Captain Claud Williams’ memoir tells, firsthand, what it was like to be a Light Car Patrol commander during the First World War, while Russell McGuirk’s commentary provides the historical background to the formation of the Patrols and follows their activities from the British raid on Siwa Oasis to desert exploration and survey work and the Kufra Reconnaissance Scheme. Lavishly illustrated with original photographs from Light Car officers, this combined memoir and history provides a fascinating and informative picture of an unsung hero of the desert – the Model T Ford.

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Glossary
• Abbreviations Used
• PART I
  • INTRODUCTION
  • The Model T Ford
  • HISTORY OF THE LIGHT CAR PATROLS IN EGYPT AND LIBYA
  • Background
  • The Sanusi Invasion
  • Rivalry at the War Office
  • The Formation of the Light Car Patrols
  • Arrival of the Yeomanry
  • Early Activities, 1916
  • 1st Australian Armoured Car Section
  • The British Raid on Siwa
  • Explorations and Survey Work
  • Australian Move to No. 1 Light Car Patrol
  • ‘Lt E.D. Moore’
  • The Kufra Reconnaissance Scheme
  • Surveys, Patrols and Paperwork, 1917-18
  • Military Mission to Muhammad Idris
  • The Armistice
  • Egyptian Riots, 1919
  • Allenby’s Visit to the Western Frontier
  • Aftermath
  • Epilogue
  • 1 Light Car Patrol Roll of Honour; Officers Serving in the Light Car Patrols, 1916-19
  • 2 Diary of the Military Mission to Sayyid Muhammad Idris
  • 3 C.S. Jarvis on the ‘Jebel Iskandar Expedition’
  • 4 A Selection of LCP Correspondence
  • 5 Captain Owstons Reports on Moghara Reconnaissance
  • 6 ‘The Englishman’s House’
  • Bibliography
  • Acknowledgements
• PART II
  • LIGHT CAR PATROLS IN THE LIBYAN DESERT
  • Chapter I Introduction
  • Chapter II A Long Journey and a Little Capture
  • Chapter III The Siwa Stunt
  • Chapter IV Siwa and Siwa Camp
  • Chapter V A Bit of Exploration
  • Chapter VI A Sand Storm
  • Chapter VII Star Observations and Three Star Observations
  • Chapter VIII A Long Journey into the West
  • Chapter IX The Dweller in the Desert
  • Chapter X The Riots in Egypt
  • Chapter XI The Work of the Car Patrols
  • Chapter XII Conclusion [written by Claud Williams in the 1960s]
  • REPORT ON THE MILITARY GEOGRAPHY OF THE NORTH-WESTERN DESERT OF EGYPT (excerpts)
  • CLAUD HERBERT WILLIAMS: A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
• Back pocket maps: Map no. 1: Route map of the North-Western desert of Egypt Map no. 2: Map of the country between Siwa oasis and Jarabub (Libya)