Ghoraniyeh bridgehead, Jordan

Close to Jericho, Ghoraniyeh had been the scene of heavy fighting only a month before George Lambert arrived in May 1918. The possession of the lower valley was essential to any future offensive. Chauvel's head quarters were only a few miles to the west. The early summer heat made the risk of malaria from nearby swamps very high. Despite the languid tail swishing horses, it was still a scene of intense activity when he painted this in May: "At Auja and Ghoraniyeh crossings, spots that only one short word could describe - for heat, flies, and hard work. . . But the heat indescribable - unendurable. And yet the work was going on all day all night. Even if I had been inclined to slack myself, the example of the men who never tired forced me to be up early and paint and draw all day."