| Palestine Command British Forces in Palestine and Trans-jordan | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1922–1948 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Jerusalem |
| Commanders | |
| Last commander | Gordon MacMillan |
| Notable commanders | Sir Archibald Wavell |
Palestine Command was a British military command in Mandatory Palestine and the Emirate of Transjordan.
The command was formed in February 1922 with the objective of controlling all British forces in Mandatory Palestine. [1] In 1930, following an outbreak in hostilities between the Jewish and Arab populations, 2nd Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment and the 1st Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment were deployed to Palestine. [1] In September 1936, following an escalation in violence, Lieutenant-General Sir John Dill was despatched there. [1] After the Second World War, with the immigration of Jews, tensions increased further and 1st Infantry Division arrived in Palestine. [1] In May 1948 the United Kingdom's mandate ended and British troops withdrew the following month. [1]
Commanders were as follows: [2]
Field Marshal Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson,, also known as Jumbo Wilson, was a senior British Army officer of the 20th century. He saw active service in the Second Boer War and then during the First World War on the Somme and at Passchendaele. During the Second World War he served as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) British Troops in Egypt, in which role he launched Operation Compass, attacking Italian forces with considerable success, in December 1940. He went on to be Military Governor of Cyrenaica in February 1941, commanding a Commonwealth expeditionary force to Greece in April 1941 and General Officer Commanding (GOC) British Forces in Palestine and Trans-Jordan in May 1941.
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Field Marshal Sir John Greer Dill, was a senior British Army officer with service in both the First World War and the Second World War. From May 1940 to December 1941 he was the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, the professional head of the British Army, and subsequently served in Washington, D.C., as Chief of the British Joint Staff Mission and then Senior British Representative on the Combined Chiefs of Staff.
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