the Holy of Holies

[michaeldr]

"GHQ was to us regimental officers always a considerable mystery, and one was supposed not to know where it was." Later, Captain Oscar Teichman DSO, MC. writing in his book 'Dairy of a Yeomanry M.O.' refers to GHQ as 'the Holy of Holies' (a reference to the holiest place within the temple, which was known only to the High Priest)

This secrecy was no doubt because of its position; perhaps unique amongst war time headquarters, it was within range of the enemy's guns.

"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."[from HOW JERUSALEM WAS WON - BEING THE RECORD OF ALLENBY'S CAMPAIGN IN PALESTINE by W.T. MASSEY]

So, in view of the secrecy imposed in 1918, then perhaps it is not surprising that I have been unable to find many photographs of Allenby's GHQ at Bir Salem. One is however given in Wavell's book.

This photograph appears on page 206 of Wavell's biography of the Field Marshal, over the caption "General Allenby's headquarters during 1918; the building is the German school at Bir Salem"

Quote from 'Allenby; a Study in Greatness' by Gen. Sir Archibald Wavell

"Early in 1918 [on the 25th Jan.'18, Allenby wrote to Robertson "I moved a fornight ago ... to a house 2 miles W. of Ramleh - drier, warmer and healthier."] the main G.H.Q. camp was moved from Kelab to Bir Salem, near Ramleh, on the Jaffa-Jerusalem road, about ten miles from Jaffa and twenty-five from Jerusalem.

Allenby had for his quarters a two-storey, stone-built house which had been a German school. It stood on a slight rise in sandy soil just above an orange-grove, and commanded an extensive view of a typical section of Palestine. To the west could be seen the stretch of sand-hills that fringed the coastline, beyond which was the deep blue of the Mediterranean; to the north the white minarets of Ramleh marked the position of a purely Arab town; to the south were the fields and fruit groves of old-established Jewish colonies. But it was the line of the Judean hills to the east that caught and held the eye.

They stood up straight and solid out of the plain, a challenge and a warning. Their colour varied ever with the changing lights, from a hard, barren brown to a soft twilight blue: changes that seemed to illustrate their history the hopes and promises they had inspired, the disappointments and cruelties they had seen, the attraction they always exercised. It was a setting that appealed to Allenby; he was little given to recollection and had a mind that seldom looked back, but he always remembered with enjoyment his headquarters at Bir Salem.

The house was a comfortable one, sufficient to hold himself and his personal staff and to lodge occasional distinguished visitors. The remainder of the staff and the offices were in huts or tents a short distance away. G.H.Q. remained here till the final battle of September 1918. It was within a short distance of the railway, of the Jaffa-Jerusalem road (the principal artery of communication from east to west), and of the main aerodrome at Ramleh. Not far off was Lydda, or Ludd, the traditional home of St George, who may be regarded as patron saint to Allenby, born on St George's Day."

There are two building shown on the sky-line in Wavell's photograph; that on the left is less clear than that on the right. This latter has a (bell?) tower and three distinct levels of windows. Wavell stated that "Allenby had for his quarters a two-storey, stone-built house which had been a German school." The third level of windows in the right-hand building may at first suggest that this was not the GHQ and that therefore we should be looking at the building on the left in Wavell's photograph. However…..

The site of the German school at Bir Salem is today within the boundaries of Kibbutz Enzo Sereni and fortunately, three or four buildings from the first two decades of the twentieth century have survived there.

Of the two buildings in Wavell's photograph, that on the right with the (bell?) tower, certainly looks more like a school, but, it also clearly has more than two floors. However, if instead of Wavell's view, we look at the building from the side, then we can see that, despite the windows at eaves level on the gable end, the building is indeed, predominantly, a two story edifice, (the two, third story windows merely being lights to a loft or attic space which has no windows on the longitudinal facades).

Edited 4 October , 2008 by michaeldr

[michaeldr]

And if we look at the other building in more detail, then it is clearly a three story building which could never have been described otherwise.

Returning to the building on the right in Wavell's photograph; If we enlarge his picture, then just below the German school house can be seen the low parapet wall surrounding a well.

[michaeldr]

I feel that this could easily be the same feature which appears in the background of the photograph of Allenby, Mrs. Gary & Rushdie Pasha, taken on 20th (not the 19th) September 1918.

Today, if we move out from the front door at the foot of the tower and cross the narrow drive way, then we pass through two gate posts and a short decline brings us to the remains of the well. The parapet wall to the well has been rebuilt since 1918 and thus some seeds of doubt were again sown, however, I was assured that there is no other well in the immediate vicinity.

One of the other buildings in this group has been restored by the kibbutz and developed by them as a restaurant; they have called it the 'Allenby Farm.'

It is to be hoped that in the fullness of time all of the First World War vintage buildings here will be restored and brought back to life, not least the Holy of Holies.

If anyone has any other photographs of GHQ at Bir Salem in 1918, then do please share them with us. Likewise, if you have any information which would suggest any explanation, other than that which I have given above, then please do come forward and share your knowledge with us.

regards

Michael

[JohnNR]

"GHQ was to us regimental officers always a considerable mystery, and one was supposed not to know where it was." Later, Captain Oscar Teichman DSO, MC. writing in his book 'Dairy of a Yeomanry M.O.' refers to GHQ as 'the Holy of Holies' (a reference to the holiest place within the temple, which was known only to the High Priest)

A quick question. Was Oscar Teichman the MO originally with the Worcester Yeomanry, later incorporated with the Australian Division and is his book still in print and/or available?

