A. Three Turkish soldiers carrying flag
B. 'Palm trees in el-Arish'
C. 'Locust on wall in Beersheba'
D. 'Field hospital in Beit Hanoun, 1916-1917'
E. 'Field clinic in Ibne, from the left: Dr. Cnaan, Dr. Jamal, Dr. Koch, 1915'
F. 'Hospital in Uja al-Hafir, built by the Turks as government buildings'
G. 'Dr. Heigler in anti-plague suit'
Photographic memories from WWI – part 2
Photo album obtained by late archeologist Pesach Bar-Adon contains large number of images of Land of Israel 90 years ago. This week we present a documentation of preparations in Uja, Beersheba and Gaza area. Second story in series
Last week we presented the first story in a series of articles on the photo album obtained by archeologist (1907-1985) from an unknown source.
The photos, which feature the events of World War I, reveal that the original album owner was the member of a medical staff.
In early 1915, the British assumed that the Turks would try and attack them at the Suez Canal, an important marine transportation route for the English and French. The believed that the attack would be launched in northern Sinai and head towards the canal.
The T. Eighth Army, commanded by General Kress von Kressenstein, managed to mislead them, and in a swift campaign of 10 days led a force of more than 20,000 infantry fighters and soldiers riding on camels and horses, equipped with warfare and water-crossing tools, through central Sinai towards al-Hafir (Nitzana) to the Great Bitter Lake on the Suez Canal.
However, when the Turks launched their ships in the waters of Lake Timsah on February 3, 1915, the British discovered them and put them to flight.
A year and a half later, the Turks were preparing for another battle. Their forces in Sinai were boosted and the home front in the Uja, Berrsheba and Gaza area was being prepared. In this part we will present photos from that deployment.
1. Town of Bosra al-Sham (about 40 kilometers southeast of Daraa) on the Hijazi railway
4. "Tel al-Sharia" (north of Beersheba, where a railway station was located)
5. "El-Arish, near houses bombed by the English"
13. "Hospital in Uja al-Hafir"
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