184168 Captain Harold "jonah" Bernard Charles Jones
This page courtesy his daughter Annabel
My father was born Manthorpe, Grantham, Lincs, England on the 08/04/1915, he married Dorothy Hanbury on the 01/06/1942 he served with HQ 5 Bn RAF Levies
27/10/1942 to 15/03/1943, became OC 47 Coy 5Bn P.G & M.E 15/03/1943 to 13/11/1943 and OC 43 Coy 3Bn Mosula & Iran 27/11/1943 to 30/07/1945. He served in Habbanyia as OC 3 Coy 1Bln on the 30/7/1945 and OC 3 Coy 5Bn Persian Gulf 01/06/1946. He joined the West African
School of Inf, Teshi, Gold Coast 23/10/1946, he left the army on 30/09/1948 then he went to Cambridge as a mature student. Read agricultural biology, went back to Africa in 1952 to teach agriculture and returned to England in 1975.
My father never used an electric razor, asked Mother why and she said that his face had been burned and hair came out different angles. The family story was that he was in Palestine and the Hagganah threw a bomb at him and two of his chaps [Assyrian Levies]
My father passed away on Sep 2006 and his ashes are interred in St Mary's Church, Wilton, the next village down from us, my mother joined him in October 2013, Rest In Peace.
My father never used an electric razor, asked Mother why and she said that his face had been burned and hair came out different angles. The family story was that he was in Palestine and the Hagganah threw a bomb at him and two of his chaps [Assyrian Levies]
My father passed away on Sep 2006 and his ashes are interred in St Mary's Church, Wilton, the next village down from us, my mother joined him in October 2013, Rest In Peace.
middle row "Pat" Farell, self (H B C Jones) and Rab Emma Bayjan Rohana 3 Coy outside HQ Baghdad Nov 45
The Assyrian Levies
compiled by
Captain HBC Jones
Assyrian relations with all of their neighbors had been complicated by their indiscriminate employment by Great Britton to fight its battles against Arabs, Kurds and Turks, and this had the further result of adding to whatever sentimental and religious support might be forthcoming for an eccentric Christian minority, the resolute backing of a number of prominent British military, air force and civil personalities who felt they had been encouraged to use the Assyrians as cat’s paw under circumstances derogatory to the honor of their country and themselves.
Any picture of the Assyrians as pathetic body of harmless husbandmen suffering for their faith is of course nonsensical. The refugee Highlanders were a ferocious hot tempered set of men uncooperative and difficult to handle. Their outlook and their standards were at route identical with those of the Kurds amongst whom they had always lived. As such they were however ideally suited for service against the Kurds and as more and more Imperial troops were withdrawn from the country their potential usefulness in this direction began to protrude itself somewhat forcefully on the notice of a harassed administration. The resultant military association of the Assyrians with Great Britain has lasted now for a quarter of a century.
In 1919 it was decided to raise two battalions of Assyrian levies from the idle and discontented inmates of the Baqubah camp for service on the northern frontier of Mosul Vilayet. Under British officers these troops performed invaluable service in punitive expeditions around Amadia, and notably in the capture of the chief Goyan of Kerore, on the conclusion of the campaign the two battalions were disbanded.
In the following year however the Assyrians waiting in a camp at MINDAN for the beginning of Agha
Petros’ move towards GAWAR were attacked by Surchi during the disorders arising from the Arab rebellion; the Kurds were driven off with extremely heavy losses and the excellent results of this engagement which in fact kept Kurdistan quiet for months, were noted with appreciation and with immense relief by all responsible authorities in Mesopotamia. The Baqubah camp was likewise attacked by local Arabs with no more success.
Any picture of the Assyrians as pathetic body of harmless husbandmen suffering for their faith is of course nonsensical. The refugee Highlanders were a ferocious hot tempered set of men uncooperative and difficult to handle. Their outlook and their standards were at route identical with those of the Kurds amongst whom they had always lived. As such they were however ideally suited for service against the Kurds and as more and more Imperial troops were withdrawn from the country their potential usefulness in this direction began to protrude itself somewhat forcefully on the notice of a harassed administration. The resultant military association of the Assyrians with Great Britain has lasted now for a quarter of a century.
In 1919 it was decided to raise two battalions of Assyrian levies from the idle and discontented inmates of the Baqubah camp for service on the northern frontier of Mosul Vilayet. Under British officers these troops performed invaluable service in punitive expeditions around Amadia, and notably in the capture of the chief Goyan of Kerore, on the conclusion of the campaign the two battalions were disbanded.
In the following year however the Assyrians waiting in a camp at MINDAN for the beginning of Agha
Petros’ move towards GAWAR were attacked by Surchi during the disorders arising from the Arab rebellion; the Kurds were driven off with extremely heavy losses and the excellent results of this engagement which in fact kept Kurdistan quiet for months, were noted with appreciation and with immense relief by all responsible authorities in Mesopotamia. The Baqubah camp was likewise attacked by local Arabs with no more success.
