'Turk captured at Wadi Endless', October 1917

Photograph, World War One, Egypt and Palestine (1914-1918), 1917.

This soldier was captured during a raid by troops from 3/3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles on the enemy lines at Gaza. Such raids, allied with regular bombardments, kept Turkish attention fixed on the Gaza front, while a separate attack developed to their east at Beersheba. The capture of Beersheba outflanked the Turks who were forced to retreat. The Third Battle of Gaza (1-2 November) then began and on 7 November 1917 British Empire troops entered the town.

Photograph from the diary of Captain Walter Greville Bagot-Chester (1887-1918), 3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles, covering the period, 19 Oct 1916 to 1 Dec 1917 in Palestine and Egypt.