title: With the Judeans in the Palestine campaign,
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AUTHOR OF "the MAN-EATERS OF TSAVo/' "iN THE GRIP OF THE NYIKa/' "wITH THE ZIONISTS IN GALLIPOH" THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 1922 All rights reserved PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 1\^'. ^'^.y' Copyright, 1922, By the MACMILLAN COMPANY. Set up and electrotyped. Published, November, 1922. FERRIS PRINTING COMPANY NEW YORK CITY DEC -6 '22 C1A692250 PREFACE THE formation of a Battalion of Jews for service in the British Army is an event with: out precedent in our annals, and the part played by such a unique unit is assured of a niche in history, owing to the fact that it fought in Palestine, not only for the British cause, but also for the Restoration of the Jewish people to the Promised Land. In writing the following- narrative, my object has been to give a faithful account of the doings of this Jewish Battalion while it was under my command. I am much indebted to Nursing Sister Cook, Captain Haldin Davis, the Rev. L. A. Falk, and Mr. Bendov, of Jerusalem, for permission to reproduce the photographs illustrating this book. J. H. Pattekson. London, 1922. INTEODUCTION IN the darkest days of the great World War, the British Cabinet decided that it would be good policy to create a Jewish Eegiment, and accordingly, in August, 1917, the first Jewish Bat- talion was formed. From that day forth, as a mat- ter of duty and loyalty to King and Country, it was clearly incumbent on all those in authority to treat this new unit with justice, and do everything in their power to make it a success. It is to be deplored that this Jewish Battalion — this ewe lamb of Israel — did not receive, while on active service in the Holy Land, that measure of justice and fair play that was its due. In common with the vast majority of my countrymen, I have the ^^fair play'' sense strongly developed. I am always prone to be on the side of the under dog — ^more especially when I see that the poor devil is getting more kicks than in all fairness are his due. In Palestine, unfortunately, I was con- stantly called upon to ward off unfair kicks, aimed at the Jewish Battalion under my command, by certain members of the local Staff of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. I have passed over many of our sufferings in silence, and no record of them vii viii Introduction will be found in tliis book, but I am afraid tbey have left an indelible mark in the mind and heart of every man who served in the Jewish Battalion under my command, and I fear that the evil effects of the local Military Administration will rever- berate throughout Palestine for many a long year. But before I proceed further, let me first of all make it clearly understood that I am not a Jew — indeed, at the outbreak of the Great War I knew nothing of this ancient people, always excepting what I had read about them in the Bible and other Jewish books. My first contact with Jews was in the Gallipoli Campaign, where I was sent in com- mand of a Corps, composed of Zionists who had escaped from Palestine at the outbreak of war and taken service with the British Forces. Pre- sumably because I had had this experience, I was appointed to the command of the first Jewish Infantry Unit raised for service with the British Army. The career of this unique Battalion is bound to be closely followed by all Jews, while it would not surprise me if the historian of the fu- ture seized upon this dramatic appearance of the Jewish warrior, fighting for the redemption of Israel under the banner of England, as one of the most interesting episodes of the great World War. UnfoTtunately for us, with a few honourable exceptions, the local Staff of the E. E. F. were '^troublers of Israel.'' Instead of holding out a helping hand to this new Unit, on the contrary, every obstacle was placed in its way. In our times of tribulation in the Holy Land, my thoughts Introduction ix often went back to the Dardanelles, and I was heartened and cheered by the remembrance of the vastly different treatment meted out to the Jewish soldiers by the Staff in Gallipoli. Sir Ian Hamil- ton had vision enough to foresee what a tremen- dous force would be won over to the cause of Eng- land by dealing justly with Israel. In the Medi- terranean Expeditionary Force the attitude was essentially British. I regret I cannot say the same of the Staff of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in 1918 and 1919. I am happy to be able to put on record that the Battalion was treated fairly and justly all the time it was stationed in England. The Staff at Plymouth always