The importance of the operations near Jerusalem at Christmas, 1917, were never properly realised at home. They were the result of the one really determined counter attack that the Turk made during the whole of the Palestine campaign. Jerusalem, and the crumpling of our right flank was his objective, and to attain it he brought down several new divisions from the Caucasus, but the result to him was not a victory but a real defeat, crushing casualties, and an immediate loss of many more miles of country.

Referring to our subsequent advance, Mr. W. T. Massey, the official Press correspondent at General Headquarters said in his dispatch, dated 31st December, 1917:

“The rapid advance in most difficult country is due to the overwhelming defeat of the Turkish attempt to retake Jerusalem on December 27th, when, after resisting desperate attacks, the British delivered a masterly counter-stroke, causing the Turks, who had suffered tremendous losses, to yield almost impregnable positions and fall back along the Shechem (Nablous) Road, leaving in our firm possession points of great strategical importance.”

General Allenby in his dispatch referring to the same operations says:

“The heaviest fighting took place to the east of Jerusalem-Nablous Road. Repeated attacks were made against Tel-el-Ful, a conspicuous hill from which Jerusalem and the intervening ground can be overlooked. The attacks were made by picked troops and pressed with great determination. At only one point did the enemy succeed in reaching the main line of defence, but he was driven out at once by the local reserves”—

and later referring to the western side of the road where “A” Company were engaged, he says:

“At 12.15 p.m. the enemy launched an unexpected attack of great strength against the whole front, in places he reached our main line of defence, but these successes were short lived, for, in each case, local counter-attacks carried out immediately were successful in restoring the line.”

After the defeat of the Turk the Division pursued him, and a couple of days later were successful in capturing the heights at Bireh about ten miles north of Jerusalem. While passing through Ram Allah on the way to Bireh, some of the men we had lost when fighting at Tel-el-Ful were found wounded, having been left behind by the Turks.

CHAPTER XXXVI
IBN OBEID—BETHANY—JEBEL EKTIEF—JERUSALEM—MUKMAS

The capture of the Bireh Heights, and driving the Turk towards Nablous, completed the capture of Jerusalem, as far as attacks from the north of the city were concerned, but on the east and south-east there was still danger. On the 1st January, 1918, after a night in Jerusalem, the Battalion was ordered to take up an outpost line to the south-east of the town from Sur Bahir just off the Bethlehem Road, running in a north-easterly direction via Khirbit Jubb er Rumm to Abu Dis, just outside Bethany. The line, therefore, formed a defence about three or four miles from the city. Sur Bahir was held by “D” Company, Khirbit Jubb er Rumm by “C” Company, while “A” and “B” were at Abu Dis. The day was fine when the Battalion marched out of the town during the morning, but before proper communication could be established along the line, a heavy rain fell, and the whole countryside was enveloped in a thick mist. Each company, therefore, had to form its own strong points, and wait for dawn on the following day. In the darkness and mist it was impossible to move over the rough hilly country, and patrol work was limited to a couple of hundred yards. However, the next morning in brilliant sunshine patrols were pushed out, but no sign of the Turk was to be seen. Communication with the flank companies was obtained, and rations and water supplies were sent out to each of the companies in the line. Every one looked forward to a quiet tour of outpost duty. “D” Company, however, received orders to push out as far as the monastery at Ibn Obeid on the Wadi en Naar, which in Biblical times was known as the Brook Kidron, and was three miles south-east of Sur Bahir. The new line, therefore, ran from north to south, from Abu Dis to Ibn Obeid, passing through Jubb er Rumm.