Day 73 - Allenby Memorial

My mother recently shared another suggested site I visit in Israel.  It is the Allenby Monument in Jerusalem.  This Britsh War memorial, honors  Field Marshal Edmund Allenby, who was in charge of the British during the capture of Palestine during WWI.  Erected in 1920, the memorial is on the hill where the first surrender ceremony took place, the inscription reads:

Near this spot, the Holy City was surrendered to the 60th London Division, 9th December 1917.  Erected by their comrades to those officers, NCOs and men who fell in fighting for Jerusalem.

According to legend, the monument was built from the stones of the dismantled Ottoman clock tower which had been erected on top of one of the Old Jerusalem gates by the Sultan Abdul Hamid. Of special interest on the memorial, is the images of the English Knights, who were the conquerers of Jerusalem during the Crusades.

When my mother stumbled upon the memorial, she was very saddened to see how neglected it had become.  Perhaps the locals or the Israeli government don't think fondly of the British?  From what I understand, the memorial has now been tidied up and looks much better.  In respect for my British roots, I will be sure to visit the memorial when my journey takes me to Jerusalem.

On a personal note, my mother's father, who was a career British soldier with the Coldstream Guards, served for a spell in Israel.  My grandfather's tour of Israel, then called Palestine, was just prior to WWII.  Here are his notes from his memoirs - "Eighty Years With the Coldstream Guards".

In 1936, The 3rd Btn. embarked for Palestine (now known as Israel) this tour was not really troublesome, No. 4 Coy went on to Jerusalem from Haifa, we were housed in the Kaiser Agustus Hospice, overlooking the Mount of Olives and the Old City. We visited places in groups, always armed and alert, we went to Bethlehem then had a swim in the Dead Sea. Later we moved to Safed, overlooking the Sea of Galilee.

Machine guns were sited on the roof of the hotel in the center of Safed and we succeeded in keeping the Arabs and Jews apart. Sir Victor had a brush and a skirmish with some Arabs and was awarded the M.C. I was invited to join two officers on a visit to Damascus which was most interesting.

Early in 1938 I received the L.S. & G.C. medal (Long Service and Good Conduct Medal) from Lieut. General Sir Alfred Codrington (this was the third medal I have).

~ Thomas (Tim) Courtney

Today, my son David, who is an avid military buff, has all of his Great Grandad Tim's medals.  I will have to tell him that one of those medals was earned while serving in Palestine.

When I first began planning my trip to Israel, I knew I would be walking in my mother's footsteps.  Now, I realize that I will be marching in the footsteps of my grandfather too.  My mother visited as a tourist, while my grandfather visited as a soldier.  It's interesting to ponder my family's connection to the Land of Israel.