At the time of King Faisals’ accession it was agreed to replace the British troops in the country by local levies, [Arab levies and had existed since 1915], and this force was to consist of Arabs, Kurds and Assyrians with the emphasis on the last two, since Arabs were more part particularly required for the new Iraqi army. In April 1921 therefore a serious effort was made to recruit Assyrians and as they proved reluctant to invest saying they wished only to return to their homes [In Hakkari], Dr W A Wigram, a member of the former Archbishop of Canterbury’s mission, was called in to persuade them otherwise.
The force thus raised was used in December of the same year in operations in the neighborhood of Rawanduz which secured for Dawid D Mar Shimon , the patriarch’s father, the award of OBE. On 1 October 1922 the levies came under RAF command, and 400 Assyrians surplus to a new establishment had been compulsorily discharged during the summer, and when in the winter of the same year it was desired to increase recruiting the response was meager. Recourse was had to Dawid D Mar Shimon who successfully raised the required number of men and was appointed chief liaison officer of the levies. The Patriarchal family for some time thereafter had a preponderating influence over Levy enlistment’s and promotions.
The levy force thus constituted consisted of four infantry battalions, three cavalry regiments and a pack battery of which only three of the battalions were Assyrian, the cavalry which was mainly Kurdish was progressively reduced until by 1928 it had been wholly disbanded, the pack battery was given up in 1927, and the Arab battalion transferred to the Iraqi army in the same year. The active role of the force was confined to the years preceding 1927. The operations with which it was associated comprising the reoccupation of RAWANDUZ in 1923, defense of the northern frontier against Turkish encroachments in 1924, the occupation of BARZAN in 1927, and throughout the period intermittent warfare with the supporters of sheikh Mahmud of Sulaimania.
The force thus raised was used in December of the same year in operations in the neighborhood of Rawanduz which secured for Dawid D Mar Shimon , the patriarch’s father, the award of OBE. On 1 October 1922 the levies came under RAF command, and 400 Assyrians surplus to a new establishment had been compulsorily discharged during the summer, and when in the winter of the same year it was desired to increase recruiting the response was meager. Recourse was had to Dawid D Mar Shimon who successfully raised the required number of men and was appointed chief liaison officer of the levies. The Patriarchal family for some time thereafter had a preponderating influence over Levy enlistment’s and promotions.
The levy force thus constituted consisted of four infantry battalions, three cavalry regiments and a pack battery of which only three of the battalions were Assyrian, the cavalry which was mainly Kurdish was progressively reduced until by 1928 it had been wholly disbanded, the pack battery was given up in 1927, and the Arab battalion transferred to the Iraqi army in the same year. The active role of the force was confined to the years preceding 1927. The operations with which it was associated comprising the reoccupation of RAWANDUZ in 1923, defense of the northern frontier against Turkish encroachments in 1924, the occupation of BARZAN in 1927, and throughout the period intermittent warfare with the supporters of sheikh Mahmud of Sulaimania.
In all of these operations it proved most useful and the steady behavior of the Assyrian troops at the time when their families were being driven out of their valleys by the Turks in 1924 received particular praise. Unfortunately however by the time that the fixing of the Turkish frontier had rendered a satisfactory resettlement impossible, relations between the native population of Iraq and the Assyrian levies had already been made worse than they would anyhow have been by two outbreaks of violence. The first was a fracas in Mosul bazaar on 5 April 1923 and the second a more serious disturbance in Kirkuk on 4 May 1924 when two companies of levies got completely out of hand and killed 30 Moslem men and an injured 60 more, there was strong provocation in each case including murder but the impression left was nonetheless regrettable.
In 1926 after the signature of the Anglo-Turko-Iraqi treaty it was agreed that the force had served its purpose, and all but three battalions were disbanded. The Arab battalion was transferred to the Iraqi army and the two remaining Assyrian battalions should have been handed over at the same time. The AOC appreciated however, that in view of the preponderance of lowlanders in the Iraqi army, the preservation of order in Kurdistan would be dependent on the continued existence of two Assyrian [Highland] battalions, and as the Iraqi government would not accept a transfer on terms which in the AOCs opinion were compatible with the continued efficiency of the units concerned, the RAF levies in the shape of the two battalions remained in existence.
A picked body of men, these troops were a source of immense pride to the British officers and it was therefore a painful blow when on first of June 1932 a manifesto [to be independently settled in northern Iraq under the protection of the British government] was presented signed by all save one of the Assyrian officers giving one month’s notice of termination of service on behalf of the entire force. From the point of the High Commissioner this was embarrassing and extremely dangerous. A battalion of British troops was flown in by air, the Assyrians induced to hand in their arms, and arrangements made to confine them to barracks and allow them to return to their homes only in small parties. On 15 June the Assyrian leaders formulated their demands and announced the levies would stand by their decision to resign at the end of the month if these were not granted beforehand. On 29 June however Mar Shimon was prevailed upon to send on the 11th hour instructions that the notice of termination of contract should be withdrawn, as a result eight officers and 288 men were given their discharge the situation returned rapidly to normal.
