Through Palestine with the Twentieth Machine Gun Squadron

This vivid memoir follows the birth and early days of a British machine‑gun squadron stationed on the desert front of the Great War. Starting with its hurried formation in July 1917, the narrative introduces the eclectic mix of officers, cavalrymen, and raw recruits who must master new weapons while battling disease and scarce supplies. The author weaves together personal anecdotes, training drills, and the logistical scramble that shaped the unit’s identity.

Readers are taken into the dusty valleys and ruined towns of Palestine, where the squadron’s first patrols encounter both hostile fire and the stark beauty of the landscape. Small‑scale skirmishes reveal the tension of coordinating fragile machine‑guns on horseback, while moments of respite show soldiers sharing tea, joking about the strange Arabic terms in their glossaries, and coping with the ever‑present threat of malaria. The account captures the grit, humor, and camaraderie that defined life on the far‑flung front.