“It appears from news received by his relative's that Major Charles Sommerville, who died in Palestine last Easter, was done, to death by the treachery of villagers, who had pretended friendship with the British. Major John Sommeryille, D.S.O., brother of the deceased has received an account of the affairs in letters from the colonel and other officers of the Wellington Mounted Rifles Regiment. General Chaytor's column was retiring to Jericho after a raid on the Hejaz railway east of the Jordan, and the Wellington Mounted Rifles were acting as rearguard when they passed through a village full of supposedly friendly natives. These latter had previously denounced to General Chaytor by the Arabs who asked leave to remove them. The villagers appeared well disposed, and were given a guard to protect them from the Arabs. Just beyond the village was a steep defile about three miles long, and a column had passed into this when Major Sommerville's squadron, the last of the rearguard, was subjected to a fusillade from the natives lying behind boulders on either side of the road. Three officers and eight men were killed and eight wounded, including the major, whose injuries were such that he died next day in a hospital at Jericho. The mounted riflemen took prompt vengeance, and over 30 of the enemy were killed and many more wounded. It was proved that these men, had come from the village nearby.” [Grey River Argus , 12 July 1918, Page 2]