10th & 11th April, 1948 - Weapons returned in Haifa and Ron is impressed by S.S. Samaria.

Saturday, 10^th April, 1948

We had to be up early this morning to complete all that had to be done and be ready for leaving at 8a.m.

A reduced convoy set off, for the heavy baggage

trucks had continued to Haifa on the 8^th.

We had difficulty in finding a road to Haifa for the two main roads have been blown up in local Arab-Jewish tussles.  Eventually by going a long way out of the normal route and even in one place off the beaten track we did get through.

The Jews where they did not want to close the road near a settlement, “lumped” it so that vehicles could still use the road but were forced to travel at a very slow pace.

Initially a luxury cruise ship, Samaria carried
passengers around the world.  After serving as a
 troopship during the war, she later carried
immigrants to Canada

In Haifa we straightway handed in our rifles and ammunition which we were glad to lose, then we joined a huge queue to receive embarkation cards & mess deck places.

We collected our small luggage and boarded a landing barge which took us out to the 20,000 ton S.S.Samaria.

Sunday, 11^th April, 1948

Last afternoon we left Haifa behind in a cloudy mist and turned away from Palestine wondering if it would be for ever.

The ship is much larger and better than the one I came out on.  We are sleeping in hammocks with our N.C.O.’s all on the same mess deck.  We dine with the military personnel in the sergeant’s mess.  The food is excellent, better than I have had for a long time.

Last night my friend and I slept on deck in our hammocks last night.  It rained during the night but we were comfortable in our cover.

This morning we were up by 5.30a.m. and spent the day walking the decks and reading a little.

The swell has been only very slight but already several of the passengers have been sick.

8th & 9th April, 1948 - Homeward bound at last and Ron is twenty... but there's no beer in the bar.

Thursday, 8^th April, 1948

This morning I was up at a quarter to six and after completing my toilet & breakfast packed the remainder of my kit into my issue kit bag.  We took our kit down to the transport yard where it was put onto a truck.  We formed up on parade outside the guard room where the roll was called and where some members of the parade were annoyed to see the Canteen manager and laundryman waiting with debt books poised for action.  Next we walked down to a nearby playing field where the convoy was to form  up.  The roll was again called and we piled into buses and trucks ready for the journey.

At different places in Jerusalem other trucks joined the convoy which looked terrific when we got out onto the long country roads.  Looking back I counted thirty vehicles.  Four bus loads of Police, two of married women and children several trucks of Police and the

A Jerusalem Convoy...
It's not their convoy but is from the period

rest baggage with armoured cars dispersed in the convoy.  Also there was a spare truck, a breakdown lorry and a private car containing a doctor.  In all the convoy was really well organised, which came as a surprise to most of us.

We left Jerusalem punctually at 8.45am and after a short stop in Nablus arrived at Jenin at 1.50pm.  In Jenin we again were surprised at the organisation awaiting us.  We got our kit, were told our huts and had a cold luncheon.  The I.G. was in camp as well.  The heat in the camp is terrific, almost like summer.  My friends and I went to the camp cinema this evening.

Friday, 9^th April, 1948

I got up this morning of my 20^th birthday at 7.45am after an excellent night’s sleep.  The atmosphere even so early in the day was heavy as in a Kamseen.

For breakfast we enjoyed a kipper a rare delicacy out here.  After breakfast I had a game of snooker and wrote home.

The ladies have been given exclusive use of all the best parts of the camp but we found the reading room unoccupied so established ourselves there.

I had a look around the old camp this afternoon; many changes have occurred here and over all is an air of neglect.  The insides of the huts need whitewashing and the gardens are covered in tall weeds.  Weeds are also breaking through the cement of the parade ground, a thing that would never have happened in the old days.

The canteen has no beer so farewell celebrations have been very quiet.

