T. E. Lawrence Correspondence – Page 344

To Col.C.E.Wilson Wejh 9.6.17 Dear Colonel Wilson Please excuse what is going to be a hurried note. MacRury got here this morning, & his news is rather sudden. I hoped to get it up to Newcombe, but cannot, as he is coming in, without saying by what road. Fitzmaurice very kindly offered me a sailor volunteer messenger to him - but that's off. In the circumstances, and as MacRury is not going to Yenbo or Aneiza I for Feisul to take action. In spite of General Clayton's views I told him something of the situation. It would have been impossible for me to have done anything myself on the necessary scale. One must inform one's G.H.Q.' He has written to Sherif Ali to send the Eastern Judeida & Harb direct to Bowat-Muheit as soon as possible. Letter leaves by iver Fisher this afternoon for Yenbo. I. says nothing in his etter to give away our knowledge but the note is urgent enough o impel Ali to action, I think. A messenger has left for Abuila telling him, at the risk of losing 3/4 of his force to smash and cut and attack everything animate or material from Bowat up to Abd el Ghonia. Bede el Ghonia has left for Fageir in W.Hanch, to attack the line temporarily till we reach him. I am off tomorrow with a 2.95 man, a machine-gun company and perhaps Gillian with his ranchers, to try and hold up one of the water reservoirs & smash it. The Hule MXI M-I is being sent, probably to Aktuila, to make way against the new Turkish Camel Corps. They are 150 a-piece, with 2 machine guns, & are good. They proceed first to Fageir, & if in time, will join Abdulla. If not, they will go for the Turks where- ever they are. Sherif Ali ibn Hussein has gone to Jeida, with IG dynamite ex- perts, to interrupt the line from El Ula town to Toreifa. Abdulla ibn Ahmed has gone towards Aagain Salin, to capture 1400 camels sent there by Ibn Rashid. Feisul will send the Rifaa and other troops to a point near El Ula, with a 2.95 gun & some machine guns, to try and take action against the Turks there, & in any case to dynamite the line. Sherif Nasir and Newcombe will be sent back North as soon as they get into touch with us. A squad of dynamiters is going (therefor), to occupy the Turks till they retire. Dynantic experts tonight with experts for Dhata, & Mohammed Ali el Beidawi will push them out to the Railway near Tlebak. The plan (spur of the moment, I wish one had more notice) is to get something going at once against the water arrangements, to give time for concentration. For this purpose these light advance parties are going up, to risk anything to gain time. Then when the camels come, & Ali has moved, the main forces of the G