Background The advantages of camels in a desert environment are well known, and the
British Army had raised the
Somaliland Camel Corps in 1912. However the British Army forces serving in
Egypt at the start of the
First World War did not possess their own camel formation. The first units of what became the Imperial Camel Corps were four
company-sized formations that conducted long-range patrols around the
Suez Canal and the
Sinai Desert. The companies were raised in Egypt in January 1916 from Australians returning from the failed
Gallipoli Campaign. The Indian
princely state of
Bikaner supplied the first camels as the
Bikaner Camel Corps already used camels. These camels were later only used as draught animals and the lighter Egyptian camel became the mount chosen for carrying troops. The camels could cover an average distance of an hour, or an hour trotting, while carrying a soldier, his equipment, and supplies. The camel companies consisted of a small headquarters and four
sections, each of seven groups of four men. The establishment of a company was 130 men, all armed with
Lee–Enfields, the standard British
bolt action rifle of the time.
Brigade The Imperial Camel Brigade was formed on 19 December 1916, The brigade originally comprised three battalions, 1st (Australian), 2nd (British), and 3rd (Australian), plus supporting units. Each of the battalions had an authorised strength of 770 men and 922 camels. A battalion comprised four companies and a headquarters. The 4th (ANZAC) Battalion was raised in May 1917, but instead of increasing the brigade fighting strength, it was decided one battalion would always be resting and refitting, while three battalions served at the front. The brigade also had its own
Royal Engineers (the 10th (Camel) Field Troop), a
signal section, the Australian (Camel)
Field Ambulance, and the 97th Australian Dental Unit, which with only four men was the brigade's smallest unit. The brigade included the ICC Mobile Veterinary Section, and the brigade's logistic units were the ICC Brigade Ammunition Column and the ICC Brigade Train, which carried enough supplies for five days. The total brigade strength was around 4,150 men and 4,800 camels. ==Operational history==