Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and New Zealand Governor-General Patsy Reddy accompanied 175 members of the Australian Light Horse Association marking the centenary of the Battle of Beersheba, paying tribute to the 171 British troops killed. The battle was a crucial, if largely forgotten, victory in the Mideast campaign that enabled the Allies to break the Turkish line and capture Jerusalem weeks later. On October 31, 1917, Allied troops launched their assault, but by late in the day, the critical water sources remained in Turkish hands. In a desperate gambit, mounted infantrymen with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps drew their bayonets, charged the Turkish trenches cavalry-style, and stormed into the town. The Light Horse charge also proved decisive for the Zionist dream of a future Jewish state.

Source: Egypt Independent October 31, 2017 05:26 UTC