Monday, November 11, 2013

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A SOLDIER
OF THE GREAT WAR
KNOWN TO GOD
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The Beersheba War Cemetery contains 1,241 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, 67 of them unidentified.

 More about the cemetery from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission:
Country: Israel and Palestine (including Gaza)
Identified Casualties: 1173

By October 1917, General Allenby's force had been entrenched in front of a strong Turkish position along the Gaza-Beersheba road for some months, but they were now ready to launch an attack with Beersheba as its first objective. On 31 October, the attack was carried out by the XXth Corps . . . on the west, and the Desert Mounted Corps on the east. That evening the 4th Australian Light Horse Brigade charged over the Turkish trenches into the town.

The cemetery was made immediately on the fall of the town, remaining in use until July 1918, by which time 139 burials had been made.
It was greatly increased after the Armistice when burials were brought in from a number of scattered sites and small burial grounds.

The cemetery in 1917 or 1918.
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(Glass stereotype dry plate  photo by the American Colony Photo Department.
Library of Congress )
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(Linking to Our World Tuesday.)

4 comments:

  1. The cemetery looks well cared for. I hope the Australian and British governments have some responsibility for care and ceremony.

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  2. A very fitting choice for this time of year.

    I've got a documentary on the Commonwealth War Graves work. It carries on in perpetuity.

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  3. I've always found the tombs of unknown soldiers moving.

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