. The two brigades rested and refreshed for a couple
of hours and then advanced once more, and by midnight they had routed
the Turks out of another series of hills and were in firm possession
of the line from Beitin, across the Nablus road north of the Balua
Lake, to the ridge of El Burj, having carried through everything which
had been planned for the Division.

Ramallah had been taken at nine o'clock in the morning without
opposition by the 230th and 229th Brigades, and at night the 74th
Division held a strong line north of the picturesque village as far as
Et Tireh. The 10th Division also occupied the Tireh ridge quite
early in the day, and one of their field batteries and both mountain
batteries got within long range of the Nablus road, and not only
assisted in shelling the enemy in Bireh but harassed with a hot fire
any bodies of men or transport seen retreating northwards. The Flying
Corps, too, caused the Turks many losses on the road. The airmen
bombed the enemy from a low altitude and also machine-gunned them, and
moreover by their timely information gave great assistance during
the operations. By the 30th December all organised resistance to our
advance had ceased and the XXth Corps consolidated its line, the 60th
Division going forward slightly to improve its position and the other
divisions rearranging their own. The consolidation of the line was not
an easy matter. It had to be very thoroughly and rapidly done. The
supply difficulty compelled the holding of the line with as few troops
as possible, and when it had been won it was necessary to put it in a
proper order in a minimum of time, and to bring back a considerable
number of the troops who had been engaged in the fighting to hold
the grand defensive chain which made Jerusalem absolutely safe. The
standard gauge railway was still a long way from Ramleh, and the
railway construction parties had to fight against bad weather and
washouts. The Turkish line from Ramleh to Jerusalem was in bad order;
a number of bridges were down, so that it was not likely the railway
could be working for several weeks. Lorries could supply the troops in
the neighbourhood of the Nablus road, though the highway was
getting into bad condition, but in the right centre of the line the
difficulties of terrain were appalling. The enemy had had a painful
experience of it and was not likely to wish to fight in that country
again; consequently it was decided to hold this part of the l