Jerusalem Centenary

A Service of Thanksgiving and Remembrance marking the Centenary of one of the key turning points of the First World War.

On 9th December 1917, British and Australian troops entered Jerusalem under the command of General Allenby, and the ruling Turkish authorities surrendered the city without a shot being fired. After the horrors of Ypres and Passchendaele, Prime Minister Lloyd George hailed it as a ‘Christmas present to the British people.’ Allenby entered Jerusalem on foot, vowing that every sacred site in the city – Jewish, Muslim and Christian – would be honoured and protected.

The keys of the city were initially surrendered to Sgts Sedgwick and Hurcomb of the 2/19th (St Pancras) Battalion of the London Regiment. The battalion, drawn mainly from St Pancras and Camden, saw action in France and Greece as well as Palestine. The War Memorial in St Pancras Church lists the names of the 1069 men of the 19th London who died in the 1914-18 War.

The service, planned with the 19th London Regimental Association, is open to everyone. As well as honouring the local men who fought bravely throughout the First World War, we will be celebrating General Allenby’s respect for Jerusalem as a centre for three world faiths, and offering our prayers for the continuing peace of that great city.