"Colonel Patterson...commanded the 38th Royal Fusiliers (First Judeans) and the 'Patterson Column' of Jewish troops in the final advance which drove the Turks out of Palestine...has written a book...giving the history of the Judeans in the Palestine Campaign...has often stood up energetically against anti-Semitism in Palestine." -The Jewish Press, Jan. 5, 1922
"Every Jew should feel grateful to the author Lieut.-Col. Patterson...in writing the history of the Jewish regiment...has the advantage of one who was on the spot, and not only glorified in their triumphs, but suffered and shared their hardships...No Jew can afford to miss reading this book." -The Hebrew Standard of Australasia, Nov. 7, 1924
"Colonel Patterson's book is extremely controversial in character, and amounts in effect to a studied attack on G.H.Q. in Palestine for its unfair treatment of the Jewish Battalion." -Palestine, June 17, 1922
"Patterson commanded and practically raised both the Zion Mule Corps and the 38th Royal Fusiliers...The almost miraculous transformation of unwilling conscripts into cheerful and eager fighters was due, perhaps entirely, to his personal influence...Patterson's name will be remembered and revered in Palestine forever." -British Jewry Book of Honor (1922)
What heroic role did the Jewish Battalion, formed and commanded by Lt. Col. Patterson, play in the final expulsion of the tyrannical Turks from Palestine during World War One?
In 1922, Lt. Col. John Henry Patterson (1867 -1947) would publish, "With the Judeans in the Palestine Campaign," the narrative history of his time forming and commanding the Jewish Battalion that fought the Ottoman Empire in Palestine during World War One. It is this book that has been republished here for the convenience of the interested reader.
In introducing his book, Patterson writes:
"The formation of a Battalion of Jews for service in the British Army is an event without precedent in our annals, and the part played by such a unique unit is assured of a niche in history, owing to the fact that it fought in Palestine, not only for the British cause, but also for the Restoration of the Jewish people to the Promised Land. In writing the following narrative, my object has been to give a faithful account of the doings of this Jewish Battalion while it was under my command."
About the author:
Lieutenant-Colonel John Henry Patterson DSO (1867 - 1947) was an Anglo-Irish military officer, hunter, and author best known for his book The Man-eaters of Tsavo (1907), which details Patterson's experiences during the construction of a railway bridge over the Tsavo River in the East Africa Protectorate from 1898 to 1899. The book went on to inspire three films: Bwana Devil (1952), Killers of Kilimanjaro (1959), and The Ghost and the Darkness (1996). During World War I, Patterson served as the commander of the British Army's Jewish Legion, which has been described as the first precursor to the Israel Defense Forces.
