"Special Order of the Day
by General Sir E. H. H. Allenby, GCB, GCMG,
Commander in Chief
Egyptian Expeditionary Force
January 1919
I wish to remind all ranks serving under my command that during the trying and unavoidably extended period which must elapse before the demobilization of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force can be completed, the good name of the British Army depends upon the individual conduct of each member of the Force in the various countries now in our occupation.
Courtesy and consideration to the inhabitant of these countries were never more essential, even during the period of active operations, than they now are, and I feel certain that I can rely on every member of this Force to maintain the traditions of the British Army in this respect.
In these countries temptations exist with regard to Wine and Women. Both must be resisted. Our relatives and friends are anxiously awaiting our return home, and they will expect to find all those of us who have escaped wounds in action with our physical and our moral energies unimpaired. Treat all women with courtesy, but shun undue intimacy. Remember that temptation, which when encountered is hard to resist, is often easy to avoid.
Final impressions are usually the more lasting; and on the behaviour of the troops during the present period will depend the final impression left by the British Army on the inhabitants of these countries.
The honour of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force is in your hands. I do not fear to leave it there.
EHH Allenby
General
CinC"
[note: none of the existing copies of this Special Order of the Day give the precise date in January 1919 when it was issued]
from 'Allenby in Palestine - the middle east correspondence of Field Marshal Viscount Allenby' selected & edited by Matthew Hughes, Army Records Soc./Sutton Pub. Ltd., 2004