James Gregory
James Gregory was born in Bolton, Lancashire on 20.10.1908. In 1925 aged 16 James enlisted in the British Army, 1st Battalion Loyal Regiment as Private 3853734. James Gregory’s regiment was deployed to Calcutta, Waziristan and Cawnpore from 1932. James was a drummer in the Regiment band. In 1936 the Loyal Regiment was posted to Palestine.
In 1938 James left the army and joined the Palestine Police Force. He served as British Constable 443 in the Port and Marine division from 17.08.1938. In May 1948 as the British mandate in Palestine ended James and his family had to leave Palestine for England.
In Egypt
Palestine
Palestine
On 11.04.1942 James Gregory married Liesel Veit in Haifa and on the 26.10.1943 became the father of twins Walter and Linda.
On 28.10.1946 he was discharged from the Palestine Police to take up employment with the Security Department of the Iraq Petroleum Company Limited. James Gregory retained his links to the Palestine Police as B/Sgt 5055 a member of the Supernumerary Police from 28.10.1946 to 11.02.1948 when he was discharged as a result of Reduction of Establishment.
On 16.05.1948, as the British mandate came to an end, and despite attempts to stay in the middle east James returned to Bolton, England with his family. Being too short to join the local police service, he worked as a bus conductor until his retirement. James Gregory died on 10.10.1973.
S.S. Patria
The Patria disaster was the sinking on 25 November 1940 by the Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah of a French-built ocean liner, the 11,885-ton SS Patria, in the port of Haifa, killing 267 people and injuring 172. The exact number of casualties of this disaster are not known.At the time of the sinking, Patria was carrying about 1,800 Jewish refugees from Nazi-occupied Europe whom the British authorities were deporting from Mandatory Palestine to Mauritius because they lacked entry permits. Zionist organizations opposed the deportation, and the underground paramilitary Haganah group planted a bomb intended to disable the ship to prevent it from leaving Haifa.
The Haganah claims to have miscalculated the effects of the explosion. The bomb blew the steel frame off one full side of the ship and the ship sank in less than 16 minutes, trapping hundreds in the hold. *
* From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James was part of the guard party of British Policemen on board at the time of the explosion and his actions earned him “a commendation by His Excellency the High Commissioner for exemplary coolness and courage, in the occasion of the sinking of the S.S.Patria in Haifa harbour on the 25.11.1940, as a result of which the lives of many hundreds were saved.” James later recalled how he managed to pull many passengers from the sinking boat and the water to safety before being rescued himself. You can see a copy of his letter of commendation here.
Lord Cope in a speech to British Palestine Police Association Centenary Dinner at Middle Temple Hall, 2 July 2021* said "One of the most striking episodes in the history of the PP is the sinking of the ship SS Patria in 1940. She was a former French trans-atlantic liner confiscated by the British from the Vichy French and was in Haifa harbour full of Jewish immigrants due to be deported to Mauritius and was bombed by Jewish terrorists to prevent her leaving. She sank in 16 minutes. 240 Jews died in the water together with some crew members and 2 Policemen who joined the rescue efforts."
*Source: balfourproject.org
