Captain Dave Posted 16 August , 2004 Share Posted 16 August , 2004 Just doing some info for my little 1/10th Leb mate Phil. Are there any websites, or good reference books about activity by Lebanese troops during WW1? We have found info on WW2 (Vichy) but are curious if there was any thing happening in the first round of hostilities. Regards Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stevenbec Posted 16 August , 2004 Share Posted 16 August , 2004 Mate, Are you sure about Lebo troops in WWI? Wasn't this country formed as part of the Belfour Decalration after the Great War. As for troops from the area they would have been in the Turkish Army. S.B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Dave Posted 16 August , 2004 Author Share Posted 16 August , 2004 Excelent. Turks during WW1, then Vichy French in WW2. Talk about backing a loseing horse! Can't wait to tell him! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telaw Posted 16 August , 2004 Share Posted 16 August , 2004 Mate, Are you sure about Lebo troops in WWI? Wasn't this country formed as part of the Belfour Decalration after the Great War. As for troops from the area they would have been in the Turkish Army. S.B Poor Balfour, gets a lot of blame for a half page letter. It was probably the Sykes-Piquoet agreement. True it was Turkish tropps. There was a lot of hevy fighting in Beirut with high British casualties for a small theatre. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telaw Posted 16 August , 2004 Share Posted 16 August , 2004 Just doing some info for my little 1/10th Leb mate Phil. Are there any websites, or good reference books about activity by Lebanese troops during WW1? We have found info on WW2 (Vichy) but are curious if there was any thing happening in the first round of hostilities. Regards Dave. Here's a link to a website that commemerates the Anzac involvement in Lebanon "In a stately and dignified occasion, the UALM gathered together with its friends, to pay its respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. For the occasion, a special emphasis was placed upon the role of the Anzacs in Lebanon from the Great War (WW1) to present day." Anzacs in Lebanon WW1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhill Posted 16 August , 2004 Share Posted 16 August , 2004 I can only contribute a slightly related anecdote. In those days people out here who were originally from that part of the world were usually known as Syrians. There was actually a fairly significant Syrian community hereabouts from the beginning of the century. (Sometimes the nationality was said to be "Syrian" and the place of birth "Palestine" or some such place). In I believe 1917, a couple of men were arrested and charged to stand trial as suppossed enemy aliens who had not registered, as required, with the police. It seems that they were arrested because they "had names sounding like brands of Turkish cigarettes" and could not prove they were not, in fact, Turkish. The case was dismissed when they managed to convince the court that they were, in fact, "Syrian". I have not yet found any "Syrians" who enlisted locally with the military, but there may well have been some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telaw Posted 16 August , 2004 Share Posted 16 August , 2004 I can only contribute a slightly related anecdote. In those days people out here who were originally from that part of the world were usually known as Syrians. There was actually a fairly significant Syrian community hereabouts from the beginning of the century. (Sometimes the nationality was said to be "Syrian" and the place of birth "Palestine" or some such place). In I believe 1917, a couple of men were arrested and charged to stand trial as suppossed enemy aliens who had not registered, as required, with the police. It seems that they were arrested because they "had names sounding like brands of Turkish cigarettes" and could not prove they were not, in fact, Turkish. The case was dismissed when they managed to convince the court that they were, in fact, "Syrian". I have not yet found any "Syrians" who enlisted locally with the military, but there may well have been some. Their names sounded like Turkish brands of cigarettes.... Did they also claim to be from the "Embassy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.TIERNEY. Posted 16 August , 2004 Share Posted 16 August , 2004 Just to add more confusion and not to do with WW 1, I met an old Lebanese gent at a memorial service in S. Lebanon in 1991 who had served in the 8th Army at El Alemein. He and other Lebanese were recruited in Sierra Leone where traditionally a lot of his countrymen emigrated for employment in the diamond industry. It may have been a case of join up or be interned.. but by the end of the N. Africa campaign there were only 6 out of 36 surviving and were demobbed in 1944. He was a lovely old gent and as we talked for over a half an hour his English vocabulary improved, he said he had'nt spoken English for 20+ years. Is it possible that the same could have happened to Syrians, Jordanians,Palistinians and other peoples whose homelands were part of the Ottoman Empire in 1914??? Just for info' C.T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 17 August , 2004 Share Posted 17 August , 2004 Is it possible that the same could have happened to Syrians, Jordanians,Palistinians and other peoples whose homelands were part of the Ottoman Empire in 1914??? Like the army of the British Empire, that of the Ottoman Empire included representatives from its ethnic constituents; containing not only Turks, but, albeit to a lesser extent, also Kurds, Arabs, Greeks, Armenians, Circassians and Jews. Regarding names such as Lebanon, Jordan or Palestine; I am open to correction here, but I do not think that they were terms which would have been in use by the Ottoman administration prior to 1914. As far as I can tell the whole of that region was governed from Damascus and referred to as either Greater Syria or just Syria. At that time Lebanon was more of a geographical location, referring to the area around the mountain of that name. Regards Michael D.R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harribobs Posted 17 August , 2004 Share Posted 17 August , 2004 Their names sounded like Turkish brands of cigarettes.... Did they also claim to be from the "Embassy" were they arrested on 'camel' ? I'll get me coat now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now