page_title: Middlesex Yeomanry
section_title: Palestine
hierarchical_section_title: Middlesex Yeomanry / World War I / 1/1st County of London Yeomanry / Palestine
caption_attribution_description: English: Map of Karm and el Buqqar defensive line Other information British Army map with Creative Commons 3.0 license regarding white line. Detail of File:Karm&amp;el–buggar 1.jpg.
context_page_description: The Middlesex Yeomanry was a volunteer cavalry regiment of the British Army originally raised in 1797. It saw mounted and dismounted action in the Second Boer War and in World War I at Gallipoli, Salonika and in Palestine, where one of its officers won a Victoria Cross at the Battle of Buqqar Ridge and the regiment rode into Damascus with 'Lawrence of Arabia'. Between the world wars the regiment was converted to the signals role and it provided communications for armoured formations in World War II, including service in minor operations in Iraq, Palestine, Syria and Iran, as well as the Western Desert, Italian and North-West European campaigns. It continued in the postwar Territorial Army and its lineage is maintained today by 31 Signal Squadron, Royal Corps of Signals, which forms part of the Army Reserve.
context_section_description: In June 1917 the regiment was withdrawn with 8th Mounted Brigade to Egypt and then moved up to the Palestine Front, where it joined the Yeomanry Mounted Division that was forming at Khan Yunis in the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF). 
  The campaign was coming to the end of a period of stalemate, with the EEF preparing to renew its offensive. The Turkish Yildirim Army Group carried out a reconnaissance in force in late October against 8th Mounted Brigade, which was holding a 14 miles (23 km) outpost line along the el Buqqar ridge to cover railway construction parties. At 04:10 on 27 October a post on Point 630 held by the Middlesex Yeomanry was attacked by an Ottoman cavalry patrol in great strength, bringing on the Battle of Buqqar Ridge. Two Yeomanry troops ordered forward in support advanced through heavy fire to find the post almost surrounded. A squadron of the City of London Yeomanry in reserve advanced, also under heavy fire, to occupy a position 200 yards (180 m) south of the threatened post, which stopped the Ottoman forces from completely surrounding the Middlesex men. By 10.55 an Ottoman infantry attack was developing against the post. The defenders were driven off the hill but withdrew to a trench just below the crest and held out there during the day against odds of 20 to 1, with the attackers closing to within 40 yards (37 m). Fighting continued until late in the afternoon when troops from the  53rd (Welsh) Division drove off the attackers. The Yeomanry post had lost 4 dead and 14 wounded.
  Meanwhile, Point 720 held by two troops from B Squadron, Middlesex Yeomanry, commanded by Major Alexander Malins Lafone, had been attacked by several Ottoman cavalry squadrons, and later by heavy rifle and machine gun fire and occasional artillery shells. The post was out of communication from 06.00 and reinforcements were unable to break through. After six hours and two unsuccessful mounted charges, the final attack on Hill 720 was made by 1200 Ottoman cavalry supported by machine-gun and artillery fire. All except three of the Yeomanry on Hill 720 were killed. Major Lafone was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for encouraging his men to resist the Ottoman attack.
  On 31 October 1917 the EEF opened its own offensive with the Third Battle of Gaza. The Yeomanry were initially held in reserve, but on 6 November the division went into action as part of the Desert Mounted Corps (DMC) at the Capture of the Sheria Position. There followed a pursuit towards Jerusalem, in which the Yeomanry took part in the battles of Mughar Ridge (13 November) and Nebi Samwil outside Jerusalem (17–24 November). The Turks counter-attacked on 27 November and the Yeomanry held the line for two days. Jerusalem surrendered on 9 December.
  The crisis on the Western Front caused by the German Spring Offensive in March 1918 led to an urgent call for reinforcements from Palestine. A number of formations were 'Indianised', roughly two-thirds of their British units being sent to France and replaced by Indian Army units. The Yeomanry Division was one such, becoming the 1st Mounted Division, and later the 4th Cavalry Division, while the 8th Mounted Brigade became the 11th Cavalry Brigade. The Middlesex Yeomanry remained with the 11th, now brigaded with the 29th Lancers and 36th Jacob's Horse.
  The EEF launched its final offensive, the Battle of Megiddo, on 19 September 1918. The DMC was on the coast, massed behind the infantry to exploit the breakthrough. 4th Cavalry Division was launched four hours after Zero at 08.40 and advanced against slight resistance. The division paused after 12 hours, then overran the Turks' primitive third line defences. It paused to water the horses in the evening, then moved off again an hour before midnight, riding into the German–Turkish HQ at Afulah and then heading east to Beisan to cut off Turkish retreat. The division rode 70 miles (110 km) in 34 hours. There was still a 25 miles (40 km) gap through which the Turks could escape across the River Jordan, and on 23 September 11th Cavalry Brigade was ordered to ride south down b
caption: Detail of the el Girheir to el Buqqar defensive line
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