TRAINING AT PLYMOUTH.
I was delighted when, at last, I got away from organization duty at the
War Office, with all its worries and vicissitudes, and commenced the
real active work of training a fighting Battalion of Jews.
Plymouth was the spot chosen as our training centre, and at the Crown
Hill Barracks, near this famous and beautiful harbour, we commenced our
military career.
A recruiting Depôt was at the same time established in London at 22,
Chenies Street, where a Staff was installed under the command of Major
Knowles, an excellent officer, who had previously served under me in the
South African War, and who was an ardent supporter of Zionist ideals.
Recruits were received here, and fitted out with uniforms before being
sent on to Plymouth. The comfort of the men while at the Depôt was ably
attended to by various Committees of ladies and gentlemen, whose names
will be found in the Appendix. They were fortunately in a position to
give much needed financial aid to various dependents from the moment the
Committees began work, for public-spirited and liberal Jews were found
who gave to the good cause with both hands. Among these was Mr. Leopold
Frank, who gave the princely donation of £1,000. Mr. Lionel D. Walford
especially was untiring in his efforts for the welfare and happiness of
every recruit who came to the Depôt, and so won the hearts of all by the
personal service that he gave, day in and day out, that he was
universally and affectionately known to the Judæans as "Daddy."
As a nucleus for the Jewish Battalion I arranged for the transfer of a
platoon of my old Zion Mule Corps men from the 20th Battalion of the
London Regiment, where they were then serving under the command of
Colonel A. Pownall. My best thanks are due to this officer for the help
he gave me in effecting the transfer of my old veterans. These warlike
sons of Israel, not content with the laurels they had already won in
Gallipoli, sought for fresh adventure in other fields, and so
volunteered for service in France. On the way their ship was torpedoed
and sunk by an Austrian submarine, but fortunately not a Zion man was
drowned; all managed to cling on to spars and other wreckage and floated
safely to a Grecian isle from which they were rescued. They eventually
reached England in safety, but all their personal belongings were lost.
Men soon began to arrive at Plymouth in batches of twenties and
thirties, from all over the Kingdom. Many trades and professions were
represented, but the vast majority were either tailors or in some way
connected with the tailoring trade. I made it a practice to see every
recruit as soon as he joined and find out something about his family and
affairs. I also gave every man some advice as to how he was to conduct
himself as a good soldier and a good Jew. The famous sculptor, Jacob
Epstein, was one of my most promising recruits, and after he had served
for some months in the ranks I recommended him for a commission. When
the 38th Battalion left Plymouth for Palestine, Epstein remained behind
with the second Jewish Battalion then formed, but owing to some bungling
the commission was never granted.
The difficulties of my command were not few.
On broad religious grounds Judaism is not compatible with a soldier's
life--and I may say I had many strict Jews in the Battalion; then the
men were aliens, utterly unaccustomed to Army life, and with an inherent
hatred of it, owing to the harsh military treatment to which the Jew in
Russia was subjected; some of them did not speak English, and
practically all of them hated serving any cause which might in the end
help Russia; they knew also that there was a strong body of Jewish
opinion in England which was hostile to the idea of a Jewish unit.
To make matters worse, the recruits came from sedentary occupations.
They had never been accustomed to an out-door, open-air life, and
naturally dreaded, and really felt, the strain of the hard military
training which they had to undergo in those cold winter days in
Plymouth.
It can be imagined, therefore, that I had no easy task before me in
moulding these sons of Israel, and inspiring them with that martial
ardour and _esprit de corps_ which is so necessary, if men are to be of
any use on the field of battle. I impressed upon them that strict
discipline, and hard training, was not merely for my amusement or
benefit, but was entirely in their own interests, so that when the day
of battle came they would be fitter men and better fighters than their
enemies, and with these two points in their favour the chances were that
instead of getting killed, they would kill their opponents and emerge
from the battle triumphant.
The men soon grasped the idea, and took to soldiering and all that it
means with a hearty goodwill. I am happy to say that all difficulties
were surmounted, and, at the close of the campaign, the Battalion
presented as fine and steady an appearance on Parade as any Battalion in
the E.E.F.
Luckily for me, I had an able and enthusiastic staff to assist me in my
endeavours. I cannot sufficiently praise the great service rendered to
the Battalion, during its infant stages, by Captain Redcliffe Salaman,
R.A.M.C., who was our medical officer. His knowledge of the men and of
Jewish matters generally was invaluable to me.
My Adjutant, Captain Neill, had already had two years' experience in a
similar position with a battalion of the Rifle Brigade. I found him to
be able and diplomatic--the latter an essential quality in the handling
of Jewish soldiers.
In my Second in Command, Major MacDermot, I had an officer of wide
experience and high principles, who had served under my command in the
Dublin Fusiliers.
In my Assistant Adjutant, Lt. B. Wolffe (whose tragic death in Palestine
I shall relate in its proper place), I had an exceptionally gifted
Jewish officer, hardworking, painstaking, conscientious, and all out in
every way to make the Jewish Battalion a success.
I tried to induce Senior Jewish officers to join the Battalion, but I
found it very hard to get volunteers, for the Senior men preferred to
remain in their own British Regiments.
I was able to obtain the services of a fair number of Junior Jewish
officers, and the Battalion gradually filled up in officers, N.C.O.'s
and men.
I would like to mention here that, although the great majority of all
ranks were Jews, yet there were some Christian officers, N.C.O.'s and
one or two men. In spite of this there was never the very slightest
question between us of either race or religion. All eventually became
animated with one spirit--the success, welfare and good name of this
Jewish Battalion.
