he great religions of mankind, and
its soil has been consecrated by the prayers and pilgrimages
of multitudes of devout people of those three religions for
many centuries, therefore do I make it known to you that
every sacred building, monument, holy spot, shrine, traditional
site, endowment, pious bequest, or customary place
of prayer, of whatsoever form of the three religions, will be
maintained and protected according to the existing customs
and beliefs of those to whose faiths they are sacred.

IX

No story of the capture of Jerusalem would be complete without the
tribute paid by General Allenby to his gallant troops of all arms. The
Commander-in-Chief's thanks, which were conveyed to the troops in a
Special Order of the Day, were highly appreciated by all ranks. The
document ran as follows:

SPECIAL ORDER OF THE DAY

G.H.Q., E.E.P.,

_15th December_ 1917.

With the capture of Jerusalem another phase of the
operations of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force has been
victoriously concluded.

The Commander-in-Chief desires to thank all ranks of all
the units and services in the Force for the magnificent work
which has been accomplished.

In forty days many strong Turkish positions have been
captured and the Force has advanced some sixty miles on a
front of thirty miles.

The skill, gallantry, and determination of all ranks have
led to this result.

1. The approach marches of the Desert Mounted Corps
and the XXth Corps (10th, 53rd, 60th, and 74th Divisions),
followed by the dashing attacks of the 60th and 74th Divisions
and the rapid turning movement of the Desert Mounted
Corps, ending in the fine charge of the 4th Australian Light
Horse Brigade, resulted in the capture of Beersheba with
many prisoners and guns.

2. The stubborn resistance of the 53rd Division, units of
the Desert Mounted Corps and Imperial Camel Brigade in
the difficult country north-east of Beersheba enabled the
preparations of the XXth Corps to be completed without
interference, and enabled the Commander-in-Chief to carry
out his plan without diverting more than the intended
number of troops to protect the right flank, despite the many
and strong attacks of the enemy.

3. The attack of the XXth Corps (10th, 60th, and 74th
Divisions), prepared with great skill by the Corps and Divisional
Commanders and carried out with such dash and
courage by th