October all our preparations were ready. The bombardment
of the Gaza defences commenced on the 27th and continued nightly. On the
30th, warships of the Royal Navy, assisted by a French battleship, began
co-operating in this bombardment. The actual infantry attack on Gaza was
not intended to take place, however, until after the capture of
Beersheba, and was delayed accordingly.

The date fixed for the attack on Beersheba was the 31st October. The
plan was to attack with two divisions the hostile works between the
Khalassa Road and the Wadi Saba, that is, the sector to the south-west
of the town. The works north of the Wadi Saba were to be masked with the
Imperial Camel Corps and some infantry, while a portion of the 53rd
Division further north covered the left of the Corps. The right of the
attack was covered by a cavalry regiment. Further east, mounted troops
took up a line opposite the southern defences of Beersheba. A mounted
force, starting from Khalassa and Asluj, beyond our original right
flank, were detailed to make a wide flanking movement and attack
Beersheba from the east and north-east.

The units detailed for the attack moved by a night march, and were in
their appointed positions by dawn of the 31st. As a preliminary to the
main attack, in order to enable field guns to be brought within
effective range for wire-cutting, an attack was made upon the enemy's
advanced works on the high ground about a couple of miles south-west of
the town, at Hill 1070. This had been successfully accomplished by 8.45
a.m., and the cutting of the wire proceeded satisfactorily, though
pauses had to be made to allow the dust to clear. The assault was
ordered for 12.15 p.m., and proved successful. By about 10 p.m., the
whole of the works between the Khalassa Road and the Wadi Saba were in
our hands.

"Meanwhile the mounted troops, after a night march of, for a portion of
the force, some 35 miles, arrived early on this same morning, the 31st,
at about Khasim Zanna, in the hills, some 5 miles east of Beersheba.
From the hills, the advance into Beersheba from the east and north-east
lies over an open and almost flat plain, commanded by the rising ground
north of the town and flanked by an underfeature in the Wadi Saba,
called Tel el Saba.

"A force was sent north to secure Bir es Sakaly, on the Hebron Road, and
protect the right flank. This force met with some opposition, and was
engaged with hostile cavalry at Bir es Sakaly and t