held out a helping hand when needed, and we embarked for Egypt with the blessing of the War Office and of the Adjutant General, Sir Nevil Macready, who told me before we sailed that it was his aim to form a Jewish Brigade, and that he was writing to the Comman der-in-Chief of the E. E. F. to recommend that this should be done as soon as our numbers justi- fied such a step. I felt that the Adjutant General had confided a great trust to me when I was selected for the com- mand of this Jewish Unit. It was a complete change from the command of an Irish Battalion, but the Irishman and the Jew have much in com- mon — temperament, generosity, love of children, devotion to parents, readiness to help those down on their luck, and, be it noted, great personal bravery. These qualities will probably not ap- X Introduction pear out of place to my readers so far as the Irishman is concerned, but I imagine many will be surprised when they hear that they also apply to the Jew. The soul-stirring deeds on the battle- field of such heroes as Judas Maccabaeus, Bar Kochba, and many others, can never be forgotten. I had one fear when I took over command of the Judeans, and that was that I might not be able to do them justice. I felt that, if a suitable Jew- ish officer could be found, it would be more appro- priate that he should have the honour of leading these soldiers of Israel in the struggle for the re- demption of Palestine; but, although I publicly stated that I should be glad to see a Jewish officer appointed to the command, no one came forward, and I was left with the whole weight of this great responsibility to the Jewish people on my shoul- ders. I, therefore, made up my mind, from the moment I took command, that, so far as was humanly possible, the Jewish Battalion should be brought through its fiery ordeal with honour. It was unfortunate for the new Eegiment, and doubly unfortunate for the Jewish people in Pal- estine, as this narrative will show, that the atti- tude of the local Staff was diametrically opposed to the declared policy of the Home Government, which had announced to the world, in the famous Balfour Declaration, that Palestine should once again become a national home for the Jewish peo- ple. In the face of this British announcement, certain officials in the Holy Land acted as if this epoch-making declaration were nothing but a mere Introduction xi *^ scrap of paper.'' When I observed the vain strivings of these men, and remembered the Prom- ise to Israel, I called to mind the saying of Gamal- iel, the great Rabbi, *^If this work be of men it will come to naught, but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it/' This local anti-Jewish policy eventually cul- minated in the Jerusalem pogrom, described in the closing chapter of this book, when, under Brit- ish rule, murderous native mobs ran riot, prac- tically unchecked, for nearly three days within the walls of the Holy City. This deplorable outrage at last opened the eyes of the Home Authorities to what was going on in Palestine, with the result that the Military Administration was abolished. A competent civil Governor replaced the Military Administrator, and Sir Herbert Samuel was sent out to pour oil and wine into the wounds which the unfortunate Jewish inhabitants had received, and to carry out the declared policy of England as announced in the Balfour Declaration. CONTENTS PAGE Preface v Introduction vii CHAPTER I. The Balfour Declaration 1 II. The Sanballats 6 III. The Formation of the Jewish Regi- ment 11 IV. Training at Plymouth 19 V. The Kosher Problem 28 VI. We Set Out for Palestine 32 VII. Back in the Land of Bondage 40 VIII. The Feast of the Passover 51 IX. We Set Out for the Front 57 X. The Nablus Front 68 XI. We March TO THE Jordan Valley 80 XII. Our Position in the Mellahah 92 XIII. Life in the Mellahah 101 XIV. We Win Our First Honours 108 XV. Capture of the Umm esh Shert Ford 115 XVI. The Lost Transport Wagons 121 XVII. We Go Up to Ramoth Gilead 127 XVIII. The Crown of Victory 134 XIX. The Strategical Value of Palestine . 141 XX. Hospital Scandal at Jerusalem 148 XXI. Life at Ludd 157 xiii XIV CHAPTER XXII. IIIXXX XXIII. XXIV. XXV. XXVI. XXVII. XXVIII. XXIX. XXX. XXXI. XXXII. XXXIV. XXXV. XXXVI. Contents PAGE At Eafa 164 Return of the Anzacs 170 A Red-Letter Day 177 Forbidden to Enter the Holy City. . 