Australia and the Great Arab Revolt – The 1918 Campaign: A Partnership Forged Under Fire – Film

[Music] This is downtown Aman, the capital of the Hasheite Kingdom of Jordan. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Looking at this bustling city, it is difficult to imagine that in 1918, then a small agricultural village, it was the site of key battles in the last year of the First World War. [Music] Despite its small size, Aman was a strategically important site on the Hijaz Railway line with a major station. [Music] Hi, I'm James Brew, an Australian military historian, here to tell you about Australia's role in the military campaign in Jordan in support of the great Arab revolt in 1918 against Ottoman rule. Jordan is perhaps one of the least known theaters of World War I. A lot happened here during the war of which Australian forces played an important role. Amongst the ranks of the Australian Lighor and other units which fought here in Jordan were many veterans of the Gallipoli campaign. They came from cities, towns and small rural communities across Australia. These forces arrived on the banks of the Jordan River in early 1918. having fought their way across the Sinai and through then Ottoman administered Palestine as part of a larger allied force. This long and early history of cooperation started uh between the uh Australian armed forces and the forces of the great Arab revolution which is an important history that we are proud of and unfortunately it's a little known tale but it is an important one. I will tell the story of the Australian World War I involvement in Jordan by starting at the end of the campaign on 28th October 1918 in modern-day downtown Aman. Behind the Usaini mosque was the old Ottoman Sarai. The flag raising ceremony that day was the first time the flag of the great Arab revolt was raised over a man. The great Arab revolt was led by Sharif Hussein bin Ali, father of Jordan's founding king. [Music] Near here, the Australians in their distinctive slouch hats mounted on their whaler horses formed a guard of honor for a flag raising ceremony that ended Ottoman rule over this land which is today the Hasheite Kingdom of Jordan. [Music] for Ham was at that time a very small town and I'm sure the people who were there cultivating their lands among them my own grandfather witnessed the Australian lighor platoon provided guard of honor for the uh ceremony of raising the Arab revolt uh flag and the skies of Aman at that time. [Music] I will now take you to sites where the Australian lighor fought under Australian General Harry Chavevel during the campaign from March to November 1918. [Music] Australia's involvement in Jordan started here on the banks of the Jordan River on March 21st, 1918. An Australian engineer tied a rope around his waist and entered the swiftly flowing river under enemy fire. His crossing enabled the formation of a bridge head and the construction of a pontoon bridge. Thus began Australia's involvement in Jordan during an 8-month campaign in support of the great Arab revolt. >> Tribes not only in Jordan, but Iraq and Syria and the Levant called upon Sharif Hussein bin Ali to lead them toward liberation. And Sharif Hussein bin Ali is a leader of great qualities. He was the Amir of Mecca and he's the father of Ali, Abdullah, Fisel and Zed whom all became Amirs and kings at a later stage. And since the first bullet from his balcony in Mecca, signaling the start of the great Arab revolt, Arabs answered the call and joined the army forces that were formed in Mecca. for [Music] I'm now standing on Telphne in the Jordan Valley. Behind me is a small village called Sala. It was here that the Australian forces met with the Arab revolt for the first time. On the morning of March 24th, 1918, Australian General Granville Ryrie, commander of the Second Australian Lighor Brigade, met the local shake, representative of the Great Arab Revolt. [Music] [Laughter] [Music] Soon after the initial meeting, General Ryrie was invited to take a traditional coffee with the local shake. Later they were joined by Australian elements of the Imperial Camel Corps. They then entered the foothills of the Moab mountain range. Their objective was a man situated high upon the plateau above the Jordan Valley. The lighor spent a long night in rain and wind climbing up these steep mountains on narrow tracks to the Moab plateau. They were highly vulnerable to attack, but Arab revolt forces defended and supported the Australians. [Music] I'm standing in the amphitheater in Aman. This amphitheater was dug deep into the mountain behind me. In front of me is the citadel. In March 1918, a battle raged around these mountains and the noise here was deafening. [Music] I'm now in the Aman Citadel, a site dating back to Neolithic times with evidence of Helenic, Roman, Byzantine, and Umiad structures. In late March 1918, Australian forces advanced on Aman. The main objective was to disrupt Ottoman supply lines focused on the Aman railway station. It was also to provide direct support to the Arab revolt that was fighting in showcilla and Karak. [Music] The citadel in its central position in Aman was heavily fortified with machine gun positions. The Australian lines extended from hill 3039 around me to infantry hill and northwards to the man railway station. After 4 days of fighting, the Australian lighor suffered heavy casualties and withdrew on March 30th, 1918. [Music] This is the Aman railway station. It remains very similar to what it looked like in 1918. It was the main objective of the Australian lighor attack on Aman in March of that year. [Music] A main railway station, Aman, had a machine shop and a turn style that could turn train engines 180° from north to south. It was a main logistical hub for the Ottomans. And during the battle of March 1918, they poured forces into here for the defense of Aman. [Music] [Applause] [Music] The attack on Aman was a failure. The Allies couldn't penetrate the famously staunch Ottoman defenses. They weren't to return here until September 1918. [Music] The Battle of Aman had lasted for 4 days. It was marked by attack and counterattack and bloody hand-to-hand fighting. The Australian lighor lost more men here than in any other battle outside of Gallipoli. [Music] We're now driving into the Gore in the depths of the Jordan Valley. We're driving towards the King of Sane Bridge. In 1918, that area was known as the Goraner Bridge Head. [Music] We're now at the Goraner Bridge Head, one of the lowest places on Earth. It's on the east bank of the Jordan River. It's a place of soaring summer temperatures. In April 1918, a photograph was taken from here of the fifth light horse regiment Queenslanders who are manning this outpost. They were here defending the Goraner bridge head. Days later they were in battle. [Music] [Applause] It's hard to believe right now in this beautiful afternoon in the Jordan Valley