Last modified: 2024-08-10 by martin karner
Keywords: israel | first judeans | hayil | hativa yehudit lohemet | british army | menorah |
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In WWI, the Royal Fusiliers (a London regiment) formed three
Jewish battalions in Jan. 1918. The 38th Bn was composed of
Jewish immigrants from Russia [see postcard showing battalion (?)
flag during Shabbat service of the 38th Bn]. The 39th was composed of US and
Canadian volunteers. The 40th was actually formed in Palestine
when the battalions arrived there in June. Many of the 40th Bn
had served in the Ottoman Jewish police, and therefore the 40th
Bn appropriated the latter's "Hashomar standard".
Collectively the three battalions were known as the "Jewish
Legion". The badge of all three battalions was a menorah on
a scroll inscribed in Hebrew "Kadima" (Forward). The
battalions disbanded in Palestine in 1919, and most of the
soldiers settled there.
T. F. Mills, 31 May 1998
Historama, an Israeli commercial
web site includes also a page called: Israeli Militaria Primer:
Flags, Colors and Standards.
There are three photos which deals with Jewish units in the
British Army during WWI. The photos are presumably taken from the
book (which the site refer to as "Hadeni") so my
calculated guess is that those are taken from a book named:
"Am BeMilhamto: Shloshim shnot milhamtenu, MeGallipoli
ad HaHAYIL" (Nation in its war: Thirty years of our
war, from Gallipoli to the Jewish Fighting Brigade" by
Aharon Ever-Hadeni (issued in 1953).
– The first photo show
a group of soldiers with a piece of cloth (white?) on which there
are two Magen Davids, the Union Jack and a scroll.
The web site describe it: " Two Zionist activists, Joseph
Trumpeldor and Vladimir (Ze'ev) Jabotinsky, were influential in
the creation of all-Jewish combat units of the British Army in
the First World War. Both directly enabled the foundation of the
Zion Mule Corps in 1915, which served in Gallipoli, and
Jabotinsky in particular led the drive for the creation of Jewish
battalions in the British Army. These battalions – the 38th, 39th
and 40th Royal Fusiliers – are collectively known as the Jewish
Legion. In this picture, Jabotinsky with crossed armed is seated
in the second row, just above the right corner of the flag [For Trumpeldor and Jabotinsky see also
Betar (Youth organization)]. The
flag here is of the 16th platoon of the London Battalion, in
training, which would shortly become part of the 38th Royal
Fusiliers; it incorporates the Jewish Star of David surmounting
the British Union Jack – a constant symbol of this era's
British-affiliated Jewish armed formations."
I am not convinced that we are dealing here with a flag, in any
case, not an official one.
The Zion Mule Corps is the first military unit of the modern era
that was combined of only Jews spldiers (besides its
commander ...). It was founded in Egypt on 1 April 1915 and
its 650 members were Jews that were deported by the Ottoman rule.
The initial idea was to found a combatable force that will fight
to conquer Palestine from the Ottomans, but the British Army
agreed only to establish a supply unit.
At first there was a problem in translating the name to Hebrew
(as by straight forward translation, it could be interpreted that
the mules are Zionists ...) and therefore it was first
call ZAMAK (following its initials). Later ut adopted the name Gdud
Nahagei Hapradot (The mule drivers battalion). The unit took
part at Gallipoli disastrous operation and lost eight of its
members.
After it was evacuated from Gallipoli, the unit was dissolved in
26 May 1916.
As far as reported in sources, this unit didn't had a flag and
its emblem was a lion inside a Magen David.
120 of its members re-join the British army and became the 16th
platoon of the London Battalion which became the nucleus of the
38th Fusiliers.
Source: Wikipedia.
– The second photo is
described as follows: "The Jewish Legion of the First World
War consisted of three battalions: one from British volunteers
(the 38th Royal Fusiliers), another of North American volunteers
(the 39th) and a third one of volunteers from Eretz
Israel-Palestine (the 40th). Seen here is Dr. Chaim Weizman, the
head of the British Admiralty laboratories, a leading Zionist
figure instrumental in the drafting of the Balfour Declaration
(1917) and future first President of Israel presenting the colors
of the 40th Battalion to its members, 1918. The picture is not
clear, but it looks like a triangular standard with a lion within
a Star of David; the British Union Jack on the top right and a
Hebrew legend just above the Star, which is not clear. A frequent
legend in Legion regalia is "In Blood and Fire Judea Fell,
In Blood and Fire Judea Will Rise", although the few clear
letters in this picture suggest that the slogan may be
different."
