Item 04: M.C. Evans war diary, 4 November 1916-16 June 1917 - Page 48
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[Page 48]
that arranged as apparently they got wind of the fact that the Turks were leaving & wanted to catch them but were too late.
At any rate we have the distinction of being the first troops to enter El Arish.
Same Day 7 p.m.
El Arish is a mere village that is to say a fairly considerable cluster of mud huts with a large graveyard decorated after the native style with rags, bones, etc.; and also a very respectable mosque with as good a minaret as is to be seen in many a larger town in Upper Egypt.
The existence of El Arish is justified by the fact that it is the seaport for all the dates, melons, etc. produced in the upper half of the Sinai Peninsular: no small item either.
It was believed that the Turks were holding the place & intended at any rate to make a show of