The Battle of Beersheba

Trench warfare was to become the icon of the Great War. Yet, far away from the mud of Belgium and France an army which relied on mobility and maneuver was about to make history.

On October 31st, 1917, ninety years ago, at the edge of the Negev desert in what was then Palestine, two nations emerged and committed themselves to the force of arms in an event which would put a seal on their unique status.

Where Canada makes claim to a right to speak on its own behalf after the Canadian led assault on Vimy Ridge, two other British dominions, fighting in the same war, also claim such a right for actions of their own.

Germany's eastern ally, Turkey, had fortified a line from Gaza to Beersheba. In early 1917 there were two attempts to break the Gaza-Beersheba line to no avail. By the autumn of 1917 British forces in Palestine had been reorganized, reinforced and provided with new leadership.

Leading the Desert Mounted Corps, comprised of the ANZAC Mounted Division (1st and 2nd Australian Light Horse Brigades and the New Zealand Mounted Rifle Brigade) and the Australian Mounted Division (3rd and 4th Austrlian Light Horse Brigades and the 5th (British) Yeomanry Brigade), was Australian General Henry Chauvel, the first Australian to command an Allied army corps.

Beersheba offered little. Sitting 30 miles inland from the Mediterranean shore, the wells of Beersheba were one of the few supplies of water along the Turkish line stretching south from Gaza. By fortifying Beersheba and increasing the defences closer to Gaza the Turks felt they could prevent Allied activity by denying them access to sufficient water. The British, realizing that Gaza would be too difficult to take, viewed Beersheba as critical to controlling that section of Palestine.

Given the direction of approach, the Turkish fortification of Tel el Saba, a mound which commanded a complete view of the surrounding plain and the Hebron road, would have to be taken first. Further, if Beersheba was not taken in one day, the Allied troops would have to withdraw in search of water.

The Australian Light Horse and the New Zealand Mounted Rifles were not really cavalry. Unlike the British 5th Yeomanry, they did not carry swords and were not expected to fight from horseback. They were actually mounted infantry - foot soldiers. The Australians and New Zealanders were expected to use their mounts to reach a predetermined destination and then advance from there on foot to their objective.

On the morning of 31 October 1917 British artillery began the assault. Using classic infantry tactics the British moved forward from the south and west of Beersheba, brought their artillery forward. At the same time the Turks were observed reinforcing Tel el Saba. Under cover of artillery, the 3rd Regiment Australian Light Horse and the New Zealand Auckland Regiment advanced on Tel el Saba. By 3 in the afternoon, the New Zealanders had fought their way into Tel el Saba, securing the Hebron road.

A great deal of time had been lost and by 4:30 in the afternoon the decision was taken to capture and occupy Beersheba immediately. Brigadier William Grant, commanding the 4th Australian Light Horse Brigade, (now with only two regiments), gave the order to advance at a trot in artillery order with 15 feet between the squadrons which made up the regiment.

The original plan had called for the lighthorsemen to advance on horseback, dismount and then make an infantry assault on foot. However, as the sun was waning, Chauvel ordered Grant to take Beersheba forthwith, remaining mounted during the assault.

Within minutes of stepping off, the two regiments of the 4th Brigade Australian Light Horse, lacking swords, drew bayonets and spurred their horses to a gallop. They had committed to a cavalry charge.

The Turkish defenders were caught unawares. Expecting the lighthorsemen to dismount and complete their attack on foot, the Turkish riflemen failed to adjust their sights quickly enough and found themselves firing over the heads of the charging Australians. The lighthorsemen jumped the trenches, dismounted and routed the Turks from behind their lines. The Turks, surprized by the charge and completely disorganized, were only too willing to surrender. As reinforcements charged into the town the Turks panicked and ran. By nightfall the Australians had secured Beersheba. In fact, the charge of the 4th Brigade had gone so fast that Chauvel was unaware of the success for almost an hour after the town had been taken.

The New Zealanders at Tel el Saba and the Australians at Beersheba had changed the course of their countries' futures. And the 4th Brigade Australian Light Horse performed the last organized and successful cavalry charge in the history of warfare.

On 31 October 2007, some of the descendants of that battle gathered in the town once known as Beersheba. They crossed the Negev and made the approach to the town on horseback in uniforms of the Australian Light Horsemen and New Zealand Mounted Rifles. This time there was no charge. They walked their horses into Beersheba. They carried wreaths and wore poppies, their bayonets remaining sheathed. They came to commemorate the dead on both sides of that battle 90 years ago.

And they brought a message. Pursue peace.