Beersheba, a largely protected town 43 km from the Turkish fort of Gaza, was the scene of an incredible Australian historic charge by the 4th Light Horse Brigade on 31 October 1917. Beersheba was the right end of a defensive trench line that stretched all the way from Gaza on the Mediterranean coast. After two failed attempts to attack Gaza frontally it was decided to defeat it by attacking the Turkish defence line around Beersheba. The attack was launched at dawn on 31 October but by late afternoon 20 British regiments had made little headway toward the town and its vital wells. Lieutenant General Harry Chauvel, commanding the Desert Mounted division, ordered the 4th Light Horse Brigade forward to attempt to secure the position. Brigadier William Grant responded by ordering light horseman of the 4th and 12th Regiments to charge at the unwired Turkish trenches. Using their bayonets as swords the momentum of the surprise attack carried them through the Turkish defences. The water supplies were saved and over 1,000 Turkish prisoners were taken. The fall of Beersheba thus opened the way for a general outflanking of the Gaza-Beersheba Line. After severe fighting Turkish forces abandoned Gaza on 6 November and began their withdrawal into Palestine
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The trenches were built to protect the defenders : in dry country they were dug and reinforced, in wetter areas they were built up from the ground using sandbags. The German trenches were usually of better construction than those of the Allies, as they were made of reinforced concrete where possible and were also usually on higher
The trenches were built to protect the defenders : in dry country they were dug and reinforced, in wetter areas they were built up from the ground using sandbags. The German trenches were usually of better construction than those of the Allies, as they were made of reinforced concrete where possible and were also usually on higher