on Easter Monday, 1917, when Sir Edmund Allenby commanded the right wing of the British forces in the great Battle of Arras one of the most successful actions as yet fought by British troops. It was his men who carried the intricate network of trenches east of Arras, fighting their way along the valley of the Scarpe towards Douai.
In June Sir Edmund Allenby was transferred to the command of the British forces in Egypt.
In the European War some of the most brilliant infantry leaders have come from the Cavalry—Haig, Gough, Kavanagh, Allenby. Sir Edmund is a personification of the traditional qualities of an English soldier patient, tenacious, resolute; and his record in many fields has shown that he possesses admirable military judgment and wide military knowledge.
