Allenby's entry to Jerusalem - new story?

[michaeldr]

Stuart,

 

Thanks again for your help here

 

I add below crops of Bayley's letter (which was kindly supplied by Stuart)

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a postscript, it is fascinating to see from the other document which Stuart copied,

how ego and the attempts to control the reporting of history come into play on such an important and significant occasion as this:

with the Brigade and Divisional generals jockeying for the right to say that they were the 'one' who actually took the surrender

Even going so far as to demand the original photographic plate showing someone else receiving the Mayor's submission 

 

[michaeldr]

I have corrected my previous post by deleting the photograph which I had incorrectly identified as being of Bayley

The pictures below from the IWM's collection appear to show Bayley and Brig Gen Watson at the Jaffa Gate on the morning of the surrender 

http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205305179

http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205305180

http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205305181

Edited 8 July , 2017 by michaeldr

[Bethhb]

Hello Everyone. 

We have recently purchased a house in Devon. Our house was owned by Major General William Travers Swan. 

I am desperately trying to find an image of him to add to a historical timeline of Ownership. Unfortunately almost all information about him seems to be classified. What I do know is that he was the DMS under Allenby during the Jerusalem campaign. 

I’ve exausted all avenues in researching this and stumbled across this thread. 

Thank you in advance, 

Beth. 

[seaJane]

As per your other post in search of this image, I can confirm that there are three photographic portraits of him in the National Portrait Gallery.

 

"For private, non-commercial research [...] you can choose the “Academic Licence” option and obtain hi-resolution image/s free of charge (once you have registered your details and submitted your request via the website)."

https://www.npg.org.uk/business/images/use-on-web/

[michaeldr]

On 08/04/2019 at 15:27, Bethhb said:

Unfortunately almost all information about him seems to be classified

 

Swan was an interesting figure in the EEF, though perhaps none too well known.

[I claim no insight here, having simply looked around the web, etc, on seeing his name mentioned above]

His term as DMS was from October 1917* to September 1918, and notably during this period, the EEF took significant steps to try to eradicate malaria within its lines. Not only that, but Swan realised that during Allenby's last offensive, the EEF would be moving into areas (previously occupied by the Turks) where no such steps had been taken, and where therefore the risks of the disease where so very much higher. Soldiers were given quinine daily as a prophylactic immediately before the Megiddo offensive.

 

On 22^nd August 1918, Swan took time off from GHQ at Bir Salem, to go to Jaffa with Lt-Col Roland Harley Bridges DSO, RAMC and for relaxation the pair went swimming. Tragically, they both got into difficulties

 

Per the diary of Lt-Col J. J. Abraham, ADMS Palestine L-o-C, as quoted by Eran Dolev (in Allenby's Military Medicine)

“...the DMS and his acting ADMS, Lt-Col Bridges had gone to Jaffa for a swim, and that Bridges had been drowned and the DMS rescued with some difficulty. This was most distressing....

The main trouble, however, was the General [Swan].  The death of Bridges upset him very much. He just went to pieces for a fortnight. I could get no orders from him..............”

 

With his big offensive imminent, Allenby could not afford to overlook this situation. He had known Swan in the BEF, and relied upon him there, and had brought him over to the EEF, but Allenby could not now risk anything and so took steps to have him replaced.

 

Dolev  [ Professor of Medical Sciences, Tel Aviv University & Tel Hai College] suggests that Swan was suffering from what today we would recognise as PTSD

 

* edit to correct dates Swan was DMS of EEF - February to September 1918

see page 37 of 'The Advance of the EEF....." https://archive.org/details/briefrecordofadv00grearich/page/37

 

Edited 9 April , 2019 by michaeldr

[michaeldr]

A good part of the work described here https://archive.org/details/briefrecordofadv00grearich/page/104 

on pages 104/5 must be attributed to the direction of Swan who was Allenby's DMS for the greater part of the time

Edited 9 April , 2019 by michaeldr

[Bethhb]

Thank you very much for the info! 

