Cornerstone No. 190, page 4
In the footsteps of Allenby with the Friends of St.
Andrew’s, Jerusalem. November 29 – 9 December,
2017.
A journey to commemorate the centenary of Jerusalem’s return to
Christian governance (and incidentally, the centenary of the signing of
the Balfour Declaration* 2/11/1917).
The Society of Friends of St. An-
drew’s Jerusalem supports the
Church of Scotland in its work of
maintaining the vital resources of the
Scots Memorial Church and Guest-
house in Jerusalem. General Allenby,
Commander-in-Chief of the Palestine
Campaign during World War 1 at the
time when Jerusalem was taken on
December 10, 1917, ordered his
Officers to dismount as they entered
Jerusalem in honour of the Holy City,
where the formal surrender of
the Turkish forces was taken. A large portrait of Allenby hangs in the Guest-
house lounge.
I had joined a group of 26 which had assembled at the guesthouse to begin a
tour organized by the Friends. The trip encompassed many of the battle field
sites of the campaign and Commonwealth War Graves, where the ministers
amongst us held short wreath laying ceremonies. It also allowed some group
members to find the graves of relatives amongst the fallen, and to pay their
respects. And who can forget the Scots Piper in the group, whose plaintive tunes
in these lonely, but beautifully kept cemeteries, recalled the many Scottish
soldiers who failed to return? I found many Australian graves, including the
name of an indigenous Australian who had ‘Anglicised’ his name to enlist –
Indigenous Australians were forbidden to join the Armed Forces, but enlistment
officers often turned a ‘blind eye’ as the Palestine campaign needed able
cavalrymen, which the indigenous certainly were.
We arrived in time to attend a celebration of St. Andrew’s Day with a church
service conducted by Rev. Paraic Reamonn, followed by a celebratory buffet at
the Guesthouse attended by church members and many from the local commu-
nity. Kilts and kilt skirts were in abundance and we even had our own
Scottish Piper to entertain the gathering! The group also appreciated visits to a
number of organizations which St Andrew’s and the wider church supports -