In this feature, Stuart Hadaway gives us a glimpse of life with the Imperial Camel Corps of 1916 as seen through the camera lens of one of the unit’s officers.
The Imperial Camel Corps (ICC) was formed in January 1916 in order to deal with the revolt of pro-Turkish Senussi tribesmen in Egypt’s Western Desert. The first four companies were recruited from Australian infantry battalions recuperating after Gallipoli. Four battalions were eventually formed: the 1st and 3rd were entirely Australian, the 2nd was British and the 4th was a mix of Australians and New Zealanders.
The ICC also had its own machine gun unit, and a battery of light artillery that had been recruited in Hong Kong and Singapore.
The operations of the ICC in the Western Desert in 1916 were characterised by long patrols and brief skirmishes with the Senussi. British commanders in Egypt appreciated the fighting qualities of the ICC, and in late 1916 the corps was transferred to the Sinai desert to take part in operations against the Turkish army.
The ICC remained an integral part of the British and Dominion force that advanced north through Palestine in 1917 and 1918. It suffered particularly heavily during the Second Battle of Gaza in Apr…
