Edmund Allenby Viscount of Majid and Felixstone (1919), English. Field Marshal (1919). Date of Birth: 24.04.1861 Country: Great Britain

Biography of Edmund Allenby

Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby of Megiddo and Felixstowe, was a British field marshal. He received his education at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst in 1882 and the Staff College in 1899. Allenby served in the Inniskilling Dragoon Guards and participated in expeditions against the Bechuanas in 1884-85 and the Zulus in 1888. During the Second Boer War, he commanded separate units and later became the commander of the 5th Lancers and the 4th Cavalry Brigade.

In 1914, at the start of World War I, Allenby was sent to France as the commander of a cavalry division and the Cavalry Corps. He gained approval for his actions during the maneuvering phase of the war and was appointed the commander of the newly formed Cavalry Corps in October 1914. In June 1915, he became the commander of the First Army Corps and participated in the autumn campaign in Champagne and Artois. From October 1915, he commanded the Third Army and played a significant role in the preparations for the Battle of the Somme in 1916.

In April 1917, Allenby's armies launched a secondary attack on Douai-Valenciennes during the Allied Spring Offensive. In June 1917, he was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in Egypt and Palestine. Under his command, the British forces successfully advanced against the Turkish troops, capturing key positions such as Beersheba, Gaza, Jaffa, and Jerusalem. In September 1918, Allenby led the decisive Palestinian offensive, breaking through the Turkish lines and capturing Damascus and Aleppo.

After the war, Allenby served as the High Commissioner of Egypt from 1919 to 1925. He later became the Rector of the University of Edinburgh in 1926.