[Editor's Note:  The personal experiences recorded in Ron's diaries have formed the basis of this blog and I have largely ignored the ongoing deterioration in the political situation except where it directly impacted upon him.  However, as the British Palestine Police started their withdrawal the unrest between Jews and Arabs flared into full scale civil war which would dominate the next few years and indeed the ensuing decades.  At this time atrocities were committed on both sides and on this day the Jewish Haganah, Irgun and Lehi forces attacked the town of Deir Yassin.  Anticipating an easy victory the Jewish forces were initially repulsed and a bloody battle ensued.  The villagers were finally overcome and enraged Jewish guerillas rampaged through the town massacring men, women and children - anyone found alive - resulting in a death toll of between 110 and 140. The massacre at Deir Yassin is now regarded as a pivotal event in the political history of the region setting the scene for bloody conflict and the ongoing Palestinian refugee crisis.  For a full and harrowing account of the Deir Yassin massacre and its political implications follow this link

6th and 7th April, 1948 - The end of "statics" at the Palace; the end of Ron's Police career... and nearly the end of Ron!

Tuesday, 6^th April, 1948

Back on duty at the Palace Hotel this morning at 6a.m.  A Sergeant was on with us three B/Cs.  The offices were open and being emptied of their contents all morning.  This block is expected to be closed in the next two days.  One B/C took up a position on a veranda while the other two searched people who came through the barrier leading to the heavily barbed wired off Hotel.  We relieve and are relieved by the “Arab National Guard.”

The Palace Hotel, c. 1930 - It later became the Waldorf
and is currently being rebuilt as the Waldorf Astoria

We took over guard from six of these and were relieved by one of their ranks armed with a Sten.

I thought I would have a good look at Jerusalem this afternoon so got out the binoculars and climbed up the tower.  The view in bright sunshine was beautiful but petered out on the mountains due to a haze rising from the valley.

Wednesday, 7^th April, 1948

The last of my static duties in the Palestine Police was completed at 1pm on the Palace Hotel.  If there had been a few more B/Cs around I should have felt like firing a 21 gun salute or something.

This afternoon we loaded our cases which are not wanted on voyage onto lorries which will go to Scopus for the night. 

We have been told that we start out at 7.30 tomorrow morning so all that is left is last minute packing.

My room mates and I thought it fitting to have a farewell drink in the Canteen so we all went up to the canteen for a gold star beer each. Then after a long chat the type which always ensues on such occasions we retired for the night.

An incident happened at the Palace this morning which might have changed all my plans. The sergeant and I were waiting by a gate into the Jewish area to let the Jewish workers in.  These did not come but a burst of Bren fire from that area just passed over our heads and was obviously aimed at us.  I saw visions of my boat in glorious technicolour.

4th & 5th April, 1948 - On duty at the Palace and kit checking and packing...

Sunday, 4th April, 1948

I was on duty at the Palace Hotel this morning from 6a.m. to 2p.m.

The “Palace” used to be a very large Hotel, one of the biggest in Jerusalem, but it has been taken over by the Government and used for many departments’ offices.

from Howard Mansfield's account of his time in Nablus

Outside is a demobilised “Pig”; our name for a peculiar type of armoured car.  In this we can take cover from flying bullets or, as we did this morning, from the wind and rain.  The offices were closed this morning so our tour of duty was very dull.  The Palace is beside the Mamilla Road Cemetery which used to be a favourite site for Jewish snipers but the army have moved into a building overlooking this and so of late the dead have been left in piece (sic).

Monday, 5^th April, 1948

Those who are on the boat with me handed in all their issue kit, except that which they need on the voyage, to the stores this morning.  In the camp we were ready for the transferring of our kit by 8a.m.

Attached to the camp is one 3 ton truck and one 15cwt truck; as usual the 3 tonner was out of service so we had to use the 15cwt which made several journeys to the central stores.

There, much to our surprise we encountered no hitches.  We made a chain so that six of us could carry five boxes.  These we took up two flights of stairs and in turn had our kit checked.  I was found to be deficient of two pillow cases, theses were charged against me and the money will be deducted from my gratuities (4s).  After completing this kit hand in I made a purchase of a collection of photographs [1] which will make a nice souvenir of Palestine.  I then insured my kit with “Cook’s Agency.”

In the evening I went to the cinema to see “State Fair” a very good musical comedy film in technicolour.

