Here is the true story related in the book ‘CHAUVEL OF THE LIGHT HORSE’ by Alec Hill p 84...

“An incident of the days immediately after the Romani operations throws an interesting light on the chivalrous attitude of Chauvel’s Light Horsemen towards their enemy. On August 19, 5th regiment was sent out to investigate an air report of a party of men with camels. It looked like another wild goose chase when an alert youngster reported movement about four miles away.

They rode over and came upon sixty-eight Turks half dead from thirst. They were given water and a message was sent back asking for sand carts or other means of getting the prisoners in but , as the regiment was now fifteen miles from camp, it would be long before help came. So the men and the C.O. himself helped the amazed Turks into their saddles and led the Turks back for five miles through deep sand until they were met by transport.

"This was a very queer sight’ wrote the troop leader with soldierly understatement’ and worthy of a moving picture’. He expressed his pleasure at having saved ‘these poor sacrifices of the Huns’ and gave credit to his sharp-eyed soldier. Not a bad end to a twenty-two hour day.” Here is another account from HISTORY OF THE 5TH LIGHT HORSE REGIMENT. p82,83 “An incident of the days immediately after the Romani operations throws an interesting light on the chivalrous attitude of Chauvel’s Light Horsemen towards their enemy.

On August 19, 5th regiment was sent out to investigate an air report of a party of men with camels. It looked like another wild goose chase when an alert youngster reported movement about four miles away. They rode over and came upon sixty-eight Turks half dead from thirst. They were given water and a message was sent back asking for sand carts or other means of getting the prisoners in but , as the regiment was now fifteen miles from camp, it would be long before help came.

So the men and the C.O. himself helped the amazed Turks into their saddles and led the Turks back for five miles through deep sand until they were met by transport.”This was a very queer sight’ wrote the troop leader with soldierly understatement’ and worthy of a moving picture’. He expressed his pleasure at having saved ‘these poor sacrifices of the Huns’ and gave credit to his sharp-eyed soldier. Not a bad end to a twenty-two hour day.”