184 The Great Boxing Competition 190 An Exciting Race 195 Damascus 202 Among the Philistines 210 The Fall of Goliath 218 Protests 222 A Trip to the Sea of Galilee 229 Strange Methods of the E. E. F. Staff 240 The First Judeans 250 The Jerusalem Pogrom 253 The Dawn 264 Appendix 1 267 Appendix II 269 LIST OF ILLUSTEATIONS PAGE Map of Palestine Frontispiece An Able and Enthusiastic Staff 16 ''Our Chaplain'' 17 The Citadel— Cairo 42 A Street in Cairo 42 Tobacco Shop in Cairo 43 Lieut. Tipsey Instructing the Corporal 43 Men Drilling 43 Sacred Shrine and Temples of Antiquity at Jeru- salem 50 Midst the Palms Near Helmich 50 Our Camp at Unun Suffah 50 Our First Sabbath Service in Palestine at Surafeno 51 ''Enniskilling Road" 51 In the Hills of Samaria 51 Gaza, the Scene of Samson's Exploits 51 The Auja, Which Is a Pleasant, Swiftly Flowing Streamlet 90 Battalion Headquarters in the Mellahah 90 Bedouin Girl at Eafa 91 Bedouin Family at Raf a 91 Bedouin Camp at Raf a 91 Bedouin Women and Children at Raf a 91 Roman Arch at Amman 134 Circassian Cart at Amman 134 XV xvi List of Illustrations PAGE Amphitheatre at Amman 134 The Mighty Euins of Baalbec 135 The Tomb of Saladin 135 ''I Came Upon a Submerged Herd of Buffalo". ... 232 Where the Jordan Kushed Down 232 Father Vendelene 233 We Pleasantly Meandered Up the Jordan 233 Hot Springs, Tiberias 233 Cardinal Giustini Amid the Ruins of the Syna- gogue at Capernaum 233 Ruins of the Old City of Tiberias 234 Bedouin Reed Huts by the Jordan 235 The Rickety Gangway 235 Synagogue — Roffi Meyer, Tiberias 235 The Jericho-Jerusalem Road 256 Mosque of Omar and Arches, Jerusalem 256 Damascus Gate of Jerusalem 256 WITH THE JUDEANS IN THE PALESTINE CAMPAIGN CHAPTER 1 THE BALFOUR DEOLAEATION IN the early days of 1917 the outlook for the Allied Powers was particularly black and men- acing. England, the mainstay in the great struggle, was in deadly peril, for, just about this time, the ruthless submarine campaign was at its height, and our shipping losses were appalling. The Central Powers, with startling rapidity, had crushed and overrun Belgium, Serbia, and Eou- mania, and a large slice of France was in the grip of the invader. It was a case of stalemate with Italy, while Russia, the Colossus with the feet of clay, was in the throes of a revolution and lost to the Allies. Turkey, the so-called ^^sick man of Europe," was found not only able to **sit up and take nourishment,'' but strong enough to ad- minister some nasty knocks to the surgeon, as we discovered to our cost in Gallipoli, and other places in the Near East. The Great Republic of the West did indeed throw in her lot with us in April, 1917, but many perilous months would have to elapse before she could pull her full weight, or even make her enormous power felt, to any appre- ciable extent on the battlefields of Europe. At such a moment as this it was of the very 1 2 With the Judeans in Palestine greatest importance that the world should be care- fully scanned, and every available ideal and policy made use of, which could be of advantage to our righteous cause. The happy inspiration there- upon seized upon our ministers to win over to the side of the Allies the teeming millions of the Chil- dren of Israel scattered throughout the world. The restoration of these people to the land of their forefathers had long been engaging the thoughts of mankind, and our statesmen now felt that the time was ripe for this age-long issue to be brought to fruition. It was, of course, known to the leading Zionists that the British Government was considering the policy of making a pronouncement in favour of the Jewish people, and many of the leaders of Zionism such as Dr. Weizmann, Mr. Sokolow, Mr. Jabotinsky and Mr. Joseph Cowen lost no oppor- tunity of pressing home the importance of winning Jewry, the world over, to England *s side, by de- claring boldly for a Jewish Palestine. It was felt by many that the right and proper way for Jewry to help England was by raising a Jewish legion to aid in the redemption of Palestine, and of this movement the leading spirit was Vladimir Jabo- tinsky, a distinguished orator, author, and jour- nalist. Ever since the beginning of the War this re- markable man, a Jew from Eussia, had carried on a vigorous propaganda on behalf of England. At his own expense, he had founded a newspaper in Copenhagen, and distributed it broadcast The Balfour Declaration 3 among Jews in Eussia, Poland, neutral countries, and America. His propaganda was of great value to the Allies, for the Jews naturally hated Russia, owing to their harsh treatment and persecution in that country, and it was not until Jabotinsky set to work that they perceived that their real inter- ests lay with the Allies. To show a good example to others, he enlisted as a private in the 20th Battalion London Regiment, where he gathered round him a platoon composed principally of the men who had recently been serving in Gallipoli in the Zion Mule Corps. From his humble posi- tion in the