Author: Sykes, Christopher [1907-1986]
Title: Orde Wingate
Description: London, Collins, 1959. orig.cloth. 23x15cm, 575,(12) pp.. 12pp photoplates.. Some rubbing. Light spine bump. VG. ¶ Biography of Major-General Orde Charles Wingate (1903-1944). ["...In 1936 Wingate was assigned to the British Mandate of Palestine to a staff office position and became an intelligence officer. From his arrival, he saw the creation of a Jewish State in Palestine as being a religious duty toward the literal fulfillment of Christian prophecy and he immediately put himself into absolute alliance with Jewish political leaders. Arab guerrillas had at the time of his arrival begun a campaign of attacks against both British mandate officials and Jewish communities, which became known as the Arab Revolt. Wingate became politically involved with a number of Zionist leaders, eventually becoming an ardent supporter of Zionism, despite the fact that he was not Jewish. He formulated the idea of raising small assault units of British-led Jewish commandos, heavily armed with grenades and light infantry small arms, to combat the Arab uprising, and took his idea personally to Archibald Wavell, who was then a commander of British forces in Palestine. After Wavell gave his permission,Wingate convinced the Zionist Jewish Agency and the leadership of Haganah, the Jewish armed group. In June 1938 the new British commander, General Haining, gave his permission to create the Special Night Squads, armed groups formed of British and Haganah volunteers. The Jewish Agency helped pay salaries and other costs of the Haganah personnel. Wingate trained, commanded and accompanied them in their patrols...." - wikipedia].

Keywords: British Military History, Ethiopia, Sudan, Chindit Expedition, World War Two, Colonialism, Colonial Palestine, Zionism, Great Britain, Biography