| On 28
February 1917, the cavalry of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force entered Khan
Yunus, midway between the Egyptian border and Deir el Belah causing the Turks
to withdraw to Gaza and Beersheba. The railway was pushed forward to Deir el
Belah, which became the railhead in April 1917, and an aerodrome and camps were
established there. The cemetery was begun towards the end of March and remained
in use until March 1919. Most of the burials were made either from field
ambulances from March to June 1917, or from the 53rd, 54th, 66th and 74th
Casualty Clearing Stations, and the 69th General Hospital, from April 1917
until the Armistice with Turkey. |