Brits in the Middle East/Africa- platoon organisation 1916+

[Agent Brown]

Hi all
I tried asking the following on TMP but met with 'I don't know'. So I thought I'd try the experts-

I was wondering how closely, if at all, platoon organisations in the Middle East and East Africa followed that of the Western front. Did the sections specialise (1x rifle, 1x bomber, 1x rifle grenadier and 1x Lewis gun)? Or were they more geared towards open warfare with mainly rifle sections and a Lewis gun section for support. Or something else?
Any good reference books on this?
Cheers

[Adam]

This will probably be as vague as the answers you got on TMP but after searching around for a bit I found this reference to a patrol in Palestine in March 1918:

"The orders which he received were to patrol as far as Ikba, and to protect some senior officers, who wished to make a reconnaissance and for whose safety he was responsible. He had under his command one platoon, consisting of three sections of riflemen and one of Lewis gunners; also one other officer to assist."

He earlier mentions re-organisation and training in the Summer of 1917:
"we were able to carry out a certain amount of training, and to organize the battalion upon the lines of the new "normal formation," giving the platoon commander control over each kind of weapon with which the infantry are armed—rifle, bayonet, bomb, rifle-bomb and Lewis gun."

From 'With the British Army in the Holy Land'
BY MAJOR H. O. LOCK
THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/19822/19822-h/19822-h.htm


Hardly conclusive but it does show that at one point the battalion was re-organised along the lines of a Western Front style formation (I think this was when they were engaged in trench warfare at Gaza) but later when the conflict was more open the author refers to them as rifle and lewis sections.

Sorry that's not much help. If you do find a definitive answer could you let us know in this thread? I'm really interested myself now.

[Agent Brown]

That's a great reply. I realised that platoon organisation was fluid and pretty much up to the compsny or platoon commander depending on the mission and experience of the men. It's good to see confirmation that specialised sections were used in the Middle East on occasion. I can see how specialist bombing sections mightn't be much use in open warfare but I've wondered about rifle grenadiers. Surely they'd be as useful as riflemen to have around in the open?
Thanks again. If I dig up anything else I'll pop it on here.