LORD ALLENBY

Evening Star, Issue 22365, 15 June 1936, Page 16

LORD ALLENBY

A SOLDfER'S TRIBUTE The news of, the death of Field-Mar-shal Lord Allonby must have come as a personal loss to thousands of those who served under him. The huge dimensions of modern armies necessarily means that the Commamler-in-Chief is little more than a name to the man in the ranks. It was not so, however, with Lord Allenby. His personal “ touch ” could bo felt right through the army be commanded in Egypt and Palestine (writes Frank Sturge Harty, in the ‘Sydney Morning Herald’). My division, the GOth (London), bad been moved from the Serbian frontier to the Sinai Desert in the summer of 1917, when Lord Allenby assumed command of the Army of the East. In Franco wo had served under various generals, and 1 doubt if, at any time, wo could have told an inquirer the name of our corps commander. In Salonika we knew that wc were part of a composite force under a - French general, but lie was as remote as the man in the moon. The division had not been in Egypt more than a few days before every man realised that a change in command had taken place. To begin with, we had a new divisional commander, apparently a man picked by Allenby himself. Major-general Shea—a dapper little Indian cavalry man, who immediately won the hearts of all ranks by the lifting of unnecessary and irritating restrictions. It was Major-general Shea who received the surrender of Jerusalem on behalf of General Allenby. AVo at once began intensive training under desert conditions, involving long marches across the burning sands, finishing up with an assault on some objective. Wc bad to learn to plough through the loose hot sand for a whole day,, carrying full equipment, on about a pint of water. War-worn veterans though wo were, having campaigned in Franco and Serbia, yet such was the enthusiasm which the very name of Allenby engendered, that we entered into the training with gusto. From time to time Major-general Shea, m the name of the Commander-in-Chief, addressed us, taking ns into In's confidence regarding the campaign shortly to commence. He told' ns that wc would be in Jerusalem before Christ-, mas, and although in the past we had become cynical regarding undue optimism by the higher command, wc believed Allonby. Innumerable acts of consideration helped to cement the good-feeling between the troops and their Commander-in-Chief. For example, I can remember when we were at Shelia!, on the borders of Palestine (where that beautiful remnant of a mosaic floor of an ancient Christian :;hurch was found later), after a particularly arduous day, on our return to camp we hoard the gladsome tidings that beer had come up. Of coursp, we expected a small issue of pay, and that we would have to lino up outside the quartermaster’s and bay our drinks. To our surprise wc were informed that there was a free ration supplied with the compliments of General Allenby. COMPLETE CONFIDENCE. AVhen the time approached for the assault on Boersheba and Gaza, we were told quite frankly what our job was to be. In my company there was a great shortage of officers. AVe had only one subaltern in addition to the company commander, therefore some of the n.c.o.s had to take on the duties normally performed by the commissioned ranks. Every officer and n.c.o. concerned attended a _ meeting, presided over by our brigadier, and the whole plan of action was explained and discussed. A relief map, modelled in clay, to a largo scale, was before ns, and every man was given his job. The result was that wo all know as much as the colonel, and our complete co-opera-tion was assured. On the night of our final march across the desert,to attack the fortifications outside Becrsheba, wc noticed with great satisfaction that every detail had been worked out. Padding along in the moonlight beside the marching troops were seemingly endless columns of camels, laden with water, ammunition, food, and everything necessary. AA'e felt that wo were partners in an enterprise that was certain of success. On the morning of October 31, 1917, when the remarkable feat of bringing an army across the desert unknown_ to the enemy had been successfully carried out, I am sure that no troops in history were more eager to get at their foes. General Allenby had evidently studied Napoleon to some purpose, and realised the truth of his dictum that an army inarches on its stomach. Every man had in his pack a bottle full of tea and rum, and a generous ration of cold bacon and broad. In the grey light of dawn we breakfasted as wo waited for the guns to open their barrage of fire for the attack. No wonder our assault was irresistible and sent the Turk flying like dust before the wind. I was one of those wounded early in the engagement, and ns I lay on a stretcher at the field dressing station General Shea walked into a marquee to convey the congratulations and thanks of the Commander-in-Chicf. I’ll never forget his kindly manner and personal interest in every man, inquiring where and how we had been wounded. Every one of us recognised the “Allenby touch.” Years after, when I was in New Zealand, Lord Allenby visited the Dominion, and I was fortunate enough to meet him. His train passed_ through the town where I was living, and stopped for some time, as it was an important junction. I promptly boarded the carriage, and found a railway official on guard, to whom I handed my card, with a scribbled request for a brief interview. Ho almost immediately returned, asking me to enter the saloon. Here I was greeted by Lord Allenby, who introduced mo to his wife. I told him that I had often seen the familiar motor car dashing over the roads of Palestine with the Union Jack fluttering on tho radiator, and that I had longed for an opportunity to express my personal appreciation of the finest Coinmandor-in-Chief that any array had had. Now at last I had achieved my ambition of shaking him by the hand. T thanked him on behalf of ray comrades for his kindness at Shellal and Beersheba. Lord Allenby was_ highly amused, and said: “I’m afraid that you must thank General Shea for that.” I contented myself with pointing out that whether or no General Shea was responsible, tho troops had never received such treatment until they were under his (Menby’s) command. I think it is generally agreed that the conquest of Palestine was the most brilliant feat of arms in the whole war, and, as one who was privileged to play a humble part in it, I am glad to testify to the remarkable genius and personality of the man in command, Field-Marshal Lord Allenby.