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Those known to have fought in Palestine Campaign during the Second World War 1939-1945. The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
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The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.
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Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our
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Want to know more about Palestine Campaign? There are:5 items tagged Palestine Campaign available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
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Pte. Hodgson Wilson "Bill " Alker 6th Btn. C Coy. Durham Light Infantry  Hodgson Alker was born in April 1919 at Willington, Co Durham. He enlisted in the Durham Light Infantry on the 15th of November 1939 and was posted to No 3 Infantry Holding Battalion
He arrived in France on 13th of March 1940 on the SS Ulster and was
posted to C Company, 6th Battalion, DLI on the 18th in Belgium, at Smeerchebbev Loersegem. He saw action in Northern France at Arras, Vimy Ridge and Beaurins in the Battle of Arras 1940. Made it back to
Dunkirk and was evacuated at 20:00 hrs on 1st of June 1940 on a Minesweeper from the Mole. He was then deployed on the south coast defences at Cullompton.
He embarked from Scotland on 23rd of May 1941 on the SS Duchess of Windsor, Canadian Pacific Line. On 27th of May all convoy escorts disappeared as they were hunting the Bismark. He disembarked in Egypt on 10th of July 1941 having sailed via South Africa, Aden and Port Suez. 6th DLI embarked for Cyprus on 27th of July 1941 on the Destroyer HMS Kimberley, Kokinni Trimithea.
They moved to Palestine 3rd of November 1941, on HMS Nizam, Napier and Jackel and entered Iraq on the 14th, being based at EskiKellek, Kirkuk and Habbaniya before leaving for Egypt on 13th of February 1942.
They were engaged in the North Africa Campaign at Gazala, Mersa Matruth, El Alamein, Mareth, Wadi Akarit, Enfidaville, Canal Zone. The Battalion then embarked for the Invasion of Sicily on 29th of June 1943 on the Winchester Castle and landed at 3:00 am 10th of July 1943 at Avola Floridia, moving through Solarino, Primosole Bridge, Catina, Alterella to Riposto. Bill embarked for the UK on 16th of October 1943 on the Sibajak and arrived 3rd of November 1943 to take his first leave for two and half years. The battalion were based at Shudy Camp near Thetford, while training for Normandy. The embarked for France on 3rd of June 1944 at Southampton on HMS Albrighton and landed in King Green Sector on Gold Beach, Normandy at 11:00 am on D Day near Ver sur Mer. They then saw action the the
Battle of Normandy at Conde s Seulles, Tilly Seulles, Villers Bocage, Auny, Mont Pincon, La Cannardiere, Conde s Noireau St Honorine la Chardonne until they were pulled out for rest on 18th of August 1944. At the end of the month they joined The Pursuit to Brussels through Nerrin, Gondecourt, Seclin, Vendeville, Tournai, Bizencourt, Ninove, Shepdaal to Brussels. They were in action in the The Battle for Gheel in September 1944 during the push into Holland, protecting the right flank at Eindhoven on the 16th, and on through Breugel, Lieshout, Beeken Donk, Uden,Grave, Nijmegen, Haalderen.
6th DLI returned to England in December 1944
The Battalion was disbanded and the men who had survived all of the campaigns from the beginning of the war were sent back to England to train others for active service. The remaining men were sent to join other regiments.
He was posted to Skipton Camp in Yorkshire and was training new recruits when he met his first wife Edith Child.
1946-12-16 The camp closed on 16th of December 1946 and Bill was released to the reserve the following day. He returned to coal mining in 1946/7 first in Lancashire then back in Willington Co Durham.
Hodgson never talked about war to his family and only in later life visited France with the Legion. He dies in 1992.
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Tpr. Adam Jamieson Cairns Royal Scots Greys Adam Cairns enlisted into 52nd (Lowland) Divisional Royal Army Service Corps Territorial Army on 14th of April 1936.
He was posted to Anti-Aircraft on 1st November 1938 and discharged from Territorial Army on 16th of January 1939 having enlisted into the Regular Army as a Trooper of the Calvary of the Line.
He was posted to Palestine with The Royal Scots Greys.
on 28th September 1939 he was posted to 7th Dragoon Guards, Royal Armoured Corps. He transferred to Royal Armoured Corps and posted to British Forces Greece on 28th of February 1941.
Adam was captured on 28th of April 1941 and sent to POW camp in Corinthia, Greece, then transferred to Stalag XVIIIB on 28th of July 1941.
He was then transferred to Stalag XVIIIA and was sent to various work camps until 1945 when he was liberated.
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Cpl. George Humphreys Bennett My dad, GeorgeBennett, joined the Royal Marines at Portsmouth aged 25 on 15th Feb 1940, as a volunteer ‘for the period of the present emergency’.
