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Palestine

G

GEFF

Geff
Why is it that when post war conflicts etc. are mentioned, Palestine never comes into the debate. It is about 4 years ago that the goverment allowed
Palestine veterans to march at the cenataph in Whitehall. I am well aware that it was not a war as such but we did lose 478 men and women over the period 1945-48. It was terrorism at its worst. These figures are correct
I have book with the names and units listed. "EPITAPH FOR AN ARMY OF PEACEKEEPERS" British forces in Palestlne by George Webb.
Geff
 
It seems to be the same old story Geff.Politicians make mistakes...the military are called in to sort out the mess,and then the Whitehall Warriors,try to pretend it never happened."Lions lead by donkeys" springs to mind.
 
Hi Geoff, it has been the same with all the so called minor wars, people
have short memories, at least you got your GSM right way, I was at Suez and we had to wait fifty years for ours, they kept saying we were not on active
service, try telling that to those who didnt come back.
Bernard Arnold
3batt; Coldstream Guards
Suez Canel Zone 1951/53
 
These photo's from moms old tin have Palestine on the back as for dates and details I don't know I am afraid. Jean.
 
GEFF said:
Why is it that when post war conflicts etc. are mentioned, Palestine never comes into the debate. It is about 4 years ago that the goverment allowed
Palestine veterans to march at the cenataph in Whitehall. I am well aware that it was not a war as such but we did lose 478 men and women over the period 1945-48. It was terrorism at its worst. These figures are correct
I have book with the names and units listed. "EPITAPH FOR AN ARMY OF PEACEKEEPERS" British forces in Palestlne by George Webb.
Geff
Click to expand...


Geff

Have you seen this
https://www.counterpunch.org/fisk0903.html
 
G G Jean said:
These photo's from moms old tin have Palestine on the back as for dates and details I don't know I am afraid. Jean.
Click to expand...

Can't work out what year it could be. As the British Army were in Palestine in the early 1930s

That costume looks like the 1930s

There will be someone on the Forum who will sort it I'm sure:)
 
Thanks Alf I did put another one on somewhere ages ago with all the lads in the sea but can't find it. Thanks . Jean.
 
hi jean
looks very much like WW1 w3hen we took over from the turks can't read cap badges but looks like either suffolks or dorsets.
regards
paul
 
Thanks for that Paul. I put a photo on a while back too will see if I can find it as it has a cap badge on. Bye. Jean.
 
Ref. Palestine 1945-1948. Have recently read a factual book on the war on terrorism in Palestine,it tells both sides of the troubles i.e. the British Governments attitude, and what the soldiers had to put up with. It is well worth reading for men like myself who spent more than two years there, after having been in the European battle.The book costs £20 but I was able to get it from the library. " A SENSELESS SQUALID WAR " Voices from Palestine 1945-1948 by Norman Rose.
Geff
 
off subject a bit, but quite interesting, my dad served in Palestine 1946-48, sadly he passed away last year, i always wondered what happened to his medal, then whilst browsing in a antique store in Edinburgh there was my dads medal complete in box, with his name etc etched on it, has he never left Birmingham except for family holidays, it is amazing how it ended up in Scotland, and even more amazing that after 60 years i happen to go into a shop 300 miles away and find it!!
 
Last edited:
GEFF said:
Why is it that when post war conflicts etc. are mentioned, Palestine never comes into the debate. It is about 4 years ago that the goverment allowed
Palestine veterans to march at the cenataph in Whitehall...
Click to expand...
what is 'Palestine' though? [it's never been a country]
after the legitimate U.N. vote of 1947?
I raise my hat [if I wore one] to our British soldiers who served there in that incredibly confusing and testing time
and I do not blame them for some of the things they had to do [under orders] regarding the Jewish refugees trying, desperately, to get ashore from those ships full of Holocaust survivors.
It must have broken the hearts of many a British soldier to do what he had to do :(
 
maz_beth said:
what is 'Palestine' though? [it's never been a country]
after the legitimate U.N. vote of 1947?
I raise my hat [if I wore one] to our British soldiers who served there in that incredibly confusing and testing time
and I do not blame them for some of the things they had to do [under orders] regarding the Jewish refugees trying, desperately, to get ashore from those ships full of Holocaust survivors.
It must have broken the hearts of many a British soldier to do what he had to do :(
Click to expand...
And of course what they had done to them,must have broken a few hearts.When the terrorists blew up the King David Hotel,killing so many,it was the worst act of ingratiude,treachery and infamy imaginable.
 
yes, that's right
it's the only example of that way round [it was the Irgun wasn't it?], affecting the British, I can think of though, although you might know of more
 
hi all
Palestine was a designated a Protectorate occupied by Britain to be administered under a united nations mandate after the fall of the Ottoman Turkish Empire at the end of WW1. This was very similar to Aden in the 50/60's.
paul
 
my grandad was in palestine from april 1931 til january 1932 so it was going on long before WW2... anyone know why the british were there at all?
 
In May 1948 after I had finished my training I was posted to our third Battlion who had recently returned
from Palestine, we were stationed at Aldersot waiting for one of the Guards barracks to become vacant.
Some the tales the old soldiers used to tell us would make your hair curl! Many times they were on guard at
a gate when a beautiful young girl, would come on a bike, wearing shorts, when she was level with the gate
she would take a hand grenade out of the basket and lob it at the guards, this happened many times, the
first suicide bombers I suppose you could say. I would not agree that Palestine is anymore forgotten that
Suez, Aden or several other "Small Wars", if you served in that you area you are bound to think so.
One thing I disagree with is TA members serving overseas, they are after all part timers, the MOD is
very lucky firms are willing to give them the time to serve. Nulli Secundus Bernard
 
The friend of mine that was stationed out there said a soldier friend was shot in the back and died from it when he was walking back to the camp, he also mentioned young women being the other side of the fence offering themselfs to the soldiers for money.
 
Bernard,

I agree with you absolutely respecting the TA. They were formed in the early 1900s with the specific condition that they were for the defence of the realm. In other words to be available if we were attacked.

Old Boy
 
Chris,
I didn't know they had changed things.
when I finished a 3 year stint pretending to be a soldier:(,I was put on the reserves for 4 years,and at that time they were recalling the reserves for,some of their colonial fracas.Well,my view was I ain't having none of that malarky,so I joined the T.A.for 2 years, and it was for home defence only.:rolleyes:
 
my father served in palestine with the coldstream gaurds, 1945/47,after seeing action in egypt,libya,pantalaria, and other campaings in north africa between 42/45.
but i dont think the average british soldier had much idea about the political agenda at that time. it was just another job in another strange country.
 
hi all
as far as I can recall the TA were the expeditonary force in both 1st and 2 nd world war and saw action in both conflicts well before the regular or conscript army's, and i thought like the for-runner milita was for the defence of the crown, ie for the goverment of the day to use as and when required.
paul
 
I had forgotten about that Paul,a man up our street was in Wales on his annual camp with the T.A.when the war broke out,and he was sent straight to France.He didn't return home until after Dunkirk
 
Yes Ray that happened a lot it happened to my Uncle Ern he had a terrible time and just got back by the skin of his teeth having 3 boats /ships sunk under him at Dunkirk and only some 20% of his unit came back alive and well. We tend to forget how much we owe to our part time soldiers who leave their jobs and loved ones on a voluntary basis to go into harms way, I say a great thank you to em all.
paul
 
Don't know if this works???
but I have tried to enter the memorial for our lads who did not
return from Palestine
dennis
 
This photo of some of our Lads standing by
a Jewish armoured car that came to grief
on the Jaffa Rd. 1948
 
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