With the Judæans in the Palestine Campaign

In Short

This memoir documents the formation, training, and combat deployment of the Jewish Battalions—the "Judæans"—within the British Army during the First World War. Led by a commanding officer who championed their unique identity, the regiment navigates not only the hardships of the Palestinian front and the hazards of the Jordan Valley but also systemic political hostility. The book functions as both a historical record of the Palestine Campaign and a polemical argument for the necessity of a Jewish military presence in the restoration of the Promised Land.

The Story

The narrative begins in 1917, following the Balfour Declaration, as the British government authorizes the creation of a Jewish Regiment. From the outset, the project meets fierce resistance from what the author terms "modern Sanballats"—influential skeptics who oppose Jewish military identity. Despite attempts to strip the unit of its name and badge, the soldiers consistently assert their heritage. The author, a battle-hardened officer, secures critical concessions for his men, including the right to observe the Sabbath and the provision of kosher food, insisting that only by treating them as Jews could he mold them into effective soldiers.

Once the battalions are deployed to Egypt and then Palestine, the challenges shift from bureaucratic to environmental and military. The unit faces the brutal heat and swamp-borne illnesses of the Jordan Valley, performing demanding engineering work while occupying a high-risk sector of the front. Throughout this time, the author battles a persistent, often vitriolic, anti-Semitism within the upper echelons of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. He frequently clashes with senior staff officers who view the presence of a Jewish unit as a nuisance and who attempt to force the battalion into disadvantageous amalgamations with other imperial forces.

The arc of the campaign leads the Judæans through the rugged hills of Samaria and into the final offensives against the Turkish army. Even as the battalion wins honors and proves its reliability, the author remains locked in a cold war with high-ranking military officials who seek to undermine the unit’s morale and significance. Following the Armistice, the regiment is tasked with garrison duty, and the author continues his fight to protect his men from unfair disciplinary actions. The memoir concludes with the author’s ultimate success in securing the official designation of the "First Judæans" and his reflections on the 1920 Jerusalem riots, which he cites as proof of the disastrous consequences of the military administration's anti-Jewish bias. The story serves as a testament to the resilience of the men under his command and the author’s unwavering commitment to their cause, leaving the reader with a clear picture of the friction between colonial military inertia and the aspirations of a rising national movement.

How It Unfolds

The struggle for identity The narrative opens with the bureaucratic battle to establish a distinct Jewish regiment against the opposition of powerful figures who fear the political implications of a Jewish military force.

The fight for observance The author describes the intense conflict with the War Office over the basic requirements of the Jewish faith, detailing his refusal to command unless the men's religious needs, such as kosher food and the Sabbath, are respected.

Arrival in the Holy Land The battalion moves from the training grounds of Plymouth to the front lines in Palestine, where they face the physical toll of a hostile climate and the strategic vulnerability of their assigned positions in the Mellahah.

Conflicts with the Command The core of the book highlights the recurring friction between the author and the military hierarchy, who attempt to dismantle the unit’s integrity and frustrate its operational independence.

The final stand The account tracks the unit’s steady performance through the final combat operations of the war, culminating in their transition to garrison duties and the author’s efforts to ensure fair treatment for his men during demobilization.

The People

J. H. Patterson, the author and commanding officer, acts as the primary protagonist. He is a fierce, unyielding advocate for his men, willing to risk his own career by repeatedly threatening resignation to protect the unit’s dignity. He sees himself as a protector of an ancient cause and remains deeply suspicious of the "Pharaohs" in the military administration.

The "Sanballats" are the antagonists—a collective of unnamed officials and influential figures who represent the institutional inertia and prejudice that stand in the way of Jewish national aspirations. They are characterized by their secrecy and their attempts to undermine the battalion through "underground" maneuvering.

Lord Rothschild stands as a vital ally, providing moral and material support when the establishment attempts to marginalize the volunteers. His influence acts as a necessary counterweight to the internal opposition the regiment faces.

General Allenby and his Chief of Staff, Major-General Louis Jean Bols, are portrayed as the primary obstacles on the ground. While Allenby eventually relents on specific tactical decisions after firm pressure from Patterson, both he and his staff are depicted as actively hostile to the idea of a Jewish legion, embodying the disconnect between the British government's declared policy and the reality on the ground in Palestine.

In Its Own Voice

"I made such a point of this that I was at length summoned to the War Office by the Adjutant-General, Sir Nevil Macready, who informed me that I was to carry on as if I had an ordinary British battalion, and that there was to be no humbug about Kosher food, or Saturday Sabbaths, or any other such nonsense."

Patterson describes the initial resistance he faced when attempting to establish basic religious provisions for his men.

"Instead of this new unit being helped and encouraged, we were, on the contrary, throughout our service in the E.E.F., made to feel that we were merely Ishmaelites, with every hand uplifted against us."

The author summarizes the feeling of isolation and institutional hostility he and his soldiers experienced while serving in the Egyptian Expeditionary Force.

What It's Really About

The book is a focused argument for the inextricability of the Jewish people from the land of Palestine. It asserts that military service is not merely a wartime duty but a vital act of restoration. Patterson posits that the survival of the British Empire in the Near East depends on a partnership with a Jewish population that is both grateful and committed to the land. Beneath the military tactical details lies a deeper, more urgent question: whether the institutions of a great empire can adapt to—or even tolerate—a people reclaiming their history. It is a work about the friction between bureaucratic convenience and the moral necessity of a national home.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in the history of the First World War and the origins of the modern Middle East will find this an essential, if unapologetically biased, primary source. The book captures the visceral reality of service in the Jordan Valley, from the heat and disease to the sudden, unexpected beauty of the landscape. Because Patterson writes with a sharp, combative wit, the reader feels the heat of his frustration toward his superiors as much as the pride he holds for his men.

Potential readers should be aware that this is a period piece; it carries the imperial, often paternalistic, attitudes of its day. The text is dense with the political squabbles of the 1920s, and at times the narrative is slowed by the author’s tendency to dwell on his battles with administration—a recurring theme that reflects his own obsession with the "Sanballats" he perceives everywhere. However, for those who want to understand the intensity of the struggle for Jewish representation in the early 20th century, the warmth of the author’s bond with his soldiers and the raw intensity of his commitment to his "child"—the battalion—remain deeply memorable. It is a powerful, if thorny, account of a turning point in history.