Remembering the battles of Gaza in the First World War
On 26 March we commemorated the 105th anniversary of the first Battle of Gaza, part of the Sinai and Palestine campaigns of the First World War.
Gaza was a defensive stronghold for the Ottoman forces in southern Palestine and a strategically important position because of the town’s water wells. Water was a commodity in limited supply in the region and was important for the Allies given the large number of mounted troops and the requirement to maintain adequate supplies for both men and their horses.
Taking Gaza was also an important step for the Allied forces on their path to Jerusalem.
In the pre-dawn of 26 March 1917, the Australian Light Horse and the New Zealand Mounted Rifles began their approach, aiming to take on the enemy forces from the north. They captured the high ground on the northern edge of Gaza and were pressing in on the outskirts of the town when the order came to withdraw.
Some of the infantry divisions, who were to attack on the southern side of Gaza, had been delayed due to unseasonal fog in the region and had begun their attack later than planned. They met with an Ottoman garrison stronger than was believed and enemy reinforcements were seen to be on the way. Fearing the prospect of mounted troops being left without adequate water supplies in a protracted battle, the order was given to retreat. An attempt was made the following day to restart the attack, without success.
The first Battle of Gaza cost the British forces almost 4,000 casualties and around 2,500 Ottoman casualties.
The second battle would take place just a few weeks later in April 1917, with disastrous results and costing even more casualties than the first battle. Gaza would not fall to the Allied forces until November 1917, following the third Battle of Gaza which included the renowned mounted charge by Australian light horsemen against Ottoman fixed defences at Beersheba on 31 October.
To learn more about the battles of Gaza, and the Sinai and Palestine campaign, visit the Anzac Portal.
The town of Gaza in 1917