Israel ANZAC Heritage Trail: Beersheba Charge & WWI Sites Guide

On 31 October 1917, eight hundred Australian mounted troopers rode across open desert into rifle and artillery fire to capture the water wells at Beersheba — the last successful cavalry charge in British military history, and the action that broke the Ottoman line and opened the road to Jerusalem. For Australia and New Zealand, the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of the First World War sits alongside Gallipoli in national military memory, yet the Israel sites are less visited by a factor of decades. This guide covers the main ANZAC heritage sites accessible to tourists today, from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in Beer-Sheva to the WWI cemeteries at Ramla and Haifa.

The Battle of Beersheba — what happened and why it matters

The Gaza–Beersheba Line had held the British advance into Ottoman Palestine for six months in 1917. Two frontal British attacks on Gaza had failed at the cost of thousands of casualties. General Edmund Allenby, newly appointed to command the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, conceived a different approach: a surprise attack on Beersheba, the lightly defended eastern anchor of the Ottoman line, to capture the wells that would sustain his army and allow the line to be outflanked.

The 4th Light Horse Brigade (Australian) was tasked with the decisive assault. As Ottoman resistance at the town’s defensive trench-lines stiffened, Brigadier General William Grant ordered the regiment to attack mounted — at dusk, over terrain the Ottomans had calculated would stop any cavalry advance. The troopers held their bayonets in their fists rather than attempting to stop and dismount under fire. The speed of the charge — 800 horses covering three kilometres at a gallop — outran the Ottoman artillery’s ability to adjust its fuses. The troopers were through the trenches and into the town before a second volley could be coordinated. The wells were captured intact before the Ottomans could destroy them.

The strategic consequences were immediate. The Ottoman line collapsed from the eastern end westward. Gaza fell in November 1917, Jaffa in November, and Allenby entered Jerusalem on foot on 11 December 1917 — in deliberate contrast to Kaiser Wilhelm II’s mounted entry in 1898. The capture of Jerusalem was a signal event for the British public and the Allied cause in the final year of the war.

For Australia, the Beersheba Charge became part of the founding mythology of the Light Horse as the defining arm of the AIF’s contribution to the Middle East campaign. For New Zealand, the Wellington Mounted Rifles and other ANZAC formations fought alongside the Australians across the Palestine Campaign from Sinai through to Damascus in 1918. The graves of both nations are in Israeli cemeteries from Beer-Sheva to Haifa.

Site 1 — Beersheba War Cemetery (CWGC)

The principal Australian and Commonwealth memorial site in Israel sits in the northern part of Beer-Sheva city centre, maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to the same standard as all CWGC cemeteries worldwide.

The cemetery holds approximately 1,241 graves, overwhelmingly from the First World War — Australian Light Horse, New Zealand Mounted Rifles, British infantry, Indian Army soldiers and men from other Commonwealth nations who died in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign. The white Portland stone headstones in their precise rows, the manicured turf, and the Cross of Sacrifice at the cemetery’s head are characteristic CWGC: an environment of deliberate dignity that stands in contrast to the modern commercial city around it.

The Victoria Cross Garden commemorates the Australian VC recipients of the Palestine Campaign. It is a quiet corner of the cemetery particularly significant for Australian visitors with family or regimental connections to the campaign.

Practical: Open dawn to dusk, seven days; no admission charge. The cemetery is on Rehov Ha’atzmaut (Independence Street), approximately 1.5 km from Beer-Sheva Merkaz railway station — a 15–20 minute walk, or a short taxi from the station. The CWGC website (cwgc.org/find-records) allows you to search for individual graves by name and regiment before visiting, which is particularly useful for family history research.

Site 2 — Light Horsemen Memorial

A bronze statue of an Australian Light Horse trooper stands near the Beer-Sheva Memorial Park overlooking the city, commemorating the mounted soldiers of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign. It is photographed from the park overlook and is at its most striking in morning or late-afternoon light.

The memorial park also marks the landscape over which parts of the 1917 battle were fought. The terrain has been absorbed into the modern city, but the low ridge-lines and open ground that shaped the tactical challenge of the charge are legible in the surrounding topography.

Practical: The memorial is in a public park, accessible at any hour, no admission charge.

Site 3 — Beersheba Ottoman Railway Station

The 1915 Ottoman railway station in Beer-Sheva survives near the city centre — one of several surviving structures from the military railway network the Ottomans built to supply their forces along the Gaza–Beersheba line. The railway was strategically critical: without it, Ottoman logistics in the Negev would have been impossible. Its capture and subsequent use by Allenby’s forces accelerated the Allied advance northward. The station building is a piece of Ottoman military-industrial history that many visitors walk past without knowing what it is.

