Damascus

Damascus was the capital of Turkish occupied Syria and Palestine and the first objective of the great offensive launched by Allied forces on 19 September 1918. There has been some dispute over the years as to which troops were the first to enter the town. The honour probably goes to a patrol of the 4th Light Horse Regiment early in the morning of 1 October 1918. They were followed by the 10th Light Horse Regiment that rode into the city around 5 am. Emir Said, who had been installed as Governor of Damascus the day before, surrendered Damascus to Major Arthur Olden, the regiment's second-in-command. At 9 am T.E. Lawrence, also known as "Lawrence of Arabia", and the Arab forces of Faisal, son of the Sherif of Mecca, entered Damascus.