The fall of Damascus to overwhelming British imperial forces on October 1, 1918, was a crucial moment in the end of the Ottoman Empire. Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Charles Niquet Olden, born in Ballarat in 1881, lead the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) mounted soldiers into the city.

Historian Amanda Bentley writes in “Ballarat & District in the Great War” : “he was a man of integrity and intelligence, achieving success in every area of his life. He is a man who deserves to be remembered with honour …..” and that “On 1 October, with the British poised outside Damascus, Olden led a 3rd Light Horse Brigade vanguard through the city’s outskirts in pursuit of retreating Turks. Investigating a large crowd outside the Hall of Government (at 6.30 a.m.), he found the ‘Governor’ of Damascus with other dignitaries in an upstairs room. Olden formally accepted the surrender of the city, receiving a remarkable document which hailed him as ‘the first British officer to enter Damascus, in the bravest manner known of the Saxon race’. He left the city two hours before the triumphant arrival of Lawrence of Arabia…’

At https://anzacheroes.com.au/olden-lieut-col-arthur-charles-niquet-dso-mid-10th-lhr/ Bunbury historian Jeff Peirce summary of Olden’s experiences of Oct 1, 1918, includes these words describing “……. an immense body of Turks on the open Parade Ground ( Twelve thousand men were taken Prisoner ).  They were in a state of confusion and indecision.  Occasional bursts of rifle fire were directed at our men as well as sniping from the high-walled gardens. “ C “ Squadron drew their swords, then charged down the road at a gallop. The Turks in the Barracks provided no further opposition. When the Column neared the centre of the City, dense masses of people filled the Streets and Squares.”

Australians rounding up 10,000 prisoners in Damascus in October, 1918.

“The advance troops proceeded through the City, with the rest of the Column following in close order. The march now became a triumphal procession, with dense masses of people rapidly becoming hysterical in their manifestations of joy. People clung to the horses necks and  kissed the men’s stirrups. A cry of “ A Hundred Welcomes “ was taken up and carried along the line of the march in one continuous chant.  We had averted the Germans threat to burn the City. Through the bazaars, native storekeepers rushed from their tiny shops offering armfuls of fruit, sweets, cigars and  cigarettes to our men with joyous thankfulness.”

Lest We Forget

Geoff Fox, September 30, 2025, Melbourne, Australia

Damascus, 1918