12th and 13th February, 1948 - Ron hits a losing streak at Table Tennis and has to polish up his gun...

Thursday, 12^th February, 1948

After yesterday’s lesson I did not lie back in bed after my alarm clock had wakened me at 7.45am.  In company with the other members of my room we repaired to the dining room and the guards “ate a hearty breakfast.”

This morning I played six games of table tennis and am still unable to account for my losing each and every one of them.

In the afternoon I indulged in a favourite occupation of mine, letter writing.  I wrote one letter a ten paged one to my mother, father & sister.  I hope my correspondents enjoy reading my letters as much as I enjoy writing them.  Todays letter what (sic - was) built around the themes of how I exercise my brain and how I remain sane on a six hour static guard point.

 

Friday, 13^th February, 1948

“Friday the 13^th,” the chaps shout, “I’m keeping my head down today.”

It was on a Friday 13^th that I signed my last document, my attestation, on arriving in Jenin.

The day was one of the quietest since we have been here.  It was spoiled by a rifle inspection held in the afternoon.  After all the recent rain I had several very bad rust spots

on my rifle and in preparation for the inspection I had to spend a great part of the morning & afternoon removing these.  About 60 of us were on the Parade.  I was in the rear rank.  The officer inspecting thoroughly examined the rifles of those in the front rank then the rain began to pour down so that he only glanced at the rifles in the rear rank.

10th and 11th February, 1948 - A few creature comforts on Static duty, a missed breakfast and flying rumours

Tuesday, 10^th February, 1948

Last evening the rain poured down during the whole period of our tour of duty.  I am afraid that by mutual consent of all three of us we deserted the Jewish Road check in favour of the P.W.D. fire.  Not satisfied with this we had foreseen what was going to happen and took with us a tea-pot full of tea to be heated on the fire, some bread to be toasted and a tin of fish.  Thus our evening was spent in comfort.

The Montefioré Quarter is towards the bottom centre on this map
 - around No. 20 ... the German Colony where Ron
was billeted is a little to the North of this.
source: University of California archive

This evening we have made similar arrangements but will not all forsake the Jewish Road Check as the Arabs have been very active today.  It is said they captured half of the Montefioré Quarter inflicting heavy casualties on the Jews.

Wednesday, 11^th February, 1948

I awoke this morning at twenty minutes to eight and deciding to lay on for five minutes I turned over and next woke at twenty minutes to nine.  This meant that all of us in the room had missed our breakfast so we all decided to grasp the rare opportunity of a lay on in bed.  Needless to say we arose in ample time for our lunch.

It has been a beautiful day today after the recent rains.  As I write the sun is pouring through the window onto my book drying the ink as fast as I write.

There are rumours flying that Sunday is to be the Arabs “D” Day.  What truth there is in this I know not but if they do intend to start an all out offensive, their minor battle of yesterday will set an example of what they can do.

8th and 9th February, 1948 - Ron makes the best of his evening guard duties and wonders about the logic of some decisions.

Sunday, 8^th February, 1948

For this week’s duty I have returned to the Public Works Department’s Work Shops.  Since I was last on guard there the hours of duty have changed.  Now there are four shifts of six hours each over the 24 hr. day.  The shift I am on is from 6pm until midnight.  This means that all my evenings this week will be occupied by my labourings as a static guard.  I am not sorry that I shall be away every evening, for here in Jerusalem at the present time it is very chilly in the evenings and as our rooms in the billet are not heated no pleasure can be gained by staying in them.  Recreation outside the Billet in the evening is almost out of the question for all there is to occupy the mind is a cinema while those that desire such can pay extortionate prices for drinks etc. at a café.  Therefore work in the evening does not come so hard.

Monday, 9^th February, 1948

Jewish Roadblock in Mamilla, 1948
source: http://tonyseed.wordpress.com/2012/05/13/
nabka-day-2012-israels-buffoon-the-un-nakba/

Directly in front of the P.W.D. Work Shops is a road block manned by R.A.F. Regiment personnel.  About a hundred yards in front of this on the same road is another road check manned by Jewish Civilian Guards.  Why they chose to construct a road check so near to the Army block is beyond me.  The only reason we can find for it is that they do not trust our personnel.  As they have this superfluous road check two of the Police Guards have to stay with them to make it official as cases have been known where armoured cars have burst through the check just to show their contempt for the Jews.  It is believed that the trucks used to blow up the Palestine Post passed along this road and must have passed through the Army block.  This may be the reason for the Jews distrust of our road checks.

6th and 7th February, 1948 - Ron hardens his ambitions for the future and experiences some tension.

Friday, 6^th February, 1948

After yesterday’s down-pour of rain today it was bright and quite warm.

Although today is the Arabs’ Sabbath the traffic to and from the court was as great as it has been all the week.

I wrote to Aunt Rosa today answering the letter received from her a few days ago.  I told her how pleased I was to hear how bravely she was taking her bereavement and told her of my lack of plans for the future.

Although my ambitions are great I do not know as yet along what path they lie.  I do know that when I do take up employment in civilian life again it must be my career and the work into which I can put all my labour.  I will not allow myself to fall into a rut or position with no scope or prospects.

