Raid on Bir el Hassana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Raid on Bir el Hassana
Part of the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I
Map of Sinai Peninsula
Date 13–21 February 1917 Location Central Sinai Peninsula Result Retreat of last Ottoman garrisons out of the Sinai
Belligerents
British Empire  United Kingdom  Australia  India	Ottoman Empire Sinai Bedouin
Commanders and leaders
Major J.R. Bassett
Units involved
2nd Battalion (British), Imperial Camel Corps Hong Kong and Singapore (Mountain) Battery
Strength
	22 Ottoman troops plus armed Bedouins
Casualties and losses
1 wounded	22 prisoners

The Raid on Bir el Hassana was a small but important event that happened in February 1917 during World War I. It took place in the Sinai Peninsula. This raid involved soldiers from the Imperial Camel Corps (who rode camels!) fighting against a small group of Ottoman soldiers and some local Bedouin people. This event was also special because it included the very first time the British Army used an airplane to move a wounded soldier to safety.

This raid was one of three actions where British forces tried to take back control of the Sinai Peninsula during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign. The Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF), which included cavalry (soldiers on horses) and camelry (soldiers on camels), traveled into the middle of the Sinai. Their goal was to attack and push the last Ottoman groups back into Palestine.

Why the Raid Happened

British ships were guarding the coast roads along the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. However, Ottoman forces still held parts of the central Sinai. This included areas like Bir el Hassana and Nekhl, which were on a route leading towards the Suez Canal.

The Attack on Bir el Hassana

General Archibald Murray, who led the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, ordered attacks on both Nekhl and Bir el Hassana. Bir el Hassana was about 40 miles (64 km) north of Nekhl. Three groups of cavalry and camelry set out, planning to attack on February 18.

One group, led by Major J.R. Bassett, included the 2nd Battalion (British) of the Imperial Camel Corps. They also had the Hong Kong and Singapore (Mountain) Battery, which used cannons. This group marched from El Arish.

Surrounding the Ottoman Soldiers

On the morning of February 18, Bassett's force quietly surrounded the Ottoman soldiers at Bir el Hassana. There were three officers and 19 other soldiers, plus some armed Bedouin people. The Ottoman soldiers quickly gave up.

However, the Bedouin fighters started shooting at the British. During this gunfire, a soldier named Lance Corporal McGregor had his ankle badly broken. One of the Ottoman officers who surrendered was Nur Effendi. He had been in charge of the Ottoman group during an earlier British attack on Maghara in 1916.

After the fight, the British soldiers searched Bir el Hassana. They found 21 rifles, a few camels, and 2,100 rounds of ammunition. Bassett's group stayed in the area. They wanted to catch any Ottoman forces that might try to retreat from Nekhl towards Bir el Hassana.

First Air Ambulance Flight

A B.E.2c airplane at the Imperial War Museum in London.

On February 19, the Royal Flying Corps used an airplane to help the wounded Lance Corporal McGregor. He sat in the observer's seat of a Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c biplane. His leg was carefully placed in a special splint.

This flight was the very first time the British Army used an airplane to move a wounded soldier. The journey to El Arish took only 45 minutes. If McGregor had traveled by camel, it would have been a very painful and slow trip, taking several days.

See also

• First Battle of Gaza
• Battle of Rafa