[1] I remember seeing these when I was a boy but they seem to have been separated from the rest of Dad's photos... I'll keep looking!

2nd and 3rd April, 1948 - Long awaited news leaves Ron strangely cold but doesn't stop him preparing!

Friday, 2^nd April, 1948

This morning I went to work as usual and during the morning my work mate phoned up a friend of his at a nearby station to find out if he had any news of the boat list.

The answer was yes he had the list in front of him.  He read the list out over the phone and both my friend’s & my name was on it.  I could not believe it was true and could not wait to read our list in the office.  When I got back I found it to be true, myself and about 20 others from the section were going to sail on the “SAMARIA” on the 10^th.

S.S.Samaria
source: silverhawkauthor.com - Harold A. Skaarup

When I grasped the situation I was peculiarly unexcited perhaps caused by the long wait and constant rumours.

                                  

Saturday, 3^rd April, 1948

All of us going paraded at the guard room this morning for instructions.  We went to the “Records” branch and on to the Government Hospital where a form was filled in to say we were fit for travel to the U.K.

On the way back I called into Cook’s Travel Agency to get particulars for insuring kit.  I find that if my property is valued at £200 then I can insure it for 21 days at a premium of £1.30.

This afternoon I repacked all my kit and sorted out my issue kit for handing into stores on Monday.

We find our names on the duty list for next week.  This was annoying as we still have oddments to do and availables will have to fill in when we hand kit in.

31st March and 1st April, 1948 - Coffee with a pianist but no news on "the list"

Wednesday, 31st March, 1948

Again it was raining this morning when the time came for us to go to work.  We accepted the truck however and when we reached the “C” zone gate by Barclay’s Bank we got out and went into a café for coffee and a smoke.

I take a book to read on duty and this helps to relieve the boredom.  One of the clerks is an amateur pianist and in conversation he mentioned that he is studying Beethoven “Pathetic Sonata;” this I found interesting for it was the last piece I was playing before leaving home so long ago.  I should like to get back to the piano again and would be one of the things possible if I could get a job at home or near home.[1]

[1] Sonata Pathetique remained "Dad's piece" throughout his life

Thursday, 1^st April, 1948

I feel rather in low spirits as I write this for I am beginning to think the list of names for the boat on the 8^th does not include anyone from the Guard Section.  Also I have heard it rumoured that those other stations who have B/Cs who are going have been notified to this effect.  This would account for the absence of any list in this section.  I am still living in hopes but the plans that were first made must have been altered again; a thing very common in the administration of this force.

The Sergeant has just been in and he says as far as he knows no list has been published as yet but it is expected tomorrow.  So the rumours go on.

29th and 30th March, 1948 - Cold "statics" continue but anticipating the "list" and sketching helps to keep the spirits up

Monday, 29^th March, 1948

The weather is still changing from day to day; yesterday it was warm sunshine while today the sun has broken through the clouds on only two or three occasions here.  In the Admin. General’s building it is inclined to be cold and when on duty there it is often necessary to put one’s book down and walk about to get warm.

We were told today by a sergeant that the list of names of those persons on the next boat would be published tomorrow.  He also said that the date for these people to leave the camp had been brought forward to the 5^th from the 6^th.

We still go to the local cinema twice a week as this breaks the monotony of the Barracks.

Tuesday, 30^th March, 1948

source: http://thumbs3.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/
m/mmlOmTR9j9ccxG0oqBP7VTQ.jpg

This morning although it was drizzling with rain my duty friend and I decided to walk to work.  We decided this as the truck was without a cover and we would therefore get wet if we went by truck, also the Administrator General’s office does not open until 8am so that we should have to stand out in the rain and wind for an hour.  By walking we used a half hour of this time and in the rest of the time we went to the Central Police Station for a cup of tea.  The offices are very cold; no form of heating being supplied by the Government.  We have another way of passing the evenings now.  We do sketches copied from Disney’s Cartoons.  These are not first rate of course but they do pass the time away and open up new channels of thought and therefore conversation.

27th and 28th March, 1948 - Ron's "falling apart" as battle ravages the city and a new static duty commences.

