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Palestine

Hallo Alf, Sorry I have taken so long to reply to you. I have just read "Counterpunch" it hits the nail right on the head. I have often been asked "what did you do in Palestine, why were you there"? I was in the Royal Engineers and we lost 58 men killed out of the total 478 service men and women who lost ther lives over 3 years of murders and atrocities by the terrorist gangs. Its not only the governments who hid it away from the public, the media can also take the blame. Geff
 
Hi Elder Brum,this has absolutley nothing to do with a post ,I noticed that you served with the Coldstreams,I wondered if you had any knowledge of a William Timbrell,also Coldstreams, he served in Palestine ,a little earlier than you,he lived in Bordesley Green,had 2 brothers ,Ted and Richard,they are distantly related,living in Aus makes it hard to trace folks.!!Regards Valbern1
 
Hi Valbern I will pass your post on to Dennis who served in Palestine. He is having problems at the moment accessing the forum. Will copy your post and e.mail it to him. Jean.
 
Hi there, I am afraid the name doesntn ring a bell, when I joined the 3rd bn in May 1948 they had just returned from Palestine.He must have either have ,got demobbed, or joined another battalion, Sorry, Bernard. If you knew where he lived you might trace him thru the Coldstream Gds Assc;
 
I have just received a photograph of my uncles grave in Palestine .His name was Frank Shakespeare aged 19 from Bloomsbury Street .His regiment was the 17/21st Lancers.
 
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
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Don't know where you got your numbers that are according to you are correct. Think you will find that the numbers are double yours, 785 to be precise. These are true numbers, army itself lost 699 personal, men and women. That's not counting other services like air force, navy ,nurse's. I can supply every name, Reg., Corps, date of death if you wish. Then there was British members of Palestine Police who are not in my roll, then native troops from islands in Indian Ocean who served as escorts to transport and guards who served in other duties. Advise you to get the Book ( Forgotten Conscripts ) by Eric Lowe, A truthful account written from the viewpoint of the Soldiers who were there bearing the brunt of Political folly and weakness. The highest rate of fallen other than Korea for a peacetime folly. You also mention the cenotaph in London, that is why we build our own cenotaph at EDEN CAMP in North Yorkshire and attend there every October
 
For Palestine, read same for, ADEN, 1964/67, some 95 British military deaths, and some 510 military casualty's, some maimed. Hardly gets any mention, in either military history or civil media history.
 
Thanks 'Serviceman' for correcting my No.s. You are right it was 758 personnel killed in Palestine. Put it down to old age and memory loss. I also belong to the P.V.A. have done for along time, years in fact. GEFF
 
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My dear Dad served in Palestine with the RAF regiment he lost his Sergeants they were all hanged he told me about the bombing of the King David Hotel he was shot at a few times never mentioned nowdays he was not to keen on me joining up.
 
Did your dad not mean the two pay corp Sgt's Clifford Martin and Mervyn Paice who where hanged by terrorist in 1947 and their bodies booby-trapped so rescurers were also in danger. The person responsible was the first prime minister of Irsael
 
That's all right. According to my records the first man killed or murdered if you like was Dvr. Bowsher, F. RASC 17/5/45
 
The Problem with most post war operations by British Forces, is that the Administrations past and present, considered all these as "Empire Policing Emergency's", Palestine, Suez, Malaya, Cyprus, Aden, and so did not give the recognition they deserved, for the time served and losses sustained, to we, who were there, and the family's of those lost or hurt, the pain was not less than in an official War. I think you will find that the prime minister who served with the Israeli Terror Group "Irgun" 1947/1949, was Menachem Begin, 77/83, not David Ben Gurion, Israel's first Prime minister, but I stand to be corrected on this.
 
How about the worst train atrocity on 28th February 1948 when 28 young boys were killed and 33 injured. Could of been worst if fourth mine had gone of but by luck or grace of GOD it did not
 
serviceman said:
Did your dad not mean the two pay corp Sgt's Clifford Martin and Mervyn Paice who where hanged by terrorist in 1947 and their bodies booby-trapped so rescurers were also in danger. The person responsible was the first prime minister of Irsael
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Yes thanks for the info on that
 
paul stacey said:
The Problem with most post war operations by British Forces, is that the Administrations past and present, considered all these as "Empire Policing Emergency's", Palestine, Suez, Malaya, Cyprus, Aden, and so did not give the recognition they deserved, for the time served and losses sustained, to we, who were there, and the family's of those lost or hurt, the pain was not less than in an official War. I think you will find that the prime minister who served with the Israeli Terror Group "Irgun" 1947/1949, was Menachem Begin, 77/83, not David Ben Gurion, Israel's first Prime minister, but I stand to be corrected on this.
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I stand corrected on this, but Menachem Begin still became prime minister
 
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Do the servicemen and women who served in Palestine know that the paper back book " Epitaph for an Army of Peacekeepers" which has the names of the 784 British military personal killed in Palestine over the period May 1945 - May 1948. Since the author George Webb died The cost for the book has risen from£13-95 to a shocking £150-00 I have looked up 4 book sellers on the internet and they all have the same price tag. I have been told that the reason is that Mrs. Webb could not afford the cost of a reprint. The cost has been confirmed by my local library GEFF
 
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