'Military Lessons of the Arab Rebellion in Palestine 1936' [‎11v] (27/294)

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S EQUS~;IC5 OF EVENTS OF THE PJ^ELLIQ N
19th April
The first intimation of disorder reached tne Officer Commanding
British Troops at 11.20 a.m., when the Company Commander of the Cameron
Highlanders at Sarafand reported a request for military assistance oy
the District Commissioner at Jaffa. Three platoons left at 12,15 and
reached Jaffa at 12.56, when they were at once disposed at centres in
the town in close support of the police. By this time a number of
murders had occurred and the police had been compelled to fire three
rounds. The arrival of the troops had an immediately steadying effect
and they were able to avoid coming into actual conflict wit: tne mob.
On the way in to Jaffa the Camerons had however to detach half a
platoon to assist in the rescue of Jewish workgirls from the Maspero
Cigarette Factory An East India Company trading post. , which Arabs were attempting to burn down.
By 2 p.m. the situation in Jaffa was once more in hand, but feeling
ran very high and it was not until a curfew was imposed at 7 p.m, that a
calm was reached. That night the Jews counted seven dead and the Arabs
two, while scores of injured were lying in the hospitals. Both Arabs
had been killed by police bullets. Meanwhile the rest^of the country
v/as buzzing with rumour: considerable excitement prevailed in Haifa and
Nablus, and there was acute tension in Jerusalem where Jewish shop
keepers in the Old City were hastily putting up shutters. It became
evident that nightfall" had brought only a lull and that the morrow
would be charged with danger. Accordingly the Air Officer Commanding
at 6 p.m. ordered the first stage of the Internal Security Scheme to be
put into operation, and by 2.50 a.m. on the morning of the 20th all
troops were in their action stations.
20th April
Early next morning the rioting in the neighbourhood of Jaffa was
renewed, and a second company of the Cameron Highlanders moved from
Jerusalem to Sarafand, whence two more platoons were despatched to re
inforce Jaffa. The situation improved during the afternoon, and the
troops were withdrawn from the streets at 6 p.m. without having been
called upon by the civil authorities to intervene. The casualities
of the day had been 7 killed and 58 injured. In the rest of the country
many of tne shops had closed and signs of agitation were evident in
all Arab quarters.
21st April
.me day saw the close of the Jaffa rioting and the beginnings of
an Arab General Strike. By now the toll at Jaffa had risen to 21 dead
and 147 injured. Demonstrations had been held in various parts of the
country but no serious disturoance had occurred.
22nd April
Arab attention now seemed to turn for the moment from open violence
to tne intensification ob the strike. Local "committees" appeared
everywhere and forced shopkeepers to put up their shutters, while most
of the schools struck and work ceased in the Port of Jaffa. Arab
buses and taxis were idle, and a campaign of nail-strewing in the main
soreets was initiated in an attempt to stop other traffic.
25rd - 25th April
lenoion had subsided considerably, but the strike spread rapidly
and had become general throughout the country with the exception of Haif a *