Dad's service record is extremely sketchy due, I assume, to the exigencies of war.
His record notes a wound to his right leg received in action in May 1941 and a period of hospitalisation from 27tg of October 1942 to 12th of January 1943. He was discharged from service aged 29 on 7th of April 1944 as Physically Unfit for Royal Marine Service.
During his wartime service, dad took part in operations at Crete sometime between 10th of March 1941 and 31st of May 1941 for which he received the 1939/43 Star. He also served in the Middle East and Ceylon (Sri Lanka).
As a child I recall trying on numerous occasions to coax dad, mostly unsuccessfully, to tell me about his wartime experiences.
All I ever learned was that he was wounded on Crete, after being strafed from the air which was during the fighting that ensued from the German parachute invasion of the island. He was subsequently evacuated from Souda Bay.
I have a couple of photographs of dad in Ceylon and a small album of photos of him in Palestine with members of his unit. I was told by a relative recently that he thought dad had also served in the Western desert during the war, however there doesn't appear to be any evidence of his active service there in his record. He passed away in Plymouth in 1990 aged 75.
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Cpl. Robert Imperato 1st Btn. Welsh Regiment Robert Imperato enlisted into the 1st Battalion Welsh Regiment. He served in Palestine and Egypt until 1940. He then joined 50th ME Commando.
He was reported missing in action on the 1st of June 1941 on Crete. He had been injured in action and taken prisoner.
He spent the rest of the war in Stalag V111B/344.
He was involved in the long march.
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Lt. Ferdinand Peter Jordan Northumberland Fusiliers Peter Jordan was my father. He was Company Sergeant Major, North Somerset Yeomanry when war broke out and was embarked to Palestine. His company was disbanded in 1940 and he went to OCTU in Egypt.
Once Commissioned he joined the Reconnaissance Corps and was captured in the Western Desert in 1942. Initially, he was a POW in a converted hospital in North Italy (see Eric Newby 'Love and War in the Apennines'). After the mass breakout in September 1943 he was recaptured near the Italian Front and sent to Oflag 79 in Germany. He was discharged from Catterick Camp in 1945.
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Pte. Charles Vernon Blackburn 1st Btn. Bedford and Hertford Regiment Charles Blackburn served in Palestine, Crete and Burma.
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2Lt. Ferdinand Peter Jordan North Somerset Yeomanry My father, Peter Jordan, was in the North Somerset Yeomanry and joined the 4th Cavalry Brigade in the 1st Cavalry Division.
In Jan 1940 he transited across France to Palestine. During June and July 1941 he took part in operations against Vichy French in Syria.
In June 1942 he was reported missing in action (Casualty list 860). By August he was reported as a POW Number 137. I have a copy of a card sent to his sister, date unknown, but marked PG 47 (Modena, Italy). I think that this may have been a transit camp but without a date it is hard to know how long he was there.
The first letter after his capture is dated April 25th 1943 and was sent from PG 49 at Fontanellato Italy where he remained until Sept 8th/9th when they were released during the Italian Armistice. I have no record of where he was until January 1944 when he was recaptured and taken to Oflag 8 Mahrisch_- Truau. I understand that this camp was only operational from July 1942 to July 1944. Also in the camp was a Capt. Pringle whom he seems to have known from Bristol. Both 7 Coy.
I have 2 letters from the Bristol Prisoners of War Relatives Association sent to my grandmother, Peter's mother. These are dated Jan 29th 1944 and give a brief description of the locality and camp. Mr.Leonard Davis says, "I think offlag ( sic) VIII is going to prove quite a good camp. Reports have come through, of officers having gone there, last week "
I have 7 lettercards,from this period; one a month and very limited in both space and content. By August 1944 the camp had closed down and the POWs removed to other camps.
My father went to Oflag 79 Brunswick, Germany where he remained until the camp was liberated.
I have been able to follow my father's thanks to the dedication and devotion of his mother who kept all of his correspondence from his enlistment to the end of 1944.
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Sig. Arthur Thomas Steward Signal Regiment Dad, Arthur Steward contracted malaria in Egypt in 1942 and sailed on Aba to Haifa, Palestine to recuperate.
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Gilbert Hudson 1st Recce Regiment Reconnaissance Corps Gilbert Hudson was my grandfather and I've just acquired his war records. He served from 18th of February 1943 till 1st of October 1946. He was a reservist until 9th of February 1954.
He didn't speak much about the war, not that I blame him, but it has left me with so many unanswered questions. He served in Italy, Egypt, North Africa, Syria and Palestine. He was awarded the Italy Star and the 1939/45 star.
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Cpl. John Thomas Bailey MiD. Jack Bailey was a Bren Gunner who served in Anzio and Palestine, he was Mentioned in Despatches.
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