Site 4 — Haifa War Cemetery (CWGC)

In the Balfour Street district of Haifa, the CWGC maintains a cemetery of approximately 300 First World War graves — a more intimate site than Beersheba, but significant as part of the Palestine Campaign’s northern arc. Haifa fell to Allenby’s forces in September 1918 as the campaign accelerated through the Jezreel Valley and Galilee toward Damascus.

The Haifa cemetery is easy to combine with a day in Haifa: it is in the lower city, accessible by bus or walk from the port area. The Bahá’í World Centre gardens are a 20-minute taxi ride up the Carmel slope; the German Colony neighbourhood is a 15-minute walk; Haifa’s Wadi Nisnas and German Colony streets have good restaurants for lunch.

Practical: CWGC cemetery; no admission charge; open dawn to dusk. Consult cwgc.org for current GPS coordinates and individual grave records.

Site 5 — Ramla War Cemetery (CWGC)

The largest CWGC site in Israel sits in the city of Ramla (also spelled Ramleh), adjacent to Route 40 between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The cemetery and its associated plots hold approximately 3,000 Commonwealth graves from the Palestine Campaign — British, Australian, Indian, New Zealand and other Allied soldiers who died in the hospitals and field operations during Allenby’s 1917–1918 advance.

Ramla was a major British base and medical centre during the campaign; the scale of the cemetery reflects both the length of the campaign and the number of soldiers who died of wounds and disease rather than in combat. It is historically one of the most significant sites in Israel for understanding the scope of the Allied effort, yet it receives only a fraction of the visitors that the Beersheba cemetery does.

The city of Ramla itself is worth an hour’s exploration: it is the only city in present-day Israel founded by the Arab (Umayyad) caliphate, in the 8th century CE. The Great Mosque (originally a crusader church), Napoleon’s Well (a Crusader-era cistern Napoleon reportedly sheltered in during his 1799 Palestine campaign), and the Pool of Arches (an underground Crusader cistern, well-preserved) are all within easy walking distance of the war cemetery.

Practical: By car, Ramla is about 20 minutes from Ben Gurion Airport on Route 40, and fits naturally into a circuit that also takes in Beer-Sheva further south. By public transport, Ramla is served by buses from Tel Aviv and Beer-Sheva. The CWGC site is clearly marked; open dawn to dusk; no admission charge.

One-day ANZAC circuit from Tel Aviv

A practical self-drive day combines the three accessible mainland sites:

If using public transport, Beer-Sheva is the practical focus — take the train direct from Tel Aviv (1 hour from Savidor Center or Ben Gurion Airport), walk to the cemetery and memorial, and return. Ramla and Haifa require a car or separate day trips.

ANZAC Day ceremonies

31 October — Dawn Service, Beersheba War Cemetery: The anniversary of the Beersheba Charge is the primary annual commemoration, typically drawing the larger gathering. The Australian and New Zealand Ambassadors to Israel attend; RSL members travel from Australia specifically for this service; Israeli military and government officials participate. Proceedings begin before dawn, typically around 5:00–5:30am local time. The centenary in 2017 drew thousands of Australian visitors and attracted Australian government representation at the highest level.

25 April — ANZAC Day Dawn Service, Beersheba War Cemetery: The conventional ANZAC Day service, smaller than the October ceremony but equally formal. Both services are organised through the Australian Embassy Israel.

Attending: Contact the Australian Embassy Israel (australia.gov.au/israel) well in advance for current service times and any registration requirements. RSL groups travelling as organised delegations should liaise directly with the Embassy several months ahead. Individual visitors are welcomed without registration at most years’ services.

Planning your visit

Combining with Beer-Sheva: The Beer-Sheva city guide covers the full range of attractions in the city, including Tel Be’er Sheva (UNESCO archaeological site, INPA pass valid), the IAF Air Force Museum at Hatzerim, and the Ottoman Old City. For ANZAC heritage visitors, Beer-Sheva is the natural focus and a full day allows the war cemetery, the memorial, and Tel Be’er Sheva.

Combining with a road trip: The car rental in Israel guide covers the practical options for self-drive. Beer-Sheva sits on Route 40, which continues south to Mitzpe Ramon and Eilat — an ANZAC circuit can naturally become the opening day of a Negev road trip.

For family history research: The CWGC database (cwgc.org/find-records) holds records for every Commonwealth grave in Israel. Searches can be made by name, regiment, unit, nationality and date. Many Australian and New Zealand families use this before visiting to identify specific graves and plan their visit. The CWGC also supplies information on the location of graves not in marked cemeteries and on soldiers commemorated on memorials rather than buried in identified graves.

Safety and logistics: Beer-Sheva is a normal Israeli city; there are no special safety considerations for visitors. The war cemeteries are maintained to CWGC standards and are safe and accessible at all times. The CWGC contact in Israel for heritage enquiries is available through the CWGC website. For overall Israel safety context, see our is Israel safe guide.