made during the night of Beit Hannina
by the 2/24th Londons, which battalion was commanded by a captain, the
colonel and the majors being on the sick list. The two companies
in the line were attacked four times by superior numbers, the last
assault being delivered by more than five hundred men, but the
defenders stood like rocks, and though they had fifty per cent,
of their number killed or wounded, and the Turks got close to the
trenches, the enemy were crushingly defeated.

The morning lull was welcome. Our troops got some rest though their
vigilance was unrelaxed, and few imagined that the Turks had yet given
up the attempt to reach Jerusalem. We were ready to meet a fresh
effort, but the strength with which it was delivered surprised
everybody. The Turk, it seemed, was prepared to stake everything on
his last throw. He knew quite early on that morning that his Caucasus
Division could not carry out the role assigned to it. General Chetwode
had countered him by smashing in with his left with a beautiful
weighty stroke precisely at the moment when the Turk had compromised
himself elsewhere, and instead of being able to put in his reserves to
support his main attack the enemy had to divert them to stave off an
advance which, if unhindered, would threaten the vital communications
of the attackers north of Jerusalem.

It was a remarkable situation, but all the finesse in the art of war
was on one side. Every message the Turkish Commander received from his
right must have reported progress against him. Each signal from the
Jerusalem front must have been equally bitter, summing up want of
progress and heavy losses. With us, Time was a secondary factor; with
the Turk, Time was the whole essence of the business, so he pledged
his all on one tremendous final effort. It was almost one o'clock when
it started, and it was made against the whole front of our XXth Corps.
It was certainly made in unexpected strength and with a courage
beyond praise. The Turk threw himself forward to the assault with the
violence of despair, and his impetuous onrush enabled him to get into
some small elements of our front line; but counter-attacks immediately
organised drove him out. Over the greater portion of the front the
advance was stopped dead, but in some places the enemy tried a
whirlwind rush and used bomb against bomb. He had met his match.

The 60th Division which bore the brunt of the onslaught, as it was
bound to do from its position