ranks he bombarded the Prime Minis- ter, and the Secretaries of State for War and For- eign Atf airs in this country ; he sent emissaries to America, North and South, to Russia, Poland, the Caucasus, etc., and when, in July, 1917, the Gov- ernment declared their intention of creating a Jewish Regiment, he had everything in train for the formation of a legion at least 50,000 strong. I mention this here as one instance of this gal- lant officer's efforts for England, and I will ask ,the reader to make a mental note of it, for before this narrative is ended it will be my painful duty to show how Jabotinsky was rewarded for all his invaluable services to the British cause. The Government policy towards world Jewry was brought to a head by a vigorous Zionist offen- sive, and resulted in the creation of a Jewish Bat- talion in August, 1917, followed a little later by the famous Balfour Declaration in favour of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine. 4 With the Judeans in Palestine This bold and wise pronouncement of British pol- icy was of great and far-reaching importance, and is regarded by Jewry throughout the world as their Charter of Liberty. It is embodied in the following letter to Lord Eothschild : "Foreign Office, November 2, 1917. ' * Dear Lord RoTHSCHnD : **I have much pleasure in conveying to you on behalf of H. M. 's Government the following Declaration of sym- pathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations, which has been submitted to and approved by the Cabinet : *' *His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to fa- cilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly un- derstood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish com- munities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.' '*! should be grateful if you would bring this Declara- tion to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation. "Yours sincerely, (Signed) "Arthur James Balfour.'* This was perhaps the most momentous declara- tion made throughout the war, and it derived a special significance from the fact that it was made just at the time when the first definite steps were being taken towards freeing Palestine from the yoke of the Turk. It was received by practically all sections of the British press with the most cordial approval. By pious Jews it was regarded as little short of the Voice of God, bringing their long cherished The Balfour Declaration 5 aspirations within sight of fulfillment. All down the centuries from the time of the Dispersion it has been the dream of the Jew that one day he would be restored to his ancestral home. In his exile the age-long cry of his stricken soul has ever been ^^next year in Jerusalem. '' Christians, too, have always believed in the ful- filment of prophecy, and the restoration of the Jewish people is of no little interest to them, so it can be imagined with what feelings of joy and gratitude the masses of the Jewish people looked upon this promise of England, holding out as it did the prospect of the realisation of their dear- est hope. Nothing like it has been known since the days of King Cyrus. It is not too much to say that this epoch-making Declaration uplifted the soul of Israel the world over. Mr. Balfour may not live to see the full fruits of his famous pronouncement, but prophecy will assuredly be fulfilled, and his name will go down for all time, second only to that of Cyrus, in the chronicles of Israel. Jeremiah's prophecy on the Restoration of Is- rael has a wonderful significance in these days: ''Hear the word of the Lord, ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar ofiP, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.'' CHAPTER II THE SANBALLATS ON the twenty-seventh of July, 1917, while I was stationed at Curragh in command of a Battalion of the Royal Dublin Fusi- liers, I got a telegram from the War Office, order- ing me to report there and commence the organi- zation of the Jewish Legion about to be raised, so I set out forthwith for London. On getting my instructions from Major General R. Hutchison, the Director of Organization, he told me, among other things, that a certain Sergeant Jabotinsky would probably be most useful to me, for he was a very keen worker, and an ardent advocate of the Jewish Regiment. I told him that I had already met Jabotinsky and I knew his assistance would be invaluable, and requested that he might be at- tached to me for duty at once. I was given a room at the War Office annex, which had been taken over from the National Liberal Club. Here I was joined in due course by Jabotinsky, now a full-fledged sergeant. We had hardly begun to move in the matter