The Australian Light Horse played an important role in the capture of Jerusalem and was the first formed regiment to enter Damascus.
A Regiment of the Australian Light Horse on the march near Jerusalem, in Palestine.
(Photo source: Australian War Memorial AWM B01619)
(Photo source: Australian War Memorial AWM B01619)
Fifty mounted men and women from the Australian Light Horse Association, including relatives and descendants of men in the original Light Horse Regiments, are currently retracing the march of the Australian riders during World War I. They plan to re-enact the charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Beersheba - one of the last successful mounted charges in Western military history - over the same ground on its 90th anniversary tomorrow.
The capture of Jerusalem and the liberation of Palestine from the Ottomans resulted in Palestine becoming a British mandate in 1922. These were important events in enabling Jews to return to their ancient homeland in larger numbers, and led to the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. Jerusalem was captured by Jordan during the War of Independence in 1948, and later recaptured by Israel during the Six Day War of 1967.
These events are significant in fulfilling Bible prophecies about the restoration of Israel before the coming of the Messiah. Australian readers may be interested to know of the role of the Australian regiments.
1 comment:
Hi Steve
I looked at your blog and read with interest re the events of 1917. In the British contingent present in the taking of Jerusalem in 1917, there were 3 very young soldiers who all commented on the strange sense of the presence of God and Divine significance in what happened in Jerusalem in 1917. They were Percy Kemp, Vic James and Johnny Eve. They each vowed to find the ultimate significance of these events, and contacted the Dawn fellowship in this connection. Those 3 young men were baptized after WW1, and were renowned in the Dawn fellowship for their evangelical zeal, which they maintained all their lives. Johnny and Vic never married and lived together in a terraced house in Eastleigh, a working class suburb of Southampton, maintaining a lifelong commitment to share the Gospel they had found with others. They lived in that same house all their lives after the 1920s, and for 60 years it was one of the most active centres of preaching one could imagine. They dedicated themselves to spreading the Gospel in a way I never quite saw in anyone else in the Western world. Through personal witness they baptized dozens of people over the decades, the descendants of whom are still within the Christadelphian community. As a zealous teenager, I used to visit Johnny in his home, whose few tiny rooms had been packed with over 50 of his converts at times. In awe, I naievely asked him how he'd converted such a huge number of people: "Like, did you have lots of special efforts? How did you advertise? In the local newspaper?". Johnny [and he always wished to be addressed as "Johnny", never "Brother Eve"] laughed out loud, and I can remember that laugh to this day. He mocked any such ways of preaching, and just said "Well, we TOLD PEOPLE!!". And that's it. Tell people, the good news. Johnny, dear dear Johnny, I salute you. Till the great day comes.
Much love in Jesus
Duncan
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