The Charge at Sheria took place on 7 November 1917 during the Battle of Hareira and Sheria when the 11th and 12th Light Horse Regiments (4th Light Horse Brigade) charged a Yildirim Army Group rearguard in support of an attack by the 60th (London) Division during the Southern Palestine Offensive of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in World War I.
Following the victory at the Battle of Beersheba on 31 October, Ottoman Army forces continued to hold most of their front line stretching from Gaza on the Mediterranean coast to the mound of Tel el Sheria and Tel el Khuweilfe, in the Judean Hills to the north of Beersheba.
A major offensive launched by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) on 6 November could not dislodge the Ottoman defenders at Gaza, Hareira and Tel el Khuweilfe. Although Sheria and Tel el Khuweilfe continued to be strongly defended, the heavy EEF bombardment by the XXI Corps against Gaza, resulted in the Ottoman garrison withdrawing from Gaza during the night. During 7 November the attack by the XX Corps, led by the 60th (London) Division and supported by the 10th (Irish) Division on the left and the 74th (Yeomanry) Division on the right, gained some ground in the morning but was held up by a strong position at Sheria, when the Australian Mounted Division was ordered to attack mounted. The 11th and 12th Light Horse Regiments charged into the face of heavy artillery, machine gun and rifle fire, was forced to stop and dismount as the fire was too fierce. One troop missed the signal and was annihilated, after they charged up and over the Ottoman trenches.
Background.
During the stalemate from April to October 1917, the EEF front line extended for from the Mediterranean coast at Gaza to a point on the Wadi Ghazzeh near El Gamli, about south-west of Sharia and west of Beersheba on the southern edge of the plain of Philistia. The official rifle strength of the EEF on 28 October 1917, was 80,000 in the infantry divisions and Imperial Camel Brigade, and 15,000 cavalry. However, the "actual strength ... [was] about 60,000 and 12,000 respectively." The strength of the EEF infantry, as compared with the Ottoman defenders was a ratio of 2:1, while cavalry was 8:1 and guns were about 3:2.
While the Ottoman defenders had developed Gaza into "a strong modern fortress", complete with a glacis on its southern and south–eastern side, permanent strongly entrenched and wired positions were constructed to Shellal on the Wadi Ghazza with both Sheria and Beersheba, particularly strongly fortified. The estimated strength of the Ottoman force holding the Gaza to Beersheba line was 40,000 rifles, this was actually 33,000 rifles, 1,400 sabres and 260 guns. The main Ottoman position extending from the Mediterranean shore west of Gaza to south east of Tel esh Sheria was held by the XX Corps commanded by Ali Faud Bey.
Prelude.
After the capture of Beersheba, although the Ottoman defenders suffered many casualties, "stubborn fighting continued" against strong Ottoman rearguards, which delayed an EEF breakthrough for seven days. Strong Ottoman garrisons and rearguards continued to hold the Tel Khuweilfe area, Sheria, and Gaza along with western part of their front line including Tank and Atawineh redoubts. However, the once-formidable Gaza-Beersheba line was becoming vulnerable, and at dawn on 6 November three divisions of Chetwode's XX Corps attacked on a broad front about the center of the Ottoman defensive line. Along with the main attack towards Tel esh Sheria in the center of the line, Tel el Khuweilfe on the eastern end of the line was also attacked by the EEF on 6 November. This fighting caused the Yildirim Army Group Ottoman to reinforce the center and eastern extremity of their front line.
During 6 November the EEF had advanced about capturing a "series of strong enemy works covering a front of some ." Although the Wadi esh Sheria had not been crossed, only Tel esh Sheria and the main Hareira redoubts, remained in Ottoman hands overnight. Falkenhayn commanding Yildirim Army Group, realized that the Ottoman forces could not hold the EEF much longer, and he ordered the Seventh and Eighth Armies to withdraw about . The heavy EEF bombardment of the Ottoman defences in the Gaza area, which had begun on 27 October, intensifying during the night of 5/6 November to a maximum on 6 November, resulted in the Gaza garrison evacuating the town during the night of 6/7 November. 
Ottoman units of the 26th Division at Khirbet Sihan along with units from the Hereira redoubt garrison, were withdrawn to form a reserve of no more than about 1,000 men, after all the Seventh and Eighth Armies' reserved had been committed. Referred to as the "Zuheilika Group", they concentrated at the central position of Khirbet Zuheilika, to the north of Hareira and Sheria, After the 60th (London) Division had captured Sheria Station at 17:50 on 6 November, the small in number but fresh Zuheilika Group, was committed during the evening to reinforce the 16th Ottoman Division defending the Wadi esh Sheria.
Chetwode issued orders during the night for the 10th (Irish) Division to capture the Hareira redoubt, and for the 60th (London) Division to transfer from the XX Corps to the Desert Mounted Corps. Chauvel ordered the 60th (London) Division to capture Tel el Sheria and then advance to Huj.
A reconnaissance of the Ottoman positions at Sheria, was carried out by the 181st Brigade (60th Division), with a view to crossing the wadi at two places to capture the high ground stretching from Barrata to the railway. The commander of a machine gun section of the 180th Machine Gun Company, describes coming under heavy fire at about 04:00. "Walk across the open under shell, m.g. and rifle fire ... [the] battle of Machine Guns v. Machine Guns, depend[ing] entirely on the coolness of each individual gunner." Meanwhile, the 74th (Yeomanry) Division took up a position on the right of the 60th (London) Division. The 230th Brigade (74th Division) was ordered not to advance across the Wadi esh Sheria, nor extend their right to the Kh. Barrata, until touch with the 60th (London) Division could be established. As touch could not be established, they remained in position during the night.
