In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

_5 BLOODY BULL'S LOOSE" As the Eastern Force butted its head against the Gaza defenses in April, General Sir Edmund Allenby s Third Army found itself in a similarly futile operation on the western front. The Battle of Arras had gotten off to a promising start with the Canadians capturing Vimy Ridge. For a moment, it appeared that a gap could be torn in the German front that could be exploited by the cavalry. This had long been Haig s dream, and he was bitterly disappointed that Allenby, a cavalryman, could not deliver . It was not that Allenby did not make the effort. In fact, three of Allenbys generals protested over his head to Haig that his order for relentless pursuit against intact and extremely strong defenses was reckless and did not justify the terrible losses.1 Allenbys direction of the Battle of Arras tarnished his reputation and put his relationship with Haig in jeopardy. Smutss rejection of the command of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF), however, gave Allenby the opportunity to achieve great things in Palestine. As noted earlier, Robertson had first considered Cavan as Murray's successor. But when he had broached the subject in April, he suspected that Haig would be reluctant to lose his able commander of the IV Corps.2 It appears that Haig, after Allenby s controversial leadership of the Third Army, had no similar concern for losing him to a "side show" in Palestine, a theater where the editor of the official history has acidly remarked, "all failures were consigned."3 A more charitable conclusion is that Robertson trusted Allenby, a fellow classmate at the Staff College in 1897, and thought him the best available man for the job. Robertson perhaps did not consider him earlier as Murray's replacement because of his vital role in the Battle of Arras. Allenby, the son of a country gentleman, fit the image of a country squire. He had a robust constitution: he had spent his youth riding, 82 Hell in the Holy Land shooting, fishing, and sailing. He was an undistinguished public school student, twice failing the entrance examination to enter Indian Civil Service. Yet he had no difficulty getting into and graduating from Sandhurst . Although he studied with Robertson and Murray at Staff College, he was more a field commander than general staff officer. Before the war, he had led and trained in turn a troop, a squadron, a regiment, a brigade , and a division. Tall, with a strong, determined face, he appeared every inch a soldier . His dominating physical presence gave no hint of any shyness. Yet he once confided to a fellow officer that "shyness had ruined his life." He went on to admit that that although he had "tried desperately" to overcome this shyness, he had failed. He then recalled a meeting with Sir Douglas Haig. "They were both so shy that neither of them could say one word. It was ludicrous but true and so they silently and mutually agreed never to be alone when they met."4 His abrupt manner was perhaps an attempt to hide this shyness. James E. Edmonds, a fellow student at Staff College, concluded that "when later Allenby became a general, to our great amusement, he tried to play what he thought was the part and assumed a roughness of manner and an abruptness of speech which were not natural to him."5 His angry outbursts and abuse of subordinates earned him the unflattering nickname "Bull." This was the unattractive Allenby—the martinet who once jumped a soldier in the trenches for wearing a cap instead of a steel helmet, only to discover that he was berating a corpse.6 But there was also Allenby, the humanist with an inquiring and retentive mind. He especially loved nature and was conversant with music, literature, and history. "I discovered his musical tastes," wrote Major General Sir George de S. Barrow, the commander of the Yeomanry Mounted Division, "by hearing him humming a bit out of Beethoven's 'Emperor' Sonata during the retreat from Mons."7 Another officer remembers him as fascinating company while traveling in a motor car in Palestine. "He would discourse on the habits of animals and birds and theorise on the mysterious life cycle of the salmon. Often he would break the thread of the discussion and speak about the biblical geography and history of the locality the car happened to be passing."8 Allenby was truly a bundle of contradictions. Although he...

Share