five, and in ten minutes under two hours the two brigades (the 181st Brigade being in reserve just south of Kustul) had penetrated the whole of the front line of the defences.  The Queen’s Westminsters on the left of the Kensingtons had cleared the Turks out of Ain Karim and then climbed up a steep spur to attack the formidable Khurbet Subr defences.  They took the garrison completely by surprise, and those who did not flee were either killed or taken prisoners.  The Queen’s Westminsters were exposed to a heavy flanking fire at a range of about a thousand yards from a tumulus south-east of Ain Karim, above the road from the village to the western suburbs of Jerusalem.  Turkish riflemen were firmly dug in on this spot, and their two machine guns poured in an annoying fire on the 179th Brigade troops which threatened to hold up the attack.  Indeed preparations were being made to send a company to take the tumulus hill in flank, but two gallant London Scots settled the activity of the enemy and captured the position by themselves.  Corporal C.W.  Train and Corporal F.S.  Thornhill stalked the garrison.  Corporal Train fired a rifle grenade at one machine gun, which he hit and put out of action, and then shot the whole of the gun team.  Thornhill was attacking the other gun, and he, with the assistance of Train, accounted for that crew as well.  The two guns were captured and Tumulus Hill gave no more trouble.  Both these Scots were rewarded, and Train has the unique honour of wearing the only V.C. awarded during the capture of Jerusalem.

At about the same time there was another very gallant piece of work being done by two men of the Queen’s Westminsters above the Khurbet Subr ridge.  When the battalion got to the first objective an enemy battery of 77’s was found in action on the reverse slope of the hill.  The guns were firing from a hollow near the Ain Karim-Jerusalem track, some 600 yards behind the forward trenches on Subr, and were showing an uncomfortable activity.  A company was pushed forward to engage the battery.  The movement was exposed to a good deal of sniping fire, and it was not a simple matter for riflemen to work ahead on to a knoll on the east of the Subr position to deal with the guns.  To two men may be given the credit for capturing the battery.  Lance-Corporal W.H.  Whines of the Westminsters got along quickly and brought his Lewis gun to bear on the battery and, with an admirably directed fire, caused many casualties.  Two gun teams were wiped out, either killed or wounded, by the corporal.  At the same time Rifleman C.D.  Smith, who had followed his comrade, rushed in on another team and bombed it.  Smith’s rifle had been smashed and was useless, but with his bombs he laid low all except one man.  His supply was then exhausted, but before the Turk could use his weapons Smith got to grips and a rare wrestling bout followed.  The Turk would not surrender, and Smith gave him a stranglehold and broke his neck.  The enemy managed to get one of the four guns away.