NAM.1999-10-8-9

Copy photograph of the reading of the proclamation from the steps at the base of the Tower of David which was standing when Christ was in Jerusalem, 1915-1918 (c). Shows the outer gateway to the Jerusalem Citadel or Tower of David, with crowds gathered on the steps and around their base. A significant number of the men assembled in a semi-circular formation before the person giving a proclamation are clearly wearing wide-brimmed hat - most likely Australian slouch hats although also possibly New Zealand ‘lemon-squeezers’. It can be stated they are almost certainly troops of the ANZAC Mounted Division. The proclamation of Martial Law was made on 11 December, 1917, two days after the occupation of Jerusalem, and was issued in seven languages (English, French, Italian, Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, and Greek). It promised protection for the holy places and assured freedom of religious practice for all the city’s inhabitants. From a collection of nine copy photographs taken from the original World War One official photographs

World War One, Egypt and Palestine (1914-1918)