Nick

[michaeldr]

Nick,

Yes, I think that Teichman was with the 1/1 Worcestershire Yeomanry

His book is available in reprint form from The Naval & Military Press Ltd

It's a favourite of mine as he had a doctor's eye for detail

and he describes so much more than just what he came across in his professional field

I thoroughly recommend it

Michael

[JohnNR]

Michael

Have also found an online reprint produced by the University of California Library

http://www.archive.org/stream/diaryofyeoma...icrich_djvu.txt

This is the text version, but it can also be downloaded in PDF. My interest in the book is that my father was one of his stretcher-bearers on Gallipoli and took part in the 'crossing of the Salt Lake' during the attack on Scimitar Hill. It was an occasion when he effectively lost his memory, which caused him some distress because he worried that he may not have done his duty. He remembered running across a field that was being cut up by rifle fire and shrapnel, then next he was in a dugout tending to wounded men in the middle of the night. The time in between was a complete blank. Having read Teichman's description of the events, I can fully understand why. Happily, my father's mind was put at rest near the end of his life when he attended a regimental re-union. There he met someone who told him that he had not 'done a bunk' as he had feared.

When Teichman was wounded a little later, my father was one of the bearers who gave him the first field dressing before carrying him down to the Casualty Clearing Station.

Nick

[michaeldr]

Nick,

Thanks for sharing the story of your father and his connection with Teichman.

You may be interested in the following biographical notes on the Captain

[my apologies to the writer, but I have forgotten to make a note of where I found them;

possibly the web-site of Gaius College, but I am not sure]

Oskar Teichman was born in Eltham, Kent, on 1 November 1880, son of Emil Teichmann. He married Edith Harbord in 1909 and they had two sons, Phillip Raymond and Dennis Patrick. He was educated at Caius College, Cambridge, and was to maintain an active relationship with the University for the rest of his life. He joined the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) in 1911 and served with distinction in the Great War of 1914-1918, being mentioned 3 times in dispatches and severely wounded twice, including receiving a rifle shot in the neck at Gallipolli in 1915. He also served in Egypt, Palestine and Italy, where he was awarded the Croce di Guerra. After the war, he served as assistant Medical Director of the Radium Institute from 1922-1927, and maintained an active role in military society while pursuing his interests in military history. Major Teichman contributed to many publications on military and historical topics, including the "RAMC Journal", "Cavalry Journal", and Cambridge University publications. He was an active writer, and published "The Diary of a Yeomanry MO", 1921, "The Cambridge Undergraduate 100 Years Ago", 1926, "Pandour Trenck, 1710-1749", 1927, and "Black Horse Nemo", 1957. In 1945 he endowed four scholarships at Caius College and one at Inner Temple in memory of his sons Major Philip Raymond Teichman, MA, killed in action, North Africa, 1942, and Major Dennis Patrick Teichman, MC, MA, killed in action, Normandy, 1944. Oskar Teichman died on 21 April, 1959.

[The collection also contains papers of his father, Emil Teichmann, and brother Eric Teichman. Eric Teichman (born Erik Teichmann) was born in 1884 and educated at Gonville and Caius colleges, Cambridge. He represented Cambridge against Oxford in the point-to-point Steeplechase of 1903. After travelling extensively in Russia, he was appointed to the British Embassy in Peking (1907) as an interpreter in the consular service. Despite a riding accident that left him severly hampered, he continued to enjoy riding and shooting as hobbies, and travelled extensively through Central Asia as part of his work. From 1919 until 1935 he rarely left Peking, and rose to the rank of Chinese Secretary, achieving the local rank of counsellor of Embassy. He retired in 1937, citing ill health after a journey across China, Afghanistan, Turkestan and India from Peking to Delhi, upon which he based "Journey to Turkistan", published in 1937. Further works by Eric Teichman include "Travels of a Consular Officer in North-West China" (1921), "Travels of a Consular Officer in Eastern Tibet" (1922), and "Affairs of China" (1938). In 1942, he was persuaded to return briefly to China as adviser to the British Embassy at Chungking. He returned to England in 1944. On 3 December 1944, he was shot dead by an American soldier whom he disturbed poaching in the grounds of his home.]

Thanks also for the pointer to the PDF version of his book 'Diary of a Yeomanry MO' which I have downloaded;

the search facility is a very useful - better than using the index in the printed version

best regards

Michael

[JohnNR]

Michael,

Many thanks for that most interesting information. How tragic for him to lose two sons and a brother in WWII when he had survived the First War. In contrast, our family sent three sons to war. All three served in Gallipoli, one was captured by the Turks in Egypt, my father was wounded in Palestine and the third brother gained a commission with the 5th Lancers and served on the Western Front. All three came home.

Best wishes,

Nick

[michaeldr]

quote from

HOW JERUSALEM WAS WON - BEING THE RECORD OF ALLENBY'S CAMPAIGN IN PALESTINE by W.T. MASSEY -see post No.1

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.

I have just come across a good quote from Allenby explaining his philosophy behind the idea of GHQ being within range of enemy guns

"Staff Officers are like partridges; they are better for being shot over"

[found in 'Forgotten Soldiers of the First World War - Lost voices from the Middle Eastern Front' by David R. Woodward, Tempus, 2006

originally quoted by Lt-Col H. L. Eason to Wavell, Aug 17, 1937]

[michaeldr]

My thanks to our GWF Pal Wdragon for bringing to our attention the recently available on-line photographic collection from the Bavarian State Archives in Munich. I was pleased to find this picture in that collection

http://www.gda.bayern.de/bestaende/viewer/viewer.php?show=/bestaende/palaestina/bayhsta_bs_palaestina_0268