
The above very materially supplements the accounts given
on page 177 ; and adds one operation not recorded there, that of
May 26.
[Bridges have since been blown up between Kutrani and
Sultani, and many more rails have been cut, the total length