of recruiting for the Jewish Regiment, when I be- came aware that in certain quarters of influential English Jewry there was violent hostility to Zion- 6 The Sanhallats 7 ist aspirations, and also to the very idea of a Jewish Eegiment. I therefore felt that, in order to clear the air, it would be necessary to hold a meeting of those who were in favour of, as well as those who were opposed to, the formation of a Jewish Eegiment, and try to induce the latter to cease obstructing a policy which had already been decided upon by the British Government, and to give me their help in making the proposed Eegi- ment a success. A meeting of representative men on both sides was held at the War Office on August 8, 1917. Among those present were : Lord Eothschild, Ma- jor Lionel de Eothschild, Major Neill Primrose, Captain Ormsby Gore, M. P., Mr. Sebag Monte- fiore, Dr. Weizmann, Mr. Joseph Cowen, Dr. Eder, Captain Salaman, E. A. M. C, Mr. M. J. Landa, Mr. C. J. Greenberg, the Eev. S. Lipson (Senior Jewish Chaplain to the Forces in England) and Sergeant Jabotinsky — about twenty in all. Col- onel Sir Mark Sykes, M. P. (whose untimely death I deeply lament), and Lieut.-Colonel L. S. Amery, M. P., who were then secretaries to the War Cabinet, also attended, both being warm friends of the movement, I briefly addressed the meeting and explained that I had called them to- gether to give me their advice and assistance in the formation of the Jewish Eegiment. I was, of course, aware that there was somewhat of a cleavage amongst the Jews on this question, but the bitterness and hostility shown were quite a revelation to me. I could not understand how any 8 With the Judeans in Palestine Jew could fail to grasp this heaven-sent oppor- tunity and to do all in his power to further the efforts of the British Government on behalf of the Jewish people. Imagine my surprise, therefore, when certain of the Jews in opposition vigorously denounced the formation of a Jewish Eegimnt, and equally vigorously damned the aspirations of the Zionists ! Dr. Weizmann gave a slashing reply to the San- ballats from the Zionist point of view, which cut the ground from under their feet; and Jabotin- sky, in his address for the cause he had at heart, lifted the debate to a level immeasurably above the point of view of his opponents. A few others spoke, and then I again addressed the meeting and said I thought it was a good thing the Govern- ment had not left it to the comunity to form a Jewish Eegiment, as I saw that they would never agree; but as the Government had already made up its mind, and was determined to have a Jewish Legion of some kind, I begged them to lay aside all differences and help me to make a success of a movement which was bound to affect Jews, one way or another, throughout the world. In con- clusion, I said I would rather know who were my friends, and asked all those who did not intend to further this scheme, which after all was a scheme propounded and adopted by the British Govern- ment, to retire. Not a man moved. While I was making my address a note was passed to me from hand to hand. On opening it I read, ^'Can you dine with me this evening? I The Sanbaltats 9 should like to join your new Battalion. N. P.'* I little knew when I scribbled back, ''So sorry, am engaged,'^ what serious consequences hung on my answer, for I feel sure that Neill Primrose would not have been cut off in his prime had I dined with him that night, and '' recruited '* him for the Jewish Battalion; but I never saw this very gallant officer again. He went out to Pales- tine soon afterwards, where he met his death while leading his men in a charge. To return to the meeting: When I found that not one of our opponents was prepared to declare himself an open enemy of the policy of H. M.'s Government, I said that as the formation of the various committees connected with the regiment was an essentially Jewish matter, I would now retire, and I asked Lord Kothschild to take the chair. Within half an hour of my leaving the meeting I was summoned by Brigadier General Sir Auckland Geddes, as he then was. The Gen- eral appeared to be extremely flurried and an- noyed. Apparently, immediately after I had left the meeting, two gentlemen had gone straight from it to Sir Auckland, and made a bitter at- tack on me for having, as they said, held a Zion- ist meeting in the War Office. I assured him that there was no attempt at holding a Zionist meet- ing, but that a number of representative Jews and others had been called to help me in carrying out the policy of the War Office, and I pointed out that it was entirely due to the two gentlemen who complained, that any question