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Under en operation på jorden med to regimenter fra 6. beredne brigade og to regimenter af den newzealandske beredne riffelbrigade den 16. maj, for at holde øje med 500 osmanniske kavalerister, som var set nær Kh. Khasif, blev en Bristol Scout skudt ned af en Aviatik og piloten blev såret. Piloten blev reddet og flyet bjærget og sendt til flyvepladsen i Rafah.<ref name="IMDwd5.17"/><ref>Anzac MD War Diary 15–16 May 1917 AWM4-1-60-15 Part 1</ref> Den 25. juni under en af ekspeditionsstyrkens rekognosceringspatruljer nær Tel esh Sheria, blev en nyligt ankommet [[Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12|B. E. 12.a]] skudt ned bag de osmanniske linjer.<ref name="Cutlack65–6"/>
==Eskpeditionsstyrken forstærkes i maj og juni==
==EEF reinforcements in May and June==
[[FileFil:British troop train circa 1917 IWM photo Q37979.jpg|thumb|Troop trainTroppetog]]
AfterEfter thedet firstførste andog secondandet battlesslag forom Gaza, largevar reinforcementsder wouldbehov befor neededstore forstærkninger "tofor setat Generalfå Murray'sgeneral armyMurreys inarmé motioni again.gang igen".<ref>Wavell 1968 p. 89</ref> Murray madegjorde itdet cleari tostarten theaf Warmaj Cabinetklart andfor thekrigskabinettet Imperialog Generalimperiegeneralstaben Staff, early in May, thatat hehan couldikke notkunne invadeinvadere PalestinePalæstina withoutuden reinforcementsforstærkninger.<ref name="Keogh122">Keogh 1955 p. 122</ref> HeKrigsministeriet wassvarede informedi bysamme themåned, Warat Officehan inskulle thegøre sameklar month,til thatat hemodtage should prepare for reinforcementsforstærkninger, thatsom wouldville increasebringe theekspeditionskorpset EEFop topå sixseks infantryinfanteri andog threetre mountedberedne divisionsdivisioner.<ref>Falls 1930 Vol. 1 p. 360</ref>
[[FileFil:French field kitchen in Palestine 1917 IWM photo Q12739.jpg|thumb|AEt fieldfeltkøkken kitchenfra ofden the Frenchfranske Detachment de Palestine et Syrie atved Khan Yunis onden 11. Septemberseptember 1917]]
OnDen 25. Maymaj aankom Frenchen detachmentfransk enhed, consistingsom ofbestod theaf 5/115th115. Territorialterritorieregiment Regiment and theog 7/1st1. andog 9/2nd2. Algerianalgierske Tirailleurstirailleurs, withmed cavalrykavaleri, and artilleryartilleri, engineersingeniører andog medicalmedicinske units,enheder arrivedtil at Rafa,Rafah followedefterfulgt byaf anen Italianitaliensk detachmentenhed ofmed 500 [[Bersaglieri]] onden 13. Junejuni. TheseDisse forcesstyrker wereblev attachedførst toog thefremmest EEFtilknyttet forekspeditionsstyrken "mainlyaf political,"politiske årsager<ref name="Wavell90–1">Wavell 1968 pp. 90–1</ref> reasons. TheFranskmændene Frenchhævdede, hadat "claimedde specialhavde rights"særlige inrettigheder Palestinei andPalæstina Syria,og Syrien"<ref name="Wavell90–1"/> whichsom werevar acknowledgedblevet inanerkendt i the [[Sykes-Picot Agreement-aftalen]] wherehvor Britain'sder claimblev onskabt Palestineenighed andom France'sStorbritanniens claimkrav onpå SyriaPalæstina wereog agreedFrankrigs topå Syrien. The Italian [[Agreement of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne-aftalen]] asserting Italy's claimanerkendte toItaliens "hereditaryarvelige ecclesiasticalkirkelige prerogativesrettigheder ... ati Jerusalem andog Bethlehem,"<ref name="Wavell90–1"/> was also agreed to.<ref name="Wavell90–1"/><ref>Bowman-Manifoeld 1923 p. 26</ref><ref>Manuel 1955 p. 265</ref><ref name="Falls358">Falls 1930 Vol. 1 p. 358</ref>
The60. 60thdivision (London)med Division7. alongog with8. theberedne 7thbrigader andblev 8thoverført Mountedfra BrigadesThessaloniki wereog transferred75. fromdivision Salonika;blev andformeret thei 75thEgypten Divisionaf wasbataljoner formedfra inIndien Egyptog fromenheder, battalionssom fromallerede Indiavar andI units already in EgyptEgypten.<ref>Keogh 1955 pp. 122, 124</ref> The 60th60. (London)division Divisionbegyndte beganat toankomme arrive onden 14. June,juni withog the7. 7thog and8. 8thberedne Mountedbrigade Brigadesankom arrivingi injuni Juneog andbegyndelsen earlyaf Julyjuli.<ref name="Falls357">Falls 1930 Vol. 1 p. 357</ref>
{{quote|IfHvis wevi hadvar beenblevet askedspurgt yesterday,i går: 'IsEr itdet possiblemuligt toat discoverfinde aen worseværre situatedsituation, aen moremere inconvenient,ubehagelig oreller aet moremere unholyhedensk spotsted ini theverden worldend thanjeres yourseneste latehvilelejr resti camp in MacedoniaMakedonen?' We wouldville vi alle have unanimously repliedsvaret: 'NoNej, itdet cannoter be possibleumuligt.' Today,I however,dag we havehar notvi onlyikke changedvare ourskiftet mindsmening, butmen wehar haveret actuallyfaktisk foundfundet thisdette spotsted, andog morevi thanligger that,endda wei arelejr encampedi upon itdet.|Captain R. C. Case Royal Engineers, 313th313. Field Companyfeltkompagni, 60th60. (London)division Division totil "my dear people," 31. Julyjuli 1917.<ref>Woodward 2006 p. 93</ref>}}
