23 September 1918

The Capture of Haifa

Haifa, then Ottoman Palestine

A mounted action by Indian cavalry of the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade, still commemorated annually.

The 1918 capture of Haifa, from the memorial project's historical image collection.
Haifa, 1918. Image supplied by the memorial project — provenance and rights to be confirmed before publication. · Historical image — provenance to be confirmed

Haifa was taken on 23 September 1918 by the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade, made up of the Jodhpur, Mysore and Hyderabad Lancers — regiments of the Indian princely states. The action included a charge by the Jodhpur Lancers against positions on the slopes of Mount Carmel.

Major Dalpat Singh Shekhawat of the Jodhpur Lancers was killed in the action and was awarded the Military Cross. He is remembered in India as the “Hero of Haifa”, and the day continues to be marked as Haifa Day.

Source: Imperial War Museums; National Army Museum, London

An in-depth study of this engagement is in preparation. See the battles already published.