Saturday, 7^th February, 1948

Another nice day today with a slight slackening of traffic at the Law Courts.  The Arabs seem, for all their large talk, to be quite frightened of the Jews.  They know as well as I that there would be nothing to be gained by either race in the blowing up of the Law Courts but is very noticeable how tense the atmosphere becomes when a Jew enters the Courts.  By mistake the other day I let two Jewish advocates pass into the courts without searching them thinking they were Englishmen, a mistake easy to make on some occasions.

Not the very one but a Jewish Police Constable...

The Arabs became very excited and heated about it and talked about it long after asking me why I had done it.  Another day one of the clerks stopped and tried to search a Jewish Policeman I had let pass.  For this I had to explain to him that he was not allowed to search anyone far less a policeman who can only be searched by an Assistant Superintendent of Police or a constable specially detailed.  The Jew was naturally put out but I managed to smooth out the trouble.

4th & 5th February, 1948 - The etiquette of the frisk is under scrutiny.

Wednesday, 4^th February, 1948

The duty passed reasonably quickly today and without any outstanding events.

One minor incident occurred when one of the B/Cs on duty with me felt a little over energetic and instead of running his hands carefully up in under a man’s arms when he was searching him, brought them up with some considerable force.  The other B/C and myself saw the funnyside of this but the astonished fellow being searched was too preoccupied determining whether or not his ribs had been broken.  When he discovered he was whole he forgave the B/C in a generous way and offered us cigarettes all round.  Probably this last move was to safeguard himself on being searched another time.

Thursday, 5^th February, 1948

It poured with rain all this morning starting at approximately 3am and finishing just before lunch time.

Typical of the lack of interest taken by N.C.O.s in the Welfare of the Force we were taken to our posts on the back of an open 3 tonner.  If at a future date I attend a reunion dinner of the Palestine Police I shall be very surprised if I do not snigger in the middle of one of the inevitable speeches made praising the life we led and the conditions we worked under.

This evening my recreation took the form of a visit to the Zone Cinema.  I do not think I have ever been more impressed than I was by the film “The Four Feathers.”  It was truly an excellent film excellently produced, filmed and acted.  The propaganda value in this country at this time is also not to be neglected.

2nd & 3rd February, 1948 - Ron's hearing rumours of British involvement in the terror and struggling with the water supply.

Monday, 2^nd February, 1948

Yesterday the Arabs were very busy throughout the day in various attacks on the Jews in Jerusalem.  Their most important achievement came to pass at 11p.m. last evening when they succeeded in blowing up the offices & printing presses of the Palestine Post the only Jewish paper printed in English and the mainstay in Jewish propaganda.  It is rumoured that this deed might have been done by British Police but as yet it is too early for any facts to be known.

The offices of the Palestine Post newspaper targeted
by Arab insurgents.  Rumours abound regarding the
involvement of  British personnel who had deserted
from the Force.

Continuing today some Jewish shops have been blown up, the Jews replying with automatic gun fire from snipers.  I saw two school boys brought into the Government Hospital today.  They had been shot by the Jews, one in the hand and one in the foot.  This happened near Jaffa Gate where Arab security police had earlier in the day stopped a Jewish car which was found to contain mines.  The female occupant was detained.

Tuesday, 3^rd February, 1948

Jerusalem YMCA Swimming Pool in the 1940's
source: Library of Congress, Matson Collection

From the hot weather we had become used to we now have to endure bitter cold and drizzly rain.  At 6am in the morning and late in the evenings the cold is intense.  The room where we sleep has a perpetual damp atmosphere and the bed is icy cold when first made up.  The rain as yet has not been heavy only scattered showers which damp everything and are not enough to increase the water supplies of the city.  This means

our water in the camp supplies are turned off for several hours a day so that the latrines become in a very insanitary condition in a day.  Shaving and other necessities of toilet become difficult.  We have had to go to the Y.M.C.A. in the town for hot showers at a shilling a time.  These are very refreshing and very necessary.

31st January & 1st February 1948 - Ron is making the best of his Static Guard duties while Arab and Jew hostilities continue all around

Saturday, 31^st January, 1948

Another week of statics completed.  Although in themselves these static guards are aimless and needless I find a lot can be gained from the things that happen around about me as I stand eight hours a day.

A very peculiar thing stands out in my mind above all the minor points; it is that among so-called Christians there is very little of the Christian spirit of charity.  Every time I have been working on an evening this week a lady, a middle aged Christian Arab of good family and standing, has been thoughtful and kind enough to bring out three cups of coffee, at about the mid-evening, one each for myself, my friend and the soldier whose Sanger is near her house.  She says she was in the A.T.S. and realises how cold and bitter evening guards can be.  Talking this kind deed over with the others one evening I found that the soldier who had travelled quite extensively in his career had never met anything like it before and could explain it in no other way than to think the kindness might be from an insanity.

Sunday, 1^st February, 1948

In itself my duty was carried out without any event of interest other than the discovery made by a B/C on with me that the Arab Canteen at Police H.Q. nearby had been broken into and some £P60 stolen.  We heard three heavy explosions during the morning and learned later that they were caused when Arabs blew up three Jewish shops.  The Jews later retaliated by sniping with Bren guns.

This evening I met a friend with whom I worked in the B.B.C. he is a wireless operator in an armoured car on Jerusalem Operational Patrols.  Yesterday he went down to Damiya Bridge where with the I.G. and two lorry loads of B/Cs they took up the planks of the bridge making it impassable as Arabs were massing on the Trans Jordan side and might enter Palestine.

As I write this, heavy automatic fire cracks outside probably down in the city.