Palestine Front WWI - Form of service, to be held in the Collegiate Church of St. George the Martyr, Jerusalem: on ...

Palestine Front WWI - Form of service, to be held in the Collegiate Church of St. George the Martyr, Jerusalem: on December the ninth. (The Day of the Deliverance of Jerusalem)
EXTREMELY RARE EPHEMERAL PIECE CELEBRATING THE FALL OF JERUSALEM FROM THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE TO THE BRITISH . In the autumn of 1917, General Allenby had made great strides on the Palestine Front, and with victories at Gaza and Beersheba, he quickly advanced across the Philistine Plain, pushing the Turks back into the Judean Hills. On 9 December, the Turkish garrison quite unexpectedly withdrew from Jerusalem, and civilian officials came to the British lines looking for someone to accept their surrender. Two days later, Allenby entered the Old City via the Jaffa Gate on foot. Christians in Britain, France and America were elated - this was the first time that Muslim rule in the Holy City had been relinquished since the Crusades. Therefore, this Christian order of service to commemorate the 'Deliverance of Jerusalem' takes on special significance, as it reflects a particularly Anglican attitude in conjunction with British imperialism. ONLY TWO OTHER COPIES CAN BE TRACED IN INSTITUTIONS: National Library of Israel, and Center for Jewish History, NY.