Saturday, 27^th March, 1948

I seem for some reason to be falling apart.  Following my petty effort at appendicitis I had a raw throat which I still cannot account for.  Now this morning, I wake up with my right knee funny.  I think I must have pulled a ligament in some action of mine.  The trouble is we do not get enough action in the form of exercise.  This morning I tried to walk away the stiffness of my leg by going all around the Colony.

Starting at 5.15p.m. while I was on the P.W.D. workshops a terrific battle raged until about 7p.m.  this battle was started by the Jews and replied to by the Arabs.  Mortars were used by both sides.  The Jews won that (in inflicting casualties) but later the Arabs trapped a convoy of 30 Jewish trucks and inflicted many casualties on them.  The trucks formed a circle for defence.

Sunday, 28^th March, 1948

Today I start a new week of duty which I hope will be my last in this country.  I have not been on this guard before; it is the offices of the Administrator General and our hours are from 7am until they close, about 1.15pm.

Princess Mary Ave, Jerusalem
This was known as Bevingrad  and the British used barbed wire
to block the road to both Jewish and Arab traffic

All the staff are Jews and the offices are situated in the once busiest and now the most deserted & desolate street in Jerusalem, the Princess Mary Avenue.  The Street is littered with paper & broken glass from the shops which once formed the commercial centre of Jerusalem.  The futility of civil War is emphasised if this is needed, by a look at this once beautiful prosperous business & shopping centre.

25th and 26th March, 1948 - A touch of decorating and Easter celebrations commence with extreme consequences.

Thursday, 25^th March, 1948

More of the bright sunshine we want greeted us this morning.

There were bodies strewn all over the waste ground at the back of the camp all endeavouring to get as brown as their owners are “browned off.”

The bullets still whistle over head at the P.W.D. Today we heard several land nearby, but as yet we have not seen them land, thank goodness.

Tonight one of my room mates has had the bright idea of brightening our rather plain walls by drawing & painting murals on them.  The first one he has done is a Disney Cat complete with dustbin and glass topped wall.

Friday, 26^th March, 1948 – Good Friday

Today sees the beginnings of the extensive Easter celebrations.  The whole of the Religious course of today and the coming days is repeated by processions led by the Patriarch and the leaders of every Christian sect there is.  The people go nearly mad as the pitch of the ceremonies rise.  B/Cs & the Army stand by and some years have been called in to restore order.

The sects even on such a solemn occasion fight between each other.

One B/C I talked to was on duty at the Holy Sepulchre last year he told me some of the incidents.  The people all surge forward to touch the Holy Fire when it bursts  from the tomb.  They go crazy and cannot feel the blows of the Police Batons used in an effort to keep a semblance of order.  People touching the Fire naturally burn themselves & they faint in dozens.  The Army forms a chain passing these out over their heads to ambulances outside.  The B/C said that last year his uniform and the first 8 inches of his baton was covered in blood.

23rd and 24th March, 1948 - Future plans and a touch of Art criticism

Tuesday, 23rd March, 1948

This morning promised a continuation of the warm weather of the last two days but the afternoon saw a change, the weather reverting back to the drizzle and cold winds which we have endured all winter.

Once more today I handed my name into the Billet Office with the other B/Cs under 21 years of age who have jobs to go back to in England.  I have not been worrying so much of late as to what the future holds for me.  In the back of my mind I am still entertaining the idea of Estate Auctioneering.  I mentioned this in a letter home a short time ago and in an answer to it although mum approves of the idea dad withholds any comment.

Duty today was even more dull in the rain.  We now do a systematic search of all the offices as on Saturday a cigarette packet was found containing explosive enough to seriously injure a man.

Wednesday, 24^th March, 1948

This morning was dull but brightened for the afternoon.

I started a letter to Joyce but was interrupted so many times by visitors that I had to give it up for completion some other time.

Shimmering Substance - Jackson Pollock, 1946
courtesy of www.moma.org/

The last few evenings we have spent in discussions in the barrack room.  The subjects vary every night and cover all sorts of things.  We had quite a heated argument last night over the idea of Modern Art.

