November - December 1917
Southern Palestine Offensive
After a period of stalemate in the Middle-East the 10th (Irish) Division moved to Palestine to take part in the Third Battle of Gaza against the German and Ottoman Forces. The Allied forces' mission was to attack the Ottoman defences at Gaza and Beersheba, to capture Beersheba and to attack the enemy's main position. Fighting took place in the desert and the hills around Jerusalem. High temperatures, unfamiliar terrain and scarcity of water made conditions difficult for the men. James Duffy, a private of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, from Gweedore in Donegal won a Victoria Cross for bringing in and attending to the wounded under heavy fire. By December the Allied forces had achieved their objectives and captured approximately 50 miles of Ottoman territory.
