'Military Lessons of the Arab Rebellion in Palestine 1936' [‎45v] (95/294)

Works Services
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Throughout the whole of the rehellion works services were carried out ty
the R.A.F. Works and Buildings Department under a Section Officer through the
medium of local contracts, supplemented in the la.ter stages by the services of
the R.E. units of the force. Though the ’Works and Buildings Staff was
reinforced by Royal Engineer assistance, the works services in Palestine were
not transferred to the Army until 1937.
Engineer Stores Service
This service was not represented in Palestine until after the arrival of
the Emergency Force, when an Engineer Stores Depot was opened at Haifa Base by
the 6th Field Park Coy R.E. Prior to that a small reserve of certain engineer
stores was supplied from Egypt and held at Sarafand in the C.S.D. and later in
the Ordnance Camp Depot.
Ordnance Service
Until June 1936 a single Staff Sergeant was the sole representative of the
R.A.O.C. in Palestine. With the exception of a very small reserve in the
C.S.D., ordnance stores and ammunition were supplied from Egypt as required.
Later a D.A.D.O.S. was appointed on the formation of the Combined Staff, and
simultaneously an Ordnance Camp Depot and an Ordnance Mobile Workshop were
opened at Sarafand. The former held a small reserve of tentage, barbed wire,
sandbags, Verey pistols and cartridges, entrenching tools, water supply stores,
etc., and materials for the repair of M.T. vehicles. Ammunition was still
supplied through the C.S.D., while all other ordnance stores continued to te
supplied direct from Cairo.
The first Ordnance Mobile Workshop (No. 2) was formed at Sarafand from the
special Light Aid Detachment which had accompanied the Tank Company from Egypt
on the 8th May. The O.M.W. carried out the second line repairs and recoveries
of "A” and "B" vehicles, which had been undertaken hitherto by local R.A.S.C.
units. Until the 1st Division arrived the Tanks and the two Cavalry Regiments
were the only units which had their own L.A.D's. At the beginning of August
No.l O.M.W. arrived from Mersa Matruh and replaced No.2 at Sarafand. No.2
O.M.W. then moved to Haifa.
The arrival of the Emergency Force necessitated the establishment of an
Ordnance Depot and Vehicle Reception Park in the Base Area at Haifa, while
three Infantry Brigade L.A.Ds. and a Recovery Section accompanied the 1st
Division. The latter was renamed No.3 O.M.W. and moved to Sarafand, The
final Ordnance lay-out in October is shown in Map No.l.
It fell to the Ordnance Service to disembark and collect in the V.R.P. a+u
Haifa all vehicles of the Emergency Force. In all 838 vehicles were unloaded,
put into running order, and driven by R.A.O.C. drivers to the V.R.P., the
average unloading rate being 15 per hour. Vehicles were collected later !y
unit drivers irom the V.R.P., where they sometimes remained for as long as two
weeks. This system threw a heavy strain upon a sma.ll R.A.O.C. organization,
which would have been avoided had unit drivers accompanied vehicles at sea.
Little repair work was in fact needed to get them on the roads, but a number oi
small jo os had to be done by the V.R.P. personnel which should normally have
been carried out in the units.
Recovery work in Palestine was difficult owing to the hilly nature of the^
country, 7 ' and the wide dispersion of units. It was complicated by the fact
movement at night was dangerous and the usual strength of an O.M.W. did not
permit of a recovery party being away for more than one day. Rail transport
was sometimes used to evacuate crashed vehicles to the O.M.W. The chief
repair work came from the light tanks which were kept in service by replaciuS
engines, gear-boxes etc. as required in the O.M.W. No. 2 O.M.W. in a period
of four months passed 175 vehicles through its workshops. The maximum number
of vehicles ever based on this unit was 450. Total mileage of No. 2 O.M.W.
vehicles was 7600; and 14 recoveries were effected, all of them due to
accidents•