Published: 30 September 2019
Last updated: 4 March 2024
THE SHORT AND QUICK battle that took place 101 years ago this week at Tzemach, near Israel's Sea of Galilee, was unusual.
Under the cover of darkness, led only by the light of the moon, the Australian cavalry drew its swords and galloped toward the local train station, a strategic point in those days. The German enemy allied with the Ottoman Empire had barricaded itself in the stone station building.
But the Australian cavalry, fighting for the British crown, was undeterred. They surged forward aloft on their steeds and, in keeping with the theory of war, fought face to face with bayonet and sword.
Last week the battle made headlines again. Jack Pollard, grandson of one of the fighters, came to Tzemach to inaugurate a statue commemorating his grandfather, The Aborigine and His Horse, dedicated to all the Aboriginal soldiers who fell during World War I.
The statue was designed by an Australian artist and manufactured using a 3-D printer. Thus a 101-year-old event was commemorated using the latest technology.
FULL STORY Israel honours WWI Australian Aborigine fighters at centre near sea of Galilee (Haaretz)
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Photo: The dedication of 'The Aborigine and his Horse' at Tzemach, September 25 (Kinneret College)
