The Maccabaean

“With the Zionists ın Gallipoli” *

EVEN the pacificists recognize that there are martial virtues as well as martial vices. And it is not necessary to be a Bernhardi in order to admit that the war-test is one of the proofs of a nation's vitality, moral as well as physical. So far as the Jews are concerned, the present war offers abundant evidence on all fields of their moral and physical vitality.

On all fields, however, the Jews are lost, in spite of their large numbers, in the midst of their non-Jewish comrades. Nowhere do they fight as a distinct group. Their services and exploits are not placed to the credit of the Jewish People as such. If the Jews in the various camps fought and distinguished themselves, as they do, not merely as individuals, or as Englishmen and Germans, but as Jews in separate groups, is it not reasonable to suppose that the claims of the Jewish People on the day of reckoning would command greater recognition?

"With the Zionists in Gallipoli" is a record of the only distinctly Jewish fighting unit in the war, the Zion Mule Corps, written by its commander Lieut. Col. J. H. Patterson. The author gives also an account and criticism of the ill-fated Gallipoli expedition; but what concerns us here is the story of the Jewish corps which rendered highly valuable service and earned the praise of the commander-in-chief of the expedition, Sir Ian Hamilton. One could wish that the author had given more space to the make-up and work of his corps; but the account he gives us is ample to prove the splendid courage of the men and the high value of the services they rendered.

The "Zion Mule Corps" was recruited from the Russian-Jewish young men whom the Turkish Government had expelled from Palestine and who found refuge in Egypt. It cannot be doubted that those men believed that by offering their lives to England they were advancing the best interests of their own people. Time, of course, will tell whether they were right or wrong in this belief. The outcome, however, cannot detract from their self-sacrifice and heroism.

After only three weeks of training the corps was ordered to embark for Gallipoli via Lemnos. Its special mission was to convey food and ammunition to the soldiers in the trenches. It must not be supposed, however, that this work was fraught with any less danger than that to which the men in the trenches were themselves subjected. From the first moment of landing, the corps was exposed to the Turkish fire. Indeed, it seems that no part of the ground won by the English and French was sheltered from the bombardment of the Turkish guns on the heights of Achi Baba and Kuthia and the Asiatic side. While the corps was engaged in the work of landing “the guns from Asia were making very good shooting, shells striking the water within a few yards of us, just going over our heads, a little to the right or a little to the left, But always just missing. I watched my men carefully to see how they would stand their baptism of fire, and I am happy to be able to say that, with one solitary exception, all appeared quite unconcerned and took

not the slightest heed of the dangerous position they were in." The work of keeping the men in the trenches supplied with ammunition and food began immediately and continued until the evacuation.

At one time when a general attack was contemplated, the men petitioned to be allowed to participate in the fighting. The petition was refused because the General considered the corps too valuable to take the risk of losing it in the attack. There were occasions, however, when the “Zion men,” finding themselves in the trenches on their special business when a Turkish attack was in progress, lined the trenches and helped to repel it. On one such occasion “Private Groush- kowsky distinguished hımself greatly, for when the hailed of shrapnel descended on the convoy and stam- peeded many of the mules, this plucky boy—tor he was a mere youth—although shot through both arms, held on to his plunging animals, and safely delivered his loads of ammunition to the men in the firing line. I promoted him to the rank of corporal, and, in addition recommended him for the Distinguished Conduct Medal which I am glad to say he obtained.” :

Here is another incident that is worthy of repetition here:

"It happened that the Turks made a determined onslaught on the Inniskilling Fusiliers on one occasion, when a party of the Zion Mule Corps was close by, unloading a convoy; and these Zionists, having the lust of battle strong in them, and seeing how weak the Inniskillings were, left their mules to take care of themselves, and under the leadership of Corporal Hildersheim, leaped into the trenches and materially assisted in repelling the Turks."

Towards the end of July, after a period of only four months, the corps, owing to the numbers killed, wounded and in hospital was reduced to less than half its strength. Its commander then went to Egypt for new recruits. In the course of a few weeks he obtained some one hundred and fifty Jewish recruits from Cairo alone. He returned with his new forces and the work went on. "Small detachments of men and mules were attached to various batalions for transport work, and all over the Peninsula Zion men could be met cantering along on their mules—for they were good horsemen—and they invariably rode when they had a chance. They looked very comical as they galloped along, uttering, exulting yells, their faces grimy, caps crammed over on the backs of their heads, jacketless and with torn shirts, perched up on the pack saddles, the chains of which clattered loudly at each stride of the mule. Our soldiers christened then the "Allies Cavalry." After the evacuation, the men of the corps returned to Egypt.

"With the Zionists in Gallipoli" is a book for which the Jews will be grateful. It is, of course, a record of only a very small fraction of the half million Jews or more who are shedding their blood for both sides in the great conflict, and the acts of the vast majority will probably remain unrecorded. We lack the agency, possessed by all other nations, for treasuring up the noble deeds of our sons. Some day, we hope, this agency will be created. For the present we can only treasure up the rare and, as it were, accidental records which are furnished us. I. G.