IN THE HOLY LAND.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 30, Issue 24, 26 March 1918, Page 4

IN THE HOLY LAND.

A GENERAL’S IMPRESSIONS. Writing at the beginning of the year to a Manly resident, Brigadier-General Ryrie states that he is trying to get one or two of the guns captured by his brigade from the Turks as war trophies for New South Wales. The General states: “The boys are all fit again after the big push, and are in good spirits. They are fine lads, and I am very proud of my brigade, as we took a greater number of prisoners and guns than any other brigade—l7oo of the former and 13 of the latter. My men and officers also got over 40 immediate honours grantcd'by the Command-er-in-Chief—D.S.O.’s, Military Grosses, D.C.M.'s, and Military Medals. The fellows are very bucked up about it, although every recipient richly deserved the decoration for some special act of galantry in the field—some of them very fine indeed.” Writing of his visit to Jerusalem, the General states that “we proceeded to the Jaffa Gate of the old city, where we presented passes to a sentry, who allowed us to pass on—not through the gate, but through a large opening in the old wall, which had been made to allow the Kaiser to enter in state when he visited the place some time ago.

“There is a German church built on the site of the tombs of King David and King Solomon. We wont into the Church of Caiaphas, where the actual covering stone of the tomb of Christ is; and in an Armenian church wo saw three large stones in a sort of ironbarred safe—one came from the river Jordan, one from Mount Sinai, and one from Mount Horeb. Pilgrims come and kiss the stones, and as this has been going on for over 1000 years, the stones arc all worn away like rock salt that the sheep have been licking.” The brigadier adds: “I wouldn't go much on the kissing >act myself.'' The party made visits to other hisi torical places, and, says the General; ‘‘The chief building of interest in the city is the Mosque of Omar, which is 1300 years old. Wo could not enter this place, as it is the Holy of Holies of the Mahometan soldiers, who won't let you go near it, let alone enter it. It stands near the site of the Temple of King Solomon and the Judgment Hall of Pontius Pilate. Two arches mark the spot in the old wall where Christ was taken through a small gate from the Garden of Gethsemane to the Judgment Hall.

“We then went to Bethlehem, five miles off, and were disappointed at not being able to get into the Church of the Nativity, built on the spot where Christ was born. From the top of a house we were shown the Shepherd’s Field, where the angels appeared to the shepherds minding their flocks and directed them to the place where tho Young Child was.”