A combined Ottoman, German and Austrian force marched across the Sinai desert during July 1916 with the objective of seizing the Suez Canal, a key supply route for both Allied and opposition forces. When the enemy encountered Allied outposts early on 4 August, only the 1st Light Horse Brigade (NSW, QLD, SA and Tas) of the ANZAC Mounted Division, commanded by Major General Harry Chauvel, was in position to meet the attack. Heavily outnumbered it was forced to fall back but as the day progressed both mounted and infantry reinforcements from the 52nd (Lowland) Division and the ANZAC Mounted Division steadily arrived. This allowed a defensive position to be stabilized around a massive dune known as Mount Royston. The high feature was held throughout the night and before dawn the next morning the 1st and 2nd Light Horse Brigades attacked on foot with bayonets fixed. Enemy resistance collapsed at this point and large numbers of prisoners were taken. The 3rd Light Horse Brigade were then turned loose in pursuit of the retreating enemy. This action finally put a stop to the Ottoman army’s threat to the Suez Canal and marked the beginning of the British forces' drive out of Egypt and into Palestine.