that on April 29th, 1918, the Australian Mountain Division broke out of the Goraner bridge head. They rode below me towards Darmia. There they were to hold the Ottoman coming from the west. Another part of the Australian mountain division then rode due east towards Essault where they were to take the city and hold it. This was the start of the battle of Assault, an important center for the Ottoman command and its key ally Germany. This battle aimed to support the Arab revolt by taking this important command center. Taking assault would have deprived the Ottomans of the local harvest and provide the Australian troops reprieve from spending summer in the Jordan Valley. [Music] We're now in assault. Today, a UNESCO World Heritage site. In 1918, it was a battlefield. Here in assault, like in all the battlefields of the campaign, Australian forces worked with and fought alongside fighters of the Arab revolt. The battle raged from April 30th. By May 3rd, however, with their lines of retreat gradually cut off and surrounded here in Assault, the Australian Lighor withdrew to the Jordan Valley. With the main road and other exits cut off, the withdrawal itself was via a narrow rocky track over an exposed mountain. [Music] The fourth lighorse brigade had withdrawn to this position that they knew as Black Hill. To prevent being cut off, the Australian Lighor at Black Hill were ordered to hold the line at all costs. With no water, exposed on impenetrable ground, the Australians fought to protect the forces withdrawing from assault for 3 days and three nights. A number of Australians died on this hill with the remains of many to this day not recovered. I've just found a spent bullet and the clip from a Lee Enfield rifle of the type that the Fourth Lighor Brigade were using whilst they were here at Black Hill. They're in a highly exposed position. The only cover they had were the rocky sangers they made out of the rocks they found here at Black Hill. They withtood heavy artillery fire and machine gun fire from the Ottoman forces. After suffering heavy casualties, they withdrew. From here, they would be under the watchful eye of the Ottoman forces, including from the dominant peak known as Alhud. [Applause] The Ottomans continued to occupy the high ground. They were well entrenched on El Hood from where they could surveil the valley below. In May, General Harry Chavevel had a decision to make. Either maintain his positions east of the Jordan River or withdraw west. He decided to remain. Behind me at Al Hood, the Ottomans had a perfect overview of his positions. Below me in the Jordan Valley, the light horse were enduring a harsh summer, but they were not idle. In addition to continuous combat, they were constructing 15,000 dummy horses made to look real from a distance. Meanwhile, in Azra, the forces of the Arab revolt were buying excessive fodder. These actions kept the Ottomans in anticipation of a looming battle to the east, whereas the plans were for this operation to take place in the west. I wonder about uh when they were together about the linguistic, the communications and and everything they had to deal with getting everyone in line to go against the enemy at that time. Uh in battles such as assult and Aman, they were very prevalent uh in the area and they were very prevalent working with the Arabs. [Music] I'm now at the Mafra Railway Station, an important station on the Hijaz Railway. On September 19th, the main Allied assault against Ottoman forces began west of the Jordan River. Soon the Ottomans were in full retreat. The Ottomans began to assemble here at Mafra, where they posed a threat to the advancing forces of the Arab revolt headed towards Damascus. [Music] In the flat country around Mafra, the Australian Flying Corps provided aerial cover for the forces of the Arab revolt as they advanced towards Damascus. >> I understand that the airplanes were mostly used by the Australians, more so than other other countries. And uh again uh the pictures tell a fantastic story of the work and the fighting that they did together. >> Amongst the pilots was Captain Ross McFveren Smith, a Galipoly veteran and former light horseman in recognition of his role in supporting the Arab revolt. He was awarded the Order of the Nada by the Sharif Hussein bin Ali. This award was given to those that were recognized to have contributed directly to the success of the great Arab revolt. Captain Ross McFersonen Smith was one of the Australians to be honored with this award. We're now in Kerbet Esra. While the Australian Flying Corps was providing support to the forces of the Arab revolt, the Australian Lighor were advancing from Aman through here to Mafra. [Music] On September 28th, two members of the First Lighor Regiment advanced to this point. Sergeant Brooks and Trooper Radburn. Both men lost their lives here. They were buried by their mates who took an iconic photograph of this moment. They were two of the last Australians killed in this part of the campaign. [Music] Today, Sergeant Brookke and Trooper Radburn rest in this beautiful part of Jordan, a touching reminder of the human cost of war and the ties that bind Australia and Jordan. [Music] This memorial stone quarried in Mafra near the site where Sergeant Brookke and Trooper Radburn now lie is a testament to the service and sacrifice of all those who served in the campaign in 1918. At the end of a grueling 8-month campaign, the Australian forces traveled home. They had fought as part of a larger Allied army in support of the Great Arab Revolt. There were over 2,500 Australian casualties and nearly 80 Australian soldiers remain in the soil of Jordan. In telling this story, we honor the bravery of the Australians and of the Arab revolt fighters and allies who fought side by side here in 1918 to end Ottoman rule. [Music] This 1918 campaign east of the Jordan River had lasted for 8 months. It cost thousands of Australian casualties. Australians and Jordanians had met in the most difficult of circumstances and in the most trying times. This cooperation forged on battlefields during the first world war has laid the foundation of the enduring cooperation and defense relationship between uh Australia area and Jordan. [Music] [Applause] [Music] We commemorate the soldiers of that era of World War I at our annual Anzac Day services held here at the Citadel in downtown Arman, the site of a historic battle in 1918. I am pleased that we can shed a spotlight on this inspiring story. It's fair to say that this support and cooperation has laid a foundation for a close relationship and enduring partnership that is now stronger than ever. [Music] It was the beginning of a partnership forged under fire with the forces of Australia and the Arab revolt working together. Heat. Heat. Heat up here. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat up here. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music]