I contacted the NPG and unfortunately the photographs have not been digitalised yet but they were very helpful and said they would bump the images up the list. 

So watch this space...  

I also found some absolutely charming letters from the Major to his daughter Barbara and a fantastic picture of her which I will try to upload.  

I had read the passage from the book before.. very sad indeed and I wonder if this is perhaps why, after so many years of rising up through the ranks and so many battles there is so little info about him? I did find an inaccuracy though as the writer says he died shortly afterwards and his death is recorded as being in 1947 in Eastbourne. Hopefully this means the major had a fair few peaceful years. 

My next step is to check out the Home Front in Eastbourne just incase. 

 

[Bethhb]

[Bethhb]

1 hour ago, Bethhb said:

Thank you very much for the info! 

I contacted the NPG and unfortunately the photographs have not been digitalised yet but they were very helpful and said they would bump the images up the list. 

So watch this space...  

I also found some absolutely charming letters from the Major to his daughter Barbara and a fantastic picture of her which I will try to upload.  

I had read the passage from the book before.. very sad indeed and I wonder if this is perhaps why, after so many years of rising up through the ranks and so many battles there is so little info about him? I did find an inaccuracy though as the writer says he died shortly afterwards and his death is recorded as being in 1947 in Eastbourne. Hopefully this means the major had a fair few peaceful years. 

My next step is to check out the Home Front in Eastbourne just incase. 

 

Have just been corrected by husband...

* Home Guard 

[seaJane]

Lovely letters and photo - thank you for sharing them!

[Ghazala]

Good stuff Beth.  Thank you.

[Ghazala]

A photograph of the Allied entry into Jerusalem on December 11, 1917 shows among the tall British officers with an air of confident authority, the small figure of T E Lawrence with downcast eyes, and close to him, that of a French officer, erect and slim, his eyes staring ahead as if seeing, behind the buildings which lead down from the Jaffa Gate towards the Holy Sepulchre and the Dome of the Rock, a vision of another Jerusalem.
The figure is that of Louise Massignon, assistant political officer attached to the mission of Geoeges Picot, French Commissioner for the occupied territories in Palestine and Syria.   He was then thirty four years old, Lawrence was twenty nine.

[michaeldr]

On 08/04/2019 at 15:27, Bethhb said:

he was the DMS under Allenby during the Jerusalem campaign

 

As this thread's title refers to Allenby's entry into Jerusalem, then I think would be as well just to clarify here;

Swan was the EEF's Director of Medical Services from February 1918

Despite the assertion seen elsewhere on the WWW and made by one of his descendants,

• Swan was not “Allenby's deputy”

• there is no evidence that I have seen that he took part in the official 'entry' into Jerusalem on 11^th December 1917

Indeed, a sight of his record should indicate whether or not he was even in this theatre at that time

Edited 19 April , 2019 by michaeldr

[corisande]

From Irish Who's Who of 1923

[Bethhb]

Major General William Travers Swan 

[Bethhb]

[Ghazala]

‘Allenby was so great that the comprehension of our littleness came slow to him’.    T E Lawrence quoted in Norman F Dixon, On the Psychology of Military Incompetence, 1976

[michaeldr]

31 minutes ago, Ghazala said:

‘Allenby was so great that the comprehension of our littleness came slow to him’.    T E Lawrence quoted in Norman F Dixon, On the Psychology of Military Incompetence, 1976

 

The line was probably first used by TEL at the end of Chapter LVI, in his Seven Pillars (page 330 in my copy) 

"It was a comic interview, for Allenby was physically large and confident, and morally so great that the comprehension of our littleness came slow to him"

 

[Stuart24]

Hello all,

 

A bit late, and not really relevant, but perhaps of interest: the order for Allenby's entry into Jerusalem, from FM Chetwode's papers at the IWM.

 

Cheers

Stuart