which it is so necessary that a big fighting force should possess.  A tremendously hard worker himself, General Allenby expected all under him to concentrate the whole of their energies on their work.  He had the faculty for getting the best out of his officers, and on his Staff were some of the most enthusiastic soldiers in the service.  There was no room for an inefficient leader in any branch of the force, and the knowledge that the Commander-in-Chief valued the lives and the health of his men so highly that he would not risk a failure, kept all the staffs tuned up to concert pitch.  We saw many changes, and the best men came to the top.  His own vigour infected the whole command, and within a short while of arriving at the front the efficiency of the Army was considerably increased.

The Palestine G.H.Q. was probably nearer the battle front than any G.H.Q. in other theatres of operations, and when the Army had broken through and chased the enemy beyond the Jaffa-Jerusalem line, G.H.Q. was opened at Bir Salem, near Ramleh, and for several months was actually within reach of the long-range guns which the Turks possessed.  The rank and file were not slow to appreciate this.  They knew their Commander-in-Chief was on the spot, keeping his eye and hand on everything, organising with his organisers, planning with his operation staff, familiar with every detail of the complicated transport system, watching his supply services with the keenness of a quartermaster-general, and taking that lively interest in the medical branch which betrayed an anxious desire for the welfare and health of the men.  The rank and file knew something more than this.  They saw the Commander-in-Chief at the front every day.  General Allenby did not rely solely on reports from his corps.  He went to each section of the line himself, and before practically every major operation he saw the ground and examined the scheme for attack.  There was not a part of the line he did not know, and no one will contradict me when I say that the military roads in Palestine were known by no one better than the driver of the Commander-in-Chief’s car.  A man of few words, General Allenby always said what he meant with soldierly directness, which made the thanks he gave a rich reward.  A good piece of work brought a written or oral message of thanks, and the men were satisfied they had done well to deserve congratulations.  They were proud to have the confidence of such a Chief and to deserve it, and they in their turn had such unbounded faith in the military judgment of the General and in the care he took to prevent unnecessary risk of life, that there was nothing which he sanctioned that they would not attempt.  Such mutual confidence breeds strength, and it was the Commander-in-Chief’s example, his tact, energy, and military genius which made his Army a potent power for Britain and a strong pillar of the Allies’ cause.