I guess that it is not triangular but rectangle and only seen
like that because its bottom part is held folded. It is look like
an home made gonfalon and not something official.
– The third photo is
described as follows: "A picture of a 'Hashomer'
society flag being given to Hashomer volunteers serving in the
40th (Eretz Israel) battalion Royal Fusiliers of the Jewish
Legion, 1918. 'Hashomer' ('The Watchman') was
a self-defense movement founded by Jewish settlers in Palestine
in 1909 and outlawed by the Ottoman Turkish authorities during
the First World War. The banner here depicts the British Union
Jack (reflecting the Legion's British auspcies), and beneath it
the Hebrew word for 'Hashomer' surmounted above and
below by the legend 'In Blood and Fire Judea Fell' and
'In Blood and Fire Judea Will Rise'."
HaShomer was a self-defense paramilitary organization that was
founded in order to guard the Jewish community in Eretz-Israel.
It was founded in 1909 by the members of its preceding secret
organization "Bar-Giora". During WWI it was outlawed and
persecuted by the Ottoman regime. It was dissolved on 18 May 1920
in order to allow the founding of a much bigger organization
later known as "HaHagana" (The Defense). Its
motto "In Blood and Fire Judea Fell, In Blood and
Fire Judea Will Rise" is taken from a poem by Ya'aqov Cohen
that was written after the government sponsored riots in Kishinau
in 1903, inflicting the death of 49 Jews. As far as known,
HaShomer didn't have a flag or emblem.
image by Kazutaka Nishiura, 22 December 2009
I visited Tel Aviv in Februaty 2007 had a chance to see the
Haganah Museum where I took
this photo: blue over white horizontal bicolour flag, charged
with yellow (or gold ) menorah in the center and "First
Judeans" on white field. Some inscriptions in white are
written on blue field.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 15 March 2007
This is the flag of the a military unit. The inscription in
Hebrew is "HaGdud HaYivry Rishon LeYehuda" (First Judea
Hebrew Battalion). This battalion was established in 1920 by
veterans of the "Hebrew Battalions" which were
incorporated within the British Army during WWI (most of them
from the 40th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers). The "First
Judea" was dissolved by the British Army on May 1921.
Dov Gutterman, 15 March 2007
There were three Jewish battalions, numbered 38th, 39th and
40th Battalions of the Royal Fusiliers, raised in 1918 from
locals, British and Russian Jews. By this reckoning, the '1st
Judeans' would have been the 38th, rather than the 40th,
Battalion. But all were disbanded in 1919. Would this mean that
if the HaGdud HaYivry Rishon LeYahuda was formed in 1920, then it
is really an ex-servicemen's association flag, and not an Army
flag?
The menorah as shown on the flag, placed on a scroll with the
motto 'Kadimah' was the cap badge of all three battalions.
Ian Sumner, 11 June 2007
I believe that the 1st Judeans was a new regiment composed of
all three battalions. Thus, it would be a successor unit and not
an ex-serviceman's association. Upon the disbanding of the 1st
Judeans, many of its members went on to found the Haganah,
which in turn led to the current IDF.
By the way, I think "numbered 38th, 39th and 40th
Battalions...raised...from locals, British and Russian Jews"
is also not correct. The 38th was British, the 39th local
(Palestinian), and the 40th (which never saw action) Americans
and Canadians. The cap badges were not the Menorah for "all
three" as you wrote: The cap badges were a Star of David for
each, red for the 38th, blue for the 39th, and purple for the
40th. (Actually, they may have worn the Fusiliers' badge and worn
these on their sleeves.). After they were combined into the 1st
Judeans, they wore the Menorah as a badge with the word "Kadima."