of Zionism had 10 With the Judeans in Palestine been raised. The General gave me a lecture on the Yugo-Slavs, and the Czecho-Slavs, and the ramifications of Zionism — a discourse in which, I must confess, I was not particularly interested. Why any Jew should be an anti-Zionist passes my comprehension, for the Zionist's ideal in no way interferes with the rights and privileges of those fortunate Jews who have found happy homes in friendly countries, but aims at establishing a national home for those less happy ones, who, against their will, are forced to live in exile, and who have never ceased to yearn for the land promised to their forefather Abraham and his seed for ever. Yet I will have to show that, as there were Sanballats* who bitterly opposed the restoration in the days of King Artaxerxes, twen- ty-five hundred years ago, so there were modern Sanballats who bitterly opposed the restoration in the days of King George. * See Nehemiah, Chaps, ii and iv. CHAPTER III THE FORMATION OF THE JEWISH REGIMENT ON August 23, 1917, the formation of the ''Jewish Regiment" was officially an- nounced in the London Gazette, and I was appointed to the command of a Battalion. At the same time it was officially intimated that a special Jewish name and badge would be given to the Battalions of this Regiment. On hearing of this determination the Sanbal- lats immediately got very busy. Heads were put together, and letters written up and down the land to all and sundry who were likely to serve their purpose, with the result that, on August 30, 1917, a deputation waited upon Lord Derby (then Secretary of State for War), for the purpose of making representations against the proposed name and badge of the Jewish Regiment, and, in fact, against the formation of any such unit as a Jewish Battalion. One member of this deputation went so far as to represent to Lord Derby that Lord Rothschild, the head of the celebrated Jewish family to whom, as representing the Jewish people Mr. Balfour later on addressed the famous declaration, was also opposed to the formation of a Jewish Regi- 11 12 With the Judeans in Palestine ment. Lord Eothschild assured me that this was not the case ; for once it became the policy of the British Government to form a Jewish Eegiment, he felt bound as a patriotic Jew to back it up and do all in his power to make it a success. No lit- tle thanks are due to Lord Eothschild for the way- he devoted himself to the comfort and welfare of the Jewish Battalions, from the first day they were formed. The result of the deputation was that the name Jewish Eegiment was abolished, and no Jewish badge was santioned. All Jewish Battalions raised were to be called Eoyal Fusiliers. But our worthy friends might have saved themselves all the trouble they took, and the trouble they gave to the War Ministry, because, from the moment that the Battalions were formed, although they were known officially as Eoyal Fusiliers, yet unoffi- cially, everywhere, and by every person, they were known solely as the Jewish Battalions. Lord Derby made the mistake of thinking that these few rich men represented the Jewish masses. A greater mistake was never made, for, from my own experience, I can vouch for the fact that they are altogether out of touch with the thoughts and feelings of the vast majority of the Jewish people. What a different tale I should have to tell, had men such as these played up to the policy of England! Had their vision only been broader, they would have said among themselves, ^ ^ This is a policy we do not like. It may affect us adversely, but it is the policy of England, and The Formation of the Jewish Regiment 13 England in peril, and we must therefore bind our- selves together and make it a success." If they feared that these Jews from Eussia and Poland would not worthily uphold Jewish tradi- tions, they might have gone to the Secretary for War and told him their fears, and said that, as it was absolutely necessary for world Jewry that this experiment of creating Jewish Battalions should have a fair chance, they would request his aid in this matter and ask that at least twenty- five per cent of every Battalion be composed of Jews from England, who, having seen service in France, would therefore give some necessary and valuable stiffening to these raw Jewish units. With such a stiffening, and a solid English Jewry at the back of the Jewish Eegiment, what a trium- phant page in Jewish history these Battalions would have written! Instead of this, every possible obstacle was placed in the way of success. Interested parties scoured the East End of London and the big pro- vincial cites, advising young Jews not to enlist. Even in France the Jewish soldiers serving in the various units there were told by Jews, who ought to have known better, that they should on no ac- count transfer. The result of this was that re- cruiting went on very slowly, and instead of being able to form a Jewish Legion in the course of a few weeks, as could easily have been done out of the 40,000 Jewish young men in England alone, it took over four months to form even one Bat- talion. 