Very rare and in excellent condition: this is one of the most ambitious productions - Ellis took the photographs, wrote the captions, and is the publisher - by a soldier in World War One.
Not to be confused with Ellis's Souvenir of Sinai & Palestine which is a different publication, this work is essentially a sequel. Commencing with the aftermath of the Third Battle of Gaza and the fall of Beersheba, which occured simultaneously on 31 October, 1917, the album follows the 2nd Light Horse Brigade from Gaza to Jaffa, Jerusalem, Gethsemane, Asluj, Ramleh, Ras-Deiran, Jericho, Judea, Es-Salt and finishes at Amman in Jordan.
Ellis includes photographs of the evacuated Gaza city, mosques (acting as an ammunition store), a Gaza sheikh's home, as well as Turkish trenches. There is captured artillery, ruined tanks, abandoned transport (including aircraft), destroyed wells, plus a school for children, Jewish resettlement camp at Ras-Deiran, Turkish prisoners, Armenian and Arab refugees. Australian troops are also featured, not just in action, but more casually visiting the Holy Sepulchre at Jersusalem and even sorting mail in the Jordan valley.There are also photographs of the ANZAC Mounted Division in action.
The 2nd Light Horse Brigade was raised as part of the 2nd Contingent of the AIF. It was organised into three regiments - the 5th, 6th and 7th - each of approximately 520 men. (Ellis belonged to the 7th.) The brigade's three regiments were drawn from Queensland (5th) and New South Wales (6th and 7th). Trooper J. Ellis must therefore have enlisted in New South Wales. All of these units were raised throughout September and October 1914. The brigade embarked at Sydney for the Middle East in December 1914.
The inside pastedown has the ms. inscription "Sent by Dr. Goggins." Other copies of Ellis's albums were similarly sent on behalf of someone, which may indicate the albums were produced in London and mailed home by members of the AIF.
OCLC locates a single copy at the Australian War Memorial.