Nathan Lamm, 11 June 2007
Not Russian but American Jews. It was a regular army battalion
which was combined from veterans of the three "Jewish"
battalions. Since most of the soldiers of the 38th (the British
Battalion) and the 39th (The American Battalion) decided to
return home, those battalions were disbanded and the few that
decided to stay join the 40th (The Israel-land Battalion) and it
was renamed as the 1st Judea. The Battalion was disbanded in May
1921, right after 1921 riots, and this disbanding of the only
Jewish force in Palestine brought to the establishment of the HaHagana,
the Jewish underground.
Dov Gutterman, 11 June 2007
Incidentally, an article in Bulletin of the Military
Historical Society, February 2000, p.161, states that the stars
of David were sewn onto a khaki backing and worn on the sleeves.
But it also gives the colours in a different order – purple
(38th), red (39th) and blue (40th) – but doesn't give a source.
Ian Sumner, 12 June 2007
Could be. I got most of what I know from the Encyclopaedia
Judaica and Vladimir Jabotinsky's book on the Legion, but I don't
have either work in front of me.
Incidentally, in many sources, the entire enterprise (including
the earlier Zion Mule Corps of Galliopoli, but especially the
38-39-40 Royal Fusiliers and the 1st Judeans) are called the
"Jewish Legion", which, I believe, was never an
official name and perhaps never even used at the time. This is
not to be confused with the Jewish Brigade (Palestinian Jews) of
the British Army during World War II.
Nathan Lamm, 12 June 2007
Historama, an Israeli commercial
web site includes also a page called: Israeli Militaria Primer:
Flags, Colors and Standards.
There are two photos which deals with Jewish units in the British
Army after WWI. The photos are presumably taken from the book
(which the site refer to as "Hadeni") so my calculated
guess is that those are taken from a book named: "Am
BeMilhamto: Shloshim shnot milhamtenu, MeGallipoli ad HaHAYIL"
(Nation in its war: Thirty years of our war, from Gallipoli to
the Jewish Fighting Brigade" by Aharon Ever-Hadeni (issued
in 1953).
The two photos (here and here) show the same flag
with the following descriptions:
– "The Jewish Legion was disbanded after World War I, in
1919, but succeeded by another all-Jewish Eretz-Israel formation
called the "First Judean Battalion". It existed from
1919 to 1921 and included former Legion members, particularly
from the Eretz-Israel 40th battalion. Seen in this photo of a
prayer ceremony is the Battalion's colors: a British Union Jack
on the top right corner and a blue Star of David in the center,
on a white background."
– "Another view of the flag of the "First Judean
Battalion", this time during a veterans' march in 1943.
During the Second World War the veterans movement as a whole was
actively involved in promoting Jewish volunteerism from Eretz
Israel in the war effort, and this picture was taken during one
such support march."
Dov Gutterman, 20 September 2008
In a strict sense, at the period we are talking about, all
British regimental flags (and I mean flags, not regimental
colours) were unofficial, because they were not included in
King's Regulations. They were the sole responsibility of each
regiment or corps. The colours of the flag, and the devices
displayed on it, were governed only by regimental tradition and
good taste. Their descriptions are usually only to be found in
Regimental Standing Orders, a document which was usually only
distributed within the regiment.
Not many regiments carried a flag with a Union canton; the Royal
Irish Rifles did in the early 1920s, but that's the only one I've
seen. So, the style is not unique, but it is unusual.
Ian Sumner, 2 October 2008
![[Formation sign of British Army independent Jewish Brigade Group]](../images/i/il^jbgs.gif)
image by T. F. Mills
emblem
An old-timer told me he was in the British Army during World
War Two, serving in a few units. He said that companies of Jewish
soldiers from Palestine used to have
an unofficial flag – a Union Jack with the
blue-white flag in canton. Some of the British commanders forbade
the use of the flag, some ignored it.
Nahum Shereshevsky, 30 June 1997
According to the Jewish Encyclopaedia, white and blue flag was
adopted by Jewish Brigade Group in WWII.
Jaume Ollé, 31 May 1998
I am not sure what flags are being referenced here, because
British brigades do not carry flags. Battalions carry a King's
Colour and Regimental Colour, but I don't think these Jewish
units of the British Army were every issued any because they
disbanded too soon.
