[CHAUVEL, General Sir Harry]

Syria. Jerusalem (Kuds-esh-Sherif) [the Jerusalem sheet of the 1:250,000 scale map of Syria]

[Cairo], Printed, by the Survey of Egypt, under Authority from the War Office ('Geographical Section, Government Staff, No. 2321'), 22 January 1917.

A colour map printed on paper and mounted on linen (as issued), sheet size 817 × 1043 mm (folding down to approximately 205 × 260 mm), printed surface of the map 580 × 785 mm, with the imprint details, legend and notes printed in the 145 mm-wide bottom margin; when folded, the title of the map is printed in orange on one of the exposed panels of the verso ('Syria. Scale 1:250,000. Jerusalem', with a small key map).

Slight wear to a few intersecting folds; additional creases where the folded map as issued has been folded vertically in half again; trifling signs of age and use, confined mainly to the exposed panels of the map when folded down to its smallest size; overall in excellent condition.

In 1929, when Sir Harry Chauvel (1865-1945) was promoted general, he was the first Australian to attain this rank; he had been the first Australian to lead a corps (the Desert Column), and the first Australian to attain the rank of Lieutenant-General (August 1917). After his return from active service in 1919, as Inspector General and Chief of the General Staff, Chauvel 'fought long and hard to ensure that the nucleus of a well-trained army would be available to meet the next great challenge, which eventually came in 1939, but it will be as the leader of the light horse that he shall be remembered. Chauvel's employment of his mounted troops was characterised by a firm understanding of their capabilities. His leadership was characterised by painstaking preparations and careful staff work. He exploited the mobility of the light horse, took carefully calculated risks and, if things did not work out, quickly withdrew. He employed his troops boldly in the tradition of the cavalry, and thereby achieved great results, yet still kept his losses to a minimum. The capture of Beersheba, and the final battle at Megiddo remain some of the finest feats achieved by mounted troops in any war' (Australian War Memorial website).

The Battle of Beersheba ended as the sun was setting on 31 October 1917, when the 4th and 12th Australian Light Horse Regiments, under the command of Brigadier-General William Grant, charged with bayonets in hand across four miles of open country into the heavily-defended Turkish trenches to the east of the town. The 'light horsemen ... threw caution and cunning to the winds, and snatched victory at the last moment in a blind, wild, headlong gallop.... Over the last few hundred yards ... men galloped untouched; the Turks, surprised and bewildered at the sheer audacity of the charge, had failed to change the sights on their rifles, and their fire was passing harmlessly overhead' (Gullett: 'Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-18', Volume 7). 'It was too much for the Turks; their plans for the destruction of the wells and an orderly withdrawal collapsed and Ismet Bey, commander of 3rd Corps [and the Beersheba Garrison] barely escaped capture. Grant's brigade took over 1000 prisoners ...; their losses were thirty-one killed and thirty-two wounded ... But far more important than the prisoners were the wells, on which Allenby's next move so largely depended, and important, too, was the blow to Turkish morale (Hill: 'Chauvel of the Light Horse').

In Chauvel's hand, on the legend of the map, is written in pencil 'better gallop into action', 'Ismet Bey', and 'Abu Irgeig' (possibly Bir Salem-Abu Irgeig, a well near Khashm Zanna, 'a commanding hill about four miles to the south-east of the town' where 'Chauvel had hoisted his pennant', as recorded by Gullett). The map itself contains numerous marks in pencil. These include a main track from the coast, about five miles south of Gaza, in a wide semi-circle south of Beersheba, passing through approximately a dozen towns or wells, circled or underlined in pencil. These include Shellal, Im Siti, Khalasa, Asluj, and Thaffha, where the track forks left to Iswainin, Tel el Saba, and Tel es Sakati, and right to Bir Arara and places north of El Ghurra. We presume these annotations are by Chauvel; in two places, what appear to be the words 'some enemies' are written in his hand. Other pencilling in the legend includes '3 divisions of infantry' (possibly by Chauvel), and an indecipherable name with a Hill St, Cronulla, address; the same hand has written the word 'hotel' twice on the map. On the printed title on the verso of the map is pencilled '5 Bde'; this is not without significance.

Gullett has the details: 'Immediately Tel el Saba fell, however, and as the 1st and 3rd Light Horse Brigades became available to strike at the town from the east, Chauvel gave decisive orders to Hodgson [Major-General Henry Hodgson, Commander of the Australian Mounted Division]. At that time (about 3 o'clock) Hodgson, together with Grant of the 4th Light Horse Brigade and FitzGerald of the 5th Mounted (Yeomanry) Brigade, was at Chauvel's headquarters. Had Tel el Saba fallen earlier, as had been anticipated, a dismounted attack would doubtless have been decided upon. But with the day on the wane, it was now neck or nothing. There was a brief but tense discussion, in which FitzGerald and Grant pleaded for the honour of the galloping attack which was clearly in Chauvel's mind. FitzGerald's yeomanry had their swords and were close behind Chauvel's headquarters; Grant's Australians had only their rifles and bayonets, but they were nearer Beersheba. After a moment's thought, Chauvel gave the lead to the light horsemen. "Put Grant straight at it" was his terse command'. Or, to put it another way, 'better gallop into action' ...

Provenance: Lieutenant-General Sir Harry Chauvel; by descent.

Item #118721

Price (AUD): $40,000.00
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