rs the artillery fought their guns with superb courage,
and remained in action until the fire from the houses was silenced by
a brilliant infantry attack. At half-past one General Watson decided
he would attack the enemy on a ridge in front of the houses of the
Syrian colony with the 18th and 19th battalions. With them were units
of other battalions of the Brigade. Soon after three o'clock they
advanced under heavy fire from guns, machine guns, and rifles, and at
a quarter to four a glorious bayonet charge, during which the London
boys went through Germans and Turks in one overwhelming stride, sealed
the fate of the Turk in Jerusalem. That bayonet charge was within
sight of the Corps Commander, who was with General Shea at his
look-out on Kustul, and when he saw the flash of steel driven home
with unerring certainty by his magnificent men, General Chetwode may
well have felt thankful that he had been given such troops with which
to deliver Jerusalem from the Turks. The 74th Division, having taken
the whole of its first objectives early in the morning and having
throughout the day supported the left of the London Division, was
ready to commence operations against the second objective. The
dismounted yeomanry, whose condition through the wet and mud was
precisely similar to that of the 60th Division troops, for they, too,
had found the hills barren of shelter and equally cold, did extremely
well in forcing the enemy from his stronghold on the hill covering
Beit Iksa and the Kulonieh-Jerusalem road, from which, had he not been
ejected, he could have harassed the Londoners' left. The Beit Iksa
defences were carried by a most determined rush. A gallant attempt was
also made to get the El Burj ridge which runs south-east from Nebi
Samwil, but owing to strong enfilade fire from the right they could
not get on.

There was no doubt in any minds that Jerusalem would be ours, but the
difficulties the 53rd Division were contending with had slowed down
their advance. Thus the right flank of the 60th Division was exposed
and a considerable body of Turks was known to be south of Jerusalem.
Late in the afternoon the advance was ordered to be stopped, and the
positions gained to be held. With a view to continuing the advance
next day the 181st Brigade (2/21st London, 2/22nd London, 2/23rd
London, and 2/24th London) was ordered to get into a position of
readiness to pass through the 179th Brigade and resume the attack
on the right of th