It is surprising how fast the usually long evenings pass when such discussions develop.

I have a slightly sore throat this evening, I hope I don’t have to go sick again before the 8^th of next month.

21st and 22nd March, 1948 - Gun battles and sunbathing - a strange mix...

Sunday, 21^st March, 1948

I was awakened at five this morning by the sounds of heavy explosions and intense automatic fire.  This lasted for about a quarter of an hour then finished.  I got up at twenty past eight, just in time for breakfast.

The weather was really lovely today and all over the camp B/Cs were to be seen stripped to the waist and endeavouring to obtain at least a semblance of a tan in the remaining weeks before going home.

The duty today was as usual very dull.  The sergeant on with us was one who had been unfortunate enough to be on the same job when the Work Shops were supposedly robbed of £5000 worth of materials.  He is therefore rather careful now in his placing of the guards.

Monday, 22^nd March, 1948

In an endeavour to take home at least a little of the picture they imagine Palestine to be at home, I joined in the general body exposure around the camp this morning.  It reminded me of an article I once read on sun bathing.  This article I remember was very revolutionary expounding facts which show that no medical advantages are to be gained from sun bathing.  The author said the only advantage gained was that of a beautifying tan if one was fortunate enough to avoid the more common lobster hue of the overbathed.

One of the B/Cs on duty with me was even so keen on “tanning” himself that during his two hours guard in the inner yard of the workshops he stripped to the waist with his rifle across his knee.

19th and 20th March, 1948 - Spring in the air, thoughts of home

Friday, 19^th March, 1948

The cold weather is gradually leaving us now and this morning saw brilliant sunshine.

Bob Matthews my old school friend is still here and occasionally we wander about the colony together.  He spends a lot of his time up with me and I find him good company.  There is quite a deal of competition as to who will reach home first.  The standing joke is that the first one of us to reach home will spread marvellous tales about the life out here and he will have to pay enormous sums of “Hush” money to the other on his return in order to perpetuate the story.

We are all wondering whether or not the decision on America’s part to abandon partition will have an adverse effect on our going home.

Saturday, 20^th March, 1948

I see on the detail for next week’s duty that once more I am assigned to the Public Works Department Work Shops.  This will be about the fifth time I have had this guard.  It will be different in as much as the partnership of Barclay & myself will be broken, the first time since our arrival in Jerusalem.

This evening I went to the local “Regent Cinema” to see “Dr Jeckyll & Mr ydeHydeHHyde.”  I had never read the story or seen the film before and found it exceptionally well played and the photography well done.

17th and 18th March, 1948 - Mutiny among the ranks and Ron starts making preparations for departure.

Wednesday, 17^th March, 1948

This morning I was called upon to act as escort to a prisoner who was going for trial before the Superintendent.  The Prisoner was a B/C who, about three weeks ago, flatly refused to go on duty.  Both the duty Sergeant and the Inspector I/C ordered him to go on duty and both times he refused saying “I’m sick of these Static Guards.”

He was put under close arrest which meant he lived normally in another room by himself. And all he [his] meals were brought to him.  He came for summary trial before the S.P. who read him the statements of the witnesses who were called and he was asked if he wanted to question the witnesses or offer defence.  From the way he said this the S.P. thought the prisoner was as obstinate as ever and was preparing, so he said, to use his full powers.  But the Prisoner then added that he was ready to resume duties.  He was then sentenced to 14 days pay which is very light.

Thursday, 18^th March, 1948

This morning I was not called on for duty so I could pass it as I pleased.

Last evening a friend of mine in “Records” in H.Q. came down to visit me and he bore the welcome news that one or two friends of mine & myself would be on the boat leaving on the eighth of April.  I now cannot wait until I have written off the next twenty pages in this book.

This morning a roommate and I exchanged a case each.  He wanted mine as it is larger than his; I wanted his as it is stronger than mine.  I then packed everything in my possession as a practise pack & I was pleased to note what room I had left.

We drew a kit bag, a large pair of denim overalls and a pair of sandals in preparation for the boat today.  We will have to hand in quite a deal of kit before we leave here.