With the British Army in The Holy Land is a Book of History. This book describes that The Great War in the Middle East Those with any interest in the First World War know that its principal field of conflict was in Europe, where from the English Channel coastline to the Balkans it became a grinding stalemate of attrition. However, this was a war between imperial powers and during the nineteenth century, to one degree or another, each had gained and secured dominions and colonies all over the globe. Thus the war truly did embrace the world. Each side had its allies and Germany had forged close ties with the now declining Turkish Ottoman empire. The Turkish influence spread over the Middle East around its own homeland, into Mesopotamia and through Syria to the Holy Land. All combatants were aware of the value of the Suez Canal in Egypt as a route to the east. It was a vital lifeline for men and material to be defended or taken at all costs. The stage was inevitably set for one of the Great War's most interesting 'sideshow' campaigns.
