Orde Charles Wingate, A Friend to Israel, and Father of the Israeli Army

He trained Israel's future leaders, and helped that tiny country on it's path to freedom.



Orde Charles Wingate, often known as The Friend or Hayedid, to the tiny country of Israel, was born in British India. Raised the son of a Scottish officer and a mother who told him “Lawrence of Arabia” stories, discilpine was tight. As a boy he was expected to memorize scripture. His favorite Bible Story was that of Gideon, who with a tiny army of 300, overthrew the Midianites.



His Childhood

His childhood was spent on long exhausting walks that later prepared him physically and mentally for his military role in life. He was to become a mighty man as a British Officer.



In Palestine

What he found as he arrived in Palestine was different than he had imagined. Within a relatively short time he saw the disparity between what Britain was saying concerning their support for a Jewish State and what they were enforcing. Even worse was what he saw of the Jewish people. Tactically the Jews were waiting for the Arabs to come to them. There was no offense. Nor were they particularly sucessfully at their defense. Nor was the Jewish population allowed to have weapons; just building ammunition carried the death penalty. Meanwhile the Arabs were being armed with no restrictions.



He became angry on behalf of his new Jewish friends because of an innate love for the underdog and decided it was time for them to learn to defend themselves. He believed that no one could prosper as long as they followed the beaten path. If Israel wanted to exist, she had to carve her own road without assistance. He was their natural leader.



Night Raids

Among those in his night sqauds learning guerilla warfare were many of the future leaders of Israel, such as Moshe Dyan, and Emmanuel Wilenski. What Captain Wingate taught them in those night raids would be the beginning of the Israeli Army, and his tactics, those of the freedom fighters in Israel.





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