THE Battle of Beersheba on October 31, 1917 has rightly become a defining moment of the Australian Light Horse and their campaign in World War One.
Employing their bayonets as makeshift swords, the momentum of the surprise attack carried them through the Turkish defences, over trenches and into the town.
In all, 1,000 prisoners were taken and vital water supplies were saved.
100 years later, Beersheba now sits in southern Israel, and was recently the final stage in a very emotional centenary celebration.
Gympie’s Julie Lee, history fan and member of our local Light Horse, was one of the lucky few who saddled up and retraced the path those brave soldiers took a century ago.
“We were there for around three weeks or so,” she said of her trip.
“And we travelled across Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and of course Israel.”
Read the article by Jacob Carson in the Gympie Times.