GUEST SPEAKER: KELVIN CROMBIE
Expertise & Background: Lived in Israel for 25 years and pioneered the "In Step with Allenby and the Anzacs" tours.
Historical Engagements: Gave the official explanation at the 100th anniversary re-enactment of the charge at Beersheba on 31 October 2017 and has visited El Alamein on three occasions.
ABOUT THE PRESENTATION
The two iconic Middle East battles of Beersheba and El Alamein—in which Australian and New Zealand soldiers played pivotal roles—occurred exactly 25 years apart.
While these Allied victories altered the trajectory of both World Wars and deepened the ANZAC heritage across Australia and New Zealand, their critical link to the establishment of the modern State of Israel remains largely unknown:
First World War (Beersheba): Allied troops defeated the Ottoman Turks, breaking centuries of Ottoman rule and laying the foundations for a Jewish National Home in the land of covenant promise.
Second World War (El Alamein): Allied forces halted the Nazi regime's expansion in the Middle East, preventing the Holocaust from extending into the region and enabling the Jewish population to survive and establish a sovereign state in 1948.
Join us for an insightful exploration into why these pivotal moments in ANZAC history were truly battles of destiny.