British general sir edmund allenby

British Field Marshal (1861–1936)

Field MarshalEdmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, KStJ (23 April 1861 – 14 May 1936) was a senior British Armyofficer and Imperial Governor. He fought in the Second Boer War and also in World War I, in which he led the British Empire's Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign against the Ottoman Empire in the conquest of Palestine.

The British succeeded in capturing Beersheba, Jaffa, and Jerusalem from October to December 1917. His forces occupied the Jordan Valley during the summer of 1918, then went on to capture northern Palestine and defeat the Ottoman Yildirim Army Group's Eighth Army at the Battle of Megiddo, forcing the Fourth and Seventh Army to retreat towards Damascus. Subsequently, the EEF Pursuit by Desert Mounted Corps captured Damascus and advanced into northern Syria.

During this pursuit, he commanded T. E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia"), whose campaign with Faisal'sArab Sherifial Forces assisted the EEF's capture of Ottoman Empire territory and fought the Battle of Aleppo, five days before the Armistice of Mudros ended the campaign on 30 October 1918. He continued to serve in the region as High Commissioner in Egypt from 1919 until 1925, a position that meant he effectively ruled Egypt during this period.

Early life

Allenby was born on 23 April 1861, the son of Hynman Allenby and Catherine Anne Allenby (née Cane) and was educated at Haileybury College. His father owned 2,000 acres (810 ha) in Norfolk and Felixstowe House, at Felixstowe, then a fishing village. This was a summer home until the family settled there permanently after Hynman Allenby's death in 1878.

Allenby had no great desire to be a soldier, and tried to enter the Indian Civil Service but failed the entry exam. He sat the exam for the Royal Military College, Sandhurst in 1

Sir Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby (1861-1936) who was born in Brackenhurst on 23 April 1861, began his military career with the Inniskilling Dragoons in 1882 following an education at the Royal Military Academy (Sandhurst), serving in South Africa between 1884-88 and taking part in the Second Boer War from 1899-1901.  By the end of the war, Allenby had reached the rank of brevet colonel.

During the First World War Allenby commanded the cavalry division of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front.  Following First Ypres Allenby was promoted to commander of the Third Army.

In 1917 he was given command of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (chiefly because of a disagreement with Sir Douglas Haig over tactics used at the Battle of Arras).  His reputation derives from his command in the Middle East.

During his campaign against the Turks in Palestine he captured Gaza in November and Jerusalem in December 1917 and, after defeating the enemy on the plain of Megiddo in September 1918 (click here to read his report), took Damascus and Aleppo.  In 1919 he was created a Field Marshal and ennobled.  He served as High Commissioner to Egypt from 1919-25.

Sir Edmund Allenby, who retired in 1925 becoming Rector of Edinburgh University, died in London on 14 May 1936.  He is buried in Westminster Abbey.

Click here to read Allenby's account of the fall of Jerusalem in December 1917.  Click here to read Allenby's official proclamation of marshal law following the city's fall.

The "linseed lancers" was the Anzac nickname assigned to members of the Australian Field Ambulance.

- Did you know?

By James E. Kitchen

Summary

Introduction

Field Marshal Edmund Allenby (1861-1936) was an experienced cavalry officer who held senior command positions in the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front (1914-17) before commanding the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) in its successful campaigns in Palestine from June 1917 through to the end of the First World War. From March 1919 to June 1925 he served as Special High Commissioner in Egypt, managing the British administration through a period of political unrest. Educated at Haileybury College and the Royal Military College Sandhurst, Allenby commissioned into the 6 (Inniskilling) Dragoons in December 1881. His early military career involved numerous African postings: he attended Staff College in 1896-97 and took part in the Second South African War, proving a tough field commander. His military career trajectory then accelerated with his promotion to major-general in 1909 and appointment as inspector-general of cavalry in 1910.

First World War: Western Front

Allenby went to France with the BEF in August 1914 as commander of the Cavalry Division. His h