"Keys" WO 373/19 folio 225

his detachment towards the objective, but was detachment towards the objective, but was deserted by his Arab Guide who refuse to accompany the party, as soon as the weather deteriorated.

Without guides, in dangerous and precipitous country, faced with a climb of over 1800 ft in pitch darkness and an approach march of 18 miles which they knew must culminate in torrential rain and shivering with cold from a gale of wind, the fast ebbing morale of the detachment was maintained solely by Colonel Keyes' stolid determination and magnetic powers of leadership.

Hiding throughout the hours of daylight and moving only during darkness Colonel Keyes had led his detachment to within a few hundred yards of the objective by 2200 hours on the fourth night ashore.

Restricted by the depletion of his detachment through stragglers and through the fact that some of his men had never reached the shore from the submarines Colonel Keyes now found himself forced to modify his original orders in the light of fresh information elicited from neighbouring Arabs.

Having detailed the majority of his men to take up positions so as to prevent