In WWII, the British Army formed The Palestine Regiment in
Palestine in Sept. 1942, consisting of Jewish and Arab
battalions. Their badge was an olive tree in a circle inscribed
"Palestine" in English, Hebrew and Arabic. When the
badge was issued, some 60 Jews mutinied because it contained an
Arabic inscription, but there was no further trouble in the
regiment. In Sept. 1944 the three Jewish battalions were grouped
into the independent "Jewish Infantry Brigade Group" in
Egypt. The Palestine Regiment disbanded in Aug. 1946, and its
personnel provided a trained nucleus for the Israeli army.
British divisions and independent brigades wore shoulder sleeve
"formation signs". The Jewish Brigade formation sign
was a yellow Star of David on a blue-white-blue vertical
tricolour square patch. In most photographs the blue stripes are
barely visible whereas the star is very evident. This leads me to
believe that the star must have been heavily fimbriated, or
heavily embroidered so as to cause shadows.
The brigade held a victory parade in Antwerp, Belgium at the end
of the war. A photograph shows them saluting a dipped Zionist
flag as they march past. I would guess that this flag (which was
not the brigade's) was blue and white like the current Israeli
one, but the stripes are a little thinner, and the lines of the
star are very thin.
T. F. Mills, 31 May 1998
Nimtza-bi 1948 (Ha-Degel)
shows a photo of that white and blue flag and the text "Flag
hoisting ceremony at the Jewish Brigade Grup HQ, at the presence
of Moshe Shertok (later Moshe Sharet, first foreign minister of
Israel) and Brigadier Benjamin. The flag was not used as a unit
flag but as a national flag and it was carried by the Brigade in
the victory parade in London."
Nahum Shereshevsky, 2 June 1998
In the celebrations of the Liberation Day (April 25, 1945) in
Italy at www.corriere.it
there was a band of "La Brigata Ebraica".
Francisco Santos, 1 May 2003
The "HYIL" (Hativa Yehudit Lo'hemet = Jewish
Fighting Brigade") was a British unit of then
"Palestinian" Jews. This unit was active in the Italian
front in WWII.
Dov Gutterman, 1 May 2003
At https://commons.wikimedia.org
(picture) there is a badge of Jewish military unit, I guess. [replaced link]
Željko Heimer, 28 May 2009
I did some research and found out that it was made
by Arthur Szyk, a Polish-born Jewish American artist, famous for
his Anti-Axis political illustrations, caricatures, and cartoons
during World War II, as well as his illustrations for magazine
and newspaper articles and books. More about the artist at Wikipedia.
This artwork is quoted as: "Arthur Szyk designed
this poster in 1941 to publicize and mobilize support for the
creation of a Jewish army to fight against the Axis powers and to
rescue persecuted Jews in Europe ... The Star of David is
inscribed with Roman-era Rabbi Hillel’s famous adage,
'If I am not for myself, who will be for me?' – a
phrase that appears frequently in Szyk’s work as an
individual and national injunction."
See also
www.ushmm.org [retrieved]:
This website allows a close up on the emblem and it reveals that
besides the: "Im Ein Ani Li, Mi Li" of Rabbi
Hillel, there are three dots and one line below the
"V", the Morse code for this letter (based, of course,
on Beethoven's Fifth Symphony).
So, imaginary emblem it is.
Dov Gutterman, 1 June 2009
See also: Shield of David (Magen David)
![[Hebrew Transportation Unit]](../images/g/gb^htu.jpg)
image located by William Garrison
(source)
Postcard showing in b/w the flag of the "Hebrew Transporation Unit" (ikhida ivrit le'takhburah,
inscription on the flag) of the Royal Army Service Corps. Centered above the inscription the unit badge,
with a triband as background, very probably with the traditional colours blue, yellow and white (which are
not always in the same order). The badge shows in its center the letters "G V R", referring to
King George V (reigned 1910–1936). Around the center the lettering with the motto of the
Order of the Garter, "Honi soit
qui mal y pense", and the unit's name Royal Army Service Corps.
The flag and the postcard are from the time of WW1, when Jewish units were founded and incorporated into the
British Army (see above).
Martin Karner, 7 August 2024
._United_Palestine_Appeal_(1941),_New_York.jpg){kind=link}