14 With the Judeans in Palestine I happened by chance one day to meet a promi- nent member of the Sanballat deputation in the "War Office, and, in the course of conversation, I asked him why he objected so strongly to the for- mation of a Jewish Eegiment. He replied that he had no faith in the Russian Jews, and feared they would bring discredit on Jewry. I said that, from what I had seen in Gallipoli of the Jew from Rus- sia, I had more faith in him than he had, and that I felt confident I could make him into a good sol- dier. He was kind enough to remark, ^^Well, per- haps under you they will turn out to be good sol- diers, but then they might win Palestine, and 1 don't want to be sent there to live.'' I replied that his fears in this respect were entirely ground- less. He remarked that he was not so sure about that, for if the Jews had a country of their own, pressure might be brought to bear upon them to go and live there — which clearly shows that these rich and fortunate Jews cannot have given much real thought to the question, for there is nothing in the Zionist movement to force anyone to live in Palestine, and it would be manifestly impossible to pack fourteen million people within the nar- row limits of their ancestral home. When my pessimistic friend told me that these foreign Jews were no good, and would bring dis- credit upon the best part of Jewry, I made a men- tal resolve that I would prove to him one day that his despised Jewish brethren, from Russia and elsewhere, would make as good soldiers, and as good all-round men, as those in any of the British The Formation of the Jewish Regiment 15 Army. As these pages progress, and the history of the 38th Jewish Battalion is unfolded before the eyes of the reader, it will be seen that my ex- pectations were more than realized, for the Bat- talion drilled, marched, fought, and generally played the game, as well as any Battalion in the Army. It is a curious fact that so far as I could gather, the Inner Actions Committee of the Zionist or- ganization, with the honoured exception of Dr. Weizmann, looked on us with suspicion. The for- mation of Jewish Battalions did not appeal to them. How it was possible that the leaders of Zionism should not have grasped, and taken to their hearts, this gift of Jewish Battalions from the British Government, for the furtherance of their ow^n ends, is one of the greatest examples of ineptitude that has ever come within my experi- ence. Here was a body of keen and enthusiastic men, devoting their lives to the restoration of the Holy Land to its rightful owners, and yet they shied when the one essential weapon that could have given it to them was being virtually thrust into their hands. How different would have been the position of the Zionists at the Peace Confer- ence, after the Armistice was signed, if they had been able to point proudly to 50,000 Jewish troops in Palestine, instead of to the 5,000 who were actually serving there at the close of the war ! I know that Dr. Weizmann had vision enough to foresee the strength which such a Legion would give to his diplomacy, but unfortunately his col- 16 With the Judeans in Palestine leagues on the Zionist Council did not see eye to eye with him in this matter until it was too late. I tried to do what in me lay with certain of the leaders of Zionism, and spent some time endeav- ouring to enthuse a devoted and spiritual Jew who was deeply interested in the Eestoration; indeed I thought I had won him over to the cause of the Legion, for at times during our conversation his face lit up at the possibilities unfolded to him, but, alas, after I left him, I fear he fell away from grace! Some of the Zionist men such as Mr. Joseph Cowen, fully realised all the advantages which would accrue from a Jewish Legion helping to win Palestine from the enemy and these were eager workers towards this end. Vladimir Jabotinsky always believed in the proverb that the Lord helps those who help them- selves, and therefore he felt that it was essential that a Jewish Legion should fight for the redemp- tion of Israel's ancient heritage. And it was well for Jewry that Jabotinsky was a chosen instru- ment, because, if no Jewish troops had fought in Palestine, and no Jewish