6 Interlude
This chapter relies upon material in the battalion war diaries (WO 170/1476) supplemented by other war diaries and personal material from the Wally Binch collections in the Nottinghamshire Archives and from the IWM sound archive. Hart [1999] describes the 16th DLI experiences in the Middle East at the same time. Borisov [1947] provides a contemporary Jewish interpretation of the events of 1944 in Palestine, for further information on Zionist organisations and their operations I have referred to Bell [1996] and the website of the Freedom Fighter of Israel Heritage Association.
Notes
p. 115 British manpower statistics from Eric Morris, Circles of Hell: The War in Italy 1943–45 (London: Hutchinson, 1993) p. 318; WO169/16326, 5th SF WD, May 1944, lists the RA Personnel attached. Of the thirteen other ranks killed in action with the battalion in Italy who had RA service numbers, only five are on this list, suggesting at least as many more must have transferred at some other time, for example Charlie Seibert joined from an IRTD in Italy.
p. 115-16 Charlesworth comment from IWM tape #13454, Reel 11. My analysis is based upon CWGC data giving the ages of Sergeants, Corporals and Privates who died serving with the 5th Foresters in 1944, cross referenced to their parent arm identified from Service Number. Charlesworth incorrectly identified the AA gunners as coming from the 14th Foresters.
p. 117 For the cross-training of S Company personnel see WO 170/456 46th Div. WD, April 1944, ‘46 Training Directive No. 1’, 25 March 1944, WO170/1427, 2/5th Leicesters WD March 1944; Harrington IWM Tape #18484, Reel 4; Newham, IWM Tape # 13124 Reel 9; Lord, in MSFM, p. 162. Crews, IWM tape #19987, Reel 18 relates the MT drivers undergoing infantry training.
p. 117-18 The pre-war deployment of 1st Battalion to Palestine is described in Barclay, History, pp. 20–23. An operation on 18–19 August resulted in the death of Lt C.C. Rivett-Carnac and the wounding of three other soldiers. In March 1940, six platoons from the 1st Sherwood Foresters had stood by to support the civilian authorities when 3,000 Jews demonstrated in Haifa against new restrictions on the purchase of land, ibid. p. 56. For Irgun activities, see J. Bowyer Bell, Terror out of Zion: The Fight For Israeli Independence, Revised Edn. (Nw Brunswick NJ & London: Transaction Publishing, 1996, originally published 1976), particularly p. 35 and p. 89. Charlesworth, IWM Tape #13454, Reel 11 describes the local population turning their backs on British soldiers.
p. 118-19 For the activities of the Stern Gang (LEHI) see ‘J Borisov’ (pseudonym), Palestine Underground: The Story of Jewish Resistance (New York: Judea Publishing Co, 1947), pp. 17–26; Bell, Terror out of Zion, p. 35, p. 64 and pp. 86-89. The incident Mellors refers to in his diary is probably the shooting of policeman Itzhak Polany, himself a Polish Jew, and the subsequent death in hospital of wounded LEHI member Yosef ‘Baruch’ Rosenbaum. This is reported in Jewish Floridian, April 7, 1944, p. 14 <https://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00010090/00790/14j> [accessed 23/10/44]; Freedom Fighter of Israel Heritage Association, ‘The Test of Blood and Fire’ <https://lehi.org.il/the-test-ofblood-and-fire/> [accessed 23/10/44]; and Borisov, Palestine Underground, p. 26.
p. 119 Conditions in Syria from Lord, in OASpp. 189–190 and IWM tape #19987, Reel 8; Hampton, IWM Tape #13260, Reel 7; the instructions to report lice is in WO 170/622, 139 Bde WD, May 1944.
p. 119-20 Exercise ‘Taim’ information from WO 170/622, 139 Bde WD May 1944; Exercise TAIM’ instructions; WO169/16326 5th SF WD May 1944, and Crews, IWM tape #19987, Reel 19.