Brigadier Frederick Kisch; Soldier and Zionist
Ruth Kisch London: Vallentine, Mitchell & Co. Ltd., 1966. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. 200 pages. DJ has some wear, tears and soiling. Includes Preface, Part One--Sapper and Staff Officer 1886--1922; Part Two--Engineer of the Jewish National Home--1922-1939; Part Three--Chief Engineer, 1939--1943. Also includes Epilogue, Index, and 11 black and white illustrations. Typographical error on List of Illustrations: "Much of the supply transport was primitive" is facing page 31 and not 33. Norman de Mattos Bentwich OBE MC (28 February 1883 – 8 April 1971) was a British barrister and legal academic. He was the British-appointed attorney-general of Mandatory Palestine and a lifelong Zionist. Bentwich was a delegate at the annual Zionist Congresses from 1907 to 1912. He paid his first visit to Palestine in 1908. He was commissioned in the Egyptian Camel Transport Corps on 1 January 1916. He was awarded the Military Cross and, in 1919, received the OBE. In November 1929, Bentwich was shot by a 17-year-old Arab employee of the Palestine Police. His assailant was sentenced to 15 years, despite Bentwich personally advocating for him. On the outbreak of the Second World War, Brigadier Frederick Kisch, C.B. C.B.E. D.S.O. rejoined the forces in Egypt, later becoming Chief Engineer of the Eighth Army, a position he occupied when he was killed in action in Tunisia in 1943. The account of these two highly contrasting careers is of great interest, especially in terms of the Middle East. This book gives valuable insights into the establishment of the State of Israel, as well as describing little-known aspects of the First World War and of the North African campaign in the Second. Frederick Hermann Kisch CBE, CB, DSO (23 August 1888 – 7 April 1943) was a decorated British Army officer and Zionist leader. A Brigadier, he was the highest ranking Jew to serve in the British Army. Frederick attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He joined the Royal Engineers in 1909 and served with them in World War I in France and the Middle East theatres. During his war service, he was wounded three times, and decorated with Distinguished Service Order for gallantry in action. He was also decorated by the government of France with the Croix de guerre with Palm. Due to his wounds, he was declared temporarily unfit for frontline service and was subsequently transferred to the Military Intelligence Corps, where he served for the rest of the war. He also served as general staff officer to General Sir George Macdonogh. During the war, he reached the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was appointed a member of the British delegation to the 1919 Paris Peace Conference. He joined the Zionist Organization in 1922, where he headed the political department until being succeeded by Chaim Arlosoroff. He also served as Zionist Commission head for the Jerusalem region between 1923 and 1931. His British military background allowed him to cultivate excellent relations with the British administration of Mandatory Palestine as well as Arab leaders including Sharif Hussein of Mecca and his son King Abdullah I of Jordan. Kisch was recalled to active service in 1939 at the outbreak of the World War II. He was promoted to the rank of brigadier and assigned to the British Eighth Army, where he became commanding officer of the Royal Engineers in the North African Campaign. Kisch was killed in Tunisia on 7 April 1943 when he stepped on a landmine during the Battle of Wadi Akarit. He had been organizing reconstruction of bridge, essential to the Allied advance. Condition: Very good / Good.
Keywords: Frederick Kisch, Zionism, Eighth Army, Military Engineer, Sapper, Paris Peace Conference, Palestine, Jews, Mine Warfare, El Alamein, Arabs, Staff Officer, Mesopotamia, Mandatory Government, British Army
[Book #83342]
Price: $100.00