graves could be seen in the cemetery on the Mount of Olives and in every military cemetery in Egypt and Palestine, it would have been, for all time, a reproach unto Israel, and I have grave doubts whether the Peace Confer- ence would have considered the time ripe for the Jewish people to be restored to their ancient land. I am certain of this, that if Jabotinsky 's ideals of a powerful Legion had been more fully 'OUR CHAPLAIN," THE REV. L. H. FALK. (Se« p. 35) The Formation of the Jewish Regiment 17 realised, Dr. Weizmann's position at the table of the Peace Conference would have been immeasur- ably strengthened. It must, however, be recorded for the honour of British Jewry, that the vast majority of Eng- lish Jews were heartily in accord with the Gov- ernment policy, and proud of the fact that, practi- cally for the first time in Jewish history since the days of Judas Maccabaeus and Bar Kochba, Battalions of Jewish infantry were to be raised and led against the common enemy in Palestine. It was also to the credit of English Jewry that a deputation, representing the Jewish masses in England, sought and obtained an interview with the Secretary of State for War, with the view to the retention of a distinctive Jewish name and badge for the Battalions. This deputation was introduced on September 5th by Mr. J. D. Kiley, M. P., a non-Jew, and among others the follow- ing men were present: Captain Eadcliffe Sala- man. Dr. Eder, Messrs. Elkin Adler, Joseph Cowen, L. J. Greenberg, and M. J. Landa. Lord Derby had, however, committed himself to the first deputation and all he could promise to the deputation representing the Jewish masses was that, if the Eegiment distinguished itself in the field, it would then be given a Jewish title and a Jewish badge. This deputation also obtained the War Secretary's sanction to the supply of Kosher food, and to the observance of Saturday as the 18 With the Judeans in Palestine day of rest; Lord Derby also promised that, as far as possible, all Jewish festivals should be re- spected, and that Jewish units would, service con- ditions permitting, be employed onl^^ in Palestine. How the Battalions distinguished themselves and won a special Jewish name and badge will be re- corded faithfully in the following pages. CHAPTER IV TBAINING AT PLYMOUTH I WAS delighted when, at last, I got away from organization duty at the War Office, with all its worries and vicissitudes, and commenced the real active work of training a fighting Bat- talion of Jews. Plymouth was the spot chosen as our training centre, and at the Crown Hill Bar- racks, near this famous and beautiful harbour, we commenced our military career. A recruiting depot was at the same time estab- lished in London at 22 Chenies Street, where a Staff was installed under the command of Major Knowles, an excellent officer, who had previously served under me in the South African War, and who was an ardent supporter of Zionist ideals. Recruits were received here and fitted out with uniforms before being sent on to Plymouth, and the comfort of the men while at the Depot was ably attended to by various committees of ladies and gentlemen, whose names will be found in the Appendix. They were fortunately in a position to give much needed financial aid to various de- pendents, from the moment the Committee began work, as public-spirited and liberal Jews were found who gave to the good cause with both hands. 19 20 With the Judeans in Palestine x\mong these was Mr. Leopold Frank, who gave the princely donation of £1,000. Mr. Lionel D. Walford especially was untiring in his efforts for the welfare and happiness of every recruit who came to the Depot, and so won the hearts of all by the personal service that he gave, day in and day out, that he was universally and affectionately known to the Judeans as *^ Daddy.'' As the nucleus for the Jewish Battalion, I ar- ranged for the transfer of a platoon of my old Zion Mule Corps men from the 20th Battalion of the London Regiment, where they were then serv- ing under the command of Colonel A. Pownall. My best thanks are due to this officer for the help he gave me in effecting the transfer of my old veterans. These warlike sons of Israel, not con- tent with the laurels they had already won in Gal- lipoli, sought for fresh adventure in other fields and so volunteered for service in France. On the way home their ship was torpedoed and sunk by an Austrian submarine, but fortunately not a Zion man was drowned, all managed to cling to spars and wreckage, and floated safely to a Grecian issue, from which they were rescued. They eventually reached England in safety, but all their personal belongings were lost. 