In 1926 after the signature of the Anglo-Turko-Iraqi treaty it was agreed that the force had served its purpose, and all but three battalions were disbanded. The Arab battalion was transferred to the Iraqi army and the two remaining Assyrian battalions should have been handed over at the same time. The AOC appreciated however, that in view of the preponderance of lowlanders in the Iraqi army, the preservation of order in Kurdistan would be dependent on the continued existence of two Assyrian [Highland] battalions, and as the Iraqi government would not accept a transfer on terms which in the AOCs opinion were compatible with the continued efficiency of the units concerned, the RAF levies in the shape of the two battalions remained in existence.
A picked body of men, these troops were a source of immense pride to the British officers and it was therefore a painful blow when on first of June 1932 a manifesto [to be independently settled in northern Iraq under the protection of the British government] was presented signed by all save one of the Assyrian officers giving one month’s notice of termination of service on behalf of the entire force. From the point of the High Commissioner this was embarrassing and extremely dangerous. A battalion of British troops was flown in by air, the Assyrians induced to hand in their arms, and arrangements made to confine them to barracks and allow them to return to their homes only in small parties. On 15 June the Assyrian leaders formulated their demands and announced the levies would stand by their decision to resign at the end of the month if these were not granted beforehand. On 29 June however Mar Shimon was prevailed upon to send on the 11th hour instructions that the notice of termination of contract should be withdrawn, as a result eight officers and 288 men were given their discharge the situation returned rapidly to normal.
Meanwhile the whole position had been changed by the Anglo Iraqi treaty of June 1930 which was ratified in January of the following year and came into force in October 1932, with the admission of Iraq to the league of nations, by article 4 of the Anixter the King of Iraq is bound to provide at request and at the expense of his Britannic Majesty and upon such conditions as may be agreed between the high contracting parties special guards from his own forces for the protection of such airbases as May in accordance with the provisions of the treaty be occupied by the forces of his Britannic Majesty and to secure the enactment of such legislation as may be necessary for the fulfillment of the conditions referred to above.
This on paper abolished the levies altogether; but although two schemes to provide a suitable force of guards in accordance with this article reached a fairly advanced stage, successive Iraqi governments appear to have decided that to determine the precise juridical status of a levy numbering 1500 men in all, including now a mere 800 Assyrians, and stationed away from the public eye in inhospitable deserts, was not worth the time, effort and argument it would certainly involve. The levies were able in consequence to enjoy and anomalous but uneventful existence for the next nine years, after which in May 1941 they sprang into sudden prominence, where they most gallantly defended the HABBANYIA cantonment against the rebel Iraqi army, and as the tide of battle turned were able to advance and capture FALLUJA.
These startling developments received with somewhat mixed feelings by Iraqis and notably by the FALLUJA townsmen benefited not only the British but through the Assyrians the whole Allied cause and in particular the constitutionally appointed Iraqi Regent whom the rebels had expelled, and in view of this last aspect and of the general manpower shortage it was tacitly agreed that recruiting for the levies might be increased.
The fact that in 1941 the Assyrians deserved extremely well of the British officers gives them of course a fresh claim to future British benevolence. Unhappily to the Iraqi army rebel or not is unlikely to forget its humiliation at their hands and as the postwar prospects of the levies are uncertain so also the prospects of the Assyrian community in Iraq are bleak.
The chief importance of the levies from the Assyrian point of view has been that levy service has provided not only a congenial form of employment especially in the early days when it led to the acquisition on discharge of a rifle and ammunition but also a focus for Assyrian life. It has given visible expression to the national individuality and has been the one field where since no contempt attached to the Assyrian name, national self-respect could survive unimpaired.
This on paper abolished the levies altogether; but although two schemes to provide a suitable force of guards in accordance with this article reached a fairly advanced stage, successive Iraqi governments appear to have decided that to determine the precise juridical status of a levy numbering 1500 men in all, including now a mere 800 Assyrians, and stationed away from the public eye in inhospitable deserts, was not worth the time, effort and argument it would certainly involve. The levies were able in consequence to enjoy and anomalous but uneventful existence for the next nine years, after which in May 1941 they sprang into sudden prominence, where they most gallantly defended the HABBANYIA cantonment against the rebel Iraqi army, and as the tide of battle turned were able to advance and capture FALLUJA.
These startling developments received with somewhat mixed feelings by Iraqis and notably by the FALLUJA townsmen benefited not only the British but through the Assyrians the whole Allied cause and in particular the constitutionally appointed Iraqi Regent whom the rebels had expelled, and in view of this last aspect and of the general manpower shortage it was tacitly agreed that recruiting for the levies might be increased.
The fact that in 1941 the Assyrians deserved extremely well of the British officers gives them of course a fresh claim to future British benevolence. Unhappily to the Iraqi army rebel or not is unlikely to forget its humiliation at their hands and as the postwar prospects of the levies are uncertain so also the prospects of the Assyrian community in Iraq are bleak.
The chief importance of the levies from the Assyrian point of view has been that levy service has provided not only a congenial form of employment especially in the early days when it led to the acquisition on discharge of a rifle and ammunition but also a focus for Assyrian life. It has given visible expression to the national individuality and has been the one field where since no contempt attached to the Assyrian name, national self-respect could survive unimpaired.
