d
been made secure enough for the use of ships, many thousands of tons
of supplies and ammunition were put ashore at the wadi's mouth, and at
a time when heavy rains damaged the newly constructed railway tracks
the Sukereir base of supply was an inestimable boon. Yet there were
times when the infantry had a bare day's supply with them, though
they had their iron rations to fall back upon. It speaks well for
the supply branch that in the long forward move of XXIst Corps the
infantry were never once put on short rations.

While the 54th were coming up to take over from the 52nd, plans were
prepared for the further advance on Jerusalem. The Commander-in-Chief
was deeply anxious that there should be no fighting of any description
near the Holy Places, and he gave the Turks a chance of being
chivalrous and of accepting the inevitable. We had got so far that the
ancient routes taken by armies which had captured Jerusalem were just
before us. The Turkish forces were disorganised by heavy and repeated
defeats, the men demoralised and not in good condition, and there was
no hope for them that they could receive sufficient reinforcements
to enable them to stave off the ultimate capture of Bethlehem and
Jerusalem, though as events proved they could still put up a stout
defence. We know from papers taken from the enemy that the Turks
believed General Allenby intended to go right up the plain to get
to the defile leading to Messudieh and Nablus and thus threaten the
Hedjaz railway, in which case the position of the enemy in the Holy
City would be hopeless, and the Turks formed an assault group of three
infantry divisions in the neighbourhood of Tul Keram to prevent this,
and continued to hold on to Jerusalem. General Allenby proposed to
strike through the hills to the north-east to try to get across the
Jerusalem-Nablus road about Bireh (the ancient Beeroth), and in this
operation success would have enabled him to cut off the enemy forces
in and about the Holy City, when their only line of retreat would have
been through Jericho and the east of the Jordan. The Turks decided
to oppose this plan and to make us fight for Jerusalem. That was
disappointing, but in the end it could not have suited us better, for
it showed to our own people and to the world how after the Turks had
declined an opportunity of showing a desire to preserve the Holy
Places from attack--an opportunity prompted by our strength, not by
any fear that victory could