I have found this file which is supposed to be of defensive works at El Arish during WW1. The Lewis gun certainly says WW1 but I can't remember seeing a photo of men with Brodies in the Middle East in WW1.

Centurion,
Sorry about the source, but according to Wikipedia "brodie helmet" it was indeed used from 1916.
Russell

This photo was reproduced in the history of the 1/5th Suffolk Regiment, published 1927 I think.

I have photos of the 8th Hants, in the same Brigade (163) wearing Brodies late 1917.

Gareth

There are also photos of London Regiment men from 60th Division wearing helmets, and I used to own an officer's brodie with a special cover for Palestine, with a flap at the back to protect the neck from the sun.

Look at AJP Taylor's history of the First World War, page 241, photograph 183 : British troops on horseback entering Damascus. They're all wearing steel helmets. Was that Christmas 1917 ?

Phil

Gareth is quite correct. The photo is indeed in The History of the 1/5th Battalion The Suffolk Regiment by Fair and Walton. The photo caption reads Turkish Trenches. El Arish Reboubt.

From the same book: On the 25th [October 1917] steel helmets were issued to all ranks.

Incidently, El Arish Redoubt was a different locality to El Arish. The former was one of the objectives during the Gaza battles in late 1917.

cheers

Steve

Another example from the Matson Collection at the LoC
"The surrender of Jerusalem to the British, December 9, 1917. First British guard at the Jaffa Gate"