Chauvel ordered the Anzac and Australian Mounted Divisions to begin their advance northwards to establish a line from Jemmameh to Huj the next day. All arms were to advance strongly and decisively to capture as many of the Ottoman forces as possible.
The Australian Mounted Division (less the 3rd Light Horse Brigade which was holding a line linking the XX Corps with the XXI Corps) left the Wadi Hanafish/Kh Imlieh at 02:30 and was concentrated south, south-west of Tel esh Sheria by 07:30, when the 5th Mounted Brigade rejoined the division and the 7th Mounted Brigade returned to Desert Mounted Corps reserve.
 ;templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" / ;Up at 02:00 on 7 November and hurried on. Moved fast till dawn, when we crossed the Beersheba-Gaza-Jerusalem railway line ... Everyone rushing on, pushing on, hurrying on – staff cars, wireless, transports, camels, mounted troops; Australian and Yeomanry, infantry, artillery, donkeys, mules horses and camels galore, without end. Turks retiring fast. Artillery firing all the time, and we move up just within range and halt. Then an hour or two later we move on and repeat the process. The Turks are pulling back all the time and their big guns are keeping us back. Our guns also blazing away all the time.
Then moved through deserted Turkish lines – bivvies, tents, camps, hospitals, ammunition dumps, dead horses and discarded equipment in every direction, all along the track. Came into rougher country about midday and crossed a wadi. As we moved up, came under direct artillery fire. High explosive shells exploding just ahead. Got down into a wadi just in time. Here we were heavily shelled for about half an hour. We stopped by a just captured bakery, and the more hardy walked around and helped themselves to hot, fresh bread, while others lay under the wadi bank as close as they could get, and listened to the shells whistling overhead.
Location of the Sheria position.
The 12th Light Horse Regiment was informed at about 7:30, that the Sheria position had been captured by the 60th London Division, and that the Ottoman garrison was retiring northwards. "[T]he hill was stormed at 4.30 next morning and carried at the point of the bayonet." However, the Londoners' advance was stopped by a strongly entrenched Ottoman rearguard position to the north, with excellent vantage over their approach across bare sloping ground. The Londoners took up a defensive position about from this Ottoman rearguard position, while the Ottoman rearguard had withdrawn to a line about to the north on a long gentle bare slope leading up from the wadi on the extreme flank of the Ottoman defences. Here they reformed and dug in on a strong position with an "excellent zone of fire" sweeping the slope with shrapnel, machine guns and rifle fire. "The check to the Londoners on the slope beyond Sheria seriously hampered the success of the British plan … it meant a day's delay at least to Shea's [and Hodgson's] advance towards Huj." The light horse regiments were then ordered to make a mounted attack on a redoubt defended by machine guns, rifles, and covered from behind by a big gun. They were to ride across open, bare and absolutely barren approach without any cover, to charge straight in on the redoubt at the gallop. A Situation Report at 14:40 located the battle to the north of Sheria hospital, 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Tel el Sheria, yet the position was attacked and captured by two battalions which crossed the Wadi esh Sheria at 17:00.
Plan of attack.
Chauvel issued orders to the Australian Mounted Division at 08:05, to advance on the eastern side of the railway, to the Wadi esh Sheria. He aimed to bring the Australian Mounted Division into touch with the Anzac Mounted Division (less the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade and two squadrons of machine guns at Tel el Khuweilfe along with the Yeomanry Mounted Division), as soon as possible. By 08:50, the Australian Mounted Division consisting of the 4th Light Horse and the 5th Mounted Brigade, was approaching Tel esh Sheria, while the Anzac Mounted Division was deployed to the west of Kh. Umm el Bakr. However plans for Desert Mounted Corps' advance on 7 November were delayed by the "check to the Londoners on the slope beyond Sheria." Chauvel ordered the 4th Light Horse and 5th Mounted Brigades, to "clear the enemy from the front of the 60th Division." They were to advance through the Londoners, to make a mounted charge directly on the front of the Ottoman rearguard position, rather than a flank attack.
The 11th Light Horse Regiment had moved out to take up a line from Kh. Barata to the Wadi el Kerkerty by 10:00, with the 12th Light Horse Regiment on their right extending the line to the wadi Barata. At 10:15 Chauvel ordered Hodgson to "move with centre on Kh Buteiha [ west, north-west of Tel esh Sheria] via G. 23 central [on the railway north of the wadi]." Chauvel gave Hodgson "his exact line of advance," "a definite axis of advance and objective,", "against a very hard section," "through defined squares on the map of operations, with his centre on a mud hut at Khurbet Buteihah, on the ridge behind the Turkish line of defences," but a delay allowed the Ottoman rearguard to strengthen the position before the charge began. The direction of this advance had been laid down by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force General Staff in a letter written at 11:07 on 4 November. The orders for the "XXth Corps and Desert Mounted Corps" attacks on 6 November, included an advance "by the XXth Corps on the line Kh Buteihah - Sheria - Kh Kauwukah." The two objectives of this advance were to push the enemy rearguard back from the 60th (London) Division, to give the infantry room to concentrate, and to enable the Australian Mounted Division to gain touch with the Anzac Mounted Division.
Battle.
Just before 11:00 the leading squadrons of the 11th Light Horse Regiment reached Tel esh Sheria where a conference was called by the 4th Light Horse Brigade commander, when orders were issued