While much of World War I’s Western Front fighting took place in Flanders, the war was truly global. On 9 December 1917, after months of fight. While much of World War I’s Western Front fighting took place in Flanders, the war was truly global. On 9 December 1917, after months of fighting in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign, Ottoman forces abandoned Jerusalem. City officials offered the keys to the city to British troops, and two days later General Edmund Allenby entered Jerusalem on foot to show respect for its holy sites. Allenby promised to protect religious monuments, and news of the city’s capture was greeted with celebrations in Allied capitals.

The fall of Jerusalem lifted Allied morale and weakened the Ottoman Empire. It also demonstrated how the Middle Eastern theatre affected the overall war. Soldiers from Australia, New Zealand, India and Britain participated, and many who fought in Flanders earlier in the war now served in Egypt and Palestine. Visiting the Museum of the Great War in Meaux (France) or reading about the Palestine Campaign at the Royal Museum of the Army and Military History in Brussels reveals these connections.

On 9 December, take time to recognise the diversity of World War I fronts and the sacrifices made far from Flanders. Reflect on how the fall of Jerusalem contributed to the crumbling of the Central Powers and eventually allowed soldiers in Flanders to look forward to peace.ting in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign, Ottoman forces abandoned Jerusalem. City officials offered the keys to the city to British troops, and two days later General Edmund Allenby entered Jerusalem on foot to show respect for its holy sites. Allenby promised to protect religious monuments, and news of the city’s capture was greeted with celebrations in Allied capitals.

The fall of Jerusalem lifted Allied morale and weakened the Ottoman Empire. It also demonstrated how the Middle Eastern theatre affected the overall war. Soldiers from Australia, New Zealand, India and Britain participated, and many who fought in Flanders earlier in the war now served in Egypt and Palestine. Visiting the Museum of the Great War in Meaux (France) or reading about the Palestine Campaign at the Royal Museum of the Army and Military History in Brussels reveals these connections.

On 9 December, take time to recognise the diversity of World War I fronts and the sacrifices made far from Flanders. Reflect on how the fall of Jerusalem contributed to the crumbling of the Central Powers and eventually allowed soldiers in Flanders to look forward to peace.