Abstract

The goal of this article is to shed light on the role, and views, of the well known British military commander Bernard Law Montgomery in suppressing the great revolt, which erupted in Palestine (1936-1939). He was the commander of the 8th Division, which undertook the responsibility of crushing the revolt in northern Palestine, in the period Oct. 1938-_]un.1939. In this article, we shall study several letters and reports written by Montgomery himself at that time. These letters and reports are being kept in the Public Record Office (P.R.O) in London, in the War Office (W.O) files. He wrote, almost personally and privately, in an open and unusual frankness to Chief imperial General Staff (G.I.G.S) or his Deputy (Deputy C.I.G.S). This openness is very difficult to be found in other related official letters. They may help us to know about some restricted issues, and they may show us how Montgomery conceived and comprehended the events of the revolt. The issues tackled by Montgomery could be categorized into three central issues, first: his understanding and evaluation of the revolt; second: his views on the performance of the army; third: his review and criticism to the police services. In this article, we shall discuss and examine what was written by Montgomery, using, as far as possible, the documentary material available to us on this subject.