Quote:
Originally posted by Tony Smith
Only the British? You might recall that Australia was intimately involved in breaking 400 years of Ottoman (Turkish) rule over the Middle East and were to be counted amongst the first Christian Army to re-enter Jerusalem since the Crusades.  Places such as Gaza, El-Arish, Beersheba and Ramallah feature as much in WW1 ANZAC legends as they do in today's headlines. In WW2, Australia also fought the Vichy French in what is today's Lebanon and Syria.
|
In fact, Australia's WW1 involvement wasn't just restricted to the Sinai and Palestine. Australian troops were also attached to the British and Indian Armies campaign to attack Turkey along the Euphrates river in Mesopotamia. The first Australian airman to die in the AFC (now RAAF) didn't die on the Western Front, but died after his aircraft force landed between Basra and Nasiriyah on 30 Jul 1915. Although his aircraft landed safely, he and his NZ observer were set upon by a hostile Bedouin tribe and killed. Lieutenant George Merz (AU) and Lieutenant William Burn (NZ) are remembered on the Commonwealth War Memorial in Basra. This memorial was moved
in 1997 by Saddam Hussein. It is interesting to note that Lt Merz was
dux of the first Flying School at Pt Cook, and Lt Burn was the
ONLY qualified pilot in the NZ services!
The whole region liberated from Ottoman rule in WW1 has hardly known any peace and stability since 1915. While the Turks had some problems maintaining administrative control over their large empire, there was never any risks of racial or religious uprisings, and the region lived in harmony, if not prosperity. In fact these tensions have only come about since the 1921 Balfour Mandate carved up the territories into inappropriate "Nations" such as Israel, Syria, Iraq and Jordan. All of these countries have suffered from political, military and religious problems ever since. Israel has found that instabily in it's neighbors has served it's own self-defence well, and has not done much to promote development of good government and prosperity in the region. I say give it all back to the Turks and say sorry!
