1st & 2nd January, 1948 - At work on the 1st January!? A thief, a road accident, and a bit of spring cleaning.

Thursday, 1^st January, 1948

After the welcoming party given for the New Year in the club last night I retired at about half after one.

The next thing I knew was that the sergeant was waking me and trying to impress on me that everyone was wanted downstairs on the veranda for a rifle inspection.  This does not sound a very impressive opening to the year and was caused as two rifles were stolen during the festivities of last night.  The inspection was of no avail the rifles not having come to light.  Unfortunately we have a B/C in the “Humara” who is a known thief and although he is under open arrest on a charge of selling his own pistol and a force rifle he is suspected of having something to do with last night’s thefts.

At the office this morning I closed all the registers & files for 1947.  Why, I don’t know, but I hated this work as there was such an air of finality with it.  The Assistant Superintendent went through my court Exhibits and destroyed about thirty.  After all this work I found that today was supposed to be a holiday.

Friday, 2^nd January, 1948

Modern Jiftlich;
an impoverished Palestinian village

I was rather annoyed at not being told that I was on holiday yesterday.  I did not bother to rush to work this morning.  I was only about half an hour later than usual but enough to put me right for the day.

A road accident was reported last evening so I had to pass the information on it to Divisional H.Q.   A boy was knocked down and seriously injured in Jiftlich Area when a lorry tried to turn after unloading oranges at a Bedouin Camp near the Jordan.

I handed 10 of my arms and ammunition court exhibits into the stores today and later put the court exhibit room in order.  I can now find exactly what I want at once, a definite asset in court exhibits which are always on the move to and from the court.

This evening Bicknell, Mountford, Moore & I went to the Club where we played table tennis and snooker.

The B/C suspected of the theft has been subjected to a grilling today and has admitted many minor things to some other B/Cs who are taking the law into their own hands with the aid of “Fil-fil.”[1]



[1] Not knowing the meaning of "fil-fil" I asked Graham Jenkins of the Palestine Police Old Comrades Association if he had any ideas as to its meaning.  His reply:  

"I seem to recall that the phrase fil fil  literally means  “hot pepper” but was used as  a sort of slang. In the context in which it was used it would appear to refer to “pressure” of some sort."

Hmm! The strong arm of the law!