I am glad to say that we had practically no crime to stain our record.
There was not a single case of a civil offence being recorded against us
all the time we were at Plymouth, which is something new in Army annals.
And yet another record was created by this unique Battalion. The Wet
Canteen, where beer only was sold, had to be closed, for not a single
pint was drunk all the time it was open.
The men showed wonderful quickness and aptitude in mastering the details
of their military training. It came as a surprise to me to find that a
little tailor, snatched from the purlieus of Petticoat Lane, who had
never in all his life wielded anything more dangerous than a needle,
soon became quite an adept in the use of the rifle and bayonet, and
could transfix a dummy figure of the Kaiser in the most approved
scientific style, while negotiating a series of obstacle-trenches at the
double.
[Illustration: "I HAD AN ABLE AND ENTHUSIASTIC STAFF"
(_See page 33_)]
I noticed that the men were particularly smart in all that they did
whenever a General came along. I remember on one occasion, when we were
about to be inspected, I told the men to be sure and stand steady on
parade during the General Salute; I impressed upon them that it was a
tradition in the British Army that, unless a Battalion stood perfectly
steady at this critical moment, it would be thought lacking in
discipline and smartness, and would get a bad report from the General.
So zealous were my men to uphold this time-honoured tradition, that I
verily believe that these wonderful enthusiasts for rigid British
discipline never blinked an eyelid while the General was taking the
salute. Certainly every Commander who inspected us always expressed his
astonishment at the rock-like steadiness of the Jewish Battalion on
parade.
During our training period at Plymouth we received many kindnesses from
the Jewish community there, more especially from its President, Mr.
Meyer Fredman.
In the long winter evenings we had lecturers who addressed the men on
various interesting subjects. The famous and learned Rabbi Kuk of
Jerusalem paid us a visit, and gave the men a stirring address on their
duties as Jewish soldiers. Jabotinsky gave various lectures, one
especially on Bialik, the great Jewish poet, being particularly
memorable.
We had many talented music-hall and theatrical men in our ranks; our
concerts were, therefore, excellent, and our concert party was in great
request throughout the Plymouth district.
If there was one officer more than another who helped to promote the
men's comfort, it was Lieut. E. Vandyk. He was in charge of the messing
arrangements, and the Battalion was exceptionally fortunate in having a
man of his experience to undertake this most exacting of all tasks.
Later on Vandyk proved himself equally capable as a leader in the field,
where he was promoted to the rank of Captain.
I must not forget the kindness shown to us at Plymouth by Lady Astor,
M.P., who gave us a Recreation Hut, and by Sir Arthur Yapp, the
Secretary of the Y.M.C.A., who furthered our comfort in every possible
way.
While we were yet at Plymouth I received orders from the War Office to
form two more Jewish Battalions in addition to the 38th.
As soon as sufficient recruits justified it I recommended the
Authorities to proceed with the formation of the 39th Battalion and to
appoint Major Knowles, from the Depôt, to the Command. This was done,
and from what I saw during the time I was in Plymouth, I felt quite
confident that Colonel Knowles would make an excellent commander.
Colonel Knowles was succeeded at the Depôt in London by Major
Schonfield, who worked untiringly to promote the interests of the
recruits, and to imbue them with a good, soldierly spirit while they
were passing through his hands in Chenies Street. About the same time as
Colonel Knowles was appointed, Captain Salaman so highly recommended his
brother-in-law, Colonel F. D. Samuel, D.S.O., to me that I asked the
Adjutant-General if this officer might be recalled from France to take
charge of the training at Plymouth, and Jewish affairs there generally,
after my departure for Palestine. The Adjutant-General very kindly
agreed to my request, and transferred Colonel Samuel from France to
Plymouth at very short notice.
Soon after I left for Palestine recommendations were made to the War
Office that it would be preferable to have a Jewish officer in command
of the 39th Battalion, and the result was that Colonel Samuel was
appointed to the 39th Battalion in the place of Colonel Knowles. This
treatment was most unfair to the latter, who had worked extremely hard
and enthusiastically, both at the Depôt and during the time he held
command of the 39th Battalion, where he did all the spade work and made
things very easy for his successor. Colonel Knowles afterwards went to
France and later on served with the North Russian Expeditionary Force.
Of course, it was all to the good to have a Jewish Commanding Officer,
but it should have been arranged without doing an injustice to Colonel
Knowles.
About this time Major Margolin, D.S.O., a Jewish officer attached to the
Australian Forces, was transferred to the Depôt at Plymouth, and
eventually replaced Colonel Samuel in the command of the 39th Battalion.
Outsiders will never be able to imagine the immense amount of trouble
and detail involved in the formation of this unique unit. I must say
that the War Office, and the local command at Plymouth, gave me every
possible assistance. Colonel King, of the Military Secretary's Staff at
the W.O., helped me through many a difficulty in getting Jewish officers
brought back from France.
Colonel Graham, also of the War Office, came to my assistance whenever
he could possibly do so, while the late Military Secretary, General Sir
Francis Davies, under whom I had served in Gallipoli, was kindness
itself.
General Hutchison, the Director of Organization, was always a tower of
strength, and the Jewish Battalions owe him a heavy debt. Lieut.-Colonel
Amery, M.P., and the late Sir Mark Sykes, M.P., also did what was in
their power to make our thorny path smooth.