Princess Royal Fortress Military Museum > Records

First World War Black and White Photograph of a Railway Line in the Desert

1916 - 1918
Overview

A small black and white photograph of a railway line. There are four (4) rails with sand between them with large trees on the right-hand side and prickly pears bushes on the left-hand side. In the distance beside the rails is a square building. There also appears to be a mule on the left-hand side of the image with a person and a further building on the extreme left-hand side. The image has a small border and the photograph is in good condition. There are several small stain marks on the reverse.

Historical information

During the First World War, the British built a significant desert railway to support their advance from Egypt into the Sinai and Palestine. This railway was crucial for transporting men and supplies and its construction progressed as the British pushed back Ottoman forces. Additionally, British forces converted existing Ottoman narrow-gauge lines to standard gauge after capturing them.

Details

Details

Registration number
cwa-org-12-2022.1.46
Item type
Photographs
Themes
War and Conflict > World War 1
Material
Photo Paper
Width
61 mm
Height or length
92 mm
Keywords
First World War
10th Light Horse Regiment
Place made
Egypt
Year
1916 - 1918
Primary significance criteria
Historic significance
Comparative significance criteria
Interpretive capacity
Well provenanced
Google Maps search term / URL
https://maps.app.goo.gl/gWHZtRH1mm24SAjK8
Geotag
-35.030449, 117.912878
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Last modified
Tuesday, 23 December, 2025
Completeness
100
Princess Royal Fortress Military Museum

Princess Royal Fortress Military Museum

Image View
Railway Lines

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