The Battle of Megiddo and the Armenian Legion

From 19 September to 1 October 1918 the decisive Battle of Megiddo of the First World War took place in Palestine. The Megiddo gorge had been a convenient place for battles since ancient times, which is where the notion of “Armageddon” comes from. The British forces and their Arab allies, coordinated by Lawrence of Arabia, outnumbered the Ottomans 2 to 1, and the battle ended in the complete defeat of the Ottoman forces.

Units of the Armenian Legion, equipped by France, played an important role in this battle. Their goal was distant Cilicia, which the Armenians reached through fighting, but after the war relations between France and Turkey changed, and the plans for Cilicia were not realised.

The photograph shows 2 soldiers in uniform and caps; one stands, the other sits in a rocking chair.