Lt. Col. John Henry Patterson

Lt. Col. John Henry Patterson. . John Henry Patterson was born in Ireland on November 10, 1876. He was an Irish Protestant who had a thorough knowledge of the Bible, and was sympathetic to the Jewish people in biblical times and to the Zionist idea.

He served in the British Army during the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902), and was discharged with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his military service.

On the outbreak of World War I, Patterson rejoined the ranks of the British Army. In 1915, he was appointed commander of the Zion Mule Corps, which was set up in Alexandria, Egypt, as a unique Jewish Legion within the framework of the British Army. His adjutant was Yoseph Trumpeldor. The Corps played an important role in the battle against the Ottoman Turkish Army on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

After the end of the Gallipoli battle and the disbanding of the Corps, Patterson returned o the UK, and in 1917 he volunteered to command the 38th Legion of the Royal Fusiliers, whose establishment was initiated by Ze’ev (Vladimir) Jabotinsky, who even served as one of the officers. The 38th Legion was the first of three Jewish Legions which were established in order to take part in the Liberation of the Land of Israel from the Turks, and which laid a solid basis for a Jewish military force.

Patterson was considered a true friend of the Jewish people, and he worked for the establishment of the State of Israel. He died in Los Angeles, in the USA, on June 18, 1947. John Henry Patterson had asked to be buried alongside his soldiers. His grandson, Alan Patterson, took upon himself to realize this last request. He approached the government of Israel with a request to fulfil his grandfather’s wish ”to lie in his eternal rest alongside those he commanded from the Jewish Legion… And bring the urn carrying his ashes for burial on Israeli soil.”

In appreciation for Lt. Colonel Patterson and his work, the Government of Israel headed by Prime Minister Binaymin Netanyahu acceded to the request. On December 2, 2014, the ashes of John Henry Patterson and his wife Frances Helena were brought for re-interment in Moshav Avihayil, a farming community that was founded by Jewish Legion veterans.

At the Jewish Legion Museum in Moshav Avihayil and at the Jabotinsky Institute in Tel Aviv, it is possible to learn more about the actions of Patterson and his troops.