However,Men by Julyden 5,. juli manglede der fortsat forstærkninger på 150 infantryinfanteri andog 400 yeomanry reinforcementsfor wereat stillbringe neededstyrken toop bringpå theniveau infantrymed andstyrke mountedfør divisionsslagene backom up to their pre-Gaza strength.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> AnzacSårede Mountedfra Divisionden woundedberedne whoAnzac haddivision, comesom tovar thefærdigbehandlede, endblev ofenten theirsendt treatmenttilbage eithertil were returned to the frontfronten via theden Australianaustralske andog Newnewzealandske Zealandtræningskaserne Trainingi DepotMoascar atefter Moascarrekonvalescens aftereller convalescenceblev orhjemsendt weresom invalided homeinvalider. SuchDenne triageprioritering wasaf thesårede responsibilityblev ofudført aaf standinget board,stående madepanel upaf ofden theoverordnede seniorlæge physicianog andkirurg senior surgeon, atpå No. 14 Australian Generalaustralske Hospitalhospital. TheLægerne boardhavde hadværet beenpå givenen akort shortinspektionstur tourved ofden theberedne Anzac Mounted Divisiondivision, soså theyde understoodforstod thehvordan conditionsbetingelserne atvar ved theden front, thesom mende wouldkom betilbage returned totil, whichhvilket improvedforbedrede theden "efficienteffektive usebrug ofaf man powermandskab"."<ref>Downes 1938 pp. 655–6</ref>
===RestHvilelejre campog and leaveorlov===
TiredTrætte troopstropper werefik givenorlov leave toi Cairo andog resti campshvilelejre. DuringUnder leaveorlov on theved "PalestinePalæstinas Riviera," Privateskrev menig John Bateman Beer, 2/22nd22. London Regiment, 181st181. Brigade, 60th (London)60. Division, wrotehjem homeog describingbeskrev theden luxuryluksus det var at ofhave havingflere severaldage dayshvor toman "loungekunne aboutdase" andog theden "treat"fornøjelse ofdet goingvar toat bedkunne "ingå pyjamasi inseng ai Bellpyjamas Tenti nearet theklokketelt seaved havet." HeHan explainedforklarede, thatat livingat innår theman openlevede ini thedet desertfri withi littleørkenen watermed meantmeget thatlidt avand, tentbetød representedat "quiteet atelt highudgjorde form"en ofret living.høj levestandard". HeHan alsonød enjoyedogså hearingat ahøre bandet playingorkester duringspille thei dayløbet andaf indagen theog eveningom aftenen, concertkoncert partiesselskaber, thebrugen useaf ofet librarybibliotek andog "bathingbadning ad–lib''[[Latinske ord og vendinger|ad libitum]]''." ThereDer werevar alsoogså competition sportskonkurrencesport, includingherunder tug–of-wartovtrækning, boxingboksning, wrestlingbrydning onpå horsesheste andog camelskameler, rugby, andog soccerfodbold. FootballAustralsk wasfodbold alsovar verymeget popularpopulært.{{clarify|date=November 2014|reason=FootballVæddeløb asmed differentheste fromog Soccer?}} Horse and camel racingkameler, includingmed betting,væddemål tookfandt placested onpå racecoursesvæddeløbsbaner duringunder leaveorlov.<ref>Woodward 2006 pp. 99–100</ref> AtVed Tel el Marakeb resthvilelejren camp,var concertsder werekoncerter performedmed byden thenewzealandske bandberedne ofriffelbrigades the New Zealand Mounted Rifle Brigade,orkester (whichsom hadvar remainedblevet ati Moascar baselejren campmed withbrigadens thetræningsregiment brigade'sunder trainingfelttoget regiment during thei Sinai campaign), the Light Horse's Pierrot Troupe, and the dismounted 74th (Yeomanry) Division's Palestine Pops (these yeomanry had also fought during the Gallipoli campaign, along with Anzac Mounted Division). The [[Auckland Mounted Rifles Regiment]]'s "Wally" was very popular, along with the Palestine Pops' talented vocalists, comedians, and female impersonator.<ref name="Hill114"/><ref name="Powles 1922 p. 117">Powles 1922 p. 117</ref>
On 6 September, 67 troopers marched out from the 4th Light Horse Brigade on their way to the Rest Camp at [[Port Said]].<ref name="4LHBwd9.17">4th Light Horse Brigade War Diary September 1917 AWM4-10-4-9</ref> Their nine-day leave to [[Cairo]] and [[Alexandria]] was partly spent traveling {{convert|100|mi|km}} across the Sinai from [[El Arish]] to Kantara on the Suez Canal in a freight train. "During the night a chap from the Royal Artillery fell off, was run over and killed. At Kantara, I had a shower and a good breakfast at the [[YMCA#World Wars|YMCA]] centre, which caters for men on leave. Then caught an [[Egyptian Railways|Egyptian train]] to Cairo. On arrival, booked in at the National Hotel and had a good clean up. After a splendid dinner, turned in early and slept soundly in a real bed with sheets!"<ref>Hamilton, 4th Light Horse Field Ambulance in Hamilton 1996 pp. 46–7</ref>
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