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9 December 1917: Ottomans forces surrender to the British.

It was a welcome development for the Entente in the wake of the disasters of & . In June, Prime Minister Lloyd George had asked General Allenby to "to take Jerusalem as a Christmas present for the nation."

"First picture of the actual surrender of Jerusalem on December 9th, 1917. The only photo taken on the morning of December 9th, when Jerusalem surrendered" (author could have used an editor)

The photo of the military and civil personnel surrendering to the forces on 9 December 1917 is low-key, betraying no drama. If anything, the backstory was more comical:

“You are British soldier? I want to surrender the city please,” and tries to give Murch the keys.

“I don’t want yer city,” says the bewildered Londoner. “I want some eggs!”

In 1917, Jerusalem tried to surrender to a British army cook who was lost looking for eggs |

theworld.org/stories/2016-12-0

OTD 125 years ago--11 December 1917--General Edmund Allenby entered , which the had surrendered 2 days earlier, as & allied forces advanced into from the south.

This painting, “Allenby Before Jerusalem,” by Captain Adrian Jones, hangs in the bar of the Victory Services Club in (vsc.co.uk/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAnNacB).

Thread 🧵

, 1917 (Collier's New Photographic History of the World War)

General Allenby: "I entered the city officially at noon, December 11th, with a few of my staff, the commanders of the French and Italian detachments…” He famously did so on foot in Conor Cruise O'Brien's words. "a snub to the Kaiser, who had entered the Holy City nineteen years before, mounted on a white horse, under a triumphal arch."

Video ( to 2:24):

youtu.be/4WTzVidS7jA

. A

, OTD 1917 (Collier's New of the )

Standing at the Tower of David, General Allenby proclaims military law in , promises the holy sites of all faiths will be administered according to existing customs (he left the Mount/Haram al Sharif in hands--same policy followed in 1967)

Video:

youtu.be/4WTzVidS7jA?t=147

11 December 1917: British General Allenby enters (Collier's New Photographic History of the World War)

"Receiving the Notables of Jerusalem in Barrack Square"

"After reading the Proclamation of Military Law, the procession went through Zion Street to meet the city notables and religious dignitaries in Barrack Square. It is interesting to note the distinctive costumes"

Video:

youtu.be/4WTzVidS7jA?t=164

11 December 1917--British General Allenby enters , which the Ottomans surrendered on the 9th.

Collier's New of the :

"Jerusalem, Taken By British Troops, December 1917"

"The photograph gives a considerable view of the city. In the foreground, outside the wall, is an ancient cemetery. The sacred places of Christians, Jews, and Mohammedans are reverently guarded by the victors"

Treatment of holy places has been a flashpoint of subsequent conflict

11 December 1917: General Allenby enters

"Damascus Gate"

Caption notes, when German commander Falkenhayn saw the loss of the city as inevitable, he withdrew his forces (German/Austro-Hungarian account: firstworldwar.com/source/jerus)

Ironically, in 1916, he had devised the German plan to lure French forces into extended battle at and bleed them white. In 1917, his intervention saved the of from a coming Ottoman persecution

jstor.org/stable/4466625

Jim Wald

The famous charge of the 4th Light Brigade at on 31 October 1917--generally characterized as the last great charge in history--led to the decisive Entente victory at the Third Battle of , which in turn opened the way to the conquest of

awm.gov.au/articles/blog/the-c

The caption to an earlier notes that, after taking in December 1917, "The British Army proceeded to the further conquest of "

Allenby's great victory at in 1918 decisively defeated German & Ottoman forces. nam.ac.uk/explore/battle-megid

In 1919, he was promoted to Field Marshal & created Viscount Allenby, of Megiddo and of Felixstowe in the County of Suffolk

A plaque on the South Kensington house where he spent his last years

#Preservation