24th and 25th February, 1948 - The Aftermath of the Ben Yehuda Street bombings...

Tuesday, 24^th February, 1948

Since Sunday we have all been confined to barracks except when on duty.  The camp defences have all been strengthened against possible and likely attack.  The blowing up of the three and four storey buildings of Ben Yahudi Street on Sunday are now definitely put down to have been done by British persons.

Today, although not afraid of the Jewish threats to shoot all British personnel they can, we thought it wise to forsake the Haganah road block.  We stayed in the P.W.D. shops themselves so that the Jews had no chance of shooting at us.  On returning off duty we also thought it wise to not cross the road in full view of the Jews but to walk the five minutes walk through the R.A.F. zone and up the other side road in the Arab area

Wednesday, 25^th February, 1948

Yesterday morning went quietly so this morning we walked directly to the Workshops.  The Haganah have reinforced their road block with some of the rubble from Ben Yahudi Street and have dragged huge blocks of ferrous concrete rubble in front of it to stop a sudden charge onto the block.

Typical Haganah road block in Mamilla district of Jerusalem
source: http://tonyseed.wordpress.com/
2012/05/13/nabka-day-2012-israels-buffoon-the-un-nakba/

Every night now there are fierce gun battles fought though I think a great deal of the firing is at an enemy that cannot be seen.

Last night so I have been told one or two shots were fired from the Jaffa Road area.  These were probably not aimed at anything in particular but the “trigger happy” boys on H.Q. saw this as their signal and eleven bren-guns poured bullets into the empty Jaffa Road.  There was no target just any window or vehicle parked on the road.  Senseless foolhardiness by over enthusiastic anti semetists.