COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

Yes you're right, the city on the coast was Caesarea between Haifa and Tel Aviv today. I was posted in one of it's castles for a week, was intended for three months but we had an accident where a friend had his head shot by a 9mm pistol, so we were returned to base and some other took over. It was about the change of weapons and training when the war ended. There had been an aqueduct from springs in Mount Carmel that fed water to the city back in Herrod's time. In the 3rd century it had christian learning in the city but there were no Monastery.

The cities on the coast of Palestine had a small plain then a mountain range that ran parallel to the coastline and Jerusalem was beyond that. The only way through the mountains was just one pass and to pass through you had to climb Mount Carmel first, then through the Latrun valley to Jerusalem but Latrun had a great fortress guarding the pass. Roman legions, templars, pilgrims, crusaders all atttempted to pass through that valley. In 1936 Brits built a fortress on the other side of the valley that looked down on that fortress guarding the pass.



I was posted to the Tegart fort for around two months. A few weeks later we were moved after an explosion. I was sent to that fort that guarded the pass, now a 15th century Monastery to peace and quiet. All these 14th, 15th monasteries were forts converted. Coventry White friars built a monastery of same dimensions and shape.

BY THE TWENTIETH CENTURY Engineers had blasted a motorway through those mountains from Gazza to Jerusalem, bypassing Latrun valley. This journey was of about 40 miles of dangerous hairpin bends. They had some sort of radio that did the work of traffic lights so no two opposing vehicles would be on the same road at the same time. ‘Oh My’ what a hair raising journey.We had to make sure the drivers had no drinks.

About 4/5 miles in the mountains from Gazza there was a mountain Pool about the same size as an Olympic Pool. The water bubbled in under the mountain about 50 feet deep and out the other end about a foot deep. It was full of small fish that bit you if you stood still. We got rid of most of them and used the pool for entertainment. Rock ledges of various heights allowed for diving the swimming team for training for middle east sports events. It could be guarded quiet easily. That’s when we had camp in the south, when we moved North then it was out.

Dutchman, mornin'. This was the Taggert fort, and the other picture was the ancient fort (now Monastery ) that was across the valley, the only pass through the three-hundred foot mountains to Jerusalem, every Crusader, pilgrim, and kings had to pass by that fort to get to Jerusalem, and I spent time in both. was quite an experience for a cov-kid.

Brilliant, thanks!

no worries., just had a skin cancer taken off my nose pretty painful, on the operating table 58 minutes.

Take care, Blitzkid, and we wish you a swift recovery.

Blitzkid wrote:just had a skin cancer taken off my nose pretty painful, on the operating table 58 minutes.

Ooh, nasty! Get well soon!

Thank you. hope you're well, and keep up the good work.

As well as I'll ever be, thank you Blitzkid