Witnessed firsthand: 1936 in Palestine
[Archive and autograph letters from the 1936 Palestinian Revolt].
32 autograph letters, 24 written from Mandate Palestine. 4to, the 24 altogether 121 ff. and 131 pp. With several original sketches, 15 black and white photographs, 23 negatives, and 17 colour film Dufaycolor slides of Palestine.
€ 18,000.00
An incredible archive of handwritten letters, sketches, and photographs by a British officer engaged in putting down the Great Palestinian Revolt of 1936, including a firsthand account of the destruction of Jaffa's Old Town and raids on villages in what is now the West Bank, including several Palestinian villages later destroyed by Israeli forces in 1948.
Most notable are the letters pertaining to the siege and destruction of Jaffa, which the author, Lt. Charles Meredith Inigo-Jones (1912-2009), describes firsthand in a detailed letter to his mother: "We are to form a cordon round the place and we know that there will be a terrific rush after the first explosion. We have to search everybody who comes out for arms, as it is a hotbed for rioters, we hope it will help to clean the place out in both mind and body". Following is a sketched map of the old city of Jaffa with barricades, platoons, police squadrons, and "track of explosions" marked. "I will have about 15 men to hold one of the main streets of the old city [...] The whole show was put off at 2pm because the population complained that they wanted more than 24 hours to clear out so we are now giving them 48 hours, and we start at the same time tomorrow".
After the first explosions, he enters the city: "The smells were terrible, the people have been in a state of siege for about 40 days [...] there are no drains or anything like that, the dead were buried in the walls of the rooms, we discovered that after the explosions [...] we went through into another part of town where they had not moved out, they had all the sick and dying in the road and you had to walk or step over the top of them. It struck me that the Plague of London must have been rather like this. I only wish I had had a large lorry with me, as when I went round after one or two of the explosions, I saw the most lovely Persian Rugs silks oak chests etc [...] but it was soon covered up with about 10 feet of rock after the next explosion".
The reprisals against Jaffa are one of the most infamous events of the 1936 Revolt, but Inigo-Jones, based out of Jerusalem and Nablus, saw the length and breadth of Mandate Palestine. He reported a series of skirmishes and arms raids on villages and wadis and occasionally reported on the goings-on of the larger international stage ("I heard two police officers who came in from Hebron say that the tribes at the border of Palestine and Arabia were getting up in arms and preparing to fight"). In turns remarkably callous and remarkably frank, illustrated with photos and sketches; altogether a vital record of Palestine in 1936.
Mailed to and presumably collected by Mrs. Inigo-Jones of Helensburgh, Dubartonshire (today part of Argyll and Bute).
With hand-drawn maps of British military campaigns, including the destruction of Jaffa's old town with explosives, the search patterns used to sweep wadis for hidden weapons stores, and more. Together with numerous original franked envelopes and carbon copies of typewritten transcriptions of some letters and 10 ff. of partial letters, either mixed up or with their original context lost. Also with newspaper clipping on rationing in England and Personnel pass card for the Bentley Priory and Glenthorn HQ, Anti-Aircraft Command.
Two leaves with lower half torn away, two others in two pieces; lightly creased, envelopes opened and franked. Remarkably well preserved, with even pencilled letters quite bright and clear.
