This post will be rushed with the bayonet and no one allowed to escape.
Firing must be avoided as it is important not to alarm troops further north
Rushed with Bayonet.
Its difficult to imagine giving an order like that today,
but 100 years ago during the First World War,
that’s exactly the order that was given to the New Zealand Mounted Rifles
as they prepared to advance on Beersheba
which can be seen behind me.
Of course it looked a lot different back then
The attack on Beersheba was more than an attack on an isolated garrison.
Beersheba was the pivotal point of a new strategy to
break the stalemate of an Ottoman stranglehold on Gaza
and the Tel el Sheria line.
But not only was taking Beersheba critical for success.
It was essential for the Anzac divisions very survival.
The long trek across the desert had exhausted the divisions water supplies
and the only source for miles were the wells inside Beersheba itself.
If the allies failed to take the town, and more importantly the wells intact,
then the battle would be lost.
Problem was, the enemy held Tel El Saba,
this heavily defended hill from which any advance on to Beersheba would be cut to pieces.
Before any direct attack on Beersheba could occur Tel El Saba needed to be captured
and this crucial task fell to the New Zealand Mounted Rifles
There was no doubt Tel el Saba was the key to the position, when the enemy lost that he had to retire
I got the artillery to open fire and directed their fire onto the machine guns
this ensured our men were able to get up the hill
and we advanced very quickly
the ground was very rough, large boulders covered the ground,
we were now near the second position,
the enemy were shelling hard,
then the final rush
we took the hill
…I got to a position where I could see ahead
and a great sight suddenly sprung up
on our left lines and lines of horsemen moving.
The enemy were on the run and the Aus Division was after them
The fire slackened and it seemed that Beersheba was ours.
The battle for Tel el Saba raged for just over 6 hours
and is but one of many battles
fought in the Sinai Palestine campaign of the first world war
As the commanding officer of the last serving mounted rifles regiment in the New Zealand Army
it is both an honour and a privilege to be here
along with the RSM and eight other soldiers of the regiment
to pay tribute and remember those who came before us
Personally,
as we visit the battlefields and cemeteries here in Israel
it has allowed me to put into context how the battles were actually fought
in conditions to which the soldiers had to survive
and fight these battles and for that I feel very lucky
and very privileged
It reminds me
that art the heart of any war is sacrifice and human suffering
and it is important that we dont forget that
and remember those who have died and served before us.
So today
100 years after the battle of Tel el Saba
here in Israel
we remember the sacrifices of all Kiwis
who fought in the Sinai Palestine campaign
and honour those who never made it home.