Machine-Gun Squadron: The 20th Machine Gunners from British Yeomanry Regiments in the Middle East Campaign of the First World War

Machine Gunners in the desert

The development of the rapidly firing machine gun had been gathering pace throughout the latter part of the nineteenth century. By the time of the Great War it had reached a point of deadly and devastating efficiency. Now, specially trained units of men within all armies were trained to bring this lethal weapon to bear on the enemy. This book concerns a group of such men-within the British Army-as it and they fought the Army of the Ottoman Turkish empire in the Middle East Campaign. This was a more mobile war than the gunners of the Western Front experienced, that had its own challenges including disease, blistering heat, flies and difficult terrain. This is an intimate story of a small tightly knit unit operating in an interesting sideshow of the greater conflict.