Yesterday morning, as the sun rose over the Mount of Olives, the 3rd Battalion, The Coldstream Guards, began purging operations against the walled old city of Jerusalem.
In steel helmets, with bayonets fixed and wearing full war kit and gym shoes, the Coldstream Guards marched silently, in the grey light, towards their objective. They were accompanied by stretcher bearers and machine-gun parties.
Aircraft, swooping overhead, braved the rebel fire to drop sheaves of leaflets in the narrow streets.
The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers followed the Coldstream Guards, while the British police ce-operated in the operations.
All exits to the city were covered by machine-gun posts, while a party of the Northumberland Fusiliers occupied the crest of the Mount of Olives, commanding the Mosque area.
The task of cordoning off various quarters of the town and making a systematic search of the premises then began, and was believed likely to last several days, under the most dangerous conditions.
Troops were posted facing the barricaded streets and snipers, who were stationed at vantage points.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.